Morning Report Podcast Options

6:00 AM.Christchurch homeowners still in limbo. Brownlee defends government's efforts in rebuild. Labour says falling coal price no alibi for Solid Energy. Local government in coal mining areas on Solid… Read more Audio

8:55 AM.The cordoned centre of Christchurch was more than 300 hectares right after the quake, now it's less than 40. Audio

8:50 AM.The philanthropist Gareth Morgan took his anti-cat message to a public meeting in Wellington last night -- and was left with the last word when some angry cat owners walked out before he'd finished. Audio

8:47 AM.The Education Minister Hekia Parata is ruling out a suggestion to establish a third kura kaupapa in Christchurch and says her relocation plan is the only one on offer; The Government has stepped in to… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.School sports coaches say there is no need to test high school athletes for performance enhancing drugs because it would be unlikely to uncover any wrong-doing. Audio

8:39 AM.Beneficiary advocates say the Government's crack-down on welfare fraud is a punitive approach that's likely to be an expensive over-kill. Audio

8:35 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

8:29 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:25 AM.The best of Maori performing arts will be on display today when the country's national Kapa Haka competition gets underway in Rotorua. Audio

8:20 AM.The Ports of Auckland and the Maritime Union are a step closer to settling their lengthy industrial dispute. Audio

8:15 AM.The Auckland Council says it's expecting heated debate over the future shape of the city, with the pending release of its Unitary Plan. Audio

8:12 AM.Vessels from the antiwhaling group Sea Shepherd are still chasing the Japanese factory ship, Nisshin Maru, in the Southern Ocean. Audio

8:09 AM.Residents evacuated from the path of a large scrub fire in southern Wellington are being allowed to return home, as the blaze is brought under control. Audio

7:56 AM.A former farmer who now works to keep waterways clean says a new water quality agreement will not only improve the environment but will also lift farm productivity. Audio

7:52 AM.Two years on from the February twenty second earthquake, large parts of Christchurch Hospital are a construction site as repairs to damaged wards continue. Audio

7:48 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:42 AM.The bail hearing for Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius has continued overnight with more claims and counterclaims. Audio

7:37 AM.The mother of a 17-month-old Christchurch girl who was killed by her nanny, Elizabeth Healy, in 1997, says children won't be safe when she's released next month. Audio

7:28 AM.The Labour Party is asking why benefit fraud is being targetted by the government when tax fraud currently costs the country more. Audio

7:24 AM.Aucklanders are about to join the biggest debate in their history about the shape of neighbourhoods and communities over the next thirty years. Audio

7:22 AM.Fire commander Jock Darragh gives an update from the scene. Audio

7:17 AM.The Green Party is claiming the Prime Minister John Key has not been up front about his involvement in the Sky City deal. Audio

7:13 AM.The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd is continuing to hound a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean, despite collisions damaging three of its vessels. Audio

7:11 AM.About 12 firefighters worked overnight to contain the blaze, which has been burning on the Okahukura peninsula in Kaipara Harbour since Tuesday night. Audio

7:08 AM.Residents have been evacuated and the fire service says it could days before they put out the blaze. Our reporter Eric Frykberg is there. Audio