Morning Report

Voting is under way as Americans prepare to give their verdict on Donald Trump's first two years in office. A rare strain of meningococcal disease that's killed six people this year alarms doctors. Audio

A South Taranaki cottage has been named the best bach in New Zealand. Voters in the Bookabach competition picked a beachside hideaway in Opunake as the people's choice this year. Fox Cottage was built… Read more Audio

A senior nurses' union official has spoken out about a storm of anger, bitterness and abuse against its officials by some union members during recent pay talks. Nurses voted in early August to accept… Read more Audio

As proposals to decriminalise abortion are underway, a group of women who have had abortions took out newspaper advertisements urging Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to be cautious about reform. The ads… Read more Audio

At 5pm on Tuesday, 24 horses will line up for the 158th running of the Melbourne Cup. One person watching that race will be Patrick Bartley, racing writer for The Age. He talks to Kim Hill. Audio

Three million dollars is being earmarked for a memorial to remember the victims of the country's worst ever aircraft crash, the Mt Erebus disaster. From today, architects and designers will be able to… Read more Audio

Some councils around New Zealand are doing away with Guy Fawkes altogether for other more home-grown celebrations such as Matariki. With no let up in fireworks sales will the call for a ban, or public… Read more Audio

A New Zealand family living in Brisbane has been told it will cost them 70 thousand dollars a year to send their three-year-old autistic daughter to preschool. That's under changes to disability… Read more Audio

A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

The Children's Commissioner wants to stub out smoking in cars when children are inside. The idea was last floated in 2014 but the previous government ignored advice to introduce a ban on the grounds… Read more Audio

The Green Building Council is calling for more to be done to stop construction waste going to the dump as the building boom ramps up. Auckland Council estimates up to 600,000 tonnes of building and… Read more Audio

First Union says removing sales targets for bank staff is a good start - but more needs to be done to police the sector. The Financial Markets Authority and the Reserve Bank published the findings of… Read more Audio