Morning Report

The taps at South Canterbury's Opuha dam will be turned off today. Audio

There is an early setback to the Auckland Council's ambition to curb urban sprawl, with only limited backing from an independent panel considering the city's development blueprint. Audio

Staying with Bio-security, officials are sounding an early warning about a pest that could do more damage to horticulture than the Queensland fruit-fly. Audio

Auckland's first fruit fly was found 10 days ago, but neighbours of the property where it was found say they are still in the dark, despite the discovery of more bugs. Audio

Rates in Christchurch could rise 26 percent over the next three years as part of a proposal from the city council to meet a 1.2 billion dollar budget shortfall. Audio

Grounding breaking research from Australia has found that two thirds of smokers there will die from a smoking related illness. Audio

The training mission has been described by Labour's defence spokesperson, Phil Goff, as a futile sacrifice. Audio

The Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, Lieutenant General Tim Keating, has detailed the plans for New Zealand's deployment to Iraq. Audio

One hundred and forty-three defence force personnel will travel to Taji, just north of Baghdad, in May to train the Iraqi army for their war against Islamic State. Audio

An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

The Dow Jones Index is up 70 points to 18,187. Audio

Favourable economic conditions and less red tape are expected to attract more firms to list. Audio