Summer Report for Tuesday 12 January 2016

8:49 AM.From folk remedies to micro chips an exhibition on the history of contraception in New Zealand reveals some horrifying impliments and world changing innovations. Audio

8:45 AM.A homeless shelter specifically for women will now be a permanent fixture in Christchurch. Audio

8:40 AM.Thousands of people in Hong Kong have been rallying against the disappearance of five booksellers from a shop known for selling works critical of China. Audio

8:36 AM.US markets opened higher today despite the latest drop in the Chinese stock market. Audio

8:28 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:24 AM.Emergency beacons have already came in handy in dozens of separate search and rescue missions this year Audio

8:20 AM.Western Australia residents are ready for a long and exhausting three months fighting fires. Audio

8:12 AM.Rock icon David Bowie has died just two days after his 69th birthday. New Zealand musician Alistair Riddell (Space Waltz) recalls Bowie's influence on music and culture from the 1970s and beyond. Audio

8:07 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:54 AM.This year, Playcentre will celebrate 75 years since it first started in the Wellington suburb of Karori Audio

7:47 AM.A Palmerston North man who was reliant on a mobility scooter due to MS, but has since climbed a 6000-metre mountain in Nepal, and is setting up his own charity to help other sufferers achieve their… Read more Audio

7:44 AM.Flooding was an all-too common sight around New Zealand last year. Audio

7:41 AM.A suggestion to put a cap on the number of tourists who come to New Zealand in the summer months has been met with scepticism. Audio

7:33 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

7:24 AM.The SPCA says there is an alarming increase in what it describes as recreational cruelty to animals. Audio

7:20 AM.Union stalwart Helen Kelly is calling for a Government inquiry into working conditions for farm workers. Audio

7:16 AM.Crowds are now gathering near where David Bowie was born in the London suburb of Brixton. Former RNZ reporter Craig McCulloch is there. Audio

7:12 AM.Otago University's Ian Chapman did his masters on David Bowie in 2005 and he went on to do his PhD on the man in 2012 and is known as a Bowie scholar. Audio

7:00 AM.This morning we'll hear from the friends and fans of David Bowie who has died at the age of 69. There are calls for an inquiry into the conditions of farm workers and an increase in cruelty to… Read more Audio