Gill Bonnett
Morning Report Essentials for Wednesday 1 May
On today's episode, the Remuneration Authority has determined that MPs will get a 10.5 percent pay rise, we get reaction from Labour leader Chris Hipkins as well as from the Taxpayers' Union… Audio
Public Transport fares now more expensive
The Government has stopped funding free public transport for children and half-price fares for young people under 25. We have reporters out in Wellington and Auckland to see how commuters are reacting… Audio
A perfect storm for problems and incompetence at Immigration NZ
A review into a new visa category that sparked more problems than it solved is scathing about Immigration NZ's processes and systems. Audio
Waiting for citizenship: 'It's like a mystery process'
Migrants who hold resident visas want to know why it's taking so long for some of them to get citizenship.
More than 26,000 residents are waiting to become New Zealanders.
And one applicant, who has… Audio
Opinions divided on CMV testing
Mothers-to-be are being warned that the most common infectious cause of permanent disabilities in newborn children is one they're likely to have never heard of.
Campaigners want more support for CMV… Audio
Country meets its new annual quota of 1500 refugees
There are calls for the Government to prioritise displaced families with children for resettlement, as the country meets its new annual quota of 1500 refugees for the first time.
And any day now a… Audio
New Zealand to resettle refugees living in Australia
The first 30 refugees relocated directly from Australia will arrive in New Zealand next month.
It is believed to be the first time New Zealand has accepted refugees already on Australian soil.
… Audio
Claims migrants charged for jobs and visas
Immigration officials are looking into two accredited New Zealand businesses that are alleged to have charged migrants money in exchange for jobs and visas.
A high-profile lawyer says migrants are… Audio
Families want answers as INZ reviews Iranian visa applications
Immigration officials are reviewing decisions they made to turn down some Iranian applicants who wanted to visit their New Zealand-based relatives. Immigration had concerns families were at risk of… Audio
Middle Eastern families' relatives barred from visiting
Middle-eastern families say they are shocked and devastated relatives have been barred from visiting because of conflict in their home countries.
More than 160 people from Syria and Iran alone have… Audio
Call for Royal Commission after Auckland floods
Former Auckland mayor Christine Fletcher says people are frightened and don't know what to do to after Auckland's deadly floods.
She is calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the… Audio
Parents from "black-listed" countries denied visitors visas
Immigration officials say an Iranian couple cannot visit their New Zealand family because the turbulence in their home country means they might not return.
More than half of all parents wanting to… Audio
Woman appears in court after South Korea extradition
A 42-year-old woman has appeared in the Manukau District Court after being extradited from South Korea in connection to the discovery of two dead children in suitcases in South Auckland.
She… Audio
Woman extradited from South Korea to appear in court
A woman is appearing in court today charged with the murder of two young children whose remains were found in suitcases in South Auckland.
The 42 year old is believed to be their mother and was… Audio
Christmas plans scuppered amid visitor visa hold-ups
Visiting relatives planning a Christmas trip to New Zealand are having to call off their trip after hold-ups to visas.
Flights have been booked for long-awaited family reunions but for some the… Audio
Interpreter charged over false asylum claims
A court has been told an interpreter was given hundreds of dollars by Indonesian migrants for writing false asylum claims for them Nurul Noor Azman has pleaded not guilty to five charges of supplying… Audio
More than 3000 visa applications left untouched for months
Immigration New Zealand has admitted more than 3000 visa applications were left untouched for up to three months because of an IT fault.
It's the latest in a series of system failures that have… Audio
Doctors and split families wait for residence
Two senior hospital doctors who can't get residence through the immigration Green List are now thinking twice about their move to New Zealand saying the process is a nightmare.
The couple - a… Audio
OIA response reveals to hide immigration practice
Immigration lawyers say official information channels are being manipulated to hide the use of profiling algorithms on applications from migrants.
An Official Information Act response seen by RNZ on… Audio
Chinese visa applications most held up by security checks
A security analyst says New Zealand's migrant screening is warding off threats from spies, extremists and drug smugglers, but national security checks take time.
Immigration figures show less than a… Audio