Morning Report Essentials for Thursday 19 June 2025
In today's episode, Foreign Minister Winston Peters speaks about plans to evacuate New Zealanders from Israel and Iran. Donald Trump is leaving open the possibility he'll step into the fighting between Israel and Iran. New Zealand has paused its core sector support funding for the Cook Islands after its government signed partnership agreements with China earlier this year. Magic mushroom drug psilocybin will soon be available for patients with treatment-resistant depression. And we cross to Australia for our weekly chat with Kerry-Anne Walsh.
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28:58
Kerry-Anne Walsh with news from Australia
We cross the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh.
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3:50
Drones take the skies for Matariki
Drones will be taking to the skies in Rotorua tonight to celebrate Matariki. At 8pm the light-up drones will perform a choreographed routine, with watchers on the ground able to see their movements as they whiz through the sky. Aronui Arts Festival trustee June Northcroft Grant spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
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2:28
Census 2030 scrapped
New Zealanders have filled out their last traditional Census form, with the five-yearly count scrapped from 2030. Statistics Minister Shane Reti says the Census isn't 'financially viable' and will be replaced by administrative data from other government agencies and smaller annual surveys. Senior research fellow from Auckland University Lara Greaves spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
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3:41
NZ halts Cook Islands funding
New Zealand has paused its core sector support funding for the Cook Islands after its government signed partnership agreements with China earlier this year. Political Editor Jo Moir spoke to Corin Dann.
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