Today's Morning Rush is brought to you by Patrice Dougan
Good morning and welcome to today's edition of Morning Rush. Everything you need to know, including the latest, breaking news, sport, entertainment, traffic, travel and weather information. Share your news tips and photos at #MorningRushNZ or morningrush@nzme.co.nz
9am: Wrapping up for today folks. Thanks for joining us this morning. Coming up today on nzherald.co.nz we'll be updating the fatal rubbish truck crash in Birkenhead that claimed the life of 19-year-old Jane Lee Devonshire; examining how the road toll is now 22 higher than this time last year after three people died on our roads yesterday; and we'll be in court for the two people arrested over the death of 3-year-old Moko Rangitoheriri in Taupo, as well as the latest in the trial of the man accused of murdering Connor Morris. Have a great day, and I'll see you again tomorrow.
8.55am: How many people can empathise with this guy? Noel Oelofsen emigrated from South Africa 14 years ago and has still not been able to scrape together a deposit for a house in Auckland. Read his story here.
8.42am: One of Azerbaijan's leading football players is among six people arrested in connection with the death of a journalist who criticised him, authorities say. Journalist Rasim Aliyev died on Sunday. He had previously described footballer Javid Huseynov as "ignorant and unable to behave himself".
8.39am: Today's Rod Emmerson cartoon depicts the ideal flag design for the Government.
8.33am: Police investigating an aggravated robbery in Dargaville - in which a man pointed a long-barrelled firearm at the female dairy owner - are asking for the public's help to find the offender. They particularly want to speak to two men who were seen in a beige or tan-coloured twin-cab ute in the area near the Hilltop Dairy on Awakino Rd, or Ranfurly St and Kauri St, at the time of the incident around 4.15pm yesterday.
8.12am: If you missed it yesterday this lovely story is still melting hearts: An Australian woman who had been in hospital with her sick 9-week-old son returned to her car to find a parking ticket - and that a stranger had paid it for her.
8.06am: The All Blacks may bring their own double threat to the breakdown at Eden Park for the Bledisloe Cup re-match on Saturday night and start with Richie McCaw and Sam Cane, writes Gregor Paul.
8.01am: A former team mate of All Blacks legends Richie McCaw and Dan Carter has been killed by a freak wave while swimming in France. Englishman Rob Walton, 36, had gone into the water on one of his children's body boards at Labenne beach, near Biarritz, and a police source told The Mirror he was "hit in the spine by a big wave and suffered whiplash injuries".
7.59am:Today's Sideswipe has urban free range duck, and flags that look like tsunamis.
7.54am: An Auckland pharmacist is accused of illegally selling painkillers and sedatives "far in excess" of legal limits, and could face jail for falsifying a prescription. Read more about 31-year-old Terrence Wong here.
7.51am: A beautiful sunrise in Wellington this morning.
7.49am: Up to 27 people who entered New Zealand falsely claiming to be refugees will be allowed to stay - meaning 27 genuine refugees may have missed out on coming into the country. The Department of Internal Affairs has refused to explain its decision not to revoke the citizenship of the 27 people, Radio New Zealand says.
7.46am: Hunua and Clevedon residents are being reassured an upcoming 1080 drop won't contaminate their properties. The Council says sophisticated GPS technology means the diluted 1080 bait pellets will be distributed accurately down to a matter of metres.
7.42am: Good weather-related news for Aucklanders - temperatures across the city are much warmer this morning. "There might be a few cloudy periods - but plenty of sunshine today," MetService meteorologist Nick Zachar says.
7.40am: Almost two-thirds of New Zealanders nearing retirement have not yet worked out how much money they will need to keep afloat after retiring, a new survey has found.
7.32am: New Zealand dance crew 'The Bradas' have won first place in the adult section of the World Hip Hop Dance Championships in the United States.
7.27am: Breaking: A 3-year-old boy who died after being admitted to Taupo hospital with critical injuries has been named as Moko Sayviah Rangitoheriri. A 26-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man have been charged with assault on a child and will appear at Rotorua District Court today, police said.
7.25am: Amnesty International has approved a controversial policy to endorse the de-criminalisation of the sex trade. It rejected complaints by women's rights groups who argued it would worsen human trafficking and sex tourism.
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) August 11, 2015
7.12am: The New Zealand dollar, and several other regional currencies, fell sharply yesterday after the US dollar spiked higher in response to China's 1.9 per cent devaluation of the yuan.
7am: It's a family affair on the set of Melissa McCarthy's new film - the actor's daughter will now join her onscreen in upcoming comedy Michelle Darnell to play a younger version of her mother's character, while McCarthy's husband Ben Falcone directs.
6.48am: Designs for the country's new flag that bear a silver fern are early favourites in an online poll - although the leading flags also retain the Southern Cross. Read what some top New Zealanders have to say about the 40 shortlisted designs here.
Flag designs by Kyle Lockwood that topped an online poll.
6.38am: A group for the families of those on board missing flight MH370 has issued a statement calling for the authorities involved in the examination of debris found on Reunion Island and neighbouring islands to ensure "100 per cent accuracy". Voice370 says it has "deep concerns" over the debris being "correctly examined and forensically determined that they came from the missing plane with a 100 per cent accuracy". "We therefore issue this statement to the authorities and hope that we have your support and help to make our plead audible to the world."
6.29am: What the Herald is asking today - Can Auckland be number one? In a 10-day series it examines some of the biggest hurdles Auckland faces, from housing and transport to entertainment and education.
6.22am: Tears were shed last night as neighbours and friends of little Maggie Watson came together for a vigil in memory of the Onehunga 4-year-old. Read more here.
6.18am: Still cold in lots of places today - Alexandra is the low at -5.9C, but Napier is the warmest at 5.9C. Napier is also the windiest place with gusts of 15km/h, sounds pretty mild. And all centres are currently dry, MetService says.
6.16am: Here's a weather overview from MetService for today:
6.13am: Nine people have been arrested in Hamilton following two burglaries in the area last night - one at Kathmandu and the other at the Hamilton Mill Liquorsave.
6.09am: Back home, the body of a man was discovered at an address in the Hutt Valley suburb of Naenae last night. A scene guard remains in place this morning. Police say it's still too early to say whether the death is suspicious.
