Today's Morning Rush is brought to you by Lauren Priestley.
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
8.53am: Commuters are reporting gridlock from Hobsonville Rd into the city on the Northwestern Motorway. An earlier break-down has been cleared but traffic is still heavy.
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) August 12, 2015
8.51am: More beer news today - paua, crayfish, oyster and even taco-flavoured beer is set to grace cups at Beervana in Wellington today. My guess is it'd smell a bit fishy. Hope the weather holds out!
8.47am: Before we wrap up the blog this morning, here's what we will be following throughout the day: We'll bring you the latest in the trial of Michael Murray - the man accused of murdering Connor Morris, long-term partner of Millie Elder-Holmes. The Greenpeace activists are also set to appear in court, so we'll keep you updated as that develops. There's also a fair bit of wet and wild weather heading for New Zealand shores, so we'll let you know when it might be safe to peek outside without your brolly. Stay tuned for anything else breaking.
8.44am: Craft brewers are taking their drops offshore. An ANZ report shows craft brewers are following in the footsteps of New Zealand winemakers, with worldwide sales starting to boom.
8.40am: North Korea's Vice-Premier has reportedly been executed after voicing discontent with Kim Jong Un's forestry policies. South Korean media has reported Choe Yong Gon, 63, was killed after less than a year in his job. Read the latest here.
8.35am: An Australian businessman at the centre of a car-industry controversy has revealed plans for this side of the Tasman. Here's our Big Read.
8.31am: Fed up Mt Albert residents will have a shot of protest action along with their coffees this morning at a popular Auckland cafe which had a run in with the council, Newstalk ZB reports. Read more here.
8.27am: State Highway 3 through Awakino Gorge is now open.
UPDATE: #SH3 north of Awakino is now OPEN following an earlier slip. For the latest highway info check: http://t.co/JXhwXPxEFG ^TP
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Waikato/BoP (@WakaKotahiWaiBP) August 13, 2015
8.25am: There is no concern for tsunamis after the "severe" quake off the coast of Gisborne this morning, a duty seismologist says.
8.22am: The cordons surrounding a Timaru street this morning will be removed shortly. The street was cordoned off to allow an arrest to take place and the Armed Offenders Squad have since located the man.
8.20am: An ailing sea turtle found on Ninety Mile Beach is undergoing life-saving treatment at Auckland Zoo. The green turtle was found at Coal Creek, south of Hukatere, on Sunday by a member of the public. It is being treated for exhaustion and dehydration.
8.17am: At least 50 people were killed after two huge explosions at one of the world's biggest ports in the Chinese city of Tianjin. Read more here.
Rows of incinerated Volkswagens. Photo / AP
8.14am: A book about YouTube and whaling - 'Singing Home the Whale' by Mandy Hager - has taken out this year's Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award.
8.12am: The Armed Offenders Squad have cordoned off a street in Timaru. Gunshots have been reported. We will have more for you soon.
8.05am: An inmate found dead in his Mt Eden prison cell yesterday had admitted violence and sex charges against women and children. Read the latest here.
8.02am: Check out this beautiful pic from 10 Stop Photography - what a stunning country we live in.
7.57am: 100 corporate teams will race up more than 1000 stairs in Auckland's iconic Sky Tower today to raise money for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer NZ. Go teams go!
7.54am: Have you seen this footage of six-metre shark name "Deep Blue"? Chilling. The footage was captured by shark researcher Mauricio Hoyos Padilla off Mexico's Guadalupe Island. Check out the full story here.
7.52am: Windy Wellington has the same high temp as Auckland today - and a warmer low! Crazy stuff. Both cities are looking at a high of 15C, with Wellington getting down to 9C and Auckland dropping to 8C.
7.49am: Check out our cartoon today:
End of the line for Solid Energy.
7.46am: Have you been keeping up with Wynne Gray's 50 greatest rugby moments? Here's number 35.
7.43am: The Milford Rd (SH94) will remain closed this morning due to rising avalanche risk. Next update on the conditions at 11am.
7.41am: A number of Tranz Metro services are delayed for operational reasons this morning. Here's the latest:
7.36am: Driving times are slowing down a bit in the capital, as the morning rush kicks in. Melling - CBD: 25 min; Tawa - CBD: 24 min; Cobham Drive - CBD: 10 min.
7.34am: Auckland Transport is warning of ferry schedule changes due to the weather forecast.
Due to current weather forecast, buses to replace all Gulf Harbour ferry sailings today, except for 7.30am GH - AKL service. ^NW
7.22am: Four Greenpeace activists will appear in court today after climbing onto Parliament House earlier this year. We'll bring you the latest online throughout the day.
7.17am: Beer fans are making a beeline for Wellington today as the Beervana beer fest kicks off. Thousands are expected to attend - enjoy folks!
7.14am: Being a parent can make you feel bad - a guilty secret many don't want to admit. But Google "guilty parent" and you'll come up with more than 70 million results. Here's the top five things guilty parents need to know.
7.11am: Flooding across Argentina has killed three people and led to more than 11,000 evacuated from their homes, AFP reports. Read the full story here.
7.03am: The game at Eden Park tomorrow is probably the last time a group of All Black greats will pull on the jerseys in NZ. Check out our tribute to the boys here.
7.00am: Have you seen the Air NZ safety vid? #backingblack
6.57am: It definitely felt a tad warmer waking up this morning in Auckland! And it seems it was that way nationwide. The current low is Timaru at 2C and Whangarei is the warmest at 14.3C, while Christchurch clocks the strongest winds at 31kmh.
6.40am: Two people were taken to hospital after a crash in Morrinsville early this morning. One person was in a moderate condition while the other had minor injuries.
6.37am: The jury will start to deliberate today in the trial for Michael Murray - the man accused of murdering Connor Morris, long-term partner of Millie Elder-Holmes. We will have the latest updates online throughout the day.
Millie Elder-Holmes and partner Connor Morris. Photo / Facebook
6.33am: A large slip has closed State Highway 3 through the Awakino Gorge for at least two hours. Avoid the area if possible.
6.31am: Four people managed to escape a fire that completely destroyed their homes in Dunedin overnight. Four fire trucks and 16 firefighters battled the blaze at two flats on Cutten St from 12.40am. The severe damage means the flats will likely be demolished later today.
6.28am: Rain is on the way for Auckland later today - maybe the perfect weekend to lie low and chuck on a couple of films?
6.23am: More controversy for Gloriavale - the isolated Christian community could now lose millions of dollars in taxpayer funding. Read the latest.
6.20am: A strong quake shook residents of Gisborne awake just before 4am today. The 5.1 magnitude quake was located 705km north-east of Gisborne at a depth of 12km and described as "severe" by GeoNet.
6.17am: State Highway 1 reopened at Huntly in the early hours of the morning after a serious crash overnight. It should be clear for morning motorists.
6.15am: It should be dry out there for drivers this morning, even in Auckland! Cheers MetService.
6.12am: A man was killed when he was struck by a milk tanker near Te Puke last night. Police said the 44-year-old pedestrian was walking with a friend along State Highway 2, Paengaroa, when the incident occurred. Investigations are ongoing.
6.09am: Big news this morning - an NZ visa-for-cash scam has been discovered. Read more here.
People queue at passport control at Auckland International Airport. Photo / File
6.05am: Morning all! Lauren Priestley here, stay tune for all the latest news as well as what you missed overnight. After a few technical glitches, we're up and running. Hope you're staying warm!
