Morning Report

Principals say more schools are banning or restricting mobile phones over fears the devices are stopping teens from playing and making friends.

Among them is Glendowie College in Auckland which recently moved to ban students from using their phones between 8am until 3:20pm.

The school's principal, Richard Dykes, told our education correspondent, John Gerritsen, it introduced the rule because too many students were spending their lunch break on their phones instead of playing with their friends.

Samoa will shut down government offices for two days this week so public sector workers can help with a mass vaccination campaign against measles.

All government branches will close Thursday and Friday except the water and electricity authorities.

A Red Cross nurse, Karen Page, in Apia, says more and more help is arriving.

Government agencies and the police have been told to lift their game in protecting personal details after a breach in the gun buy back scheme allowed names and addresses to be viewed.

The police deputy commissioner, Mike Clement, has blamed third party German software company SAP for the breach. SAP has apologised for the error and says only 66 gun dealers would have had access to those personal details.

But as Jessie Chiang reports, privacy experts say that's not good enough.

News from the rural and farming sectors.

A brief update of movements in the financial sector.

The family of a man who died in a Samoan prison won't meet the country's Attorney-General this month after he cancelled a trip to New Zealand.

Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff was expected to visit but the trip was called off in light of Samoa's deadly measles epidemic.

It's meant Hans Dalton's family will continue to wait for a meeting with the Samoan Government over the 38-year-old's death on Boxing Day in 2012.

Mr Dalton's brother Nick Dalton has written a letter to the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to request intervention in the case.

He told our reporter Anneke Smith the Christmas holiday period will always be a painful reminder of his brother's death.

Heavy rain and strong wind are expected to cause problems today with the Transport Agency warning drivers in parts of the South Island to take extreme care.

It says there's a risk of flooding and slips. Air New Zealand has cancelled several flights in and out of Wellington this morning because of the wind.

We can get more details now from our reporter Emma Hatton.

Weather permitting, the final day of the second cricket Test between New Zealand and England is all set up for a battle.

Defective concrete allegedly delayed apartment block building, gun owners claim they saw buyback data, measles continues to strike in Samoa, the gun buyback data breach causes a headache for the PM and an earthquake could cut Wellington's power for months.

The government has announced an $8 million package of technologies to help councils cope with freedom campers this summer.

RNZ reporter Harry Lock was at the announcement.

He speaks to Morning Report.