Morning Report

The firearms buy back comes to an end a month from today, but the police say the amnesty for returning banned guns will continue into next year and beyond.

That's music to the ears of gun owners, but they say the government should go further and extend the buy back period as well.

Ben Strang has more.

New Zealand First is bunkering down with mounting questions about a secretive foundation and its role in handling donations for the party.

The Electoral Commission is now looking into a complaint prompted by media reports questioning the legality of the New Zealand First Foundation.

The Deputy Prime Minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing, insisting his party has always operated above board.

Here's our deputy political editor Craig McCulloch.

They're sitting second last in the Australian National Basketball League and are battling all kinds of off-court problems - but the Breakers maintain they're still one of the best clubs going around.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The US has declared that Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land are not necessarily illegal. Four decades of US foreign policy was overturned in a single sentence from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Senior Palestinian politician Saeb Erekat says this threatens to replace international law with the "law of the jungle".

Robert Berger is a CBS news correspondent in Israel.

Swedish prosecutors have dropped a rape investigation into WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, after nearly a decade.

Assange skipped bail in Britain to avoid possible extradition and took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in 2012. He was dragged out by police in April this year, and is now in a British jail fighting extradition to the United States on computer hacking and espionage charges unveiled after he left the embassy.

We can speak now to Swedish TV journalist, Sofia Bering.

Mana whenua of Ihumātao are disappointed to hear through the grapevine that the Crown is keen to help Auckland Council buy the contested land.

Sources have told RNZ the Crown is considering lending $40 million to the council so it can buy the land from Fletcher Residential.

But in September, mana whenua made it clear they want the land given back to them.

RNZ Māori news correspondent Leigh-Marama McLachlan spoke to mana whenua spokesperson Rahui Papa.

The New Zealand First leader Winston Peters rejects any suggestion his party has done anything wrong - as the Electoral Commission looks into a complaint regarding donations.

The saga centres on the secretive New Zealand First Foundation which has loaned nearly $200,000 to New Zealand First since the last election.

The news outlet Stuff has now uncovered financial records which it says show the Foundation collected money from wealthy donors which was then used for party matters.

Mr Peters issued a statement yesterday saying he was confident New Zealand First had operated within electoral laws.

He then spoke briefly to reporters.

Otago power company Aurora has told its 90-thousand customers their bills need to rise nearly 20 percent from 2022 to 2024 so it can cover the cost of upgrading ageing infrastructure.

The Dunedin City Council-owned company is planning to spend 4$00 million on 335 kilometres of new overhead lines, nearly 5000 new power poles and substation improvements.

It says over three years that would cost each Dunedin household an extra 588 dollars and an extra 1020 dollars for residents in Central Otago and Wanaka.

Richard Healey used to work for Aurora and three years ago turned whistleblower to lift the lid on the company's failing infrastructure.

He told reporter Katie Todd the costs to customers will be a lot higher than Aurora is suggesting.

News from the rural and farming sector.