The deadline has passed for councils to submit their amalgamation proposals to form regional unitary authorities. The cut off was midnight last night, after just three months' notice to come up with a plan. Those who failed to merge voluntarily could face a government-imposed restructuring after the 2028 local elections. Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz, President of Local Government New Zealand spoke to John Campbell.

The latest news in Samoan language (Gagana Samoa).

Israel has rejected US President Donald Trump's fifteen-point plan for Gaza. The plan required Israel withdrawing its forces from Gaza. Thomas Helm, a Jerusalem correspondent for The National, a Dubai-based English language news organisation spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The latest rural news with Gianina Schwanecke.

An early morning sports news update.

Catch up with the latest headlines from around the world with RNZ's Alice Wilkins.

The review undertaken by the New Zealand Human Rights Foundation found almost no progress has been made in realising the right to housing since 2023. It has identified that several government initiatives have contributed to declines in affordability, security of tenure, accessibility and cultural adequacy. Jacqueline Paul, a Maori housing expert, who's on the foundation's managing committee spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The latest RNZ Pacific news and sport.

Christchurch Methodist Mission Executive Director Jill Hawkey tells First Up about the state of homelessness in Christchurch and the goals of the Big Sleepout.

A recent fossil find by citizen scientists is one of the clearest, and only, examples of three-tier predator interaction. University of New England associate researcher Matt White, one of the paleontologists involved in the discovery, tells First Up about the discovery.