First Up for Friday 9 February 2024

5:53 AM.Tomorrow, Auckland plays host to a festival dedicated to the entire world of fabulous fried fowl. Nathan Rarere asked Fried Chicken Festival executive director Maggie Gray about this year's event. Audio

5:49 AM.The new government plans to pay for students' final year of tertiary study, rather than their first. Details beyond that are scant. But one thing is clear: there will be no "double dipping" for those… Read more Audio

5:35 AM.It's going to be a big weekend in Rotorua. Thousands of tickets have already been sold for the first round of this year's BMX Racing World Cup. Aimee McGregor is the President of the Rotorua BMX Club… Read more Audio

5:23 AM.Make no mistake, it's stone fruit season.. Joining Nathan Rarere from the fresh produce markets is our Minister of Fruit and Veggies Glenn Fosyth. Fruit of the Week: Watermelon Audio

5:16 AM.Can you hear that? That's Africa calling.. Joining Nathan Rarere from Accra, which is the capital of Ghana.. is Nabil Ahmed Rufai. Audio

5:11 AM.To the Pacific now, joining us from Tonga is correspondent Kalafi Moala. Audio

5:06 AM.Let's begin in the USA, joining the programme from New York City is Bevan Hurley. Audio