Morning Report Essentials for Thursday 24th July 2025

In today's episode, the government has directed Sport NZ to scrap its guidelines for how to make community sport more inclusive for transgender people; A scathing review of Nelson Hospital has found the persistent delays in recruiting medical staff has been compounded by ageing infrastructure and increasing demand for service; A new government report warns the number homeless people in New Zealand has increased at a rate researchers believe is faster than population growth; The Wall Street Journal is running a story saying the US Justice Department told Donald Trump his name is among many in the Epstein Files; Australia has taken out the top title in this year's Trans-Tasman Best Tasting Tap Water competition, beating New Zealand's Timaru; Sam's Butchery, in the Auckland suburb of Silverdale, has officially claimed the crown for the country's best bacon.