Midday Report for Friday 22 September 2023

12:44 PM.Labour is vowing to keep free school lunches in nearly one-thousand schools if it's re-elected.

Government funding had only budgeted for the programme until the end of 2024, but Labour is committing… Read more Audio

12:43 PM.Heavy rain that caused widespread flooding and damage in Southland and Otago has now eased there, but it's now making its way up the country.

Large swathes of the South Island remain under weather… Read more Audio

12:36 PM.Many farmers are in damage control, putting out supplementary feed and moving stock after heavy rainfall resulted in flooding across the Southland region.

Monique Steele has the business news. Read more Audio

12:28 PM.France crushed Namibia 96 - 0 Friday morning in their World Cup pool game in Marseille but their biggest ever test win has come at a cost with captain Antoine Dupont suffering a broken cheekbone which… Read more Audio

12:19 PM.The Commerce Commission's market study into personal banking services has unleashed a torrent of negative feedback on the current state of sector competition. 

Kim Moodie has the business news. Read more Audio

12:16 PM.The Southland region also remains in a state of emergency, following the heavy rain.

Tuatapere's water treatment plant is back up and running with the help of generators, though people in the… Read more Audio

12:13 PM.NIWA says Queenstown has had its wettest day in 24 years, with 87 millimetres of rain falling in the past 24 hours.

The drenching has prompted a state of emergency in the tourist town, with more than… Read more Audio