Morning Report for Tuesday 23 June 2020

6:09 AM.The government is being warned not to force returning New Zealanders to cover some of the cost of their managed isolation, as it may impede on their right to return home.

More than $81 million has… Read more Audio

6:17 AM.The manager of a popular central Wellington cafe-bar, says they feel lucky about how quickly they've bounced back after the end of the lockdown.

The hospitality sector has been one of the worst hit… Read more Audio

6:20 AM.A brief update from the business sector. Read more Audio

6:22 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Read more Audio

6:40 AM.A plan to wind up Wellington's community Covid-19 testing centres at the end of the week has been ditched as concerns about new cases increase.

The centres were set up to be an easy, efficient place… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.The Mayor of Auckland wants the government to fast-track a bid to more than double the city's daily water grab from the Waikato River.

Phil Goff has asked the Environment Select Committee to have a… Read more Audio

6:53 AM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Read more Audio

7:09 AM.People travelling to New Zealand may soon have to help cover the cost of their mandatory two-week stay at a quarantine hotel.

Cabinet will consider a co-payment scheme in a matter of weeks, as the… Read more Audio

7:12 AM.While New Zealand focuses on how it manages imported cases of Covid-19, Australia is focusing on new infections within its borders.

Most new cases of Covid-19 are now the product of community… Read more Audio

7:16 AM.Across the ditch, international arrivals are also subject to a more severe form of quarantine. Tom Crampton, a Kiwi who lives in Melbourne, has had the dubious pleasure of being required to isolate in… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.Waikato iwi want to block Auckland Council's bid to more than double the city's daily water grab from the Waikato River.

Auckland's mayor has asked the Environment Select Committee to add the consent… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.A South Auckland crane driver has been denied a $100,000 payout for his cancer after a government-owned finance company switched his policy.

His wife is furious that on the basis of a salesperson's… Read more Audio

7:29 AM.The minister in charge of managed isolation, Megan Woods, says about $80 million has been spent so far on the compulsory 14-day isolation period for every returning New Zealander.

She says nearly… Read more Audio

7:48 AM.There could be a decision as early as next week about the future of disputed land at Ihumātao.

The site near Auckland Airport was occupied by hundreds of protesters last July, to stop the… Read more Audio

7:58 AM.With Australian university fees set to sky rocket for some courses, students and universities here can also expect big changes.

Canberra is doubling the cost of humanities degrees to $14,500 a year… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.Australia and New Zealand are now in the box seat to host the 2023 FIFA women's World Cup after their closest rival withdrew their bid. Read more Audio

8:10 AM.As the number of New Zealanders returning home rises and 'no vacancy' signs go up at Auckland's quarantine hotels, the government has not ruled out looking further afield to set up managed isolation… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.The World Health Organisation says the lack of global leadership and unity is a bigger threat that the Covid-19 outbreak itself.

The head of the organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.Police say the freezing of $140 million proves that NZ is not a safe haven for international crime. It's the largest restraint of funds in New Zealand police history.

The money was under the control… Read more Audio

8:23 AM.Tourism operators are calling for a nationwide overhaul of how businesses can operate in national parks.

Each park is governed by a different set of rules - or management plans - and the majority of… Read more Audio

8:27 AM.Three works by elusive and controversial guerilla artist Banksy are set to go up for auction in Auckland next week.

Pieces by the anonymous artist are more usually sold in London or New York, so how… Read more Audio

8:29 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Read more Audio

8:37 AM.Wellington city's lunchtime spots are still seriously down on sales - with some saying their takings are only at 60 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has led calls for… Read more Audio

8:41 AM.In meteorological terms, the drought in Hawke's Bay is over, after a solid amount of much-needed rain over the past week.

Farmers in the region are still in a perilous position, with many desperately… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.The number of complaints about the bad smell coming from a Christchurch composting plant and dump, are continuing to increase.

In May a study identified the Living Earth and EcoDrop sites in Bromley… Read more Audio

8:51 AM.There are renewed calls for the government to lower it's fresh water nitrogen limit after new tests show high amounts of pollution in Canterbury water.

Forest and Bird obtained test results through… Read more Audio

8:55 AM.New Zealand is the only professional netball competition in the world back up and running.

Its a condensed competition - a new 10-week draw, with up to five games a week, shorter matches and the… Read more Audio

8:57 AM.New Zealand's first-ever "Cetacean Census" saw volunteers heading to beaches and headlands around the country to count dolphins and whales.

The event's organizers hope that the results of the survey… Read more Audio