RNZ: Morning Report

Experts are calling for a limit on the number and location of vape shops to combat what they say is an epidemic of vaping among rangatahi. Public submissions to the Smoked Tobacco Regulatory Regime, which aims to tighten restrictions on vaping, close on Wednesday. Pokere Paewai reports.

For the mud-caked residents and volunteers of Hawkes Bay, cleaning clothes can make a hard day even tougher. But a new group is hoping to spin that around by collecting, washing and drying their laundry. Set up 17 days ago, the group of around 250 volunteers has so far washed 291 bags of laundry. Tess Brunton joined the laundry pick up in Hawke's Bay.  

So much rain has fallen on and around Gisborne that the water table is pretty much at or even above ground level.  Council scientists say it's unprecedented and risky for the city - at the moment, even a small downpour could create a flood.  The Gisborne District Council's environmental monitoring team leader Peter Hancock spoke to Jane Patterson.  

More than 100 homes in Lower Hutt's Point Howard are still without water and many residents chose to evacuate last night after a landslip caused by a burst water pipe.  A resident we spoke to earlier said they repeatedly reported the leak to Wellington Water and Hutt City Council, but it wasn't fixed.  Campbell Barry is the Mayor of Lower Hutt and also the chair of the Wellington Water Committee.  He spoke to Corin Dann.

A brief update of movements in the financial sector.

Today marks four years since the March 15 terror attacks in Christchurch, day described by former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as one of our darkest days.  The friends and families of the 51 people killed choose to mark today in private every year. But, the wider community says each anniversary is a reminder of how their lives too changed forever Producer Mahvash Ikram spoke to Rhanas Ali who says March 15 gave her the courage to start wearing a headscarf or hijab.     

Climate change is an "existential threat to everyone on spaceship Earth" according to NASA's deputy administrator Colonel Pam Melroy. She, and her boss Bill Nelson, are in New Zealand this week, meeting with space science and engineering students at the University of Auckland; the team at Rocket Lab who successfully launched Aotearoa's first lunar mission CAPSTONE which is now testing a new orbit around the moon for the Lunar Gateway.  They're due at Parliament on Wednesday morning, where five students are set to receive New Zealand Space Scholarships to undertake a programme at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Melroy spoke to Corin Dann.  

A group of local and international scientists say climate change played a role in the devastating rainfall from Cyclone Gabrielle which claimed lives and wrought massive destruction. Their rapid analysis found human-caused warming was driving increased rainfall, and made extreme rainfall events more likely. Climate reporter Hamish Cardwell filed this report.  

Government Ministers deny they are looking at public-private partnerships to pay for big health projects like new hospitals. Internal documents from national health agency Te Whatu Ora show in January it was aiming to consider  "lessons" from the partnerships, or so-called PPPs. Government policy since 2018 has banned the PPP approach in health, education and prisons Phil Pennington has been looking into this.  

The National Party has welcomed the roll back of some of the government's policies, but says the roughly $1 billion in savings touted is a drop in the bucket. Much of the savings made from slashing unpopular policies is in the transport sector. We'd usually talk to National Party leader Christopher Luxon around 7.45am on Wednesday, but he's isolating with Covid-19. Instead, National Party transport spokesperson Simeon Brown spoke to Jane Patterson.

The Australian government is to spend nearly $400 billion over the next three decades to buy a fleet of nuclear submarines, as part of the new AUKUS defence and security pact. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined US president Joe Biden and UK prime minister Rishi Sunak in San Diego yesterday to officially sign the agreement. From as early as 2027, it will see four US and one UK submarine rotating through western Australia, and eventually there will also be a base on the east coast. China and Russia have denounced the defence pact. Russia says the pact would bring years of confrontation to Asia and  the Chinese foreign ministry says the three countries were on a path of "error and danger". Victoria University professor of strategic studies Robert Ayson is across the AUKUS agreement. He spoke to Corin Dann.

Residents in the Wellington suburb of Point Howard are fuming after a landslip caused by a burst water pipe.  Heather Armishaw says she reported a leaking pipe to Wellington Water several times but nothing was done - and now, 165 homes are without water.  We asked Wellington Water to come on but they declined and told us to check their social media for updates.  Armishaw spoke to Jane Patterson.   

Racist bullying is shaming children to hide their ethnic identity at school, because the bullies are the teachers as well as pupils.  The Education Review Office has found one in five learners from ethnic communities experienced racist bullying in the last month, and more than half saw their peers bullied for the same reason.  Nearly a third of learners from Asian, Middle Eastern and other backgrounds said their school did not take the problem seriously. ERO deputy chief executive Ruth Shinoda spoke to Jane Patterson.   

Mark Zuckerberg has announced more than ten thousand jobs will be axed from Facebook's parent company Meta - and 5000 roles that are currently vacant will not be filled. The tech industry has laid off more than 280,000 workers since the start of 2022, and it's no secret Meta is struggling with a post-pandemic advertising slump. What does this mean in an already chaotic week for the tech sector?  Wedbush Securities managing director and technology analyst Daniel Ives spoke to Corin Dann.  

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has hinted his predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, could continue her work on the Christchurch Call when she leaves politics next month.  Jacinda Ardern launched the initiative, aimed at eliminating terrorist and violent extremist content online, in the aftermath of the March 15 Mosque attacks.  But Opposition parties are questioning what progress has been made since then.  Here's political reporter, Katie Scotcher.  Paul Ash, from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, insists the Christchurch Call has made a tangible difference to the online environment, with people now less likely to encounter terrorist and extremist content online. He says online service providers continue to strive to improve understanding of the role of algorithms in online radicalisation, and to develop positive interventions.  

A Lower Hutt family says it is thousands of dollars out of pocket after a massive slip forced it from its home eight months ago. Hutt City Council lifted the dangerous building notice this week - but the family says council officers knew months ago that their house was safe.  And, as Ruth Hill reports, they warned the family against talking to the media - or local councillors - about what was going on. 

An insurance expert is warning that many flood and cyclone-hit homeowners with claims for write-offs are unlikely to get cash payouts that cover their rebuild costs. As well, many insurance policies are now for capped cash settlements rather than managed repairs, leaving homeowners as the project managers for their rebuilds. But insurance lawyer John Goddard says these payouts are unlikely to cover costs, leaving many in the red. Amy Williams has the story.  

An update from the team at RNZ Sport.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

A large international company threatened a small Wellington Brewery with legal action over the marketing of a charity beer.  Abandonded Brewery in Porirua created a energy drink infused beer for Wellington's Rare Beer competition - a charity event raising money for rare disorders.  But on the morning of the event, Monster Energy warned the company to pull it's marketing or lawyers would get involved. The brewery had taken the iconic Monster 'M' and altered it and mashed it into their branding of the 5 kegs of limited edition beer.  Charlotte Cook spoke to the head brewer Charlotte Feehan about the controversy.  Monster Energy has been approached for comment. 

A group of Aucklanders want to knock mayor Wayne Brown's proposed budget out of contention.  Faced with a nearly $300 million funding gap, the mayor has proposed cutting services and selling off airport shares, all the while increasing rates by 4.66 percent on average, and borrowing up to $75 million dollars.  Consultation is open until 28 March.  But a new group - called 'A Better Budget for Auckland' - has formed in opposition - and says its budget could maintain community and service funding, retain assets, and borrow more - without hitting the debt-to-income cap. Group member India Logan-Riley spoke to Corin Dann.  

An update from RNZ's sports team.

News from the rural and farming sector.

A brief update of movements in the financial sector.

Residents in Auckland's eastern suburbs say they're increasingly frustrated at the number of roaming dogs.  Animal control officers are patrolling Glen Innes proactively after a dog attacked a young girl this week.  Auckland Council says the number of dog attacks has jumped to more than 250 in three months, and that's partly down to the rise in dogs adopted during lockdown that weren't properly socialised.   Auckland Councillor for Maungakiekie-Tāmaki ward Josephine Bartley spoke to Jane Patterson.

An update from the team at RNZ Sport.

Insurance expert warns cash payments unlikely for flood rebuild; Lower Hutt family says its thousands out of pocket after slip; Hipkins hints Ardern could continue Christchurch Call work; 10,000 more jobs to go at Facebook; One in five learners experience racist bullying - ERO; Point Howard residents fuming over landslip; Australian government to spend $400b on AUKUS submarines.

Everything Everywhere All At Once was just that at this years' Oscars. The manic sci-fi adventure that followed a fractured family through an interdimensional adventure won seven awards, including best picture, best actress, best director, best editing and best original screenplay. Wētā FX won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects prize at the Academy Awards last night for their work on Avatar: The Way of Water. It was Wētā's seventh Oscar win. Entertainment correspondent Sandro Monetti spoke to Jane Patterson.

RNZ received the following response from the Commanding Officer of 5/7 Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Fortune. "The actions of the two 5/7 Battalion soldiers in the immediate response to Cyclone Gabrielle were nothing short of courageous and worthy of praise.  "Often in these scenarios, our people and assets are prepositioned in certain locations based on previous experiences of weather events. "In this instance, our people, along with FENZ and NZ Police were responding to multiple requests for assistance in the middle of the night in very dynamic and challenging circumstances, where communications were being stretched.  "They did not 'break the chain of command' and instead they should be described as being both incredibly experienced and senior personnel who used their initiative to respond to communities in need."

The Breakers live to fight another day, and to catch yet another flight across the ditch to Australia.  The sole New Zealand team in the Australian National Basketball League took the final series to a deciding 5th game, by defeating the Sydney Kings 80-70 at Spark Arena on Sunday night.  The team was flying out on Tuesday afternoon, so Leonard Powell from First Up headed to the airport to meet them.

A month on from Cyclone Gabrielle, residents of a coastal Auckland settlement are banding together to make the best of a bad situation.  Karekare was completely cut off and access is still limited to residents, with essentials being dropped in via helicopter. Finn Blackwell paid a visit.  

Campaigners for lowering of the voting age to 16 say the government is denying them human rights by delaying any changes until the next term of government. The move is part of the big policy bonfire lit by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Monday, scrapping, delaying, or altering policies as the government focuses on cost of living issues. Make It 16 co-director Sanat Singh says moves to delay the voting decision is purely a political move by Hipkins, designed to secure more votes in the election. Singh spoke to Jane Patterson.  

Market Update for 14 March 2023.

Two weeks after one of the greatest test match finishes ever, a 1-run win over England, the Black Caps have done it again. Needing 285 runs to beat Sri Lanka in Christchurch, New Zealand got home on the final ball of the game to win by two wickets. They did so when Kane Williamson and Neil Wagner scampered through for a bye - Williamson diving to get home just before the wickets were hit, and Wagner doing so while nursing a torn hamstring and a bulging disc in his back. Black Caps batsman Daryl Mitchell watched those heroics from the balcony after his own game-changing innings of 81 from 86 balls. He spoke to Corin Dann

Whakatāne hospital's acute mental health facility may have to close unless urgent work is carried out to keep patients safe in an earthquake. Board minutes from January reveal that GNS Science has given Te Whatu Ora new information about the location of fault lines in Whakatāne  On top of that, other minutes show a business case done on replacing the whole mental health facility, as promised by the government in 2020, was substandard and has to be done again. Phil Pennington spoke to Jane Patterson.  

Auckland Council has asked for a search and rescue team to be on permanent standby. After the anniversary floods there were a number of slips that claimed lives and destroyed houses and roads and the council says they are on heightened alert for more slips. Fire and Emergency currently does not have a permanent heavy rescue team on shift - in a letter seen by RNZ Auckland Emergency Management's general manager Paul Amaral  has requested that be changed. He says a moderate amount of rainfall in the next year could exacerbate existing landslides and cause new ones. Professional Firefighters union secretary, Martin Campbell, says it takes too long for the specialist crews to pick up gear if they're not on duty when an emergency happens. The Council's plea was sent to Fire and Emergency's regional manager Ron Devlin. He declined to be intereviewed but says no decision has been made about the request.  Auckland Emergency Management also refused an interview telling RNZ the letter was procedural.  

Benefit payments rates will get an inflation-matching increase of 7.2 percent next month.  Superannuation payments will go up by $33 a week for an individual; and $25 a week each for a couple.  It's part of the government's so-called bread and butter support package.  Grey Power's David Marshall has been analysing what that means for those over 65-years-old. He spoke to Corin Dann.

The Prime Minister's popularity is rising since he took the top job last month, garnering 27 percent in the prefered prime minister ratings according to the latest 1News Kantar Public Poll. The poll found the newly refocused Labour Party could govern with the support of the Greens and Te Pāti Māori, but the election looks to be balancing on a tight rope. Chris Hipkins will be hoping his latest policy reset, axing or putting off a wide array of unpopular policies, will only aid his rise in the rankings. Deputy political reporter Craig McCulloch spoke to Jane Patterson.  

The Black Caps test captain Tim Southee says self belief is one of the cornerstones of the side's recent success.

Two soldiers have revealed they disobeyed Civil Defence orders so they could rescue people trapped in Esk Valley during Cyclone Gabrielle.  Locals there were stranded on roofs as floodwaters raged around them.  The two reservists, based near Napier say they were ordered to go on a rescue mission to Glengarry Road near Puketapu but decided the bigger emergency was in Esk Valley and went there instead.  Jemima Huston reports.  RNZ received the following response from the Commanding Officer of 5/7 Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Fortune. "The actions of the two 5/7 Battalion soldiers in the immediate response to Cyclone Gabrielle were nothing short of courageous and worthy of praise.  "Often in these scenarios, our people and assets are prepositioned in certain locations based on previous experiences of weather events. "In this instance, our people, along with FENZ and NZ Police were responding to multiple requests for assistance in the middle of the night in very dynamic and challenging circumstances, where communications were being stretched.  "They did not 'break the chain of command' and instead they should be described as being both incredibly experienced and senior personnel who used their initiative to respond to communities in need."

Aucklanders will be paying more for water from July this year.  Watercare has confirmed service prices for water and wastewater will go up by 9.5 percent.  Watercare chief executive Dave Chambers says households with average water use will pay about two dollars and twenty cents more per week. He spoke to Corin Dann.

The Green Party isn't any happier with the government's policy reset, with co-leader James Shaw saying he is exasperated by the moves. Climate change has been put on the backburner, and there are question marks over Chris Hipkins' plan to use money safeguarded for climate spending to address cost of living issues. Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson spoke to Jane Patterson.