Tamaki billed Sunday’s service as taking a stand for the rights of everyone in New Zealand, including the right to religious freedom with a 10-person cap on religious gatherings in alert level 2, which the Government says is necessary to prevent the spread of Covid-19. view all

Back to school for 800,000 Kiwi kids coming out of lockdown
 
 

The Government will reinstate the 100 per cent funding band for teacher-led ECE services after it was scrapped by the previous Government in 2010, PM Jacinda Ardern said.
 
 

 
 
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More than 2000 visitors per day would swarm to the Big City's cultural hub to experence its latest exhibitions and absorb new works of art, with those numbers swelling at weekends. But with the lockdown period keeoing everyone at home and our overseas visitors unable to grace our shores, it's been a perpetual night at the museum.
 
 
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BARBARA EWING (Aotearoa New Zealand) Writer and actress Barbara Ewing trained at RADA and has starred on stage and on screen including in the award-winning series Brass. She is the author of nine novels, published in 12 languages, including Orange Prize longlisted A Dangerous Vine, and the memoir One Minute Crying Time.

ALAN BOLLARD (Aotearoa New Zealand) Alan Bollard was governor of the Reserve Bank, Treasury secretary, chair of the Commerce Commission and Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat in Singapore. Currently an economics professor at Victoria University of Wellington, he is the author of several books including Economists at War.

BERNARDINE EVARISTO (England) Bernardine Evaristo is the author of eight books exploring the African diaspora, including the Booker prizewinning novel, Girl, Woman, Other, and the recipient of many honours including an MBE. She is professor of creative writing at Brunel University London, and vice chair of the Royal Society of Literature.

HOST: PAULA MORRIS (Aotearoa New Zealand) Paula Morris (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Whātua) is an award-winning fiction writer and essayist. The 2019 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellow, she teaches creative writing at The University of Auckland, sits on the Māori Literature Trust and is the founder of the Academy of NZ Literature.
 
 

 
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PHILIPPE SANDS (France/England) Philippe Sands' latest book The Ratline is a unique glimpse into the life of a senior Nazi official and his wife before, during, and on the run after the war. Already a best seller in the UK just one week after its release, it’s been described as reading like a John le Carre thriller.His previous book East West Street: On the Origins of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide has won numerous prizes, including the 2016 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. He is a barrister and Professor of Law at University College London.

IAN WEDDE (Aotearoa New Zealand) Ian Wedde has written 15 poetry collections, eight novels, two collections of essays, and a number of anthologies and art monographs. A former NZ Poet Laureate, he has received numerous awards, fellowships and grants, and has recently published the historical novel The Reed Warbler.

LISA TADDEO (United States) Lisa Taddeo has an MFA in fiction and has won Pushcart Prizes for her short stories. She is the author of the non-fiction 2019 bestseller on female desire Three Women. Her debut novel, Animal, will be out next summer, with her collection of stories to follow.

HOST: PAULA MORRIS (Aotearoa New Zealand) Paula Morris (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Whātua) is an award-winning fiction writer and essayist. The 2019 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellow, she teaches creative writing at The University of Auckland, sits on the Māori Literature Trust and is the founder of the Academy of NZ Literature.
 
 
 
 
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EPISODE THREE livestreaming 9-10am Sunday 17 May. 

BECKY MANAWATU (Aotearoa New Zealand) Becky Manawatu (Ngāi Tahu) is the winner of both the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction and the Best First Book Award Fiction at the 2020 Ockham NZ Book Awards with her debut novel 'Auē'. The judges wrote, “Auē is a mere pounamu: raw life polished to a sheen that’s beautiful and warm but at the same time a blade with a keen edge". A journalist and writer, Becky works as a reporter for The News in Westport. Her story ‘Abalone’ was longlisted for the 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

ROBERT MACFARLANE (England) Writer Robert Macfarlane is best known for his books on landscape, nature, place, people and language. Described by The Wall Street Journal as “the great nature writer, and nature poet, of this generation,” his many books include the award-winning Landmarks, The Old Ways, and The Lost Words, with several adapted for TV by the BBC. A Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 2017 he received The EM Forster Award for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. 'Underland: A Deep Time Journey' is his most recent book.

CHANEL MILLER (United States) 2019 Time Next 100 honoree and literature graduate Chanel Miller (pseudonym Emily Doe) is a writer and artist. Her New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed memoir, 'Know My Name' sparked a nation-wide discussion in the US about the treatment of sexual assault survivors by both colleges and the court system.  It was listed as a 2019 notable book by New York Times Book Review, Time and the Washington Post, and won best memoir in that year's National Book Critics Circle Awards.

HOST: PAULA MORRIS (Aotearoa New Zealand) Paula Morris (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Whātua) is an award-winning fiction writer and essayist. The 2019 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellow, she teaches creative writing at The University of Auckland, sits on the Māori Literature Trust and is the founder of the Academy of NZ Literature.
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
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In this episode of our Expert Series, Campbell catches up with Michelle Pearson - Property Investor and Manager at Waikato Real Estate. 

Michelle shares her insights on the demand for rentals in the CBD, Frankton and the wider region as well as what types of properties tenants are looking for in the area. We also discuss whether their team have experienced any fluctuations during Covid-19 and how they are managing the demand during the current conditions.
 
 
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Join us in this week's online workshop where we'll take you through a big update on the Christchurch Property Market. We'll go over the rebuild of the city following the devastating earthquakes and the exciting infrastructure projects currently in the pipeline. 

We'll also focus on the impact of the significant long-term population growth on the CBD and how our clients are investing in Christchurch to achieve both capital growth and cash flow. We'll also do a walk through of our most popular project in the Christchurch CBD. 

Join me in this 60-minute content rich webinar to discover;
- Christchurch Property Market Update, what does the future look like?
- The recent infrastructure projects that have been completed and what's in the pipeline.
- Breaking down how our clients are achieving both capital growth and cash flow in Christchurch.
- The impact of the massive population growth on the CBD and surrounding suburbs.
- A walk-through of our most popular project in the Christchurch CBD.
 
 
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Campbell catches up with Property Investor and founder of Max Property Management - Rachael Hurford. Rachael is on the ground in Christchurch managing hundreds of properties for clients of The Property Factory and no one is closer to the tenant demand coalface than Rachael.

Rachael shares insights on the inner-city demand she is seeing for townhouses and apartments especially in 1-bedroom properties and how demand is driven by professionals aged 25-40 who work in the CBD, not migrants and students. Rachael talks about the growing demand and waiting list of tenants wanting to rent 350 Colombo St and what makes it popular, where she expects rents to rise to once the project is tenanted and how returning expats are helping drive demand in a vibrant CBD that boasts 7,000 residents now and forecast to rise to 20,000. Rachael shares the reality of “cold old dwellings” and the difference of $200-$300+ per month in power bills from heating them. 
 
 
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In this episode of our Expert Series, Lisa Dudson, Investment Sales Specialist and Financial Advisor sits down (virtually) with Property Manager - Niqui Keen from Keen On Rentals. We discuss the logistics of moving house during Covid-19 level 3 lock-down and how to tell when it's time to hand your property over to a property manager. We'll also discuss if it's possible to find new tenants during Covid-19 and how to go about it.
 
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Chow restaurant is a well-known casual dining spot in central Wellington and employs 35 staff. 

The booths and tables at Chow can usually seat up to 176 people, but takeaways have kept the business ticking over in level 3. 

Like most other restaurants in the city though, income is still far below pre-Covid levels. 

Chow's co-owner Rob Scott spoke with Checkpoint reporter Logan Church about running a business on a knife-edge.
 
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Restaurateur Al Brown is champing at the bit to reopen when New Zealand's Covid-19 level 3 lockdown eases to level 2.

Brown's three Auckland businesses - Depot, Federal Delicatessen and Best Ugly Bagels - have been closed under level 4 and level 3 lockdown. So Thursday's announcement on level 2 rules brought some hope. 

But for those in the business of food and drink, the new-found freedoms come with strict rules. Under level 2, restaurants and bars have to be able to seat all customers. 

They must be separated according to social distancing rules, and only one server can wait on a table. 

"I'm hoping that single server means one server can serve a number of tables but no one else can serve those tables," Brown told Checkpoint.
 
 
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Restaurateur Al Brown is champing at the bit to reopen when New Zealand's Covid-19 level 3 lockdown eases to level 2.

Brown's three Auckland businesses - Depot, Federal Delicatessen and Best Ugly Bagels - have been closed under level 4 and level 3 lockdown. So Thursday's announcement on level 2 rules brought some hope. 

But for those in the business of food and drink, the new-found freedoms come with strict rules. Under level 2, restaurants and bars have to be able to seat all customers. 

They must be separated according to social distancing rules, and only one server can wait on a table. 

"I'm hoping that single server means one server can serve a number of tables but no one else can serve those tables," Brown told Checkpoint.
 
 
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Tourists who dock on the shores of Aotea Great Barrier Island could soon be turned away, with some locals preparing to set up a checkpoint there during alert level 2. 

Checkpoint organiser Kelly Klink says with no hospital on the island and elderly making up a large proportion of the population, it is a necessary step to keep the island safe. 

But police have made it absolutely clear they will not support it. 

Te Aniwa Hurihanganui reports.
 
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Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield addresses media on 4th May 2020 at 1:00pm, to give an update on COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).
 
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Prime Minister Jacinda Adern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield addresses media on 5th May 2020 at 1:00pm, to give an update on COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).
 
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We may be getting close to winning our war against Covid-19, but small businesses have been left on life support. They’re the shops, the takeaways, the barbers, nail salons and workshops that make up the lifeblood of every town and suburb in New Zealand. We take the pulse of Anytown, Aotearoa. view all

 
 
 

 

 
Government not ruling out possibility of ‘helicopter payments’ for those struggling during pandemic view all

 

 
 
It’s an extraordinary, untold story of Kiwi courage. When the deadly coronavirus called SARS broke out in Hong Kong, in one hospital alone, more than 60 medical staff became infected.  Dunedin-born Dr Tom Buckley stepped into that ICU, risking his life to save others, and alerted the world to a pandemic. Saluted by the Hong Kong government for his outstanding achievement, he’s back in New Zealand and wants to share the lessons he learned and what he thinks the nation needs to do next. view all

 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
There are no new cases of coronavirus in New Zealand today. It is the first time in almost six weeks that testing has not uncovered a single case across a 24 hour period. view all

 
 
 

 

 
 
How a top Auckland chef is facing the Covid-19 lockdown struggle
 
Despite several days of queues at takeaway stores across the country, the next few weeks will reveal how many food businesses will actually be able to survive the impacts of Covid-19. 

Indira Stewart and cameraman Dan Cook went to visit struggling chef and business owner William Chung to hear his story. view all

 
 

 
 
If New Zealanders vote to legalise cannabis, there will be a cap on how much is grown every year, set by an authority that will also divide the quota between licenced growers. 

The government has released the final version of the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill. It is at the centre of two referendums that will be voted on at this year's election. 

That same Cannabis Regulatory Authority will decide the potency of cannabis products, who gets licences, where commercial premises can set up and it will also collect tax. 

Justice Minister Andrew Little told Checkpoint the cap will be set according to estimates of current use. view all

 

 
 
A veteran New Zealand retailer is on a rent strike in what she describes as a battle to survive after losing an estimated $1 million in turnover in the last six weeks due to Covid-19. 

Homeware store Redcurrent has been trading for more more than two decades and has 10 stores - half of them in malls including Westfield. 

Under lockdown level three face-to-face retail is banned - with all malls closed - and it is uncertain what exactly will happen under alert level 2. 

Redcurrent owner Rebecca Kain says landlords cannot expect to be paid if she cannot open for business. view all

 

 
 
For the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak New Zealand has recorded no new cases and no deaths. But there is a strong warning, now is not the time to celebrate as New Zealand is not out of the woods yet. Cabinet met on Monday to discuss what level 2 would look like - if it makes the decisions to move out of Level 3 next Monday. And in another first, the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will beam into Australia's national cabinet meeting on Tuesday, at the invitation of Scott Morrison. RNZ political editor, Jane Patterson, filed this report. view all