The benefits of internet schools are being talked up.

An amended education bill has been passed that features a new framework for online learning.

InterHigh is an online secondary school in the UK run by Wey Education.

Director Jacqui Daniell said students at the school make outstanding progress at whatever level.

"So for some students that might be international GCSEs. For others it could be A stars at A level and going on to top universities all over the world."

She thinks a blended package of online and physical education is the way of the future.

LISTEN ABOVE: DIRECTOR OF WEY EDUCATION JACQUI DANIELL SPOKE TO ANDREW DICKENS ON EARLY EDITION

A trade policy expert says there are several options for the future of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Our Government's ratified the trade deal, despite the US rejecting it.

Prime Minister Bill English is expected to flesh out the details with his Japanese counterpart next week on a visit to Japan.

Trade policy expert Charles Finny told Andrew Dickens the remaining 11 countries may just proceed with the TPP as it is without the States.

"Maybe there will be slight changes made to the agreement. Maybe it will be called something else, and maybe they will outreach to other countries.

"I think the sessions the Prime Minster will be having in Japan next week are very important because Japan and New Zealand are leading this process."

Mr Finny said there's a reasonably good chance one of those options will be decided on by the end of the year.

The Government formally ratified the trade deal yesterday and there's a meeting coming up in Vietnam at the end of the month.

The ratification of the trade deal is one of the first official movements on the deal since Donald Trump pulled the United States' support.

Mr English said there is still core interest in the TPPA  and in ratifying it, his Government's making that clear to the countries still involved.

He said Japan's ratified at their end as well.

"I'll be putting New Zealand's case for advancing without the US. I think we'd all like to think that in the long run, the US would become part of it," Mr English said. 

LISTEN ABOVE AS TRADE POLICY EXPERT CHARLES FINNY SPEAKS TO ANDREW DICKENS ON EARLY EDITION

Labour says its plans to change how mental health problems are treated, will give an accessible front door to those who need it.

The party wants to spend $43 million over two years to help tens of thousands of people.

It's promising a pilot scheme to run specialist mental health teams at eight sites around the country.

Labour's health spokesman David Clark told Andrew Dickens it will give health workers much more time to treat people.

"At the moment, people turn up, they're rushed through a GP who of course cares about them but has a time frame they're working to and many people are falling between the cracks, that the thing we know."

Dr Clark said there'll be more mental health announcements to come.

"We will be announcing more as we get towards the election because we believe that this is such an important issue. The Government has neglected health as a whole, actually. They've stripped 1.7 billion out over the past six years."

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman is dismissing Labour's idea as nothing new, but Changing Minds spokesman Kieran Moorhead said it could have merit.

"More young people are having their first appointment but they're just having one appointment, and then their follow up appointment for more support services, they're having to wait between three to six weeks."

LISTEN ABOVE: LABOUR'S HEALTH SPOKESPERSON DAVID CLARK SPOKE TO ANDREW DICKENS ON EARLY EDITION

Political shockwaves in the US following President Donald Trump showing director of the FBI James Comey the door.

1News US correspondent Rebecca Wright told Rachel Smalley there's been shock, anger and outrage in the US.

"The Democrats are comparing this to Watergate and Nixon's firing of the investigator who was investigating him."

Ms Wright said there's now a call for a special prosecutor to be put in charge of the FBI investigation into the Trump-Russia connection.

She told Rachel Smalley Donald Trump has been up early tweeting.

"That Comey had lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington and saying when things calm down they will be be thanking me."

LISTEN ABOVE TO 1NEWS US CORRESPONDENT REBECCA WRIGHT SPEAK TO RACHEL SMALLEY

But in person - Mr Trump's not saying much.

"He wasn't doing a good job, very simply he was not doing a good job," Mr Trump said.

A reporter asked Mr Trump if Comey's dismissal affected his meeting with Russia?

"Not at all."

White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said there was no tipping point, the President's patience has been growing thin for months.

"I think it's been an erosion of confidence. I think that Director Comey has shown over the last several months, and frankly the last year, a lot of missteps and mistakes.

"The DOJ lost confidence. By-partisan member of Congress made it clear they had lost confidence and most importantly, the Rankin file of the FBI had lost confidence in their director."

Reports are emerging the former FBI director asked for more money and manpower for his Russia investigation in the days before he was fired.

The New York Times said Mr Comey asked for extra funds last week, and later briefed lawmakers on his request.

Officials from the Trump administration deny any link between the sacking and the FBI inquiry.

Mr Trump's mulling over four senior FBI officials to serve as interim replacements.

Their job interviews will be with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and the deputy Attorney General, the pair who recommended Comey be given the boot.

Vice President Mike Pence is also defending that decision.

"The President took strong and decisive leadership here, to put the safety and security of the American people first," Vice President Pence said.

It's a weak resolution for locals affected by the gastro outbreak in Havelock North nine months ago.

The Government's inquiry panel has released its stage one findings which pin much of the blame on a number of failings of the Hawke's Bay regional and Hastings district councils.

But Pipi Cafe owner Chris Morris told Rachel Smalley it's not a huge revelation.

"It feels like nothing we didn't already know like, the Council didn't have a response ready."

Some campylobacter sufferers are still in hospital and Mr Morris told Rachel Smalley it's a continuing concern for their family.

"Our boy was sick. He's been on and off sick for months actually and the doctors, it's the first thing they say when you're in there, oh it's complications with campylobacter."

Mr Morris said the hot topic in the community now is the water quality across New Zealand, and how the Havelock North outbreak might affect water rules nationwide.

A new requirement for listed companies to have a comprehensive diversity policy is expected to help the country tap into our talent pool.

Companies like Air New Zealand, Fonterra, Sky, Spark, Xero, The Warehouse, Westpac and Fletcher Building must now have a comprehensive, written diversity policy in place, with measurable goals.

Global Women deputy chair Joan Withers told Rachel Smalley it's not saying you have to have X percent by X date.

"It's just saying that investors and wider stakeholders need to understand each company's approach to diversity, because the research is irrefutable. Diverse boards perform better."

She said she has never had a problem finding very skilled women across all areas, even engineering.

Withers said she's against quota systems because they're demeaning.

She said all the women she works with on boards are there because of their competence, and can hack it with any of the male directors.

"This is saying look, we need to be utilising as a nation the whole talent pool that we've got."

Withers hopes private companies will follow suit.

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH JOAN WITHERS ABOVE

Our new Defence Minister Mark Mitchell is in Denmark at a meeting discussing how to defeat ISIS - his first international engagement since taking up the role.

Mr Mitchell said New Zealand is seen as an important partner in the fight against ISIS.

SEE ALSO: ISIS in crisis: Terrorist group faces exodus of foreign fighters

He told Rachel Smalley our training of troops in Iraq has seen a lift in discipline and morale.

"Not only are they regaining territory, but they're also getting the confidence and the support of the communities, they're going back in there and winning that territory off, and that's going to be fundamentally very important in terms of continuing to make sure ISIS doesn't come back."

Mitchell said while the fight in Iraq is going well, more commitment is needed in Syria.

"Syria did come up in the conversation, and that is part of the overall strategy and tactics in terms of defeating ISIS, is that the fight is going to have to be taken into Syria as well."

LISTEN ABOVE AS DEFENCE MINISTER MARK MITCHELL SPEAKS WITH RACHEL SMALLEY

Eleven new airlines have begun flying to New Zealand in just the last 18 months - but still that's not enough to cope with tourist demand.

Auckland Airport says seat numbers will have to rise by more than half if we're to cater for all of those who want to come here.

Spokesman Scott Tasker told Rachel Smalley the North American market, in particular, is under-served.

"So if we look at the number of people that would like to travel to New Zealand from the US, there's a large pool of them that are attracted by the things that New Zealand's well-known for - our people, our interesting sights and activities and our nature."

LISTEN ABOVE AS SCOTT TASKER SPEAKS WITH RACHEL SMALLEY

Jeremy Corbyn has kicked off Labour's election campaign in the UK.

The Labour leader has been speaking in Manchester, outlining his party's policies.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey said Corbyn says this will be an election of reckoning for tax cheats, rip-off bosses and greedy bankers.

Grey told Rachel Smalley Corbyn is also promising to invest much more in the National Health Service.

"And a popular moves outlines that he will scrap all car parking charges at hospitals, saying it's a tax on the sick and their relatives."

It will be funded by a tax increase on those who have private healthcare, said Grey.

However, Corbyn is non-committal over whether his party would continue with Brexit if elected.

Grey said Corbyn was pressed on the issue a number of times by one reporter.

"Would he take Britain out of the European Union if elected, yes or no, and despite being asked it six or seven times wouldn't give a clear answer."

LISTEN ABOVE TO UK CORRESPONDENT GAVIN GREY SPEAK TO RACHEL SMALLEY ABOUT CORBYN'S CAMPAIGN AND AMERICANS BEING OFFERED A BREXIT MEANS BREXIT TOUR

The possibility of folic acid becoming mandatory in our bread once again is being welcomed by paediatricians.

Food Safety Minister David Bennett plans to review legislation, after Australian research showed a dramatic drop in birth defects there since folate was ruled compulsory in bread in 2009.

Our Government decided against making it mandatory, and instead introduced a voluntary policy in 2012.

Paediatrician Dr Johan Morreau told Rachel Smalley he's thrilled it's being reconsidered.

"This is a really safe thing to do. The healthiest people in the world are vegetarians and they have large concentrations of folate. It's in green leafy vegetables."

Experts believe the addition of folate has resulted in a fall in defects in newborns, with the most common being spina bifida, said Dr Morreau.

"If you have a spina bifida child then the most frequent presentation of this will be a child who ends up paraplegic, which is why we feel so strongly, emotionally about this."

LISTEN TO PEDIATRICIAN DR JOHN MORREAU SPEAK TO RACHEL SMALLEY ABOVE