Holiday Breakfast

The beautiful New Plymouth is our next stop on our Summer Road Trip with the mayors.

Situated on the West Coast of the North Island it's a view hard to beat on a clear day - being able to look at Mount Taranaki.

But there's walks, Egmont National Park is close, as well as the cultural aspects of the city too.

New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom says he's looking forward to a summer of economic growth for the region after a rough couple of years.

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The French Government have stated that they will continue to screen air travellers coming out of China for Covid-19.

A French Government spokesperson has defended this decision to enforce testing requirements, as the wave of Covid cases coming out of China was a "legitimate concern" for the world and an epidemic is the last thing any country wants.

This statement was made shortly after a press conference hosted by the WHO, who also criticised China for their representation and under-reporting of Covid-19 deaths.

French correspondent Catherine Field confirms that the EU's Crisis Response group will work together to establish a coordinated response to testing and processing arrivals out of China, with more meetings set to proceed today.

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2022 signalled a triumphant upswing for Eden Park, after two years of restrictions on events.

The Women's Rugby World Cup drew in huge crowds and the return of international concerts ensured Eden Park had a steady stream of events running over the weekends.

2023 is set to be another big year for Eden Park as the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is scheduled to kick off this July and more international concerts are confirmed, with Ed Sheeran taking the stage in February. 

Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner says that the events industry was hit hard by the last couple years of lockdowns, and the action packed schedule of 2022 was just what the stadium and events team needed. 

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National has expressed disappointment with a $23 million fund designed to help owners of earthquake-risk apartments.

Just one loan has been granted conditional approval so far, and only after the scheme's eligibility criteria was widened last May. At least 56 potential applicants have expressed interest in receiving access to this fund. 

Despite this, $1 million out of the fund has been spend on administration costs, and a further $1000 has been spent on marketing and promoting the scheme to Wellington apartment owners.  

National's Chris Bishop says the idea behind the fund is sensible, but the limited impact of the scheme is another example of the Government failing to deliver on a promise.

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A second straight drop of dairy prices at the Global Dairy Trade auction this morning.

The first auction of the year has seen overall prices drop by an average of 2.8 percent from the last auction a fortnight ago where it fell 3.8 percent.

Federated Farmers Dairy Chair Richard McIntyre says there are multiple reasons for the drop, including the fact that the world is limited in its ability to pay lots of money for products in general.

McIntyre says we've seen higher milk prices for a long time, but they're just starting to soften off a bit as people begin to run out of surplus money to pay for dairy products.

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An employment expert is outraged over comments that young people are at high risk of exploitation during their summer jobs.

First Union is warning younger employees often don't know a lot about their rights, leaving them vulnerable to workplace exploitation.

But Whitehead Group employment specialist Max Whitehead says the comments are outrageous and unnecessary, especially as employers struggle to find staff.

"That is one of the most disgraceful things I've heard said. Mums and dads usually run small businesses, and they really are wanting and needing staff. Most of them, I'd say the majority of them, are good employers."

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A big task ahead for officials to piece together what caused a mid-air collision between two helicopters on the Gold Coast, which claimed four lives.

One helicopter landed safely near the Sea World theme park on Monday, with a pilot, four New Zealanders and a Western Australian on board. The other crashed, killing the pilot, a British couple and another adult.

Aviation Commentator Peter Clark says something has happened which has distracted the pilots, but the cause is unknown.

He's led to believe these machines may not have voice recorders, so investigators have a lot of work to do.

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Holidaymakers are clearing out of campgrounds in mass numbers as a subtropical storm makes its way down to northern parts of the country.

MetService has issued an Orange Heavy Rain Warning for Northland and Coromandel until early tomorrow morning.

Campgrounds report visitors have fled in droves, with only a few campervans left.

Earl Adams from Earl's Paradise Camp at Whangapoua on the Coromandel says only the toughest of campers survived last night.

He says the majority of them took off yesterday, but the hardy ones that have stayed are enduring strong winds along with a decent earthquake just after 5:30am this morning.

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Two boys are fighting for their lives, and four others remain in hospital after the mid-air collision of two helicopters on the Gold Coast, killing four people.

One helicopter landed safely near the Sea World theme park, with a pilot, four New Zealanders and a Western Australian on board.

The other crashed, killing the pilot, a British couple and another adult.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says there are numerous lines of inquiry.

He says it appears mechanical failure has been ruled out, but there are questions around whether the pilot's view was impaired by a passenger or was fatigue a factor.

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Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is in critical condition after experiencing cardiac arrest during a game.

Damar Hamlin collapsed unconscious during the Buffalo Bills NFL showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals after tackling a Bengals receiver in what looked like a standard play. 

Players from both teams surrounded him while Hamlin was administered CPR, in an attempt to give him privacy from the TV coverage of the incident and the stadium crowd.   

US correspondent Richard Arnold says Damar Hamlin is still on a ventilator in hospital and the NFL has since postponed the game.

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