Midday Report

Players from the New Zealand Olympic women's sevens squad will be available for the Black Ferns' blockbuster test against England at Twickenham.

Midday Business News for 1 July 2024

The Labour party says a course for jobless young adults was never intended for children and using it for them could have disasterous outcomes for youth and those who staff it Some Defence Force staff involved in running the six-week Limited Service Volunteer programme for unemployed 18- to 24-year-olds say they suffered serious mental distress and suicidal thoughts, as they struggled to deal with at-risk youth. The programme has been cited as a blueprint for the coalition's proposed boot camps for young offenders . The Labour's Party's youth spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime spoke to Charlotte Cook

The head of a Wairoa iwi trust says the town's housing need is greater than ever, with increased mental distress following another stint of heavy rain and flooding last week. The chief executive of Tatau Tatau o te Wai-roa, Lewis Ratapu, says there are more than two hundred homes that can't be re-entered, and 160 whanau are still in temporary accomodation after Cyclone Gabrielle/ He says the town's most immediate need, aside from clothes and blankets, is warm, dry housing, which could cost more than 30 million dollars.

The rising of the Matariki star cluster on the horizon heralds Te Matahi o te Tau, the Maori New Year, a time to remember those who have passed over the last year and plan for the one ahead. Tomorrow Aotearoa will mark the official rising with celebrations, commemorations and in tune with this year's theme "Matariki Heri Kai" - plenty of food. RNZ presenter Mihingarangi Forbes spoke to Charlotte Cook.

A state of emergency in the coastal Hawkes Bay settlement of Haumoana has just been lifted. It was declared on Tuesday as high seas and bad weather pounded the small township. Up to 90 homes were re-evacuated last night with the high tide. Hastings District Council incident controller Clint Adamson spoke to Charlotte Cook.

News from the rural farming sector.

OFC semi-final NZ v Tahiti started midday in Port Villa

Midday Business News for 27 June 2024

The Hawkes Bay Regional Council is being accused of playing Russian roulette with the town over its management of the Wairoa River Bar - as the town mops up from yet another devastating flood. The Council is investigating whether a channel on the Wairoa River bar should have been dug sooner to release the swollen Wairoa River - admitting it may have contributed to the flooding. Its Chair Hinewai Ormsby says decisions about opening the bar were made on the best forecasting information available at the time. The Commodore of the Wairoa Yacht Club Adrian Mayhead spoke to Charlotte Cook