Midday Report

Communities in Te Tai Rawhiti and Hawke's Bay are under states of emergency as a result of serious weather in the past 24 hours. About 90 homes have been evacuated in Wairoa due to flooding - there have been widespread power outages, and a state of emergency is in force. State Highway 2 between Wairoa and Napier - along with State Highway 35 up the East Coast - are closed due to flooding and slips. Ben Strang speaks with Wairoa's mayor Craig Little.

On today's epsisode, Friends, whanau and fishermen say no news is good news at the moment as they hold onto hope for the safe return of three men missing off the coast of gisborne. Northland is saying forget the black out, we are open for business - welcome back - rather than focusing on the loss of business, money and supplies. Cancer care campaigners say the drugs are good, but the rest of the services need to step up to improve outcomes and experiences for patients. And the chateau Tongariro Hotel is sitting in disrepair, hoping for a spruce up on the government dollar.

The mayor of Ruapehu is gathering support for a petition calling on the goverment to save the iconic Chateau Tongariro Hotel. The Chateau was forced to close last year after a seismic assessment deemed it unsafe and since then, has been left to languish at a cost of $2 million a year. Charlotte Cook speaks with Ruapehu District Mayor Weston Kirton.

Melissa Vining, a well-known cancer treatment campaigner is celebrating the government's drug funding announcement as "the first happy news in six years" - but warns New Zealand still lags well behind international standards of cancer care. Yesterday the Government announced a $600 million boost to Pharmac's funding which will pay for 26 cancer treatments over the next four years, following a broken campaign promise to fund 13 new cancer drugs in this year's Budget. Charlotte Cook speaks with Melissa Vining, whose husband Blair Vining died in 2019 after being diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer.

News from the rural farming sector.

The Australian cricketers will need Bangladesh to do them a favour if they're to have any chance of making the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Australia were beaten by India by 24 runs in St Lucia this morning, confirming India's place in the last four and leaving Australia on the brink of elimination.

The Australian cricketers will need Bangladesh to do them a favour if they're to have any chance of making the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Australia were beaten by India by 24 runs in St Lucia this morning, confirming India's place in the last four and leaving Australia on the brink of elimination.

Midday Business News for 25 June 2024.

Northland businesses are pushing for compensation from Transpower for last week's blackout across most of the region. The grid operator, and its maintenance contractor Omexom, have admitted that a pylon toppled because three-quarters of the nuts attaching it to its foundations were removed by workers who were not following protocol. Whangarei's Mayor Vince Cocurulllo speaks with Charlotte Cook.

Rough seas are hampering the search for three missing men on a boat off the coast of Gisborne. Helicopters are currently scouring the area for any signs of the 7m vessel which failed to return yesterday, but the weather conditions have prevented the Coastguard from joining the search. Tatapouri fishing club president Roger Faber says the boaties' intention yesterday was to head south, towards Mahia.