Midday Report

The New Zealand wool flooring manufacturer Bremworth is hoping to boost confidence in the wool sector by offering ten-year contracts for farmer suppliers.

Susan Murray has the rural news.

Midfielder Sarpreet Singh is set to play his first game for the All Whites in almost two years.

Stephen Hewson has sports.

A rise in heavy freight activity, the first in two months, suggests more resilience in the economy than expected.

Gyles Beckford has the business news.

The Labour Party is promising that if elected next month, it will boost Pharmac's budget by more than a billion dollars over the next four years.

The drug-buying agency already receives almost $1.5 billion a year.

Under Labour's plan, Labour leader Chris Hipkins, says they will provide an ongoing $180 million a year to ensure recently-added treatments can continue to be funded.

It will also pump an extra $50 million for new treatments from the 2024/25 financial year, rising to $100 million per year from 2026.

Labour's health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall spoke to Charlie Dreaver.

National has announced it will crackdown on beneficiaries if they're elected next month, saying jobseekers need to face consequences for not complying with their obligations to prepare for, or find work.

The party is promising a new traffic light system which will hit jobseeker beneficiaries with tougher sanctions if they flout the rules, which could include benefit reductions or suspensions, and mandatory community work.

Jobseekers will also have to reapply for the benefit every six months and provide documented proof of applications and interview attendance.

National's Social Development spokesperson Louise Upston spoke with Charlie Dreaver

Labour's deputy leader, Carmel Sepuloni, has backed her party's plan to implement an amnesty for overstayers of more than ten years.

It follows anger over why it was not done earlier, with community leaders saying it's too little too late.

She made the assurance in the RNZ-Pacific Media Network Pacific Leaders debate this morning.

Lydia Lewis produced that debate and spoke to Charlotte Cook.

Families of Pike River victims are calling for new corporate manslaughter legislation after some of the charges against the owners of Whakaari/White Island were dismissed.

The owners of Whakaari Management Limited were charged with health and safety failures in the leadup to the volcanic eruption in December 2019 that killed 22 people.

The individual charges were thrown out in the Auckland District Court earlier this month, but charges against the company remain and are now being considered by a judge.

Some families of the victims of the Pike River disaster say the system of accountability is broken - Sonya Rockhouse is among them and spoke to Charlotte Cook.

Rainfall watches are in place through to this evening and totals over the past 24 hours are ranging from 70 to 150 millimetres in Bay of Plenty and 300 millimetres north of Gisborne.

Susan Murray has the rural news.

Wales have romped into the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup with a record 40-6 win over Australia in Lyon.

Felicity Reid has sports.

Falling international demand for infant formula, high inflation and extreme weather have caused the specialty dairy company Synlait Milk fall into the red.

Gyles Beckford has the business news.