Midday Report

The Health Minister has confirmed Steve Maharey, who chairs Pharmac and ACC, has offered his resignation over claims of political impartiality.

It follows the sacking of Te Whatu Ora Chair, Rob Campbell, who publically complained about the National Party's Three Waters policy.

National now says Steve Maharey should go the same way, due to columns he's written that are critical of the opposition.

RNZ's Political Editor, Jane Patterson, spoke to Charlotte Cook.

The Government has made urgent moves to focus it's transport goals on the areas hit by Cyclone Gabrielle.

In its three-year plan, Labour had wanted to reallocate some of the money normally spent on road maintenance for bus and bike lanes.

But now the Government has hit the brakes on making emissions reductions its top transport priority, and instead refocused on repairing the devastated roading network.

Graeme Lowes is the Operations Manager at Farmer's Transport which operates in Hawke's Bay and the East Coast.

He spoke to Charlotte Cook.

Restaurants nationwide will be 'cooking up a storm' to fill bellies with comfort food, and mayoral relief funds with money

The cyclone relief fundraiser will take place on Monday March the 20th.

The two-course comfort food menu is at the set price of $69, with all but $23 covering the restaurants' costs.

The nationwide dinner party's mastermind is chef Al Brown who spoke to Charlotte Cook.

The cyclone stricken community of Wairoa is yet again battling more rain as recovery efforts continue.

The small community was inundated by water three weeks ago and locals have spent much of the last few weeks attempting to clear the silt and resume with their lives.

RNZ Maori's News director Jamie Tahana spoke to Charlotte Cook from Wairoa.

News from the rural farming sector

Midday sports News for 6 March 2023 The Black Ferns Sevens will play Australia in this afternoon's title decider at the Vancouver leg of the World Series.

News from the business sector

The Kindergartens Association says throwing more money at families to spend on early childcare is fundamentally flawed, and will not improve teaching quality or stem high staff turnover and shortages.

The National Party's proposing a fee rebate of up to $75 a week - on top of existing subsidies - for families earning up to $180,000 a year 

The sector - which includes some for-profit providers - already gets around $2.3 billion dollars in public money each year.

And would get an extra $250 million under National's policy.

Kindergartens New Zealand's chief executive Jill Bond told Charlotte Cook a fundamental review was needed, but neither the government or opposition parties have listened to the sector's concerns.

Heavy rain has caused roading washouts and flooding in Thames-Coromandel, further isolating the upper east coast of the peninsula.

State Highway 25 is closed between Hikuai and Whangamatā because of the washout, with no other detour available as State Highway 25a over the ranges is also not accessible.

The heavy rain warning lifted this morning, but the community is on edge.

Civil Defence Controller Garry Towler told Charlotte Cook the community was fatigued by the dangerously wet weather - 2.3 metres of rain had fallen so far this year.

It's almost time for the most important statistical exercise, our National Census Day - te Rā Kautetanga

March the 7th is the day, but there is an extension by up to eight weeks for areas affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

University of Waikato Professor Tahu Kukutai works in the Te Ngira Institute for Population Research. 

Professor Kukutai spoke to Māni Dunlop about why the information is so important, and what it is used for.