Morning Report

A wily stoat that was on the loose on one of Auckland's pest-free islands appears to have either died or swum away.

The stoat was first detected on Motukorea/Browns Island by a conservation dog in mid-March, just before the Covid-19 lockdown.

Teams also spotted footprints in the sand, found stoat poo and discovered where the stoat had been hiding its kills.

Auckland Council senior ranger Miranda Bennett told Sarah Robson while they haven't caught the stoat, they have been monitoring traps and the latest search on Friday didn't turn anything up, which means they're pretty confident stoat is no longer there.

Canterbury beat Wellington 39 - 25 at the cake tin, with five tries to one, as the defending champions had their first outing since the Covid-19 lockdown ended.

It wasn't a perfect performance by any means, but in the bone-chillingly cold, their clinical ability to close out tight matches was on display.

RNZ's rugby reporter Joe Porter speaks to Corin Dann.

As the economy heads in to a recession, the government is urging councils to invest in infrastructure and save jobs.

With revenue down by hundreds of millions of dollars due to the lockdown, councils have run out of money and are instead putting off large projects to future years.

As Conan Young reports, the impact on the construction industry that relies on these projects, could be huge.

A second person arrested in connection to the fatal shooting of a police officer in west Auckland is due to appear in court today.

Constable Matthew Hunt, 28, was killed during a routine traffic stop on Friday morning. RNZ understands the other police officer that was shot in the incident on Friday was shot at more than a dozen times.

According to sources, Matthew Hunt was in the front passenger seat of the police car and the second officer was driving.

They had attempted to pull over a vehicle which didn't stop straight away but eventually pulled alongside and opened fire almost immediately.

Assistant Police Commissioner Richard Chambers says they aren't looking for anyone else in relation to the shooting.

Reporter Mackenzie Smith is in the area.

A brief update of movements in the financial sector.

Hundreds of netball fans were allowed back to watch New Zealand's elite domestic competition, the ANZ Premiership, at close quarters for the first time in three months yesterday.

The public packed Auckland Netball Centre where the competition will be played for six weeks before games return to the regions for the remainder of the 10-week league.

Supporters in the deep south have now been given plenty to cheer about too, as Netball New Zealand has confirmed the Premiership finals series will be played in Invercargill in August.

Felicity Reid reports.

New Zealanders are increasingly feeling its important to strengthen ties with Asia, especially in the wake of Covid-19. It comes at a time when more New Zealanders than ever before say they know a fair amount about Asia.

Asia New Zealand Foundation's annual report into how we percieve Asia found that 79 percent of respondents think it's important to develop political, economic and social ties with the region.

That figure is up from 67 percent before the pandemic.

The most significant associations New Zealanders had with the word 'Asia' was China, as well as food and travel, as well as concerns over Asia's response to the climate crisis.

The foundation's executive director Simon Draper spoke to our reporter Eva Corlett about the survey's findings.

A report into refugee decision-making says the relationship between officials and lawyers has broke down, with delays and allegations of discrimination and bullying.

The report author, Victoria Casey QC, described high turnover of refugee and protection officers, understaffing and long waits for asylum claimants.

Immigration reporter Gill Bonnett has been looking into the report and speaks to Corin Dann.

A disability advocacy group is speaking to the Government this week after a health and disabilty review left them angry.

The Government released its planned review of the health and disability system last week.

But the Disabled Persons' Assembly  says it's doesn't reflect the day to day realities facing disabled people.

Tom Kitchin reports.

The Ministry of Health has been approached for comment.

It's two weeks today since Covid-19 Alert Level 1 came into force June 8 and semi-normal life resumed.

With billions of dollars sucked out of the economy, the worst may be yet to come in terms of business failures and job losses in many sectors, including retail and construction.

Ruth Hill reports.