Morning Report

A new government subsidy will pay employers up to $16,000 for every new apprentice they train.

From August the Apprenticeship Boost will pay businesses a $1000 a month for each apprentice in their first year of training, and $500 a month for apprentices in their second year.

The Education Minister Chris Hipkins says the $390 million Apprenticeship Boost will run for 20 months and is trying to avoid a skills shortage when the economy recovers.

A brief update of movements in the financial sector.

Facebook is making it compulsory for New Zealand politicians and parties to sign up to a transparency tool if they want to advertise in the lead-up to the election in September.

From next month the website will require political advertisers here to clearly mark their advertising on the social media site.

Ads referencing politicians, social issues, the election or political parties will need to confirm whose ads they are and how to contact them.

All ads will be stored so people can see how much they cost and who interacted with them.

Anna Rawhiti-Connell is a social media consultant and commentator.

The Auckland Council's water company Watercare is using emergency powers to pull a further 15 million litres of water a day from the Waikato River.

It's already taking 150 million litres a day.

The change was pushed through using emergency powers under the Resource Management Act. 

The Auckland region has been subject to water restrictions since last month as it grapples with a record-breaking drought. 

The heads of Watercare, Auckland Council and Waikato Regional Council met on Friday to discuss options.

Waikato Regional Council chair Russ Rimmington says while Waikato can help the country's largest city with its water woes, Watercare appears to have "dropped the ball".

Watercare CEO Raveen Jaduram speaks to Corin Dann.

A botch up that allowed a woman with Covid-19 to leave isolation and drive all the way to Wellington without being tested.

She and another family member who arrived from Britain on June the 7th were allowed to leave their hotel on compassionate grounds after the death of one of their parents.

They were not tested for Covid-19 before they travelled.

The second woman has now contracted the virus.

Speaking in a facebook live post last night the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that she did not think the way the exemption had been handled was acceptable.

The Minister of Health David Clark speaks to Susie Ferguson.

Former Hurricanes now Worcester lock Michael Fatialofa, returned to his English club today for the first time since suffering a spinal injury in January that initially left him without movement in his arms and legs.

Māori health experts say major plans to overhaul the health system and create a Māori health authority don't go far enough.

The government's Health and Disability Review, out yesterday, includes a suite of recommendations to improve health outcomes for Māori. 

Some say the proposals are neither brave nor transformative.

Here's our Māori news correspondent Leigh-Marama McLachlan.

An professor of medicine says a review proposing an overhaul of the health system does not include any plans to address issues around the recrutiment and training of the health work force.

The government's Health and Disability System Review recommends sweeping changes to New Zealand's health system, including slashing the number of district health boards and creating two new government health agencies.

Des Gorman is a professor of medicine at the University of Auckland.

US President Donald Trump has used a speech announcing police reforms to defend the police. He signed the executive order encouraging police departments to adopt higher professional standards following weeks of protests against racism and police brutality, sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. That is in contrast to his recent public comments and tweets where President Trump had called for crackdowns on protesters, emphasising a forceful and militarised response to them. President Trump used the opportunity to express support for police, and push back on calls for more fundamental reforms. Washington DC correspondent Simon Marks speaks to Corin Dann.

Farmers are welcoming changes to gun reforms, which has loosened restrictions for farmers wanting to use firearms for pest control.

After months of negotiations between New Zealand First and the Police Minister, changes have been made to secure the votes needed for the second tranche of reforms to pass.

Miles Anderson is Federated Farmers' rural security spokesperson.