Morning Report

Debate will continue at Parliament this morning on a second tranche of firearm reforms.

The latest phase of law change sets up a national register and a tougher licensing regime.

The bill is before the committee of the whole house, where all MPs can debate and introduce changes before it is passed into law.

Here's political reporter Charlie Dreaver.

The National Party is questioning whether the Government is following its own rules around compassionate exemptions.

Officials who allowed two women out of isolation, on compassionate grounds, broke a rule requiring a negative test and at least seven days in quarantine.

Exemptions have now been suspended until the Health Minister is confident the mistake won't happen again.

National Party leader Todd Muller speaks to Susie Ferguson.

The Health and Disability System review wants to slash the number of district health boards in New Zealand to as few as eight and do-away with DHB elections.

Sarah Dalton, who is executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, speaks to Susie Ferguson.

District Health Boards could be stuffed with political flunkeys if a proposed shake up goes ahead.

That's the call from a former Waikato District Health Board member who admits he landed an earlier public health role thanks to his high level contacts.

The Health and Disability System review wants to slash the number of district health boards in New Zealand to as few as eight and do-away with DHB elections.

The proposal is prompting fears that any ruling government would fill the boards with favourites and stooges.

Matthew Theunissen reports.

Officials who allowed two women out of isolation, on compassionate grounds, broke a rule which had been in force for four days.

Both women tested positive for Covid-19 after the pair drove from Novotel in Auckland to Wellington on Saturday, to visit a dying parent.

Speaking in a Facebook Live the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that she did not think the way the exemption had been handled was acceptable.

Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says people must now return a negative result before being allowed to leave quarantine.

That rule has been spelt out on his Ministry's website since the 9 June.

Exemptions have now been suspended until the Health Minister is confident the mistake won't happen again.

Nearly 200 people have been allowed to quit quarantine early on compassionate grounds but it is not clear how many were first tested for Covid-19.

Otago University infectious diseases expert Professor Michael Baker says the case is concerning.

Anyone wishing to sign up for a career in the police will now be turned away, after the police halted its recruitment programme.

It says more than 4000 people are going through the police recruitment process, and about 600 were joining the queue every month.

On top of that, the police say they saw a large increase in applications during the nationwide lockdown.

Police Association president Chris Cahill told police reporter Ben Strang, that the surge in applications is no surprise.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The wasteful duplication of expertise and training has been identified a threat to the medical workforce.

The Simpson review of the health system says if the many groups doing training don't cooperate, then tighter regulation might be needed.

It falls short of recommending that.

The Council of Medical Colleges, which help train 15 medical specialities, says it's vital to get a national plan for training.

Some colleges such as Emergency medicine have no problem recruiting junior doctors, while others are constantly short of numbers, including for GPs and in public health which tracks pandemics.

The college council chair is Dr John Bonning.

Two women who arrived from the UK on 7 June were allowed out of managed isolation in Auckland to travel to Wellington on compassionate grounds whilst infected with the novel coronavirus.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says both returned positive tests for Covid-19 after driving between Auckland and Wellington.

Former RNZ reporter Alexa Cook is in quarantine after returning from the UK.

She speaks to Susie Ferguson.

The Prime Minister says a botch up that allowed a woman with Covid-19 to leave isolation is unacceptable.

Two women in their 30s and 40s who arrived from Britain on June the 7th were allowed to leave managed isolation at the Novotel in Ellerslie on compassionate grounds after the death of one of their parents.

They were not tested for Covid-19 before they left to travel to Wellington.

The second woman has now contracted the virus.

In a Facebook live post last night the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern voiced her disappointment.