Morning Report

A full house of 43,000 fans gathered at Eden Park to watch some rugby, and celebrate the end of coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions.

It's the largest crowd the Blues have played in front of for 15 years and they didn't disappoint their fans, beating the Hurricanes by 10 points.

While in Dunedin the game between the Highlanders and the Chiefs was much closer with Bryn Gatland landing a stunning drop goal with minutes left on the clock to give the Highlanders the win by one.

Dunedin and Auckland's mayors Aaron Hawkins and Phil Goff were among the thousands in the stands this weekend.

They speak to Corin Dann.

A brief update of movements in the financial sector.

A Chinese New Zealander says she's struggling to reopen her Auckland business because her mother has been stranded in Fiji for almost three months.

Her mother flew to Fiji to renew her New Zealand visa just hours before borders were closed to foreign nationals.

Dozens of Chinese nationals with family connections to New Zealand are currently stuck in Fiji.

Chen Liu reports.

We've just had the first weekend under Alert Level 1 and the impact was felt in hospital emergency departments across the country.

Stabbings, assaults and car crashes were just some of the reasons for patients flocking back in.

Dr John Bonning is president of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine and works at Waikato Hospital.

He speaks to Susie Ferguson.

A community advocate says Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend were just as much about systemic racism in New Zealand, as it was about police brutality in the US.

Protests were held in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Dunedin to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. In Wellington, thousands marched from Civic Square to Parliament along Lambton Quay chanting "no justice, no peace".

Guled Mire the co-founder of Third Culture Minds and one of of the organisers of Wellington's protest, Nicole Inskeep an organiser for the last march and Jazmen Rose, an African American resident in New Zealand and one of the speakers at the event speak to Corin Dann.

The Wellington Phoenix are ready to go for a resumption of football's A-league, but they'll need official clearance to cross the Tasman before the team can start training again.

Around $60 million is being allocated from the Provincial Growth Fund to create jobs throughout the country. Almost half the funding will support local roading projects, while $26 million is going to rail.

The government says it will create at least 800 jobs for those most in need of work due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones speaks to Corin Dann.

Rugby fans flocked in as professional sport made its return in New Zealand over the weekend.

More than 60,000 attended Super Rugby Aotearoa matches in Auckland and Dunedin - the competition one of the first in the world to allow fans since the Covid-19 crisis begun.

A sold-out crowd of 43,000 watched as All Blacks first five Beauden Barrett celebrated his Blues debut with victory over his old team the Hurricanes at Eden Park yesterday.

Down south the Highlanders edged the Chiefs in Saturday night's competition opener, almost 20,000 there to see Bryn Gatland kick the winning drop-goal to beat the team coached by his dad, Warren Gatland.

Clay Wilson with this report.

National's new leader Todd Muller has laid out how he intends to steer the National Party towards the general election just three months away.

Speaking on his home turf at the Te Puna Rugby Clubrooms near Tauranga he touted National's economic resume and his own values as reasons to vote for the party.

However, his speech didn't go completely without a hitch.

RNZ political reporter Charlie Dreaver was there and filed this report.

Consulting engineers are calling for government support to stave off big job losses. Around 2000 jobs could go and it is expected many who lose their jobs will head off to Australia for work.

An industry survey shows almost half of firms are reporting the potential for job losses.

The Association of Consulting Engineers says it's vital the Government provide stimulus, especially to local councils to restart projects stalled by Covid-19.

Paul Evans is chief executive of the Association of Consulting Engineers.

He speaks to Corin Dann.