Morning Report

News from the rural and farming sector.

A brief update from the business sector.

The Evian Championship, one of five women's golf major tournaments, has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The sight of two humpback whales breaching off the South Coast of Wellington was a rare thrill for an ardent whale watcher in the capital.

Corinne Goedbloed is an artist who lives in the Wellington suburb of Strathmore Park She saw the whales breach from her home yesterday.

Super Rugby Aotearoa will be the first professional rugby competition in the world to play in front of their fans in the Covid-19 era when the competition kicks off this weekend.

The Highlanders play the Chiefs in Dunedin on Saturday night and the Blues host the Hurricanes at Eden Park on Sunday night.

It's hoped the Auckland game will draw a 30,000 stong crowd, the biggest in a decade.

The Chief Executive of Eden Park, Nick Sautner speaks to Corin Dann.

Secondary teachers are at loggerheads with their own disciplinary body the Teaching Council and have given it a vote of no confidence.

A letter to PPTA members says the Council's head should resign but now the union's President has disowned the letter even though it is in his name.

RNZ education correspondent John Gerritsen reports.

From today the government wants the country to Unite for the Recovery as the government's focus shifts to the economy.

But economists are warning any recovery is still some way off - and the economic outlook remains grim.

Sharon Zollner, chief economist at ANZ New Zealand, speaks to Kim Hill.

Locals in Raetihi say the community will be there to help the family get through the deaths of a much-loved grandmother and her two grandsons.

The three died when their farm vehicle plunged into a pond on a family farm in the Central North Island on Sunday morning.

Bev Hiscox, who was 66, died alongside Luka and JJ Sirett who were aged 10 and five.

Geoff Anderson manages the the Information Centre at Raetihi where Hiscox was a volunteer on Wednesday mornings.

He told RNZ reporter Hamish Cardwell she was a wonderful person who greeted the many visitors to the centre with a friendly smile.

Perfect conditions for a freezing cold weekend are on their way for the South Island.

A strong high pressure system, combined with clear skies and long nights mean temperatures could drop as low as -15 degrees.

NIWA meteorologist Chris Brandolino speaks to Corin Dann.

It's the first morning of Alert Level 1 and a return to a way of life not seen in more than 11 weeks.

We've sent RNZ reporters out into the streets throughout the country as we did at the start of the Alert Level 4, the shift to Level 3 and the move to Level 2.