Morning Report

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Addiction services have reported a rise in drinking, cannabis use and online gambling over the lockdown period.

The NZ Drug Foundation says around 50,000 New Zealanders are currently supported by addiction services, with many groups reporting a recent surge of people seeking online support for the first time.

While substance abuse appears to have spiked, a rise in the number of people seeking help is also being reported.

RNZ's Eleisha Foon has more.

Too little too late - that's how one woman sees the government's new payment to support people who have lost their jobs because of Covid-19.

The payment will be available for 12 weeks from the 8 June - with $490 a week for those who lost full-time work and $250 for part-time.

Alana lost her $80,000 job on the first day of lockdown - her husband's income meant she wasn't eligible for the unemployment benefit, but she did get some extra support through the accommodation supplement.

She told RNZ social issues reporter Sarah Robson, she and her husband have struggled to get by in the weeks since.

National leader Todd Muller has wasted little time in reshuffling reshuffling his caucus.

Among the more dramatic moves is the ascension of MP Nicola Willis, who leaps from number 45 to 14 on the party's list.

Willis, who lobbied to get Todd Muller the top job, also takes on the Housing and Urban Development portfolio from Judith Collins, and will continue to be the party's spokesperson on early childhood education.

She speaks to Corin Dann.

News from the rural and farming sector.

A brief update from the business sector.

There has been a sharp drop in the number of child abuse reports made to Oranga Tamariki duruing the Covid-19 lockdown.

Preliminary figures from the Ministry of Children show that in the six weeks after the country went into Aler Level 4r, just over six-and-a-half thousand reports of concern were made.

During the same period in 2019, there were almost 9200 reports - meaning there was an overall drop of almost 30 percent.

RNZ social issues reporter Sarah Robson spoke to Oranga Tamariki deputy chief executive, Alison McDonald.

The editor of one of Stuff's regional papers believes returning the company to New Zealand ownership will mean a lot to its readers and there could be a boost in local advertising.

Stuff chief executive, Sinead Boucher, bought the media company from Australian owners Nine Entertainment for one dollar, yesterday.

Timaru Herald editor, Brooke Black, told our producer Nicholas Pointon her joy was bittersweet, given it came on the same day Mediaworks announced it was laying off 130 staff.

From Friday, groups of up to a hundred will be able to get together for the first time in months, The Greens accuse Labour of breaking a core promise to overhaul the welfare system, and the blind slam the government's Covid tracing app

Some of the country's major summer music festivals are nearly sold out, despite organisers being unable to lock in their lineups while the borders remain shut.

They're exploring homegrown and trans-Tasman artists, crossing their fingers for restrictions on the size of gathering to lift - and touting the role their events could play in boosting domestic tourism.

RNZ's Katie Todd reports.