Morning Report

More than 30 documents released under the Official Information Act show RNZ sought another frequency for a youth channel for months, before dropping the idea.

The broadcaster scrapped its new plan to remove RNZ Concert from its FM frequencies and replace it with the youth channel in February after a public outcry.

The documents also outline how the new station would cost between $3 million and $8 million to set up and up to $2 million a year to operate.

Colin Peacock is the host of RNZ's Mediawatch and has been looking at the documents.

A union and a former Nelson mayor are raising questions over the employment of three members of one family at a council-owned firm.

But the Nelson City Council-owned maintenance firm, Nelmac, says thorough processes were followed employing a new chief executive and then two of her family members all within a year.

Tracy Neal reports.

A brief update of movements in the financial sector.

Wellington's billion dollar road project Transmission Gully has blown its budget again, but who will pay the extra is unclear.

The 27 kilometre stretch of highway was supposed to cost $850 million but that bill has already grown by nearly $200 million more.

Now that Covid-19 has pushed the completion date into next year, more money is needed to cover off delay penalties.

Reporter Charlotte Cook has the story.

The Reserve Bank will release its latest monetary policy statement this afternoon, with a touch of clamour in financial markets for a signal on whether it will move to negative interest rates.

The central bank has been at the forefront of measures to support the economy, banks, and markets.

RBZ Business editor Gyles Beckford speaks to Corin Dann.

With unemployment expected to grow, beneficiary advocates are hoping Thursday's budget will deliver major changes to the welfare system.

Around 40,000 more people have ended up on the benefit since February - and that number is only expected to increase in the coming weeks and months.

Here's RNZ social issues reporter Sarah Robson.

Up to a thousand Māori employees working for Māori tourism operators - and more than 17,000 Māori across the tourism sector as a whole - have lost their jobs due to Covid 19. 

Māori tourism operators are determined to thrive during alert level two, and make the most of this opportunity to teach New Zealanders a thing or two about te ao Māori. 

Te Aniwa Hurihanganui has the story.

The government will put an extra $4 billion into the health system over the next four years, including funding to catch up on all the procedures that were cancelled because of the lockdown.

The Health Minister, David Clark, says its the biggest increase in the health spend in a decade.

Most of the money will got to District Health Boards for their core work running hospitals but there will be $283 million as a one off to catch up on delays to surgeries, scans and specialist appointments in the lockdown.

Rowan Quinn is RNZ's Health Correspondent.

History was made at last night's Ockham Book Awards, with two first time writers taking out the top fiction and non fiction prizes.

Becky Manawatu's novel Aue, a raw and heartbreaking story of two orphaned Maori brothers each struggling to survive, won the $55,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction and the Hubert Church Prize for best first book of Fiction.

Straitjacket Fits frontman Shayne Carter has also taken out both the first book and overall best book in the General Non Fiction category for his memoir Dead People I Have Known.

It's the first time debut Māori writers have won both top awards. In another first - because of Covid-19, the Ockham Book Awards ceremony has held online.

Standing Room Only's Lynn Freeman watched all the action.

Most iwi-led checkpoints will come to an end once Level 2 begins, but two remote Far North communities are planning to keep their patrols going.

They're convinced staying cut off and keeping outsiders out is ensuring their region stays safe.

Travel is permitted under Alert Level 2 and police say checkpoints will no longer be required.

Meriana Johnsen reports.