Morning Report

Donald Trump's plans to encourage Americans to return to work have been complicated by a Covid-19 outbreak in his own workplace.

The West Wing of the White House has been penetrated by coronavirus, with a growing number of White House officials now in isolation as a result.

Washington correspondent Simon Marks reports.

A law change is desperately needed to stop non-Māori artists using Māori faces and traditional facial tattoos in their work. 

That's the view of a specialist in Indigenous cultural property, Aroha Mead.

The issue has come to light again after broadcaster Oriini Kaipara  - who has a moko kauae - posted online that a portrait of her face was being sold without her permission. 

There has also been outrage at a monkey statue with a mataora, or full-faced moko, wearing a korowai, created in celebration of Chinese New Year by former children's television host Erin Simpson.

Samantha Payne, who painted the portrait of Oriini Kaipara, said in a statement to RNZ, that she apologised for any offence and hurt caused by her paintings, and accepts it was unethical and inexusable to not ask any of women she depicted for their permission first. The piece is no longer online.

And in a statement, Erin Simpson who made the monkey statue, apologised for any offence that had arisen from her artwork and said she would be more culturally conscious with her future designs.

A brief update of movements in the financial sector.

Theatre companies will struggle to reopen during Alert Level 2.

Restrictions on audience numbers undermines the financial viability of shows.

Jonathan Bielski is chief executive of the Auckland Theatre Company.

Thousands of people will return to work and school over the coming weeks.

But with physical distancing requirements in place, the capacity of trains and buses will be drastically limited.

In Wellington, buses will be able to carry forty percent of the usual number of seated passengers, and only thirty percent on trains.

Councillor Roger Blakeley is the chair of the Greater Wellington Regional Council's Transport Committee.

While arts organisations welcome the news of Alert Level 2, the realities mean many are still hamstrung.

With 90 members of the Symphony Orchestra on stage, that would mean to not go over the limitations of 100 people at a gathering, the audience couldn't be bigger than 10.

Peter Biggs is interim chief executive of the NZSO.

A lack of new international blockbusters will affect how many cinemas open later this week.

Mark Christensen, spokesperson for the New Zealand Motion Picture Exhibitors' Association, says major film releases have been pushed back until late July because of Covid-19.

That could mean the doors of mainstream cinemas stay closed for now.

About a million children and teachers have the go-ahead to return to school after more than seven weeks away.

Now schools and early childhood education centres have to figure out how to fully re-open while staying within the rules for Alert Level 2.

Chris Hipkins is the Minister of Education.

The owner of the media company Stuff appears to have been taken by surprise by an announcement from NZME that it plans to buy it for just one-dollar.

NZME said it asked the government and the Commerce Commission to urgently allow it to buy its rival by the end of the month but Stuff's owner, the Australian company Channel Nine, said talks were wrapped up last week with no deal in place.

Duncan Greive is the managing editor of The Spinoff and a media commentator.

Rules that allow us to burst bubbles, but only in groups of up to 10 people, will mean very little for mourners hoping to attend a funeral or tangi.

Under Alert Level 3, services were already subject to a 10 person limit.

The president of the Funeral Directors Association described the news as "a cruel and heartless blow" to the families of people who have died during the course of the lockdown.

Francis Tipene is the director of Tipene Funerals in Auckland.

He speaks to Corin Dann.