Morning Report

A brief update from the business sector.

Gloomy economic warnings are also being felt in Europe.

The day after the EU was warned of a financial "shock without precedent", in the UK a new scenario has been drawn up by the Bank of England which predicts the sharpest recession on record.

While the projections from the Bank aren't forecasts - as the governor says there's still too much uncertainty about to make forecasts - it predicts the UK economy will shrink by 14 percent this year.

The Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, told the BBC there will be no quick recovery.

UK correspondent Olly Barratt speaks to Kim Hill.

Unemployed migrant workers caught in the cracks amid the Covid-19 crisis say they're still not getting enough help from authorities here or in their home countries.

The First Union's Network of Migrants says food parcels are the only assistance the workers can get.

The jobless workers say they have been struggling and help is nowhere to be found.

Chen Liu reports.

A Hawke's Bay farming family says farmers affected by the double whammy of drought and Covid-19 restrictions should be eligible for the wage subsidy or other government help.

The Dasents from Maraekakaho, near Hastings, have had to sell half their stock and are struggling to find enough feed for the rest of their cattle and sheep because of the region's drought.

Jeremy Dasent and his daughter Rhea told RNZ reporter Anusha Bradley government support to farmers is too little, too late.

Auckland's public transport network could turn commuters away under Alert Level 2 because of distancing requirements on its vehicles.

The city's ferries and trains will join buses in returning to their regular day-time timetables after running reduced services for the last few weeks.

Stacey van der Putten from Auckland Transport told RNZ reporter Phil Pennington it won't be able to carry as many passengers as it usually does.

We have the details on what life will look like at level two at the shops, on the bus, at work, and at school, The resumption of domestic travel will provide a shot of adrenaline for the tourism sector, and Hawke's Bay farmers feel forgotten as they try to deal with severe drought in the region

In the early days of lockdown, when the only time most people got to leave the house was for their state sanctioned walk, lots of New Zealanders put teddy bears in their street facing windows to entertain the younger Kiwi wandering past and, let's be honest, some older ones too.

But one Wellington couple has gone the extra mile, dressing up an otherwise neglected teddy bear by the name of Chester each day - much to the delight of Karori locals.

RNZ reporter Sarah Robson, spoke to Ken Wilson earlier this week about why they keep doing it.

City Rail Link's Tunnel Boring Machine has been named after Maori land rights activist Dame Whina Cooper . Dame Whina was chosen in a national poll over other finalists, Georgina Beyer, the world's first elected openly transgender mayor and Member of Parliament and an Anartica scientist Margaret Bradshaw. Naming boring machines after women is a tradition sometimes linked to St. Barbara, the patron saint of people who work underground.

There's a dire shortage of rental properties in Westport.

One local real estate agent was even forced to live in a caravan.

At the same time dozens of rental homes are sitting empty and more than 100 rooms are vacant waiting for bookings on Airbnb when tourism picks up.

Katie Todd has been finding out why.

Tom Cruise is often known for pushing himself to the limit - jumping off cliffs, hanging out of planes, and running round the outside of the world's tallest building.

But for his latest movie, he'll be travelling to earth's limit - the International Space Station, to be specific.

The news was reported on the website Deadline Hollwood, and was later confirmed by the director of NASA, Jim Bridenstine.

The Executive Editor of the entertainment magazine, Variety, Steven Gaydos talks about what's known of the movie.