Morning Report

A brief update from the business sector.

People with sexually transmitted infections are delaying seeking help under lockdown, leading to serious complications in some cases.

Sexual health providers say confusion about what services are open, fear of contracting Covid-19 or the lack of a private space to make confidential phone calls are holding some back from getting help, but help is available.

Ruth Hill reports.

Two universities are asking staff to take pay cuts as they wrestle with multi-million-dollar deficits, and Simon Bridges plays down any suggestion his leadership is at risk

Around 400,000 more people are expected to return to work from today, with many workplaces reopening under strict social distancing requirements.

So what might that look like in practice, and what is the government expecting of businesses around the motu?

Jo Pugh is the head of the general inspectorate at WorkSafe New Zealand.

She speaks to Corin Dann.

Fourteen people died and four were badly injured when they plunged 40 metres into the Cave Creek chasm, near Punakaiki on the West Coast 25 years ago.

The Noble Report into the disaster laid the blame on poor construction and design of the Department of Conservation viewing platform that collapsed, and lack of project management systems by the department.

Lou Sanson, the current director-general of the Department of Conservation, who the regional director of DoC's Southland office at the time, speaks to Philippa Tolley.

Covid-19 has made it's way across the globe and had an impact on everyone.

The commemoration of the Cave Creek disaster is no exception.

Today marks 25 years since the tragedy which killed 14 people and brought about significant changes to health and safety laws in New Zealand.

Charlotte Cook reports.

After a period of hibernating over the lockdown period, the housing market could pick up again.

The ability to finalise sales ground to a halt under Alert Level 4 but private property viewings have been given the go-ahead and some lending restrictions are being loosened from today.

RNZ's housing reporter Eva Corlett reports.

The Cancer Society says 400 people could die from cancer unnecessarily if hospitals don't catch up quickly enough after the lockdown.

Urgent treatment and diagnosis has been happening under level four but wide scale screening has stopped and its likely cases have not been picked up.

Rowan Quinn reports.

Māori health services are concerned that the number of Māori with chronic health conditions contacting their GPs has dropped off since the lockdown. 

They say mixed messaging about whether patients can still visit their GPs, and a lack of engagement with virutal/phone consultations is leaving Māori with chronic health conditions at risk. 

Meriana Johnsen reports.

A brief update of movements in the financial sector.