Morning Report

Elite rugby players will take a pay cut as the country's biggest game prepares to survive the coronavirus pandemic.

New Zealand Rugby and the NZ Rugby Players Association have agreed half of their forecasted player payments for this year will be immediately frozen.

The top players will have their income slashed by 50 percent for the remainder of the year if there is no rugby played in 2020. If rugby is played before the end of the calendar year, some income will be reinstated.

RNZ rugby reporter Joe Porter has been keeping an eye on developments.

Insurance companies are saving millions of dollars during the pandemic as the number of motor vehicle accidents falls with drivers stuck at home.

Overseas companies are dropping premiums to reflect this, but could that happen here?

Chris Curtin, the chief executive of AA Insurance, speaks to Corin Dann.

Insurance companies will save about $100 million on payouts for motor vehicles alone during the lockdown, given the dramatic drop in driving during the pandemic.

Consumer New Zealand is now urging the companies to follow their counterparts in America where premiums are being discounted up to 25 percent.

The Insurance Council says some Kiwi companies will reduce car insurance premiums across the board but many are focusing on customers in financial hardship.

Guyon Espiner reports.

Blood testing is the next step for keeping track of Covid-19 but New Zealand doesn't yet have a test that is up to the job.

Around the world, mass testing is starting to happen to see if people have been exposed to the virus and are now immune.

Charlotte Cook reports.

Principals are warning the government's plans to partially reopen schools at Alert Level 3 could be a shambles.

Early childhood centres and schools will reopen for children up to Year 10 whose parents need to return to work but there won't be any checks to ensure the children who do show up could have stayed at home.

Here's RNZ education correspondent, John Gerritsen.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that some firms can start back to work when Alert Level 3 is enacted, but only if they can keep people safe.

The actual decision about whether to move down a level is yet to be made though, and it won't be until Cabinet on Monday.

Political editor Jane Patterson has the details.

Businesses are frantically trying to work out how they will operate under Alert Level 3 restrictions.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced that some firms can start back to work when the lower level is enacted, but only if they can keep people safe.

Online stores, takeaway restaurants, and tradespeople are among many having to change the way they work.

Rachel Thomas reports.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The number of official complaints about the government's wage subsidy scheme have skyrocketed, with 800 laid in the space of just nine days.

The Labour Inspectorate says nine involve fraud, a number it expects to grow in the coming weeks.

Conan Young reports on a scheme that has already paid out more than $7 billion and which some say is being misused.

Some patients are waiting days to have their prescriptions filled, as many community pharmacies struggle to meet demand during lockdown.

Pharmacists warn people with non-Covid related health problems or ongoing conditions could be missing out on timely treatment with GP clinics and hospitals also harder to access.

Ruth Hill reports.