Morning Report

Some employers are not passing on all of the pandemic wage subsidy they're receiving for workers, and are instead pocketing the money for themselves.

The $585 a week subsidy requires employers to use their best endeavours to pay people up to 80 percent of their pre-lockdown wage.

Around 170 complaints have been registered about the wage subsidy scheme and most of the complaints are to do with money not being passed on

A hospitality worker says before the lockdown, she was being paid about $450 a week.

She says her boss is now claiming the full $585 on her behalf but only passing on $350 of this, and pocketing $235 for themselves.

Stu Lumsden is the National Manager Labour Inspectorate for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. 

He speaks to Susie Ferguson.

The Prime Minister will today announce the compulsory supervised quarantine of all people entering the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters speaks to Corin Dann.

The East Coast has only one confirmed case of Covid 19, but but locals say more testing is needed to see if that's the true picture of what's going on.

The Director General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, said that a draft copy of the Covid-19 surveillance plan, which would measure the true prevalence of the virus in the country, should be finalised by Wednesday.

Jim Green is the chief executive of Hauroa Tai Rawhiti, the region's DHB.

He speaks to Susie Ferguson.

The Prime Minister will announce today that every person arriving in New Zealand will have to go into supervised quarantine.

Academics and opposition MPs have been demanding such action, saying tougher border controls are necessary to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Here's RNZ's deputy political editor Craig McCulloch.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

As the tourism industry takes a massive hit from the Covid-19 crisis, some high-end lodges are now looking to target more of the domestic market in order to keep the doors open.

They say they'll be throwing out the welcome mat to more Kiwis as we begin to venture out again.

Tracy Neal reports.

An Auckland small business owner says he's paying 100 percent for broadband in a shut up factory and it is not fair. Steve runs a small manufacturing busines supporting the construction sector.

RNZ agreed not to use his surname. He has been wrangling with Spark for days, arguing it should share in the pain of thousands of its customers.

Spark told RNZ in a statement says it is happy to provide a financial support package to the customer so he isn't disconnected or charged late payment fees if he cannot pay.

It says the main way it would make more money from broadband during the pandemic is to charge for the extra data people are using but is not, as it has removed data caps on broadband plans.

Spark says it must pay Chorus $45 per broadband plan.

Front-line health staff and vulnerable people are being urged to snap up the offer of a free flu vaccine.

The Government's extended the time period for priority groups to get the vaccine free of charge, before it's made available to the general public.

The priority group includes over 65s, pregnant people, those with chronic conditions, young children with respiratory illnesses, and front-line health workers.

Associate health minister Julie Anne Genter told RNZ reporter Jordan Bond as we deal with Covid-19, we need to reduce as much other types of illness as possible this winter.

Plans are afoot to get more New Zealanders stuck in far-flung parts of the world home - but others stranded closer to our shores are struggling to find a way back.

Forty-nine New Zealanders have registered for the government's charter flight out of Peru, and passengers on a cruise ship where more than half of the people on board have tested positive for Covid-19 could also have a way out.

RNZ reporter Sarah Robson has more.

News from the rural and farming sector.