Morning Report

Shane Jones is thumbing his nose at the Prime Minister, refusing to resile from his comments about Indian students ruining academic institutions in New Zealand.

The New Zealand First MP and Cabinet minister received a very public and very blunt message from Jacinda Ardern that his comments were "loose and wrong".

Jones is unrepentant, saying he was only expressing the views of some in the local Indian community.

Political editor Jane Patterson reports.

The number of Covid-19 coronavirus deaths worldwide is now more than 3,000 with more than 90 percent in Hubei, China.

There have now been deaths in 10 countries outside of China. Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iceland, Portugal, Armenia, and the Czech Republic are the latest nations to confirm their first cases.

Last week Wall Street had its biggest weekly decline since the 2008 financial crisis triggered by coronavirus fears.

But markets have opened slightly higher today.

 Michael Mackenzie is a markets editor at the Financial Times, he speaks to Corin Dann.

Electronics, iPhones, clothes and raw materials are in short supply and could take much longer to get here as Covid-19 slows global trade.

More than 60 countries are now infected with Covid-19 limiting travel, trade and shipping and Stats NZ says the virus may have cost as much as $300 million dollars in lost exports to China in the past month.

Charlotte Cook reports.

Police are seeking to reassure the public after a reported terror threat agains the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she is devastated to hear about threats against Muslims nearly a year on from the Christchurch terror attack in which 51 worshippers were killed.

A national remembrance service is planned for Christchurch on 15 March.

Police are seeking to reassure the public after a reported terror threat against the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she is devastated to hear about threats against Muslims nearly a year on from the Christchurch terror attack in which 51 worshippers were killed.

But Islamic Women's Council spokesperson Anjum Rahman says threats are a continuing and pervasive problem and some people have been emboldened.

Canterbury District Commander John Price speaks to Susie Ferguson.

The New Zealand women's cricket captain Sophie Devine says Australia scored more runs than they should have in their T20 World Cup sudden death clash in Melbourne.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Six kea in Otago have been killed after a drop of the pesticide 1080 - with the Department of Conservation waiting on post-mortem results to determine whether they ingested the poison.

The kea were among a dozen being monitored by the Kea Conservation Trust, which is trying to find out how predators target the birds.

Tamsin Orr-Walker is the chair of the trust.

She speaks to Susie Ferguson.

A former Reserve Bank Governor says some of the world's central banks may make a move together to counter the effects of Covid-19 on the global economy.

Don Brash believes the outbreak of the disease could cause a substantial shock to the world's economic system. In just the past month in New Zealand, the virus may have cost as much as $300 million in lost exports to China.

He speaks to Corin Dann.

The police are investigating after a terror threat was made against the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch.

It comes just two weeks out from the anniversary of the March terror attack, in which 51 people were killed and dozens more injured at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques.

Far from being surprised by the threat, a spokesperson for the Islamic Women's Council says threats or worse were expected by the Islamic community.

Anjum Rahman told RNZ reporter Ben Strang she was sent a screenshot of the threat on Monday morning, and that it's one of four threats she's seen since the attack last year.