Morning Report

Wuhan evacuees to be freed from quarantine today, Director General of Health on Covid-19, Winston Peters ducks media amid SFO investigation, Winston Peters dodges questions on SFO, Simon Bridges on SFO investigation.

Angry residents in the small Canterbury town of Prebbleton are likely to take legal action to fight to have a say over an expansion of a waste processing plant.

The Regional Council is allowing only 38 properties within 500 metres of the plant to make submissions about the plan to discharge contaminants into the air for the first time.

Anan Zaki reports from Christchurch.

Nearly 80,000 adults were the victims of offending by family members in 2018.

The report by the Ministry of Justice is part of the ongoing New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey collecting information on New Zealanders' experiences of crime.

The Ministry's manager of research and evaluation, James Swindells, speaks to Corin Dann.

The 11 New Zealanders in quarantine on board the cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, are being offered seats on a plane that's leaving Japan for Australia tomorrow.

Not all of them want to go despite another 99 cases of Covid-19 being confirmed on the ship in the past 24 hours. 

Auckland business owner Wren Manuel told us he and his wife and his wife Kay don't want to start their quarantine over again so they're not taking up the offer.

Epidemiologist Michael Baker speaks to Susie Ferguson.

A brief update on the movements in the financial sector.

The Ministry for Primary Industries is refusing to bend the rules on raw milk, leading to a stand-off with one Hawkes Bay supplier who says the existing regulations will kill the business.

It follows raids in December, when, MPI confiscated milk from eight unregistered suppliers in six regions around the country, after a year-long investigation.

For the first time in 60 years, Weddell seals are raising their pups at Antartica's Scott Base.

They abandoned the area in the 1960s when they were being killed and served as dog meat.

Now between 15 and 20 newborns have been spotted near the base.

Antarctic scientist Regina Eisert, an expert on the species, speaks to Corin Dann.

Hundreds of cyclists spent a wet and windy Wellington evening paying tribute to a man who was killed two weeks ago cycling home to Petone.

Brent Norriss, 65, was hit by a car on the Hutt Road and his death has once again put the spotlight on just how dangerous getting on your bike can be.

Charlotte Cook reports.

Syrian refugees are in a desperate race to outrun the fighting as the Syrian army pledges to continue its campaign to wipe out militant groups "wherever they are found".

Tens of thousands of people are on the move.

Nearly 700,000 of the newly displaced are women and children, according to the latest UN figures.

Emma Beals is a Kiwi who has been covering Syria for many years.

She speaks to Susie Ferguson.

Tourism New Zealand says international tourists are starting to get nervous about travel and it's having an impact on the sector here.

The government yesterday announced it would provide $11 million to boost the tourism market and try to lessen the blow of Covid-19 and travel restrictions.

Stephen England-Hall is chief executive of Tourism New Zealand.