Morning Report

Wellington's water system has been labelled "in crisis" and needing a fundamental overhaul.

Hundreds of Island Bay residents have repeatedly gone without water for long periods in recent days after an old water main burst.

It comes after two other major failures with the capital's sewerage system in recent months.

Hamish Cardwell went to a public meeting about the latest outage and filed this report.

Air BnB is putting forward its own blueprint to regulate holiday rentals in New Zealand.

Some local councils in New Zealand have already taken action introducing bed taxes, and looking at visitor levies to level the playing field.

Derek Nolan is AirBnB's head of public policy for Australia and New Zealand.

He speaks to Corin Dann.

Taranaki sports organisations are crying foul over being asked to back funding applications for the $50 million upgrade to Yarrow Stadium that they didn't support in the first place.

They say the request from the regional council - which owns the stadium - is a slap in the face for those who favoured a cheaper repair job and a commitment to a genuine multisports facility.

RNZ Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Customs stopped a record three tonnes of drugs from entering New Zealand streets in 2019.

Drugs seized were were smuggled inside motor engines, the lining of a puffer jacket and inside pallets.

The Minister for Customs is Jenny Salesa.

She speaks to Susie Ferguson.

Owners of earthquake-prone apartments want the government to pay some of the cost of strengthening rather than offer low-interest loans.

The last-resort financial help is open to owner-occupiers of multi storey apartments in high risk quake zones who can't get a loan anywhere else to do the work.

The money will only need to be paid back when the apartment's sold, or the owner dies.

But residents don't want to take on huge debt and had hoped the Government would share the bill.

Jordan Bond reports.

A distraught Elton John had to call off his first Auckland concert last night because he lost his voice.

He was about to sing 'Daniel' but told the crowd "I'm so sorry", and was in tears as he had to be helped off the stage. Sir Elton has been diagnosed with "walking pneumonia" and had earlier told his fans at Mt Smart Stadium "my voice is shot".

He later tweeted an apology for the early exit.

"I want to thank everyone who attended the #EltonFarewellTour gig in Auckland tonight," he said.

"I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia earlier today, but I was determined to give you the best show humanly possible.

"I played and sang my heart out, until my voice could sing no more. I'm disappointed, deeply upset and sorry.

"I gave it all I had.

"Thank you so much for your extraordinary support and all the love you showed me during tonight's performance.

"I am eternally grateful."

Broadcaster Sarah Bradley was at the concert and speaks to Corin Dann.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is refusing to pass judgement on a controversy involving her Deputy Prime Minister.

Winston Peters told Magic Talk last week his party was involved in taking photos of journalist Guyon Espiner with former NZ First party president Lester Gray, which were later published in a blog.

Peters said "we took the photographs", but when contacted by RNZ said the photos were taken by a supporter who happened to be nearby.

"To say that I said that we physically went and took a photograph, that's bulldust," he said.

"NZF has no interest in following Mr Espiner or any other journalists. The very reverse applies. No private investigators have been engaged to follow Mr Espiner or anyone else. A supporter thought it odd seeing ex-president Lester Grey with Mr Espiner so took a photo. Simple."

Ardern told Morning Report on Monday she didn't think it was an issue she needed to discuss.

"I had nothing to do with this and I'm not going to stand here and explain it, nor defend it, because it's not for me."

Universities have asked the government to exempt thousands of Chinese students from New Zealand's ban on international arrivals from mainland China.

The ban, which is aimed at stopping the spread of Covid-19, has prevented more than 11,000 Chinese students coming to New Zealand, including 6700 enrolled with universities.

The government has acknowledged those students' fees and living costs are worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the wider economy.

Here's RNZ education correspondent, John Gerritsen.

Thousands of people have been stuck in their cabins under mandatory quarantine on the cruise ship Diamond Princess for the past two weeks.

Just over 350 people on the ship have tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus.

The New Zealand government is is still deciding what to do for the eleven New Zealanders still on board the ship.

Two other New Zealanders who tested positive for coronavirus are in hospital.

The New Zealand embassy in Tokyo is in daily contact with the New Zealand passengers Kent Frasure, an American who is planning to stay on the Diamond Princess to wait out his quarantine as his wife has been hospitalised with the virus.

Before the cruise ship was quarantined he had become friendly with New Zealanders on his trivia team.

Now he's having to keep himself amused stacking noodle packets as high as he can stack them.

He speaks to Morning Report's Deputy Editor Kim Griggs.

The New Zealand cyclist George Bennett will now set his sight's on the international season following his agonising loss at the national road champs in Cambridge yesterday.