Morning Report

Flamboyant New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is preparing for a big fight in the seat of Northland this year.

RNZ revealed in October Jones was expected to stand in the North and now he's all but said he's running - but is still waiting for the party's endorsement, which is a mere formality.

After spectacularly winning the seat off National in a by-election in 2015, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters lost it to the National Party's Matt King in 2017.

RNZ political reporter Jo Moir spoke to Jones at Waitangi and started by asking him if it's his intention to run in Northland.

The Emergency Management Agency says good weather will allow them to start cleaning up as people return to their homes in Mataura.

It's the last evacuated town to be reopened in Southland after the Mataura River flooded on Wednesday morning.

There's still a lot of flooding and the agency says about twenty homes are uninhabitable.

Emergency Management Controller for the district is Iain Davidson Watts.

He speaks to Susie Ferguson.

Emergency Management authorities in Gore say the town dodged a bullet, with flood defences standing up to the challenge of record flows down the Mataura River.

Not everyone came off unscathed though and there's plenty of clean-up work to be done.

RNZ reporter Sarah Robson put on her gumboots and went out to survey the damage.

The Highlanders new recruit Mitchell Hunt is hoping to make a name for himself in Dunedin.

Well known supporters of public broadcasting say it's under attack, are calling for it to be preserved and well funded.

The Government is expected to make an announcement today on plans to create a new, super-sized public broadcaster, to replace TVNZ and RNZ.

RNZ has already announced Concert FM would go to an automated service, in favour of a youth channel.

We asked some well-known Kiwis what they think of the news, and what's worth preserving in our national broadcasters.

Rachel Thomas has the story.

The Gore District Council says it wants to speed up the removal of ouvea premix stored at a paper mill near Mataura, after flooding almost reached the substance.

When saturated with water, ouvea premix releases toxic ammonia gas.

Ten thousand tonnes of the premix is stored in Mataura, but it's expected to take years to remove it. Stephen Parry is chief executive at the Gore District Council.

He speaks to Corin Dann.

The Transport Agency needs millions of dollars to update old and creaking IT systems that provide crucial road safety information.

The systems, for example, have been unable to match data to sound an alert that a driver who's lost their licence is trying to get a warrant of fitness.

Phil Pennington reports.

Researchers want emergency planners to think bigger and prepare to isolate New Zealand from the rest of the world in a global catastrophe.

The government is focused on coping with a pandemic virus, and academics say it should also be considering events such as a nuclear war or biological weapons.

They argue that preparing for a sudden international disaster would help New Zealand cope with other, more likely, disruptions such as those caused by climate change.

Here's RNZ senior correspondent, John Gerritsen.

You can find the full RNZ Insight story here.

The National Party may not be able to rely on partnering with the Māori Party after the election, even if that party is able to secure a seat to get itself back into Parliament. 

National Party leader Simon Bridges has talked about a resurgent Māori Party as a potential ally, but it may not have a willing partner with the President Che Wilson indicating a strong preference for Labour.

RNZ political editor, Jane Patterson, reports from Waitangi.

A number of New Zealanders decided not to take the opportunity to be evacuated back home from Wuhan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says consular staff are working on the best way to assist New Zealanders still stranded in Hubei province.

Those still there are being urged to register on the SafeTravel website so they can receive information and advice on the outbreak.

Chen Liu reports.