Morning Report

The evacuation of New Zealanders from Wuhan may be just days away - with the Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters saying a charter plane is "almost wheels-up" pending sign-off.

He says the plan, though, is still a movable feast - and major questions remain about who will be allowed to board the 300-seat Air New Zealand flight.

At least 163 New Zealanders are registered on the government's SafeTravel website as being in Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.

The BBC has reported on multiple British residents in the city being told that they can leave, but their family members - who hold Chinese passports - cannot.

The United Kingdom is now appealing for China to relent - and Mr Peters says New Zealand is also working on the case.

He spoke to our deputy political editor Craig McCulloch last night.

News from the rural and farming sector.

A brief update from the business sector.

The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that a National Party ad on petrol prices was mischievous, but not misleading. It was one of three complaints published yesterday that were not upheld.

The Complaints Board ruled that National's social media ads are "advocacy advertising" and therefore robust expression of opinion is allowed.

The fuel prices ad compared average prices under National between 2008 and 2017, to under Labour on 29 November 2019.

It also included a bar graph that was not to scale but the majority of the board agreed that the data displayed was correct and sourced, and this saved the hyperbolic graphic from being misleading.

Political Reporter Yvette McCullough spoke to one of the complainants, Dylan Reeve, who told her he is disappointed with the ruling.

A spokesperson for National says the party was always confident its Facebook posts were not misleading, so they welcome these decisions.

They say National is simply doing what a good Opposition does, holding the Government to account for its failures.

An elderly man whose wife is stuck in Wuhan says she's been unable to register with the Government. New Zealand citizens have to register in order to be evacuated.

The Government has chartered an Air New Zealand plane to bring the up to 300 New Zealanders in Wuhan home, that is as soon as clearances are given and tricky logistics nailed down.

The man, Lawrie, says there may be other Kiwis in Wuhan wanting to be evacuated who the Government doesn't know about because they haven't been able to register with the Safe Travel website.

The Government is trying to gauge the number of New Zealanders in the city.

The number registered on the SafeTravel website tripled yesterday from 50 to 150.

Lawrie told our reporter Paloma Migone the website wouldn't work for his wife and she's worried they don't know she's there.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said: "We encourage everyone in the Hubei region to register their details on SafeTravel. It is the most effective way to receive up-to-date information and advice.

"However, as has been published on the SafeTravel website, for those in Wuhan that wish to depart through the New Zealand flight option, should express their interest by emailing [email protected] as soon as possible with the listed information.

"New Zealanders can also call the emergency consular number 0800 30 10 30 to access assistance 24/7. Or, if calling from China, the New Zealand embassy on +86 10 8532 7000."

Novak Djokovic once again beat great rival Roger Federer at a Grand Slam, while Australian fans will continue their wait for a homegrown winner of the Australian Open.

The charter plane to bring New Zealanders home from China because of coronavirus is almost wheels-up. Three and a half years after voting for Brexit, Britain is finally leaving the EU. This weekend is going to be a scorcher - the hottest of the summer so far.

New Plymouth real estate agents say they don't expect properties in a Kiwibuild development in the city to sell quickly.

hey say prospective buyers will be balancing reservations about its location in Marfell - which has a median house price of $330,000 - and the attraction of owning a brand new home costing a maximum of $450,000.

RNZ Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier - also known as the "doomsday glacier" - is now melting faster than previously thought. In the biggest scientific field project in Antarctic history, researchers have drilled down through 700 metres of ice to deploy a robot submarine in the waters under the glacier.

The Thwaites Glacier is described as the "most important" glacier in the world, and it has lost half a trillion tonnes of ice since the 1980s.

The lead scientist for the robot submarine Icefin is Dr Britney Schmidt.

She speaks to Morning Report from McMurdo Station in Antarctica.

The government's $12 billion infrastructure spend will see major cities get a large slice of the pie, but places like Taranaki barely get a crumb.

Major roading projects, cycleways and railways all got major funding boosts in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Canterbury and Queenstown.

But New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom says his city got just 0.062 percent of the funding - and it sorely needed more. He speaks to Morning Report.