Hunters will be allowed to hunt on private property under alert level 3 but not on public conservation land; and a prominent New Zealand businessman wants rich foreigners to be allowed to build holiday homes in tourist hot spots to stimulate the economy.
1.Aucklanders could soon be under water restrictions as a severe drought continues to starve the city’s dams. Today the city’s water storage stands at just 48 percent, the average for this time of the year is 76 percent.
2.A prominent New Zealand businessman wants rich foreigners to be allowed to build holiday homes in tourist hot spots to stimulate the economy. The founder of accountancy software company Xero, Rod Drury has presented his ideas on how to stimulate the economy to Parliament’s Epidemic Response Committee.
3.The Porsche driver who fled the scene of a crash which killed four police officers on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway posted photos of the aftermath on Facebook, police have said. The officers died when they were hit by a truck after pulling the Porsche 911 over late on Wednesday afternoon. This morning, police said the 41-year-old male Porsche driver had an extensive criminal history and investigators had since made contact with him.
4.Hunters will be allowed to hunt on private property under alert level 3 but not on public conservation land. The Government has confirmed the new conditions for when the lockdown lifts on Tuesday morning, to clear up earlier confusion about the activities status.
5.Customs is leading an investigation into the Ruby Princess cruise ship’s visit to New Zealand, which is responsible for a cluster of 22 Covid-19 cases in this country. The ship’s owner Carnival is under investigation in Australia after hundreds of passengers were infected with the virus.
6.One of the country’s largest tourism companies Ngāi Tahu Tourism is expected to make a statement on its future in the next hour. Ngāi Tahu Tourism hosts more than 1 million customers a year across its 12 businesses and employs as many as 500 staff.
7.The head of the Road Transport Forum, Nick Leggett says trucking firms are starting to benefit from a drop in fuel prices. Global oil prices have fallen to record low levels triggered by the Covid-19 lockdown and corresponding lack of travel.
8.Calls and texts to the government’s free national mental health helpline have risen sharply since the start of alert level 4. The number of calls to ‘Need To Talk 1737’ is up by 40 percent within the last five days, as people seek counselling over issues such as financial anxiety or worries about children.
9.The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found an officer unjustifiably punched a 13-year-old boy in the ribs during an arrest. The police have responded saying they support the officers actions.
10.The police have deleted a social media photo of an officer preparing to draw a gun. Posted three days after a man was shot dead by police in Auckland.
11.New Zealanders seem to welcome the Government’s strict Covid-19 rules, and it will be interesting to see if that changes as alert levels drop, a psychology researcher says. Otago University psychology lecturer Damian Scarf is leading a team investigating New Zealanders’ attitudes towards Government authority.
