The Government is set to reveal its plans for charging returning Kiwis for their managed isolation today.
With just two sitting weeks left in the parliamentary term, there’s little time for the law changes needed to enforce any co-payment scheme.
While National has said they plan to charge $3000 per adult should they be elected in September, the Government is expected to announce a softer version of that policy .
Public law expert Mai Chen told RNZ’s Checkpoint charging returning Kiwis for their quarantine is a complicated proposition with issues like exemption criteria, cost recovery and enforcement of the policy to consider.
The bill for running the country’s managed isolation facilities is currently budgeted at nearly half a billion dollars with the Government confirming yesterday another $100 million has been added to meet costs .
Meanwhile, Air New Zealand is extending its booking freeze for international flights for another two weeks.
The airline says new bookings won’t be available until after August 9 as they work with the Government to ensure managed isolation facilities aren’t overwhelmed with arrivals.
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Allegations levelled at Weta Workshop
Wellington’s Weta Workshop, the world-famous studio which helped create Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit and Avatar, has been described as a toxic workplace where harassment and bullying have flourished.
1 NEWS has spoken to 11 current and former staff members who say their “dream job” at the studio became a nightmare , with some also alleging sexual harassment.
Weta Workshop told 1 NEWS it’s taking the allegations “extremely seriously”.
An external organisation is currently conducting an independent inquiry due to a previous historic allegation and Weta Workshop is encouraging any staff with issues to make a confidential submission to the review.
China accuses NZ of interference
China has accused New Zealand of “a serious violation of international law" and “gross interference” in its internal affairs.
It follows the Government’s decision to suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong over fears about a new security law imposed by China.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says it had become clear the security legislation was undermining Beijing’s 1997 commitment to the "one country, two systems" policy which granted Hong Kong autonomy for 50 years.
“The law is now no longer what it was and, therefore, the extradition agreement we had doesn't stand up," he says.
'A manipulative monster'
A previous victim of convicted paedophile Nik Marinovich has described him as a manipulative monster after he yesterday pleaded guilty to possessing, distributing and making child sex abuse images.
The 34-year-old was able to continue working around children for five years after his release from jail following a 2013 conviction for sexual crimes against three underage girls while running a cheerleading club. 1 NEWS spoke to one of his victims who says she felt sick when she heard about Marinovich’s latest offending .
Lax vetting procedures meant Marinovich was able to work as a cameraman around children for various groups and companies, including TV show What Now.
The Children's Commissioner is now lobbying to make vetting mandatory for anyone who works with children.
National candidate apologises
The National party found themselves deflecting a few more unwelcome headlines yesterday.
Their 18-year-old Palmerston North candidate William Wood apologised after a photo emerged of him appearing to impersonate Adolf Hitler . Mr Wood says the photo was taken when he was 14 and that it was an error on his part.
Meanwhile, National leader Judith Collins was forced to clarify a comment she made about prison escapees during her time as Corrections Minister.
After an exasperated exchange with media yesterday, Ms Collins said she had made a joke – and advised her jokes could be identified by an eyebrow raise.
Other news of note this morning:
The Government has announced a new $39 million rail maintenance facility in Christchurch, which they say will create 300 new jobs over the next three years.
German police are searching a garden in connection with their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Ambulance workers are heading to court to challenge St John after the charity announced it could not afford a planned pay boost.
Justice Minister Andrew Little has labelled a National MP’s comments about abortion as “silly”.
New legislation to improve the quality of New Zealand’s drinking water has been introduced.
National has blocked a move that would have allowed Māori voters to switch electoral rolls more freely.
Figures show more than 13,000 New Zealand businesses have been advised to repay money granted to them under the Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme.
And Twitter has banned the US president's son, Donald Trump Jr, from tweeting for 12 hours .
And finally...
They’re smelly, loud and irritable and they’ve taken up residence under the floorboards of houses in Paekākāriki on the Kāpiti Coast.
Little blue penguins are nesting beneath the floorboards under Bride and Graham Coe’s kitchen table – and they say the birds sound like braying donkeys . The couple say just about every house around them has their own pair of nesting penguins.
In other bird news (because that’s what this section has become today), the Department of Conservation is running a competition to name a toroa/northern royal albatross chick that’s gained a global audience via livestream in Otago.
And not to be outdone, birds across the Tasman are also making headlines, with an emu named Kevin being banned from an outback pub for bad bar-room behaviour.
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