Good evening. It's been a day of a leaked Government briefing, expected heavy rain on the South Island's East Coast, and protests over a collapsed labour hire firm.
1 Leaked ministry document warns Bill could break spirit and text of Treaty
The political season is well and truly back in full swing.
Today, a Ministry of Justice document was leaked, warning the Government its proposed Treaty Principles Bill is at odds with what the Treaty of Waitangi actually says.
1News obtained exclusive details about the Bill, which could be introduced to Parliament as soon as May. For the full scoop, click here.
2 Failed labour hire firm ELE recruited from overseas — despite financial woes
Despite being in financial trouble for months before it went into receivership, labour hire firm ELE continued to recruit and bring migrant workers from overseas.
Among the 1000 workers affected by the collapse were hundreds of Filipino workers, who took to the streets in protest of the situation.
Some Filipino workers had arrived as recently as August, weeks after the receivers were first called in to take a look at the company's finances.
3 Atmospheric river slams West Coast, heaviest rain yet to come
It's a wet one for the West Coast of the South Island today, with a rare red warning being issued for the region by MetService.
The rain is expected to cause dangerous river conditions and significant flooding, possibly isolating some communities.
As of 12.30pm, West Coast Emergency Management was expecting at least another 350-550mm of rain in the ranges over the next 24 hours.
4 Young underpaid migrant worker 'felt like a prisoner' at work
A young migrant worker is set to be paid more than $30,000 after feeling like a "prisoner" working 50 to 60 hours per week and only being paid for 30.
As part of her employment agreement, she was also living where she worked, and felt "trapped" as if she resigned, her family would have nowhere to live.
To read more about her story, click here.
5 Flaxmere's only supermarket set to close its doors next month
A small town's only supermarket is set to close at the end of next month after Foodstuffs decided not to renew a lease on the building.
A petition calling to prevent the closure has been signed by 1000 people.
Read about the fast-growing town's problem here.
ONE BANNED BOK
World Cup-winning Springboks rugby player Elton Jantjies has been handed a four-year ban after testing positive for a banned substance.
To read more about the ban, click here.
ONE ROYAL EXPLAINER
Charles this, Kate that... what's going on?
If you're a newshound you would have seen headlines about both King Charles III and Kate, Princess of Wales, undergoing surgery.
But why is this a big deal? Catch up on the reasons here.
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