Tuesday 4 March

The Commerce Commission is investigating Wellington Water after damning reports into its procurement processes. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says parents who are dissatisfied with the new school lunch programme should “make a marmite sandwich and put an apple in a bag”. Health Minister Simeon Brown says overseas clinicians may be contracted to help staff a new 24-hour telehealth service, announced among a raft of new measures to speed up access to GPs.

Union coverage

• First: Concerns immigration policies eroding RSE workers’ rights – unions

Employment

• ‘It’s not a way to run a health service’ – the cost of health redundancies

Politics

• Christopher Luxon on school lunches: Go make a Marmite sandwich
• Simeon Brown announces telehealth ‘solution’ for GP access
• Police warn Te Pāti Māori over financial audit delay
• ACT accuses principals of ‘lowering expectations’ after call to scrap new NCEA tests
• Wellington Water report reveals alleged theft, structural and contractor issues
• Commerce Commission investigating Wellington Water
• Labour re-opens nominations for mayor