The new National leader says he expects to be Prime Minister after New Zealand's September election.
There is one new coronavirus case in New Zealand as the new National Party leader warns of the biggest economic crisis in this country's history. Get all the important news and read the full stories in the links below.
Key developments in NZ
• New National Party leader Todd Muller says New Zealand is facing its biggest economic crisis in history as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Muller, who ousted Simon Bridges as opposition leader this afternoon, conceded the Government's handling of Covid-19 was "impressive", but argued that National is the party best placed to manage New Zealand's economic recovery.
Newly elected National Party Leader Todd Muller. Photo / Getty
• There is one new case of Covid-19 today - the first reported this week. The Ministry of Health says the case has been linked to the St Margaret's cluster in Auckland, and was a household contact of an earlier case. The person was already in isolation. A spokesperson for the ministry says this is another example of the long tail of Covid-19. Ninety-seven per cent of all confirmed and probable cases have recovered.
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• Rough sleeping in New Zealand was all but eliminated in just six weeks during the Covid-19 lockdown. Charities who work with the homeless say only a handful of people were left on the streets in all the major centres, some of whom had refused help. The organisations are tentatively and quietly celebrating the milestone, which was a distant goal before the Covid-19 lockdown.
• Women are more likely to lose their jobs because of the Covid-19 crisis - but the Government's planned economic recovery efforts favour workforces dominated by men.
Business update
• If overseas inquiries to industrial engineering company NDA Group are any yardstick, the perception that New Zealand is back in business after Covid-19 is already working in Kiwi manufacturers' favour.
• Borrowers who opted to take a six-month mortgage "holiday" may get a call from their bank or broker asking if they can restart payments from as early as next month - and experts say that is a good thing.
• New Zealand's hospitality sector faces a long, tough winter as the realities brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and muted spending bite. One bar owner says the outlook for hospitality is "grim" and simply being open to trade will not be enough to keep some in business in the months to come.
Around the world
• If the United States had begun imposing social distancing measures one week earlier than it did in March, about 36,000 fewer people would have died in the coronavirus outbreak, according to new estimates from Columbia University disease modellers.
• Health chiefs and ministers have sounded the alarm over the UK government's failure to test and track cases effectively, warning the failure to implement a plan risks sparking a deadly second wave.
• Scientists are increasingly optimistic that a coronavirus vaccine can be produced in record time - but getting it manufactured and distributed will pose huge challenges.
