National says mums and their babies need the best start they can get.
It’s pledged to ring fence funding for extending post-natal care from two days to three - if elected.
The party says some mothers feel pressured to go home after giving birth, so they’ll make sure they know they have a right to stay in hospital.
Spokesperson Louise Upston says the system’s under staffing pressure.
More talk of a third major grocery chain, as Labour pledges to do more to break the grocery duopoly.
It says it will help new entrants with finance, finding land, and make regulator changes.
Leader Chris Hipkins says a new competitor will need Government intervention, and he’d happily talk to chains like Aldi.
First Union’s Bill Bradford says it could be good for workers, too.
Watercare says it plans to invest in pipeline infrastructure to stop future sinkholes in Auckland.
Excess rain and damp ground has caused two major sinkholes this year - the latest blocked a large sewer pipe in Parnell, forcing wastewater to flow into the Waitematā Harbour.
A temporary bypass should be installed by the end of the week, and the sewer unblocked in the next 2 weeks.
Chief operations officer Mark Bourne says the focus now is limiting overflows.
The Electoral Commission says anyone who hasn’t yet received their EasyVote pack should do so in the coming days.
It says the nationwide mail out of 3.4 million packs is a large and complex operation, and like previous elections, it’s not unusual for packs to arrive after voting starts.
They send them to larger rural electorates first, and then urban electorates.
A spokesperson says you don’t need an EasyVote card to vote, so if you haven’t received your pack and would like to vote now, you can do so.
Cases of cryptosporidium infections in Queenstown are still sitting at 60, with no source yet identified.
Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand has confirmed there are also 15 probable cases, and 12 under investigation.
