Watch: Scam investigations shelved, National’s pothole solution and returning faces to Parliament

Don’t have time to read the headlines? Watch the Focus Morning Bulletin above, presented by Cheree Kinnear.

‘Impossible to ID offshore scammers’

A senior police boss reveals investigators have been forced to all but shelve attempts to solve international scam crimes.

Detective Inspector Chris Barry, who oversees Auckland City’s financial crimes unit, says increasingly innovative scams are causing harm.

But he says it’s nearly impossible to trace funds sent offshore or identify criminals who’re hiding their identities from remote locations.

Barry says police are instead focusing on identifying local people who help facilitate the crimes through New Zealand bank accounts.

He says educating the public to raise awareness is also crucial.

Pothole repair fund

National is adamant it can achieve better outcomes, by reallocating how it spends existing government road funding.

It will redirect funding from road safety initiatives to road maintenance if it wins October’s election.

That will see less money being spent on speed bumps, speed limit reductions, median barriers and ad campaigns, and more spent on pot hole repairs and road renewals.

Under the plan, it also wants to reduce the standard response rate for pothole repairs to 24 hours.

National transport spokesperson Simeon Brown and party leader Christopher Luxon unveil a policy to fix NZ's potholes. Photo / Alex Burton

Returning faces

Justice Minister Kiri Allan is back on the job today.

She took the school holidays off - amid claims she’d mistreated staff.

She’s apologised, and the Prime Minister says Allan will be provided with extra coaching around creating a work environment.

Meanwhile, ex-transport and immigration minister Michael Wood is expected to return tomorrow - in his capacity as MP for Mount Roskill.

China Business Summit

The Prime Minister has delivered a keynote speech at the China Business Summit in Auckland this morning.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has spoken on topics like trade and investment - and has provided insights from his recent trip to China and Nato Summit attendance.

The Chinese Ambassador and the New Zealand China Council are also attending.