The Government will widen its border exemption regime in a bid to allow hundreds of families, separated by Covid-19, to reunite in New Zealand.

Dr David Fowler blames George Floyd's death on a heart problem in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin. Video / Court TV via AP

MetService Wellington weather: April 15th. Video / MetService

Covid Recovery Minister Chris Hipkins said 135,585 vaccine doses had been administered, including 7695 in the last 24 hours. He said 43 per cent have been delivered in Auckland, 19 per cent of whom are Māori or Pasifika.

The Government has confirmed plans to ban live animal exports from 2023 – a move that has already drawn criticism from some in the industry.

National proposes requiring councils to zone more land for housing immediately.

Members of Parliament forgo normal House business in a special session to pay tribute to the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip.

MPs, ministers and party leaders will pay tribute to Prince Philip this afternoon.

Justice Minister Kris Faafoi unveils a new bill that the Government has introduced to strengthen how it can respond to threats of terrorism.

There have been 90,200 vaccines administered to date. A total of 19,273 people have received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

Labour MP Kiri Allan has been diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer. PM Jacinda Ardern answered questions from the media on Tuesday morning. Video / Mark Mitchell

Barney Irvine from AA gives advice for the long weekend.

Jake Cope from Metservice gives the forecast for the long weekend.

Day two of the trial saw emotional scenes from off duty Minneapolis firefighter Genevieve Hansen as she recalled what she could have done to save Floyd’s life. Video / Court TV via AP

Focus Live: The Government is getting light rail back on track by involving Aucklanders in a six-month process to come up with a city-shaping project.

Focus Live: A team of experts will begin assessing the viability of the merging of TVNZ and RNZ into one new public media entity.

Watch: Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins receives his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, as does Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall.

Reporter John Weekes explains the case that went before court as Jay Lingman has been found guilty of the murder of Denver Chance.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said there were strict criteria for these for early vaccinations – and only would be granted "for people who need to travel outside of New Zealand on compassionate grounds or for reasons of national significance".

A family member of an MIQ worker has returned a 'weak positive' test result for Covid-19. The risk was low to the community, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said.

The Government will pour close to $4 billion into a scheme to accelerate the pace of new house builds, which is expected to help see "tens of thousands" of new properties built.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard speaks to the media about the homicide investigation in Epsom. Video / Dean Purcell

Detective Inspector Scott Beard spoke to the media about the investigation into a deadly stabbing in Epsom, Auckland. Video / George Heard

Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff discuss the future of Auckland and the city's growth prospects.

The World Expo in Dubai will be a chance for New Zealand to reconnect with the rest of the globe in a post-Covid world, the Prime Minister says.

MetService National weather: March 18th - 20th. Video / MetService

MetService Wellington weather: March 19th. Video / MetService

MetService Christchurch weather: March 19th. Video / MetService.

MetService Christchurch weather: March 18th.

MetService Auckland weather: March 18th.