Focus Morning Bulletin: Mayor slams AT, inflation falls and Cathedral Cove

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

‘LOST THE PLOT’

Auckland’s mayor claims Auckland Transport has lost the plot over the cost of pedestrian crossings.

Wayne Brown says he was ropable to learn AT is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars installing crossings when Wellington City Council is spending tens of thousands.

He says the public doesn’t like that sort of money being wasted.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown has also weighed in, arguing it is unacceptable how much AT is spending on new raised platforms and speed bumps.

He says they also increase travel times and reduce the productivity of the network.

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown says the public doesn’t like that sort of money being wasted. Photo / Michael Craig

QUAKE SHAKES HAWKE’S BAY

A strong earthquake has rattled the lower North Island this morning.

More than 4000 Hawke’s Bay residents were shaken awake at 3.18am by the magnitude 5.2 quake, which is categorised as strong by Geonet.

It was at a depth of 10km and was followed by a series of lighter shakes.

TWO-YEAR LOW

The Finance Minister says the Government’s policies will bring inflation back under 3 per cent.

Yesterday’s figures show CPI rose 4.7 per cent in the year to December, a two-year low.

Nicola Willis says restoring the Reserve Bank’s single focus and reducing the burden on businesses has helped, but she stopped short of claiming it as a win for the new Government.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis. Photo / Mark Mitchell

PM ADDRESSES RĀTANA

The Prime Minister has used his address at Rātana to assure he wants progress for Māori.

Christopher Luxon spoke at the annual celebrations yesterday, promising the crowd his Government had no plans to meddle with the Treaty, and wants to partner with Māori to achieve better outcomes.

He says when Māori do well, New Zealand does well.

Luxon says he’s committed to Māori progress, as are all the parties in his coalition, and he would not have agreed to lead a party that wasn’t committed to improving outcomes for all.

CLARITY OVER CATHEDRAL COVE

The Department of Conservation says later this year it should know if re-routing the Cathedral Cove track is feasible or if other options need to be considered.

The track in Coromandel was closed virtually a year ago after it was badly damaged in severe weather.

DoC says it is undertaking land stability monitoring and will then work with iwi and experts on options for public consultation.

It expects by September, it will be clear about what the preferred option is.