The government has injected $200,000 into support for flood-stricken communities at the top of the South Island.

Mayoral relief funds for each the Nelson Tasman and Marlborough regions will be given a $100,000 top up.

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern has today visited the region and told a press conference this afternoon the devastation was severe. It was hard to get a full impression of the impact from just a “snapshot” visit, she added. It was expected government support would be extended in the near future.

Kieran McAnulty, the emergency management minister, said the recovery would be “long and challenging”.

The mayoral relief funds will assist the communities as they assess the full extent of the damage and begin the clean-up, he said. “Given the size of the job, there is likely to be more support needed from the government, but this contribution will help these regions tackle the most urgent areas of need while the scope of damage is still being assessed,” McAnulty said.

“Local communities and councils understand where the immediate needs are and how to help. Mayoral relief funds help local communities to support whānau, community organisations and marae after an emergency.”

Jacinda Ardern says tomorrow will be “business as usual” at parliament, despite potentially hundreds of anti-government protesters converging on the grounds.

The Brian Tamaki-led Freedom and Rights Coalition will march from Civic Square to parliament at about 10am. There, they will hold a so-called “people’s court” where government ministers will be put on trial for “war crimes”.

Speaking at parliament, the prime minister said it was so far not her intention to address the crowd. “Parliament is a place where over many years we have welcomed peaceful and lawful protesters. What’s most important is that it remains peaceful and lawful,” Ardern said.

On the preparation by police to get parliamentary grounds prepared for the protest, Ardern said the “recent experience” of the occupation in March came at great expense to the precinct. “Parliament is working very hard to make sure we’re balancing our responsibilities as a democracy,” she said.

Ardern said she was so far not “entirely sure of the purpose of the protest”.

Jacinda Ardern will be joined by the deputy prime minister Grant Robertson for this afternoon’s 4pm post-cabinet press conference.

While the main item on the agenda will be the government buy-out of Kiwibank announced this morning, it’s likely journalist questions will be dominated by the two big items on the schedule this week: the possible expulsion of Labour MP Gaurav Sharma and the planned protest at parliament tomorrow. There will also be an update on the devastating flooding in Nelson, where the PM has been until this afternoon.

We’ll have rolling coverage once the press conference gets under way.

A week ago, Stuff’s documentary Fire and Fury on the parliamentary protest and its inciters launched. It’s well worth watching, even if you’ve been keeping a close eye on the darker sides of the internet.

Once the initial chatter about the film calmed down, the discourse quickly turned to whether doing a documentary on the protesters was wise given their dangerous viewpoints. Was it safer to ignore them?

Speaking to me last week, Stuff’s Paula Penfold made clear that discussions had been had over whether covering the protesters was simply platforming them. “When you’re reporting on far right dangerous speech you do not give them a right of reply because that elevates them,” she told me.

Similarly, in an extensive interview with Mediawatch’s Hayden Donnell, Penfold said there were “many, many, many editorial conversations” about how to report on particular individuals without giving them oxygen.

One figure referenced in the documentary is far right live streamer Chantelle Baker, who over the weekend had her Facebook page removed (which she has falsely claimed to be after pressure from Stuff). “We’re gone but we’re not out – not quite yet,” she said, after her page with nearly 100,000 followers was locked.

Read more: The subjects of Stuff’s Fire and Fury are furious

Without a Spinoff reporter on the ground, it’s hard for me up in Auckland to fully portray the devastation in areas like Nelson.

Widespread flooding has resulted in numerous houses being uninhabitable, with displaced locals now needing to find accommodation. The prime minister Jacinda Ardern has visited the Tasman region today, hugging a local as she surveyed the surrounding damage.

In lieu of a full report on the developing situation, I thought I’d point readers to reliable sources of information on the latest in flood-hit parts of the country. First and foremost, the Civil Defence website provides the latest updates on states of emergency.

In its latest update, it provides this valid advice: “Put safety first. Don’t take any chances. Never try to walk, play, swim, or drive in floodwater: even water just 15 centimetres deep can sweep you off your feet, and half a metre of water will carry away most vehicles. Flood water is often contaminated and can make you sick.”

Then, there is Metservice for the latest and most up to date weather information. A heavy weather alert remains in place for the tip of the South Island.

And, of course, there are live updates from bigger and more South Island-resourced news outlets. RNZ has provided a comprehensive report on the prime minister’s visit this morning, while Newshub’s Alexa Cook was yesterday granted aerial access to shut off parts of the flood-hit region. You can also check today’s edition of The Bulletin for a different angle on the floods, with Anna Rawhiti-Connell looking at what can be done to future proof riverside properties in Nelson.

The number of new Covid-19 cases is once again below 3,000, with 2,706 community reported nationwide. It follows yesterday’s 2,100 – the lowest number of new community infections in about six months.

There are 432 current hospitalisations, with just nine people now in intensive care.

The rolling averages for both cases and hospitalisations has also declined. The seven-day average for new community cases is now 3,655 down from last Monday when it was 4,230. For hospitalisations, it’s down by almost 100 from 570 to an average of 472.

There are now a total of 1,824 deaths confirmed as attributable to Covid-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor. The seven-day rolling average increase in total deaths attributable to Covid-19 is now 10.

The overnight death toll rose by nine. So far, none have been confirmed as being linked to the virus.

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The prime minister has been forced, once again, to deny claims made by suspended Labour MP Gaurav Sharma.

During a media tour late last week, Sharma alleged that his suspension from the Labour caucus had been pre-determined at a secret meeting of MPs on Monday. He then revealed details of comments made by other MPs that appeared to back up his assertions.

The fate of Sharma will be decided at a caucus meeting tomorrow, where it is widely believed he will be expelled from the party.

Jacinda Ardern told RNZ that the party had attempted to leave the door open for Sharma’s return. “There was a hope that we would be able to create a pathway for Gaurav to rebuild trust in his colleagues,” she said. “Obviously, he’s made his own decisions. It’ll be for caucus to decide.”

On Sharma’s call for an inquiry into his allegations, Ardern said that was unnecessary – simply because there was no evidence to substantiate his claims. “In my mind, we’ve continued to see just repeated unsubstantiated claims, and I think now is the time actually for us to get on with just having that meeting on Tuesday, deciding what that outcome will be,” said Ardern.

“I’ve never predetermined the caucus decision, and I won’t start now.”

In a moment of déjà vu, police have started to prepare for a large protest expected to converge on parliament tomorrow.

Photos shared to Twitter by journalists like TVNZ’s Jessica Mutch-McKay show large stone bollards being placed around the entrances of the parliament grounds, while areas where senior politicians may be visible have been blacked out.

The last time these moves were taken by police, the protesters had already embedded themselves into the surrounding area. It took over three weeks for them to be moved out.

In a statement, Wellington district commander superintendent Corrie Parnell said road closures and parking restrictions were being implemented around the parliamentary precinct.

“A traffic management plan is in place to restrict unauthorised vehicle movement and parking around parliament from Sunday evening until the conclusion of the protest,” he said. “Road closures will be in place at the parliament end of Lambton Quay, lower Molesworth Street, and Kate Sheppard Place.”

Parnell said while he acknowledged the right to protest, Police would be taking action against unlawful behaviour. “We note that other similar protests, particularly in Auckland, while disruptive to traffic for a short time, did see protesters disperse at the conclusion, with the road quickly returned to normal traffic flows,” he said.

“Our expectation of these protesters is that their protest will remain lawful at all times.”

The protest, which intends to become an occupation once again, is being led by the Brian Tamaki-founded Freedom Rights Coalition. It’s expected to attract attention from other anti-government groups and personalities.

Misogynist Andrew Tate has been banned from two of the social media platforms that helped his rise in popularity.

The “influencer” has had his Facebook and Instagram accounts locked, shutting him away from his millions of followers.

As The Spinoff explained last week, Tate’s a 35-year-old former world champion kickboxer and reality television star who made his millions running an adult webcam business called “myfreecams” with his brother. But he gained notoriety when he started making comments about how women were the “property” of men and pushing viewpoints like “most women I know can’t even park a car”.

He’s also subject to an ongoing human trafficking investigation in Romania.

His sudden rise to fame led to him becoming an unfortunate hero to a generation of young men on the internet.

In a piece for The Spinoff, two New Zealand teachers wrote about the impact Tate was having in our schools. They wrote: “Our students have quickly become unhealthily obsessed with him and the violent views he puts out into the world. This obsession is even influencing our most unlikely students – and it’s making itself apparent not only in their own interactions, but also how they treat female members of staff.”

Stuff’s political editor Luke Malpass is reporting this morning that the government is likely to make a move on supermarket regulation this week. Malpass also reports that finance minister Grant Robertson will make an announcement about the future ownership structure of Kiwibank this morning. Back in May, when the government responded to the Commerce Commission’s review of the supermarket sector, it said the sector needed to “change at pace” or face regulation.

Regulation was positioned as a backstop to force competition, especially in the area of opening up wholesale supply to rivals. Malpass writes that there could be movement in this area of regulation as soon as Wednesday.

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Kiwibank will remain fully New Zealand-owned, with the finance minister announcing this morning that the government has bought 100% of the bank’s parent company, Kiwi Group Holdings.

Until now, KGH had been owned by NZ Post, ACC and the NZ Super Fund. It’s been a pledge of this government and the previous National government that Kiwibank remained fully locally-owned.

“While the Crown essentially owned KGH through Crown-owned entities, an ongoing shareholding in Kiwibank did not fit NZ Post’s and ACC’s long term strategic and investment plans,” said Grant Robertson. “NZ Super Fund had been interested in purchasing a majority holding in KGH, but withdrew its interest as it did not align with the government’s commitment to public and New Zealand ownership.”

The new ownership structure would make it easier for the government to fully support Kiwibank, said Robertson. However, the transaction still needs to through regulatory approval from the Reserve Bank.

“The government is fully committed to supporting Kiwibank to be a genuine competitor in the banking industry – ensuring the bank has access to capital to continue to grow on a commercially sustainable basis and offer a viable and competitive alternative for New Zealanders,” Robertson said. “This is a win-win for the Crown, Kiwibank and for New Zealanders.

While the transaction valued KGH at $2.1 billion, Robertson said the acquisition was a “straightforward transfer of assets”. The government will fund its contribution for the purchase through the multi-year capital allowance, meaning the cost to purchase is already part of the borrowing programme from this year’s budget.

Kiwibank, and the bank-run NZ Home Loans, will continue to operate independently from the government.