$3m Aids error on refugees.

By KERI WELHAM AND HAYDON DEWES
A blunder that allowed up to 200 HIV-positive Zimbabweans into New Zealand will cost taxpayers more than $3 million a year in healthcare. They were among 1300 Africans welcomed here under a special policy introduced to help them flee Robert Mugabe's violent regime between 2000 and 2004. Treating the HIV-positive refugees could cost New Zealand taxpayers up to $3.66 million a year. So far 500 have come forward to take blood tests as part of the residency process, with 42 found to be HIV positive. However 800 of the predominantly middle-class refugees have avoided making contact with authorities. Anecdotal evidence from late last year suggests many are afraid a positive HIV test would see them returned to their troubled homeland.
Source: Dominion Post

Canterbury communities urged to prepare for Alpine quake.

Canterbury Civil Defence emergency planners are urging communities in the region to be well prepared for a devastating alpine fault earthquake, predicted by scientists. A recent study by Professor Tim Davies, of Canterbury University and Mauri McSaveney, of GNS Science, has determined that the long-predicted alpine quake would have catastrophic effects on the South Island and New Zealand. While the scientists point out that such a quake might not happen for "many decades" it would have a similar strength to the 1931 Napier earthquake – 7.8 on the Richter scale – be spread over a much larger area and cause massive damage.
Source:NZPA

Trampers warned over avalanches.

The risk of avalanches in the Fiordland National Park has seen the Department of Conservation put out a warning to trampers. DOC says the risk of avalanche is fluctuating between high and extreme. The weather experienced in the Park last week saw the Milford Road closed on three separate occasions while avalanche control work was carried out. This week's weather is expected to add to the risk
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Uni staff get pay deal.

Staff at seven universities have ratified a new collective agreement. It will see a 6 to 7.5 percent increase in the salaries of academic staff and a 4 to 5.5 percent increase for general staff. The settlements follow lengthy negotiations, culminated by the Government's decision to provide a $26 million funding package to universities.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Breast cancer drug gets funding.

PHARMAC has announced it is to fund a taxane drug for use in early stage breast cancer. The decision to fund Paclitaxel from tomorrow is expected to see up to 550 women with early breast cancer treated with the medicine. Taxanes are a class of chemotherapeutic drug funded for a number of cancers including ovarian, fallopian and metastatic breast cancer. Medical Director Peter Moodie says clinical data show using taxanes can help women with breast cancer live longer.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Largest motor vehicle insurer fined.

The country's largest motor vehicle insurer has been fined nearly $130,000 for breaching the Fair Trading Act. IAG and parent company State Insurance and NZI have pleaded guilty to 30 breaches of the Act in the Auckland District Court. The court found the insurers misled customers about their right to choose a windscreen repairer when making a claim.
The Commerce Commission is pleased with the penalty.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Decision next week on national Finance.

National Finance 2000 investors will have to wait until early next week to find out how much money they can get back from the collapsed finance company. Two thousand investors are owed $25.5 million.

© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Kiwi company gets US invite.

A New Zealand company developing bio-fuel from algae, has been invited to become part of a Silicon Valley development programme in the United States. Aquaflow has been asked to join the non-profit Girvan Institute of Technology, which serves as an incubator for a small group of select start up companies. Director Nick Gerritsen says the organisation supports research programmes of the US Department of Energy, NASA and US military
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News.

Cure for cancer around the corner?

New Zealand scientists are at the leading edge of research into how a human cell works and are getting closer to finding a cure for cancer. Among the findings being discussed in Queenstown by more then 300 leading scientists from New Zealand and overseas is the discovery that humans are genetically more suited to be vegetarians than meat-eaters. Convener of the conference, Massey University's professor Jeremy Hyams says the finding that humans fall in the category of herbivores is one of the outcomes of rapidly increasing understanding of how human cells work. He says technology has now made it possible for molecular biologists to investigate living cells, and they now know all the players that make a cell cancerous, but Professor Hyams says it will be some time yet before a cure for cancer is found.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

NZ Consumer confidence holds up well

New Zealanders remain among the most confident consumers in the world, despite growing concern over the economy. ACNielsen's latest Global Online Consumer Confidence Index puts this country at number seven for consumer confidence. The New Zealand part of the index has slipped nine points in the past six months, but still remains well above the global average.

Soldiers resting after Afghan accident.

Two soldiers injured in a vehicle accident in Afghanistan yesterday have been given the all-clear and are now resting at the Bagram Coalition base. They are expected to return to the NZ Provincial Reconstruction Team base at Bamyan end of the week.
© 2006 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

Nats surge ahead in latest Herald poll.

National has opened a strong lead over Labour in the latest New Zealand Herald-Digipoll. Results from the poll of 751 people show a major change from recent polls which have had National and Labour neck and neck or National edging just ahead. Two weeks ago, a TV One/Colmar Brunton poll showed National just ahead on 45 per cent support, two points ahead of Labour. The Greens, New Zealand First and the Maori Party were each on 3 per cent. The Herald poll shows National opening up a substantial lead, with the Maori Party on a roll but New Zealand First taking a hit.
Copyright © 2006, APN Holdings NZ Ltd

Diversifying the PI workforce.

In 40 years 60% of Kiwi kids will be of Maori or Pacific Island descent. And the Pacific community is acting now so their children can get better paid jobs to help prop up the economy. The pacific community is young and growing fast, and it is going to have a big impact on everybody "The opportunity for Pacific people in New Zealand is critical to us and its critical to all New Zealand, " says Prime Minister Helen Clark One in 20 Pacific Islanders make up the workforce now, but in 50 years time one in six workers will be Pacific. Many Pacific Islanders migrated to New Zealand in the 1960s and 1970s to work in factories. Many Pacific Islanders migrated to New Zealand in the 1960s and 1970s to work in factories.
Source:One News

Volunteers hunt huhus for injured kiwi.

A dedicated group of Christchurch volunteers is helping ensure the survival of a national icon. The intellectually disabled workers and their carers are building bike tracks in Bottle Lake Forest near Christchurch, but for a few hours each day they rummage for food for a struggling kiwi. Mohua, a great spotted kiwi, has a broken beak and is unable to dig huhu grubs. Kiwi are unique as they have their nostrils at the very tip of their beaks and use these nostrils to probe soil and find their food. The end of Mohua's beak broke off in 2004 during transportation and since then Mohua has been unable to feed naturally. But she still has an appetite. Mohua chews through dozens of grubs each day - too much for her keepers at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve to keep up with - so they put out a call for help. The volunteers are working around the forest's dead trees which are prime huhu territory, and have taken on the task enthusiastically.
Source:One News

Aphrodisiac' vine must go says council.

By KAY BLUNDELL
It might get your motor running. It might even lower your blood pressure. But biosecurity authorities say a vine being planted in the Wellington region is a pest. Greater Wellington regional council biosecurity staff have found people planting the Madeira vine, apparently for its reported herbal properties. It has been said the vine can lower blood pressure or act as an aphrodisiac. Biosecurity officer Dave Bayly said the council was concerned the vine – also known as mignonette – was being planted as a food source, often by people in the Asian community. "We are concerned about its potential to invade native habitats
Source: Dominion Post

Supermarket strike bites.

By JANINE BENNETTS

Allegations of elaborate public relations campaigns, dirty tactics and straight-out lies are the latest shots fired amid escalating tensions between striking workers and the managers of an Australasian supermarket giant. About 500 workers at Progressive Enterprises Ltd's nationwide distribution centres supplying Foodtown, Countdown and Woolworths supermarkets have been on strike since Friday morning over a pay and holiday dispute. Many shelves in Progressive Enterprises supermarkets were yesterday bare after picketers stopped any dry goods from being delivered to or from warehouses.
Source:The Press

Caltex joins fuel drop.

It will be a little easier on the pocket at petrol pumps. Oil companies have cut fuel prices. Shell initially dropped 4cents a litre. Then BP dropped 5 cents and Shell countered by matching that. Caltex is also down 5 cents. Regular is now $1.60.9 per litre and premium $1.66. Mobil says it is monitoring the market. Diesel remains unchanged.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

New market for old butter wrap.

Our dairy industry waste products are being worn and walked on in China. Fonterra is shipping used butter wrap to China, where it is being used in the production of polypropylene products such as clothing and carpet. It is part of a drive by the dairy giant to reduce its waste landfill by 90 percent by June 2010. Already Fonterra says it has cut landfill deposits down by 60 percent over the past two and a half years.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Heart Foundation applauds researchers.

The Heart Foundation is applauding the work of local researchers in the field of a serious hereditary disease. Researchers at Auckland University have developed at test for Long QT syndrome, a cause of sudden cardiac death. Medical Director Professor Norman Sharpe says while the condition is rare, it is potentially very dangerous for those who have it. He says with modern treatment the syndrome can be well managed.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Southland prepares to be battered.

A strong wind warning has been issued for Southland. MetService says a deep low will bring gale force gusts tomorrow. Winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour will affect inland and coastal areas for much of the day.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Taxpayer to foot Armistice Day bill.

Concerns are being raised about the huge likely cost to the taxpayer of an Armistice Day memorial dedication in London later this year. Parliamentary questions reveal the Prime Minister's party will total almost 300 people, with just 39 of them war veterans. National MP Dr Paul Hutchison is questioning the spending on the event as he believes it will be well over a million dollars - he says that money could be potentially better used for health waiting lists. The Prime Minister's office points out it is a major event to be attended by the Queen and requiring a 130-strong honour guard.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Zimbabwean immigrants to get residency.

The Government says a group of Zimbabwean immigrants will be granted residency status - regardless of whether they have HIV. Around 800 Zimbabweans who fled the Mugabe regime are yet to apply for residency - and it is believed to be due to uncertainty over their HIV status. Rules require mandatory screening before residence applications are approved. But Immigration Minister David Cunliffe says the refugees will be given residence regardless of their health status, as long as they meet other character and security checks. He says the decision has been made for humanitarian and health reasons.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Tasers on the streets from this Friday.

By Derek Cheng
Taser guns will be available to about 170 frontline police officers this Friday, despite the fact that the decision was not subject to public submissions. Under a 12-month trial, officers in Auckland and Wellington will have the guns to use when physical violence is threatened. The staff allowed to use the Taser have had one day of training. Each was subjected to a Taser stun, which causes the muscles to contract uncontrollably.

NZ soldiers injured in Afghanistan.

Two New Zealand soldiers in Afghanistan have been injured in a vehicle accident. The pair are part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in the province of Bamyan. The road they were driving on yesterday gave way, causing their vehicle to roll down a 20-metre bank. One soldier has sustained concussion and lacerations to his forehead, while the other has bruising to his vertebrae.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Exhaust tests to be part of WOF.

Smoky exhaust tests are set to become part of getting a warrant of fitness for a vehicle. The new regime is to be introduced in October. Any car that produces smoke for five seconds or more, when idling and under increased revs, will not be allowed back on the road until it is fixed. Associate Transport Minister Judith Tizard says the aim is to reduce vehicle emissions and improve health conditions for New Zealanders.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Elusive petrel breeding ground found.

Ornithologists have discovered the breeding ground of the Kermadec Storm Petrel, approximately 1,000 kilometres northeast of New Zealand. The seabird was first sighted in the late nineteenth century and ever since scientists have been trying to work out where it breeds. Ornithologist Dr Mike Imber was lowered from the Navy frigate Te Mana onto an inhospitable, rocky outcrop in the Kermadec group to check his theory. He says he and a colleague took an hour to find a burrow with a petrel inside along with an egg. He feared that all the breeding burrows there were for another species. Imber says the discovery of the breeding ground will create great interest in the bird-watching world.
Source:RNZ

Women value relationships more.

A study for the Families Commission says women value their relationships more highly than men do and are more likely to turn to family and friends for help. The report's author, Dr Jeremy Robertson, says while most people are satisfied with the state of their relationships, tension can be caused by money worries and a lack of quality time and communication. His report also says women are happier being single than men, and are more likely to confide in family and friends. Hilary Smith, of Relationship Services, says the report contradicts common beliefs about negativity around relationships, and shows New Zealanders are both positive and optimistic.
Source:RNZ

$11m more to battle saltmarsh mosquito.

The Government will pour another $11 million into trying to eradicate the southern saltmarsh mosquito.
Biosecurity New Zealand in July took over from the Ministry of Health efforts to eradicate the pest. The agency has been asked to reassess the feasibility of eradication and report back on this and alternative pest management options by June. The "Aussie mozzie" was first detected in Napier in 1998 and was eradicated from there and half a dozen other sites, but infestations at some other estuaries have proved more tenacious.
Copyright © 2006, APN Holdings NZ Ltd.

Central salmon season ready for early closure.

The salmon-fishing season will end a month earlier in central parts of the South Island for the next three seasons. Minister of Conservation Chris Carter has approved the 2006-07 season ending on March 31, instead of April 30. The change is part of measures being put in place by the council to restore the threatened fishery in central South Island rivers. The shorter season will curtail salmon fishing in the Waitaki, Opihi, Orari, Rangitata and Ashburton Rivers. Closing day for the trout fishing season will remain April 30.
OTAGO DAILY TIMES

Hospital may bar visitors in hoodies.

By KELLY ANDREW
Visitors wearing hoodies could be unwelcome at Wellington Hospital if a new security policy is introduced. Sweatshirts with the hoods pulled up over the face would be deemed unacceptable, along with gang patches, under a proposal presented to hospital staff for consultation. Capital and Coast District Health Board is reviewing its internal security policy and has sent staff an e-mail asking for feedback. A board spokeswoman said an average of 14 violent events against staff, including verbal abuse and intimidation, happened each month. People wearing hoodies could be seen as intimidating and hoods prevented identification of people filmed by security cameras.
Source: Dominion Post

14,000 litres of petrol escapes into stream.

A tanker spilled almost half of its 30,000 litres of petrol into a Wanganui stream after a fatal accident. The fully-laden Shell vehicle crashed down a bank into the stream north of Wanganui after colliding with a car on Saturday. The tanker driver escaped with minor injuries but one of the three people in the car died. About 14,000 litres of petrol spilled, said Emma Goodwin, spokeswoman for Horizons, the regional council for Wanganui-Manawatu.
Source:NZPA

Skiers not carrying GPS or compass.

Five experienced skiers are safe but embarrassed after having to be rescued from the slopes of Mount Ruapehu. The four men and a woman, who are all workers at the Whakapapa Skifield, spent the night in a snow cave in -5 degrees temperatures after getting lost when the weather closed in. Just on daybreak they came out of their snow cave and were found by searchers, some of whom had spent the night on the mountain looking for them. Constable Carne says the group did most things right, but they should have been carrying a compass or GPS tracking device.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Water ads anger safety group.

The Ministry for the Environment is under fire from Water Safety New Zealand. The organisation says it is disappointed in the lack of respect for water safety in an awareness campaign which shows fully-clothed men in the middle of lakes and rivers. Statistics show 80 percent of New Zealand's drowning victims are male, with at least 40 per cent of fatalities in inland waterways such as rivers and lakes.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

No Kiwis caught in Turkey blast.

No New Zealand tourists have been caught up in a series of explosions in Turkey. Three blasts occurred in the resort town of Marmaris, and another in Istanbul earlier today. Over 20 people have been injured, 10 of them British tourists.
Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs says information from our consular office in Ankara is that no New Zealanders have been harmed in the attacks.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

TV3 banned from Parliament.

TV3 has been banned from filming in Parliament's debating chamber for three days after showing footage of Ron Mark giving the finger to Tau Henare. The Speaker has made the decision today and the ban takes effect from tomorrow. TV3 Director of News Mark Jennings says the station will take its punishment. But he says now is the time for a change in the rules. He says the public has a right to see the bad behaviour taking place in the debating chamber.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

New website for Parliament.

Parliament has a new website from today. The parliamentary web address will also change to www.parliament.nz with staff promising easier access and more comprehensive information about Parliament and its business.

PM calls for cash from Labour voters.

By HAYDON DEWES
Prime Minister Helen Clark has pleaded for funds from Labour Party faithful in a tersely worded letter that draws battle lines for the next election. Despite facing accusations that it unlawfully spent taxpayers' money on last year's election - including $446,000 on its pledge card - the letter shows Labour is already focused on boosting its war chest to match National's deep-pocket donors in 2008.
Source: Dominion Post

West Coast out of the doldrums.

For years the South Island's West Coast has had a reputation for being in the doldrums, but surveys show that the region is leading the way in economic growth. Every three months banks issue information about how the regions are faring economically - and from one end of the West Coast to the other, the signs are good. Retail sales and house prices are up and unemployment, which is sitting at 2.2%, is the lowest in the country.
Source:One News

NZ captive Olaf Wiig freed in Gaza.

New Zealand cameraman Olaf Wiig and his Fox News colleague Steve Centanni are free men in Gaza. They have been released, following almost two weeks in the custody of an unknown militant group. Olaf Wiig's family in New Zealand says its immediate feeling is one of relief.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Haneya receives promise two abducted foreign journalists won't be hurt.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya said on Saturday that he received promises that two kidnapped Fox News journalists would not be harmed, hours after a deadline ended without having demands of kidnappers met. "There is a progress made on the issue of the journalists, and there are also promises not to be harmed," Haneya told Ramattan, a local Palestinian news agency. American reporter Steve Centanni and New Zealander cameraman Olaf Wiig were seized by unknown gunmen on Aug. 14. Last Wednesday, a group called itself the Holy Jihad Brigades claimed responsibility for kidnapping the two journalists and demanded to swap them for Muslim prisoners held in the United States.
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency

Ministry probes alleged illegal schooling of Korean kids.

By NICOLA BOYES
Ministry of Education officials are widening their investigation into allegations Korean children are being illegally schooled here.
The Ministry of Education, working alongside the Department of Labour, began looking at Orewa School, north of Auckland, last week, after allegations it had been taking Korean students illegally by not declaring them to the Ministry. But now it has received complaints about another immigration agent working in the area and linked to up to a further five primary schools. Ministry of Education figures show that in July last year, 2907 foreign primary aged children were being schooled in New Zealand, 1673 of them in Auckland. Most - 2429 pupils - came from South Korea. The next closest was Japan, with 89 pupils.
source:Sunday Star Times

Dial-a-drug tests for dopey kids.

By EMMA PAGE
First there were takeaway pizzas - now there are takeaway P-tests. Parents worried their children are using illicit drugs are dialling-up a drug testing service - home delivered and conducted in a mobile van. The Auckland business run by two former drug squad detectives tests about five young people a month - with the children's consent - in random checks for parents. New Zealand Drug Detection Agency co-owner Kirk Hardy said its mobile van was emblazoned with the company name and some parents preferred to bring their children to their North Shore office for tests.
source:Sunday Star Times

Clark a 'funny old lady' for rugby comments.

Prime Minister Helen Clark has been branded a "funny old lady" over her comments about last Saturday's All Black rugby test against Australia in Auckland. Former Australian Rugby Union president Phil Harry yesterday described as "a joke" claims by Miss Clark that the Wallabies were guilty of blatant assault on All Blacks captain Richie McCaw at Eden Park.
Wallaby winger Lote Tuqiri was suspended for a spear tackle on McCaw while flanker Phil Waugh escaped any action over a high shot from behind. "One hesitates as just someone in the stand to voice an opinion, but certainly I felt someone should have been sent off," Miss Clark said this week. "I thought it was absolutely appalling. We witnessed several acts of assault against the All Blacks captain and it was very, very ugly to see."
Source:NZPA

Rugby-ABs win test 45-26.

The Springboks have proved no match for the All Blacks in this morning's Tri-Nations test in Pretoria. New Zealand ran out 45-26 winners at Loftus Versfeld, scoring five tries to three. The All Blacks led 16-11 at halftime. The win is the All Blacks' 16th successive win, while the Springboks remain winless in this year's Tri-Nations.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Raoul memorial service today.

A memorial service will be held on Raoul Island today, five months after a DOC worker died during volcanic activity. Mark Kearney was checking the temperature of a crater lake when there was a small eruption on the island on March 17. Despite exhaustive searches the 33-year-old's body has never been found. A tapu has been in place on the island ever since, and that will be lifted by Ngati Kuri tribal representatives today.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Asthma steadying in NZ according to research.

Asthma researchers are breathing a sigh of relief, after new statistics suggesting we are making progress with the disease. A global study of children carried out by Auckland University has found New Zealand's asthma rates are bucking the trend. It suggests while asthma and allergies are growing elsewhere, they are steadying here. The study compiles data from children in 56 countries. Study leader, Professor Innes Asher, says the plateau reached here could be a result of changing lifestyle factors, including diet and housing conditions.
© 2006 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

New Zealand F/Fs Headed to U.S. Wildfires

A team of 10 New Zealand rural firefighters was heading to the United States on Thursday to help fight wild fires in western states, a senior official said. Another group of 10 firefighters left earlier in the month to bolster firefighting numbers as dozens of fires burned in the dry west. Internal Affairs Minister Rick Barker said a further request for assistance was received from the United States Multi-Agency Coordination Group, and New Zealand was responding to that request. The staff being deployed have been drawn from the Department of Conservation and the New Zealand Fire Service.

Online spy plan raises fears over privacy.

By Patrick Gower
Powerful, intrusive new technology is about to be used to spy on New Zealanders online. The software, developed to hunt movie pirates, can track internet searches in what an international privacy watchdog says is an alarming intrusion. It can trace Google searches and other download attempts back to the computer they came from. New Zealand anti-piracy investigators used the program in a recent trial, discovering 1153 attempts to illegally download hit children's movie Chicken Little. Now the Weekend Herald can reveal that the Motion Picture Association, a consortium of major movie studios, is about to use the anti-piracy program fulltime.

Malaysian Airlines revealed as facing prosecution.

By MICHAEL FIELD
Malaysian Airlines is the carrier facing prosecution by the Labour Department for allegedly systematically allowing illegal passengers into New Zealand. The airline was identified a day after the department's border security chief, Api Fiso, refused to name it. A source said Malaysian Airlines "had a massive history" of flying asylum seekers to New Zealand over an eight-year period. They included Algerian refugee Ahmed Zaoui in 2002. It is understood more than half of those reaching New Zealand to claim asylum fly on Malaysian.
Source: Dominion Post

Clarkson takes a swipe at Muslim women.

National's Bob Clarkson has taken a swipe at Muslim women wearing the burqa in public. The outspoken Tauranga MP says they should be making more of an effort to fit into New Zealand society. Mr Clarkson says if Muslims come to New Zealand they should fit into society or go back to where they came from if it is a better place.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Fatah holding kidnapped journalists, report says.

UPDATED 12.50pm Friday August 25, 2006
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
GAZA - New Zealand cameraman Olaf Wiig and American television reporter Steve Centanni are being held in a refugee camp near Gaza City by members of a Fatah militia, it was reported today. Wiig and correspondent Steve Centanni were taken from the Gaza strip on August 14 by gunmen. Palestinian Authority security sources and Hamas activists have told the Jerusalem Post that a top Hamas activist said his movement's investigations had shown the two journalists were initially kidnapped by members of one of the Palestinian Authority's own security forces. "The kidnappers, who wanted to put pressure on the Palestinian leadership to pay them their salaries, later handed the two over to Fatah gunmen," he said. "They are now being held in one of the refugee camps near Gaza City."
REUTERS, NZPA

Work begins on predator-proof fence.

Work has begun in Hawke's Bay on what will be the largest, privately funded, protected habitat for endangered wildlife in New Zealand. Landowners from Cape Kidnappers to Ocean Beach have joined forces to build a predator-proof fence, to preserve an area of more than 2,000 hectares. Once the fence is finished early next year, there will be a programme to eradicate stoats, ferrets, weasels, cats and rodents. A central area of kanuka bush will see the introduction of kiwi, along with the North Island robin, tomtits and rifleman.
Source:RNZ

Judge labels 2006 wines excellent.

The chief judge at the 12th Romeo Bragato Wine Awards says the quality of the 2006 wines are excellent, indicating a good year in most regions. The awards are running alongside the annual conference being held in Queenstown, with the winners being announced on Saturday. Ivan Donaldson says sauvignon blanc and pinot noir were both very strong classes.
Source:RNZ

Dolphins spotted in Auckland Harbour.

A pod of dolphins has been spotted in Auckland Harbour. Passengers on Fullers' ferries have been treated to seeing the group swimming around Ferguson Wharf. Department of Conservation marine spokesman Karl McLeod says it is not an uncommon sight. He says they often come in when they are hungry to pursue mullet and herring.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

NZ demolition worker strikes silver.

By Angela Gregory
A New Zealand demolition worker sparked a treasure hunt this week after digging up 11 bars of silver that had been hidden under a West Australian house. Junior Haare, 30, struck silver while using a digger at a residential site in Perth. He spotted the bars stored inside plastic pipes as he tore up a concrete pad. A dispute has now broken out between the present and previous owners of the house as to who should be able to claim the 5kg bars, worth about $34,000.

Airline to be sued for flying illegals to NZ.

By MICHAEL FIELD
An international airline is being prosecuted by the Labour Department over allegations it systematically allows illegal passengers into New Zealand. Though the government department says it has lodged court papers against the carrier, its border security chief, Api Fiso, refuses to name the airline. Labour Department spokeswoman Charlotte Bull told reporters seeking the name: "You'll have some hard work to do." About 23 international airlines serve Auckland. Officials called a press conference yesterday to hail the success of the advanced passenger processing system, which has slashed the number of asylum seekers and illegal aliens reaching New Zealand.
Source: Dominion Post

Canterbury teen drivers get 12,500 tickets in six months.

By MIKE STEERE
Canterbury police issued enough traffic tickets to teenagers in the first half of this year to cover half the region's licensed young drivers. Figures released to The Press by police have rekindled debate on raising the licensing age from 15. Teens say police are unfairly targeting them. In the six months to June 30, police issued 12,525 tickets to the 22,247 licensed Canterbury drivers aged 15 to 19. Statistics from Land Transport New Zealand showed 361 drivers in the 15 to 19 age bracket had been disqualified from driving and a further 155 had had their licence suspended.
Source:The Press

Motorists trapped on Desert Rd freed.

A number of motorists trapped on the Desert Road by bad weather conditions earlier this morning have been freed. At one point, five trucks, two cars and a trailer had been caught out by snowfall, six kilometres either side of the summit on the North Island's Central Plateau. Contractors were called to help those stuck. Police are still advising drivers to avoid the area as winter continues to bite.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Workers suspended.

It looks as if the nationwide strike between distribution workers and supermarket company Progressive Enterprises has escalated. The National Distribution Union claims 50 workers from the Palmerston North depot have been suspended by the company for their involvement. Progressive is yet to comment on the reports. Around 500 workers in Auckland, Christchurch and Palmerston North are striking for 48 hours in a dispute over allowances.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

No boost for NZ army.

The Government says it has no plans to match the military expansion announced by Australia. The Australian army is getting two new infantry battalions at the cost of $12 billion. The extra troops will respond to crises in the Asia Pacific region. A spokesman for Defence Minister Phil Goff says steps have been taken here, such as boosting Naval resources with new vessels. However a major boost to the Army does not appear to be on the agenda.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Daffodil Day appeal on Friday.

By SUSIE NORDQVIST
The Cancer Society of New Zealand is appealing to southerners ahead of its annual appeal day tomorrow. Daffodil Day, now in its 16th year, is held to raise money to fund scientific research into the cause of, and treatments for, cancer and to provide support to those affected by cancer. Daffodil Day Southland co-ordinator Jan Wildey said a team of seven volunteers spent Monday sorting 45,000 daffodils into sleeves for distribution to businesses throughout the south. Last year the Otago-Southland division of the Cancer Society of New Zealand raised $318,000 from Daffodil Day, which included a street appeal.
source: Southland Times

Aussie pies fail meaty claim.

By YVONNE MARTIN
Australian pie-maker Mrs Mac's has been warned by the Commerce Commission about a lack of meat in its pies following a Press investigation. Tests on behalf of the commission revealed that the average meat content of Mrs Mac's steak pie was below what was claimed on the packaging, confirming The Press's findings. The commission believes this may be a breach of the Fair Trading Act and has urged Mrs Mac's to take immediate steps to rectify the problem. "As a result of doing that, we would expect the company to put the situation right and make sure that the representations it is making are accurate," said the director of Fair Trading, Deborah Battell.
Source:The Press

Wine exports heading for billion dollar bonanza.

New Zealand's wine exports will be worth $1 billion by 2010, largely due to the science and technology being put into the industry, says New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan. "The industry will be worth one billion export dollars, which will make it one of the top New Zealand export industries," Mr Gregan said as scientists, winemakers and grapegrowers gathered in Queenstown for the 12th annual Romeo Bragato conference. New Zealand Winegrowers this week announced that wine exports in the June year rose 18 per cent in value over the previous year, to $512 million.
Source:NZPA

Claim Japan ripping off $2b worth of tuna.

By KENT ATKINSON
The Government would be very disappointed if Australia was correct in allegations that Japan has ripped off over $2 billion worth of southern bluefin through deliberate over-fishing, says Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton. "We view over-catch by any country as a very serious matter," Mr Anderton said yesterday. An initial investigation launched by Japan's Fisheries Agency last December showed Japan exceeded its 6065 tonnes quota by more than 1500 tonnes, agency official Shingo Kurohagi said at the time.
Source:NZPA

Deadly alpine quake predicted.

By Jarrod Booker
An overdue alpine fault earthquake will strike "out of the blue" and cause widespread death, shut down power generators, create tsunami within New Zealand and overwhelm emergency services, experts warn. The major quake will cause intense shaking and rupturing along hundreds of kilometres of the fault line bisecting the South Island, geology experts Tim Davies and Mauri McSaveney predict. "The most likely time [for the quake] is now. The next most likely time for it to happen is tomorrow," Associate Professor Davies, of Canterbury University, told the Natural Hazards Management Conference in Christchurch. "The longer the delay, the bigger it will be. It will occur with no recognisable warning.

Principals leader says religion rules unworkable.

Laws restricting religion in primary schools are impractical and unworkable, New Zealand Principals Federation president Pat Newman says. Under new guidelines on religion, schools will be advised that they should seek permission from parents who want their children to take part in voluntary religious activities rather than asking parents if they want their child to be formally excused from such activities. But Mr Newman today said the current laws were impractical and the guidelines created a "minefield" for schools.
Source:NZPA

AirNZ covers Origin gaps.

Air New Zealand is increasing its capacity into Nelson to cover the gap left by the demise of Origin Pacific's passenger services. The Nelson-based commuter operator ceased operations a fortnight ago amid a cash crisis, but its more profitable cargo service is continuing. Air New Zealand Link has decided to boost flights into the region by an additional 4,600 seats.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Diesel drops 3c a litre.

Shell has reduced the price of diesel by three cents a litre, taking the price to $1.219 a litre. The oil company says a decrease in the cost of refined product and a strengthening New Zealand dollar are behind the drop. Petrol went down in price twice last week.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Wiig safe but captors want prisoners released.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry is welcoming confirmation kidnapped cameraman Olaf Wiig is alive, but is making no further comment at this stage. Officials are now trying to get more information about a 90 second videotape of the New Zealander and his Fox News colleague Steve Centanni which has been broadcast on Arab television. There were no signs of any armed men in the video but a previously unknown group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades released the tape of the men saying they are being looked after, given clean water, food and clothes and access to toilet facilities. Both men said they want to go home to their families. It is a week and a half since they were kidnapped at gunpoint in Gaza. Their captors have set a deadline of 72 hours for America to release all Muslim prisoners.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Guidelines for prayers at assemblies.

The Ministry of Education says new guidelines on religious instruction which ban prayers being held at school assemblies are commonsense reminders. The Ministry is releasing advice to state primary schools reiterating that under the Education Act religious instruction and observance are illegal during normal class hours. Spokesman Martin Connelly says the guidelines are in response to a modest stream of complaints over the inclusion of prayer in school assemblies. He says under the Education Act any religious instruction that is not voluntary is illegal. He says the guidelines should clear up any lingering confusion on the matter.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Big night for local talent.

The winners of the Air New Zealand Screen Awards will be announced in Auckland tonight and there are some big local names amongst the nominees. The most keenly anticipated is the award for Best Picture which has four nominees; The World's Fastest Indian, Sione's Wedding, No2 and River Queen. In the leading actor category, Sir Anthony Hopkins faces off against Cliff Curtis in River Queen and Shimpal Lelisi from Sione's Wedding. Best Actress nominees are Ruby Dee from No 2, Teuila Blakely from Sione's Wedding and Samantha Morton from River Queen. Nominations in the various TV categories include Dancing with the Stars, Bro'town, Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby, the Insiders Guide to Love and The Big Experiment.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Pacific Forum venue in doubt.

 

The location of this year's Pacific Forum meeting is in doubt. The meeting, attended by political leaders from around the Pacific, was due to be hosted by Tonga in late October. However the ill health of the Tongan King has seen Tonga signal it will not be able to host the event, which leaves either Fiji or New Zealand likely to fill the gap. The New Zealand Government is not commenting on the matter at this stage.

Kiwi salespeople among world's most honest.

By JOANNA DAVIS. Despite regularly featuring in least- respected-profession lists, New Zealand salespeople are among the most honest in the world, an international study has found. United States behavioural scientist George Dudley tested the exaggeration rates of more than 140,000 salesmen and women from nine countries and found that New Zealand and British salespeople exaggerate the least. Dudley and colleague Jeff Tanner, of Baylor University's Centre for Professional Selling in Texas, found US salespeople were the most unethical, followed by Swedes and Canadians. That was because their main goal in life was the pursuit of money, unlike their less-driven counterparts, who took into account work-life balance and a varied daily routine.
Source:The Press

Wanted - 400 new teachers.

Recruitment is now the focus for the Ministry of Education as it seeks to fill over 400 new primary teaching positions in the New Year. The Government has announced the creation of 455 new jobs as it moves to reduce class sizes and student-teacher ratios. The new jobs come on top of 3040 teacher positions the Government has created since 1999.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Illegal music copying leads to jail.

A South Auckland man has been jailed for nine months for illegally copying music. Seti Tofaeono was found guilty in July of copying music of various artists including Samoan band The Five Stars. He had been selling ripped-off music CDs at markets in Otara and Avondale.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Ducks heading home.

Some of the world's rarest ducks are heading back to the island in the Southern Ocean that was once their natural home. Fifty-four Campbell Island teal have left Bluff on a 40 hour trip to Campbell Island. Department of Conservation team leader Pete McClelland says it will be the third and final release of the rare bird. A DOC team will go back to Campbell Island in December to check on the new residents' progress.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

A day of firsts for the new Governor-General.

Pomp and pageantry is on display at Parliament today with the swearing in of the new Governor-General Anand Satyanand. Judge Satyanand arrived at Parliament to receive an Indian welcome followed by the traditional Maori welcome. A hundred men and women from the three armed services stood in the Wellington sunshine for more than an hour to honour the new Governor-General. He is no stranger to firsts; he is the first New Zealander of Indian descent to take a seat on the District Court bench and the first to have become Ombudsman. Having been born and brought up in Auckland, with parents of Indian descent from Fiji, he is the first person of both Asian and Pacific heritage to be appointed to the post of Queen's representative.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Low hydro lake levels cause concern.

By PAUL GORMAN
The two lakes at the heart of New Zealand's largest hydro scheme have less storage in them than at the same time in the 1992 and 2001 power crises. Combined storage in lakes Pukaki and Tekapo has fallen to about 750 gigawatt hours (GWh), below the storage level in the third week of August during the two crisis winters. However, storage in the lakes went as low as 500GWh in early August 1992 and in October 2001. State-owned generator and retailer Meridian Energy, the operator of the Waitaki scheme that produces about a quarter of the country's electricity, says it will continue to use the southern hydro lakes cautiously while it waits for the spring thaw.
Source:The Press

MAF seizes felled rimu trees.

About 30 big rimu logs worth up to $70,000 have been confiscated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) who say they may have been harvested illegally. The logs - equivalent to 100 cubic metres of timber - were taken from a 3000ha property in the Waitotara Valley in southern Taranaki. "It appears to us that these logs have been harvested and milled illegally," Rob Miller, manager of MAF's indigenous forestry unit (IFU), told NZPA last night. The IFU had been clamping down on illegal harvesting in both the North and South Islands over recent months, and in some cases people had faced criminal charges in court.
Source:NZPA

Couple want help to name baby.

A Bay of Plenty couple struggling to name their baby are seeking help from the public. Stacey Roddick and Kane McMahon's baby boy was born more than a week ago, but efforts to find a name have been fruitless - for now he is "Baby" Roddick-McMahon. "Nothing fits," Miss Roddick said. "He was going to be Laurence but after seeing him he doesn't look like a Laurence. New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs suggests babies be named and registered within two months of birth.Legally parents have two years to name a child; however, it is rare for parents to wait that long.
source:Bay of Plenty Times

Rugby-PM wades into McCaw spear tackle debate.

The Prime Minister has waded into the debate over the Wallabies' targeting of All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw. It follows the Lote Tuqiri spear tackle and other unpunished incidents during Saturday's Bledisloe Cup test. Helen Clark is not happy with what she saw and says her concern is that McCaw was targeted for a number of acts of assault. She says it did not look good. Wallabies Coach John Connolly is laughing off her comments saying she has to be kidding.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Schools closed by snow in Dunedin.

All primary and intermediate schools and kindergartens in Dunedin have been closed because of snow this morning. In Southland, Mossburn and Mararoa schools are shut for the day and the snow is also affecting a number of school bus routes. The polar blast sweeping the country has also closed the Desert Road in the central North Island.
NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB

Puppies 'dognapped' from SPCA.

By Alanah May Eriksen
Rogue pighunters are suspected of "dognapping" two puppies from Rotorua's SPCA. Caspean, a male, tan-coloured, 4-month-old terrier cross with black tips on his tail, paws and muzzle and Sheba a female, 4-month-old, tan and white cattle dog cross are missing. Thieves broke through a makeshift fence to take the pups. "Of all the things to steal, why would you want to steal a puppy?" SPCA warranted officer Nicola Martin said. She suspected the dogs were taken for pig hunting by thieves who may have visited the SPCA, to be told the organisation did not allow its animals to be used for hunting.
DAILY POST (ROTORUA)

Reading, writing, no race relations.

By KERI WELHAM
New Zealand's education curriculum is heading back to basics with a sharp focus on reading, writing and mathematics. The new curriculum strips junior maths back to basic algebra to ensure a solid grounding in one of the cornerstones of a school education, and removes mention of Treaty of Waitangi principles. The Education Ministry's acting manager of curriculum, Mary Chamberlain, said the draft of the new national education curriculum was lifting the bar for what parents could expect from their child's state-funded education and focusing squarely on the "three Rs": reading, writing and 'rithmetic". The draft instructs each school teaching 11 to 14-year-olds to offer classes in a language other than English. The ministry has developed teaching resources for Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Korean and Maori, but a school could put forward a case to teach any language.
Source:The Press

Experts praise NZ's readiness for influenza pandemic.

New Zealand's preparedness for an influenza pandemic has been praised by medical researchers who raised fears about other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. In an article published today in The Lancet medical journal, Richard Coker and Sandra Mounier-Jack, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, wrote that New Zealand, along with Australia and Hong Kong, had taken a "strategic approach aimed mainly at harnessing available resources or preparing for the the deployment of resources," they wrote. "The plans of Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand compared favourably with the best European plans."
Source:NZPA

Australia remains No1 tourist source.

A conference on tourism being held in Wellington has been told the number of international visitors will reach more than three million a year by 2012, up from 2.4 million last year. The Tourism Industry Association says the tourists will be worth about $10 billion to the economy. Association chief executive Fiona Luhrs says China will overtake Japan and South Korea in the next few years, becoming New Zealand's fourth largest market. Australia will remain the number one source of tourists, followed by Britain and the US.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Porgy and Bess opens in New Zealand.

The New Zealand director of Porgy and Bess cannot get enough of the successful 20th century opera.
Director Susan Williams-Finch has brought the production of the Gershwin musical to New Zealand for the first time. She has directed more than 600 performances in five continents and is still passionate about the show and loves bringing it to new audiences. Porgy and Bess opens in Christchurch tonight, Auckland tomorrow and Thursday and Wellington on Friday and Saturday.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

No "big brother" plans, insists Government.

The Government is promising a new identity initiative has no "big brother" overtones. It has launched an Evidence of Identity Standard to be used by Government services that have dealings in areas with identity risk, such as obtaining passports, university enrolment, receiving a benefit, or paying taxes. Internal Affairs Minister Rick Barker says the standard is about establishing an over-arching good practice guide for government departments, not an invasion of personal privacy.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Australian appointed head of Wellington zoo.

Wellington Zoo has appointed an Australian as its new chief executive. Former director of discovery and learning at Zoos Victoria Karen Fifield would take on the reins of the zoo in its centenary year. Ms Fifield had spent 15 years in various roles within zoos, culminating in the role of acting CEO of Zoos Victoria, Wellington Zoo chairman Neale Pitches said today.
NZPA

Tuheitia new Maori king.

Tuheitia Paki is the new Maori king after this morning taking the throne vacated by his mother. The eldest son of Dame Te Atairangikaahu had been expected to be the next leader of the Kingitanga movement. He was announced as successor to his mother by Tuwharetoa paramount chief Tumu te Heuheu after several days of deliberations by the country's tribal leaders and took the throne in a ceremony at Turangawaewae Marae. Dame te Ata, who will be buried later today, died on Tuesday aged 75. Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki, wearing his late mother's feather cloak, sat on the carved throne with his eyes mostly downcast, displaying little outward emotion. He will be known as King Tuheitia. At the formal Ascension or "Raising Up" ceremony, he was tapped on his head with a bible which began a royal tradition in 1858 when the first leader of the Kingitanga movement was crowned.
NZHERALD STAF, NZPA

Childcare owed by absentees is "staggering".

"Staggering" is how the National Party is describing the amount of childcare owed by absentee parents living in Australia. Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins has obtained figures showing the amount has risen from $73 million in 2003 to more than $281 million today. She says the amount owed has nearly quadrupled despite promises from the Government that it would try harder to collect the outstanding debt. Ms Collins is also critical of what is being done with the money that is being paid, as less than half is ending up in the hands of custodial parents.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Final farewells for Dame Te Ata.

Tens of thousands of people are expected in Ngaruawahia today to witness the final journey of Dame Te Atairangikaahu. The events will start with a flag raising ceremony at 7am and the Maori Queen's successor will be named at 8.30am. After the crowning and prayers at Turangawaewae Marae, Dame Te Ata's coffin will be taken down the Waikato River in a flotilla of 12 waka. Members of the local rugby teams and Tainui Kaumatua will carry her coffin up Taupiri Mountain to her gravesite. Thousands of people have been at the marae over the weekend and organisers say as many as 100,000 could be at the cemetery. Maori Television and TV One are broadcasting the event.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Kiwis march in protest at 'lethal' taser guns.

By RUTH HILL
Opponents of a police trial of taser guns marched in protest yesterday claiming the devices are lethal - and that New Zealanders will die if they are introduced here. Tasers fire two barbed metal darts, about 1.5cm long, which deliver an excruciatingly painful electric shock. This "non lethal" weapon will be in the hands of 170 specially-trained frontline police in Wellington and Auckland's North Shore and Waitakere from September 1. Police say tasers, which are used in the United States, Canada, Australia and Britain, offer the "safe and effective apprehension of violent or aggressive offenders".
source:Sunday Star Times

Thousands need wells tested.

Around 6,000 Canterbury people who rely on wells for their drinking water are being advised to get their water tested. Increased levels of nitrates have been detected after weeks of wet winter weather, and experts say bacteria levels are likely to be up as well. Environment Canterbury has tested 73 wells. A quarter of them had too much nitrate, from things like farm fertilisers.
Source:One News

Iconic Chch park up for facelift.

One of New Zealand's biggest public parks is up for a $11 million facelift. Christchurch City leaders want to update Hagley Park and the Botanical Gardens, restoring them to their glory days. Through summer, autumn, winter spring, it is Christchurch's green heart. And the inner city site is one of the most popular recreational areas in the country. The proposed changes could include replacing old buildings and constructing a multi-million dollar visitor centre. Other proposals are extending the park's golf course and fencing off the oval for pay for view cricket. Another option is to change a busy road to a park lane, diverting much of the traffic around the outside of the park. The council is now requesting public feedback.
Source:One News

Cold front bites deep south.

Another cold front is due to bite the deep south on Monday, with snow to near sea level. MetService predicts accumulations of 15 centimetres of snow above 200 metres in the hills of Fiordland, Southland, South Otago and the Otago Peninsula, with heaviest falls from morning to early afternoon. The cold southerly change should reach Christchurch late on Monday afternoon, with a short burst of heavy snow possible on Banks Peninsula at night.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Nurses to replace GPs.

By Jared Savage
Nurses - and not GPs - could be the first stop for sick patients under radical new changes supported by the Minister of Health.
In a bid to limit the numbers of general practitioners suffering burnout from overwork, nursing bodies have proposed that nurses become the first point of contact for those in the doctor's waiting room. Nurses say international research shows that 70 per cent of patients who go to a GP could visit a less qualified medical practitioner for treatment.

Flowers must be yellow or white.

Yellow and white flowers only, or they will be returned. That is the word from organisers who are appealing for donations of flowers for the funeral of the Maori Queen tomorrow on sacred Taupiri mountain. Organiser Ata Te Kanawa says white and yellow have been used throughout the week's events, and florists have been advised that flowers of other colours will be returned. Ms Te Kanawa says in Maori tradition white represents love while yellow represents remembrance.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Trauma reporting centre to start in NZ.

An international organisation that prepares journalists for covering dangerous or traumatic news events wants to set up a branch in New Zealand. The kidnapping of New Zealand cameraman Olaf Wiig in Gaza has highlighted the potential for problems when journalists go to war zones. Canterbury University lecturer Jim Tully is leading attempts to establish an outpost of the Dart Centre in New Zealand.
Source:RNZ

Rules relaxed to bring in families.

Immigration rules are being relaxed to make it easier for people to bring their partners and children into the country. The government has announced it is lifting the cap on the number of residence places for family members. It is not quite 'open the floodgates' but in future there will be no limit on the number of places for children and partners of New Zealand citizens, or people with residence visas.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Test food imports, say MPs.

By RUTH HILL
The Green Party is calling on the government to urgently implement testing of all imported foods after a Chinese study found high residues of toxic pesticides, known to cause cancer and birth defects, in some fruit and vegetables. Last year New Zealand imported $84 million worth of food from China, including meat, fruit and vegetables. Green MP and food safety campaigner Sue Kedgley said it was "outrageous" that New Zealand -unlike many other countries, including Australia - did not randomly test imported food. The tests, conducted by Greenpeace China between last November and April this year on produce grown in Guangdong province, found 86 per cent contained pesticide residues (14 per cent above the national standard), and 25 per cent had traces of illegal pesticides. One tangerine contained a "toxic cocktail" of eight pesticides, including DDT and two other banned chemicals. The illegal organochlorine Lindane - a known endocrine disrupter and possible carcinogen - was found in 70% of tomato samples.
source:Sunday Star Times

Kiwi crowned Google Idol.

A nine-year-old Christchurch boy has won an international internet competition - miming a Robbie Williams song. Michael Smart and his sister Emma made the lip-sync video at home, entered it in the Google Idol competition, and ended up winning, with nearly twice as many votes as the other finalists from Holland. The Smarts say they do not actually get any prizes, but do get their names in the G-Idol hall of fame.
Source:One News

Rugby-ABs win the Tri- Nations 34-27 over Australia.

The All Blacks have won the Tri-Nations in a clean sweep, beating the Wallabies 34-27 at Eden Park.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Men await women at Stewart Island ball.

By DEBBIE JAMIESON
Are you female, single and mourning the absence of real men in your life? Then you should be at tonight's Stewart Island Singles Ball, where about 80 strictly southern men await your company. The lads are nice, very handsome and the type who would literally give you the shirt off their back, said organiser Doug Beck. "Stewart Island men are hunters and gatherers," he said. "They work hard and play hard and while they don't have difficulties meeting women, the problem is getting them to stay on their island paradise." But they had made changes to improve the lot of women on the island, said Beck. The 250 attendees at tonight's ball are guaranteed a fabulous time, with one of the biggest dances the island has seen, a seafood feast, 4am bonfire and the chance to nab a truly southern man.
Source:The Press

Tougher penalties for errant realtors.

Tougher penalties are in the pipeline for real estate agents who break the rules. It follows reports of an agent in Napier trying to drive down the prices of two properties, so he could buy them himself. At present the maximum fine imposed by the self-regulated industry for such behaviour is $750. Institute President, Howard Morely, says his organisation has been trying for some time to get the 1976 Real Estate Agents Act amended. He says he would like to see a minimum penalty of $10,000 imposed with a maximum of $30,000.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Ministry welcomes poaching prosecution.

The Ministry of Fisheries is welcoming the successful prosecution of a south Auckland family at the centre of a major poaching operation. The last three members of a family of five caught poaching and selling flounder in the Manukau Harbour have been sentenced to long spells of community work sentences and hefty fines. The five defendants in total racked up 23 charges. They were said to have sold the illegal flounder in bags of 10 for $20 each. Ministry of Fisheries Compliance Manager, Ian Bright, says one of those convicted admitted taking 300 fish a day. The daily quota for recreational fishers is 20.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Great Little Cookbook goes like hot cakes.

Work and Income's Great Little Cookbook is proving so popular it is going on line. The book is packed with simple, affordable family meals. The idea came from frontline Work and Income staff in Greymouth. Each recipe was developed by a dietician and tested by a Work and Income client and their children. It was launched on Thursday with an initial print of 5,000 free copies, but there's such a waiting list Minister David Benson-Pope says will be made available on the Ministry of Social Development's Internet site, so people can share it around.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

NZ diplomat to take charge of Gaza kidnap negotiations.

Senior Wellington diplomat Peter Rider is due to arrive in the Middle East tonight to lead efforts to secure the release of kidnapped New Zealander Olaf Wiig. Freelance Fox cameraman Wiig, 36, the partner of broadcaster Anita McNaught, was kidnapped along with Fox's American reporter Steve Centanni, 60, on Monday from their vehicle near the Palestinian security service headquarters. Mr Rider, an Arabic speaker, has been sent from Wellington to take over the diplomatic role in the crisis from New Zealand's Turkish ambassador, Jan Henderson, who is scheduled to return home from her Ankara posting.
There was little to report in the way of developments today, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman Helen Tunnah.
Source:NZPA

Man charged with biting dog.

A man who is alleged to have bitten a dog's ear in Blenheim yesterday has been arrested and charged with ill-treating an animal. The 38-year-old man will appear in Blenheim District Court tomorrow. A woman told police she had seen the man biting the dog's ear in a carpark near Redwoodtown, Blenheim, yesterday morning.
NZPA

Single seal seeks cool dinghy.

With summer approaching, Auckland Zoo is appealing for an animal-friendly boatie to donate a wooden dinghy for its only New Zealand fur seal, Kaiako. The zoo said Kaiako did not spend as much time in the water as his Californian sealion counterparts and needed something to provide some shade. "In his natural environment, Kaiako would have rocks, boats and other forms of shelter he could use, but we are limited in what we currently have – a dinghy is a great solution to provide the shade and shelter he will need," spokesman Andrew Coers said. Anyone with a suitable dinghy who would like to donate it to the zoo should contact Abigail Smith on (09) 360 4872 or abigail.smith@aucklandcity.govt.nz
Copyright © 2006, APN Holdings NZ Ltd.

TV channels join forces for funeral.

TVNZ and Maori Television are to join forces to provide live coverage of the funeral for the Maori Queen on Monday. It will be shared by all media around the country to minimise the intrusive impact of media coverage. The service is expected to run for three hours. The timing depends on the progress of deliberations by tribal elders on a successor. By custom, there is no burial until the successor is chosen and crowned.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Rugby-All Blacks will honour Maori Queen.

The All Blacks will be honouring the Maori Queen at tomorrow's Bledisloe Cup match against Australia.
The players have decided, as a mark of respect, to wear black armbands during the game. The Rugby Union has also decided to observe a moment's silence before the national anthems are sung at Eden Park. Chairman John Hobbs says Dame Te Ata was a much loved and hugely respected woman.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

More power problems in Niue.

There are big power supply issues again in Niue.
Earlier this week a water pump to one of the power generators suffered a mechanical fault plunging the island into darkness. Since then, villages on the island have had electricity intermittently for as little as five hours a day. Niue Power corporation General Manager, Speedo Hetutu, says residents are frustrated at what is happening but can understand after a blaze destroyed their only power station back in May. He says the situation should be sorted out by late tomorrow.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Uncertain future for Pacific island.

A gloomy outlook is being painted for the future of Pacific island Kiribati. MP Ruitano Benetito believes his country's future is measured in mere decades due to the impact of global warming. He has spoken about his concerns at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference in Wellington. Quoting a United Nations report predicting sea levels will rise by half a metre by 2050, Mr Benetito says time is running out for Kiribati. He says it is only a matter of time before the country suffers more soil salination and could be totally inundated before the end of this century.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Economy expanding at more moderate pace.

The economy is still expanding although at a more moderate pace.
National Bank's composite index of regional economic activity increased in nine of the 14 regions it monitors in the June quarter. Waikato is leading the way, rising 1.8 percent in the past three months, the region's largest quarterly gain in economic activity since 2003. At the other end of the scale Hawke's Bay's economic activity dropped 1.6 percent in the three months to June. Nationwide economic activity rose 0.5 percent.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Angler hooks 317kg pacific bluefin tuna.

A Christchurch angler's "dream of a lifetime" came true after he landed a 317kg Northern Pacific bluefin tuna near Hokitika on Tuesday night. Kelvin White took 2½ hours, from 4.30pm, to haul in the 2.75m long tuna while fishing off the Hokitika Trench. Mr White said it was the first time he had ever been game fishing for bluefin tuna but it was a battle hauling in the huge fish. Tom Fishburn, skipper of "Legacy" on which the tuna was caught, said it was biggest tuna he had heard of in the 20 years he had been a fisherman.
Source:NZPA

Five NZ univerities in world's top 500.

By COLIN MARSHALL
Five New Zealand universities feature in a list of the world's top 500 universities just released by Chinese researchers.
But vice-chancellors here say New Zealand universities will struggle to get closer to the top unless more Government funding is forthcoming. Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) compiles a list annually of the top 500 and in the latest figures, Otago and Auckland universities were rated as being between 201 and 300 on the list, while Massey, Victoria and Canterbury were between 401 and 500.
Source:NZPA

$77m of small change vanishes.

New Zealanders may be careful with their money but we appear to have lost, misplaced or hoarded about 700 million silver coins during the past 40 years, possibly valued at about $77 million. About 150 million of New Zealand's old-style 50, 20, and 10 cent coins have found their way back to the Reserve Bank following the release of the newer models on July 31, and about the same number again are expected in the coming months. Not so clear, however, is what became of about 700 million coins issued since the country went metric in 1967. Reserve Bank communications adviser Anthea Black said the 150 million coins returned so far weighed about 1000 tonnes.
Source:NZPA

Tongans praying for their King.

By Angela Gregory
Tongans in Auckland were praying last night for their king who is seriously ill in Mercy Hospital. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, who turned 88 last month, has been in hospital for the past fortnight. Concerns about his deteriorating health were highlighted in Tonga on Tuesday night when the Tongan Prime Minister, Dr Feleti Sevele, interrupted television and radio broadcasts close to 11pm local time to ask people to start praying for the King. The Prime Minister called on church leaders, prayer groups and for all Tongans to pray, saying he had been informed that the health of the king had deteriorated that evening.

Ex-hostage blasts NZ role in Iraq, Afghanistan.

New Zealand student and former Iraq hostage Harmeet Sooden has criticised the New Zealand Government, military and media over their Iraq and Afghanistan dealings. Mr Sooden, 33, spent four months in captivity in Iraq, where he was working with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), before being freed on March 23 this year. Two other hostages of the Swords of Justice Brigade were also rescued by United States, British and Canadian troops but the fourth, American Tom Fox, was found dead. Mr Sooden, a Canadian citizen, is back studying at Auckland University and told students' association magazine Craccum the New Zealand Army in Iraq was not there to help the locals. "Under the guise of helping Iraqis, New Zealand lent political support and an air of legitimacy to the crimes of the Anglo-American occupation." "There are a few central themes. One is racism. The other is Islamophobia."
(Note...and a big thanks to immigration for letting this clown into NZ)
Source:NZPA

Many Regions In Grips Of Winter Flu.

Many regions are in the grip of winter ailments and hospitals are struggling to cope as staff also fall ill.
Waikato Hospital is the latest to reach a critical situation, having to defer three days of elective surgery to free up bed space. Hospitals in other regions, including Christchurch, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Taranaki, are at or close to full capacity.
© NewsRoom 2006

National Statement On Religious Diversity Proposed .

The race relations commissioner says a proposed national statement on religious diversity will help ease religious tensions in New Zealand. The aim of the statement is to provide a reference point for the country to address the challenges of religious diversity, but not all groups are welcoming the proposal. The leader of Destiny Church, Bishop Brian Tamaki, says it is unacceptable as it will undermine christianity. The head of Massey University's school of cultural studies, Peter Lineham, says without the input of people like Bishop Tamaki the statement will not have any teeth.
He says to make a difference it must include hardline and fringe religious groups.
© NewsRoom 2006

Threat to NZ Antarctic programme.

The Chief Executive of Antarctica New Zealand says New Zealand's Antarctic programme could be threatened if the United States chose to withdraw their support of its air service. Australia's Environment Minister says its blue ice runway in Antarctica is nearing completion and could compete with New Zealand's air service which operates from Christchurch airport. Christchurch has provided free access to the United States Air Force support unit to Antarctica for over 50 years, in return for support for New Zealand's Antarctic programme. Australia's Environment Minister, Ian Campbell, says its runway will appeal to the US as it can land passenger jets which are more comfortable than the Hercules aircraft currently used.
Source:RNZ

PM gets reassurance over kidnap efforts.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has given Prime Minister Helen Clark a firm undertaking he is doing all he can to secure the release of kidnapped cameraman Olaf Wiig. New Zealand diplomats are in Jerusalem meeting with contacts in the region. So far, no group has admitted responsibility or issued demands. Miss Clark says she told Mr Abbas that New Zealand is very appreciative of his efforts.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Marae crowds no problem.

Tainui is confident it can handle the influx of mourners for the Maori Queen's tangi. Up to 100,000 people are expected at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia between now and the funeral service for Dame Te Atairangikaahu on Monday. The Queen's niece, MP and family spokeswoman Nanaia Mahuta, says celebrations for the 40th anniversary of Dame Te Ata's coronation earlier this year proved organisers can cope with large crowds. Representatives from several North Island tribes are due at the marae today to pay their respects. Former prime ministers Jim Bolger and Jenny Shipley, former Governor-General Dame Cath Tizard and former treaty negotiations minister, Sir Doug Graham are at Ngaruawahia. Mayors and councillors from around the Waikato region will also be expressing their condolences.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

NZ stonefruit cleared for Australia.

Moves to allow New Zealand stonefruit exports into Western Australia are being described as a breakthrough by the Minister of Agriculture. Australia has released a policy memorandum which clears the way for apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums. Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton is pleased issues that previously blocked the market have been resolved and at an estimated value of $14 million a year, the development is a worthwhile breakthrough.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Broadband use up but NZ still trails.

By ADRIAN BATHGATE
The number of Kiwis with high-speed internet connections has surged, but the country is still not making headway in catching up to the OECD average. Broadband subscribers rose nearly 30 per cent in six months, to 475,700 as at March 31, Statistics NZ's latest internet survey shows. However, most users still putter along on low-speed dial-up connections. The 812,300 dial-up connections were down almost 7 per cent. Despite the number of broadband users per 100 people increasing from 9 to 11.5 in six months, New Zealand still languishes in 22nd place out of 30 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
Source: Dominion Post

Elton loves Breaks Co-Op.

Breaks Co-Op have been given a ringing endorsement most bands - New Zealand or not - could only dream of. Sir Elton John has called the band to say The Sound Inside is the best album he has heard this year. He also told vocalist Andy Lovegrove that he is one of the star's favourite singers. After going double platinum in New Zealand, Breaks Co-Op are now touring the UK where they are amassing fans and album sales.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Eat fresh chicken before it's banned.

Frozen chickens may soon be the only option available to supermarket shoppers. The poultry industry is under increasing pressure to sell only frozen produce after a Food Safety Authority (FSA) report showed all fresh carcasses carried the bug that causes the gut-wrenching campylobacteriosis disease. The FSA report showed the country also had more than three times the rate of notified campylobacteriosis of Australia. The rate of 370 cases a 100,000 people has been rising at about 12 per cent a year over the past five years. Over the past nine years, 11 people are thought to have died of the disease. In most cases it causes diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach ache for up to a week.
Public Health Association director Gay Keating said banning the sale of fresh chicken sounded like a drastic measure but was necessary "if we are to address New Zealand's dubious distinction of being the campylobacter centre of the world".
Source:The Press

Lawyer drunk on school run, court told.

A Queenstown solicitor was 2½ times over the drink-drive limit when she arrived to pick up her two young children from school, the Invercargill District Court was told this week. Sally Rebecca Bowers, who admitted driving with excess breath alcohol, was fined $1500, disqualified from driving indefinitely and ordered to attend an alcohol assessment centre. The court was told her children were so concerned about her condition they refused to get into the car. They contacted their father who called police and Bowers was stopped as she drove away from the school. Court documents listed Bowers' occupation as a shop assistant but the Southland Times confirmed on Tuesday she works as a solicitor for a Queenstown law firm under the name Sally Cantrell.
Source:NZPA

Nelson fisherman fined for dredging in reserve.

A Nelson fisherman has been fined $15,000 for dredging scallops in a marine reserve in the Marlborough Sounds. Tony Peter Phillipson and his company Alfred Fishing Ltd both pleaded guilty in Nelson District Court yesterday to taking marine life from Long Island-Kokomohua Marine Reserve for commercial purposes on October 31 last year. The company was convicted and discharged.
Source:NZPA

Battle of Britain veteran dies.

Wing Commander Tom Fitzgerald, one of the last of New Zealand's "few" - those who flew in the 1940 Battle of Britain - has died in Christchurch at the age of 87. Wing Commander Fitzgerald piloted 141 Squadron Defiants on night patrols defending London from the mid stages of the battle. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Copyright © 2006, APN Holdings NZ Ltd.

Tonga's King 'gravely ill'.

Tonga's King, Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, is gravely ill in an Auckland hospital, Associated Press has reported the nation's Prime Minister as saying. Prime Minister Feleti Sevele announced the ailing 88-year-old king's failing health in a special broadcast that interrupted regular late-night programmes on Radio Tonga and Television Tonga. Sevele said the king's health had deteriorated and asked for prayers for his wellbeing.
NZHERALD STAFF

Giant snails in the fridge.

An environmental group is horrified that Solid Energy is moving the endangered giant land snail out of its habitat and into the fridge. Save Happy Valley protesters have been involved in a long battle with Solid Energy over plans to mine the habitat of the Powelliphanta Augustus snail at the Stockton Mine, north of Westport. In April, Conservation Minister Chris Carter approved the company's request to mine the area on the condition that it relocate the snails first. Protester Frances Mountier claims a third of the snail population is now in ice-cream containers in Hokitika, however, Department of Conservation spokesman Ian Gill says the snails need to be in a cool, moist environment and a fridge is an appropriate artificial habitat.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Red panda escapee bowled on road.

A red panda which escaped from Hamilton Zoo has been found dead. Badal was transferred from Auckland to Hamilton last Friday, but zoo staff noticed he was missing earlier this week. The animal has been found dead this morning on a road near the zoo. A Hamilton City Council spokesman says it appears Badal was hit by a car.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Wiig family await news.

Broadcaster Anita McNaught is meeting with contacts in Jerusalem in a bid to secure the release of her kidnapped husband Olaf Wiig. Two New Zealand diplomats are due to arrive in the city later today as Palestinian security forces try to find the group which snatched the Kapiti Coast-born cameraman and a Fox News correspondent early yesterday. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in Gaza. Mr Wiig's father the Reverend Roger Wiig says the family is being kept informed of the latest developments. He says Fox News has contacted them to say they believe progress is being made.
Source:NZPA

School evicts pupils after parents cheat enrolments.

Forty-five pupils at a prestigious Auckland school have been told to leave after it was found their parents cheated to get them enrolled. The New Zealand Herald reported today that an Auckland Grammar School full time enrolments registrar, appointed in February, had found parents providing false information to get their sons into the school.
Auckland Grammar says several more will lose their places in the crackdown.
Source:NZPA

Maori Parliament to discuss successor.

By ARWEN HANN
The Maori Queen's successor will be discussed by the Kauhanganui (Maori Parliament) during the tangi to farewell her.
Rawiri Taonui, head of the school of Maori and Indigenous Studies at Canterbury University, said some discussions would probably already have taken place and the choice narrowed to two or three people. The final decision would be made during the seven-day tangi. "It is a very emotionally-charged occasion because not only are you farewelling the Queen, but also making decisions about the future," Taonui said. Her successor would probably be a member of her family. She has seven children. Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu is descended from the first Maori King, Potatau Te Wherowhero who was crowned in 1858.
Source:The Press

Mystery big cat leaves paw print.

Another sighting of Mid Canterbury's big cat has been reported and this time the mystery animal left a paw print. A picture of the print has been sent to Biosecurity New Zealand to analyse. Last week a Biosecurity New Zealand investigator and a large cat specialist from Orana Wildlife Park visited the Ashburton River mouth after a couple reported seeing a large cat there. The latest sighting was at Wakanui, near Ashburton, last week by a local farmer. He found the paw print in the mud after he disturbed the animal. It is the seventh reported sighting of a large black panther-like cat in Mid Canterbury since 2001.
Source:RNZ

Whitebait season starts of with a bang.

A row over river access has marred the start of whitebait season. In North Canterbury the action in the water took second place to civil disobedience, when whitebaiters ignored new rules preventing vehicle access. Fishermen broke through a locked gate to get closer vehicle access to the Ashley River estuary. "Some people got 70 or 80 kilos in the one tide, which is pretty good. We got 40 in one lift," Central Otago farmer Barry Stratford says. Big catches kept last season's prices relatively low at about $80 a kilo in the south, and over $100 in Auckland.
Source:One News

Rugby-Wallabies Drop Smith for Must-Win All Blacks Match.

Australia dropped George Smith, the country's Super 14 player of the year, for its must-win Tri- Nations rugby union Test against New Zealand in four days. Phil Waugh replaced Smith in one of three changes from the team that beat South Africa 20-18 on Aug. 5. Winger Clyde Rathbone and hooker Jeremy Paul came in for Mark Gerrard and Tai McIsaac for the game in Auckland. The Wallabies last beat New Zealand at Eden Park 20 years ago and have since lost all seven matches there. The All Blacks won the last four games between the teams.

The Maori Queen has passed away.

The Maori Queen has passed away.
Dame Te Atairangikaahu was 75. Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu has been unwell for some time and was released from hospital into the care of her family last month when she celebrated her 75th birthday at Turangawaewae marae. The low-profile but influential queen became monarch when her father King Koroki died in 1966. She is a descendant of the first Maori King, Potatau.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

DVD library of iconic NZ moments made free for schools.

Education Minister Steve Maharey today launched a new library of DVDs of New Zealand film and television to help secondary schools teach the new school curriculum. Mr Maharey said the new On Disk library would give students new insight into events that shaped New Zealand's culture and identity over the last century. On Disk was developed by the Film Archive and Ministry of Education and will be free to all secondary schools. It included 75 hours of excerpts from New Zealand films, documentaries, advertisements and current affairs programmes over the past 100 years.
Source:NZPA

Overstayers caught during hunt for patient.

Police searching for a missing Alzheimer's patient yesterday inadvertently found 11 Indonesian overstayers working in a Blenheim vineyard. Constable Dan Mattison said the 11 men scattered and ran away as soon as they saw the police squad, who were searching for the 65-year-old man missing from a local retirement village. Police arrested the men, who had been living in the area since jumping ship from the fishing vessel Dong Won 522 in October 2005, Mr Mattison said. They would be deported under the Immigration Act, he said.
Source:NZPA

Internet job ads rocketing ahead.

Internet job advertising is set to surpass newspaper ads. The ANZ Job Vacancy Rate survey shows a big jump in employers using the internet to fill vacancies. Bank economist Steve Edwards says internet-based advertising rose 4.6 percent in the June quarter to almost 79,000, marginally behind newspaper ads of almost 80,000. He believes the writing is on the wall for traditional newspaper job advertising to be overtaken by internet advertising.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

MAF working with Brits to free cameraman.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade say they have been advised through British channels about the kidnapping of Kapiti Coast-born cameraman Olaf Wiig. Mr Wiig, the husband of former New Zealand-based journalist Anita McNaught and a Fox News employee, has been taken captive by Palestinian gunmen in Gaza. A journalist from the network has also been abducted. MFAT is working with British authorities to secure Mr Wiig's release. Spokeswoman Helen Tunnah says the ministry is flying New Zealand diplomats into the region.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

More details on justice system revamp.

The Government has announced a major revamp of the criminal justice system in a bid to reduce the prison population. Among the changes to sentencing and parole arrangements is that inmates should serve at least two thirds of their sentences before being eligible for parole. In addition, home detention will be introduced as a sentence in its own right and a new tier of community sentences will be introduced. Prime Minister Helen Clark says the aim is to give judges more sentencing options and introduce a more transparent justice system.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Shock bill for Greenpeace.

Greenpeace has been handed a bill for $14,000 to cover Mighty River Power's Environment Court costs for fighting the environmental lobby group's objections to its plans to fire up the Marsden B Power Station . The Environment Court ruled against Greenpeace and it has now appealed to the High Court. Greenpeace Climate Campaigner, Vanessa Atkinson, says she is shocked a State Owned Enterprise would stoop so low as to use what she describes as bullying tactics to try to shut down dissent.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Mobile health information impresses medics.

A New Zealand based company is taking the medical world by storm with its electronic mobile health information system. Healthphone eliminates paperwork and gives health professionals instant access to patient information via the Internet. When the idea was first put forward to a US conference a year ago, it was met with an enthusiastic response though many thought it would never work. The project has been further developed over the past year with the support of Microsoft. Healthphone CEO Matt Hector-Taylor says St Joseph's Hospice in Auckland has had the system up-and-running for three weeks and would not be without it, and the company is now dealing with enquiries from all over the world.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

First gas comes from Pohokura.

The Pohokura gas field has reached a milestone. The first gas and condensate has begun flowing from the Taranaki field from three completed on-shore wells. Another six off-shore wells are expected to come on stream over the coming year. Natural gas from Pohokura will be fed into the North Island gas network and condensate will be piped to storage tanks near New Plymouth for shipping to refineries.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Jobless pilot tries to sell uniform online.

He's lost his job but one enterprising Origin Pacific pilot has devised a way to cash in on the company's loss. The pilot has listed his uniform on the Trade Me website, offering people the chance to buy "a rare piece of Kiwi aviation history". Mounting debt forced Origin Pacific to suddenly stop its passenger services on Thursday and lay off about 230 staff. The pilot has told potential bidders that he's selling his uniform to "make ends meet this week". "This is an authentic Origin Pacific Jetstream pilot's uniform lovingly drycleaned for one last time before its unfortunate retirement," the owner wrote on the website.
source:The Nelson Mail

Oil companies slash petrol prices.

Major oil companies have slashed prices at the pump today in response to a fall in the price of crude.
BP has cut five cents off the price of both 91 and 95 - taking the per litre price to $1.65.9 and $1.70.9 respectively in main centres.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

PM not for UN.

The Prime Minister is scotching rumours she might be looking for a new job. Speculation's been doing the rounds that Helen Clark might have a shot at the Secretary General's position at the United Nations when Kofi Annan's term expires later this year. Helen Clark says that is a work of fiction. She says she has had no approach about the position and it is not on her mind.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

World Bank urges NZ accept PI workers.

The World Bank has urged developed nations like Australia to accept unskilled Pacific Island workers for seasonal work, insisting it is essential for the region's future. A new report by the bank advocates greater mobility for unskilled workers to help overcome the challenges faced by small Pacific Island economies. Prime Minister John Howard last year rejected the idea of allowing guest workers from regional nations into Australia to fill seasonal labour shortages, saying it would create an underclass who would never want to return home.

NZ ranks 6th for global contribution.

New Zealand is ranked sixth out of the 21 richest nations -- beating Britain, the United States and France -- in a survey of countries helping to make the world a better, safer place to live. The Washington-based Center for Global Development's annual Commitment to Development Index (CDI) rated aid, trade, investment, migration, the environment, security and technology. Denmark took top spot overall, followed by the Netherlands, then Sweden and Australia. Japan trailed into last place, behind Greece. New Zealand came in first for trade, with the report approving of the low tariffs and subsidies on agriculture.
Source:NZPA
click HERE for full story

NZ to consider joining UN force in Lebanon.

The Government will consider how New Zealand can participate in a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon but any contribution would be small, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today. As fighting intensified in Lebanon ahead of a UN-brokered truce, Helen Clark said New Zealand would respond to the call for an international force. "We will make a response but it is very likely to be a niche response because of the commitments we already have, which include East Timor and the Solomons," she told National Radio.
Source:NZPA

US satellite plan 'will knock out Pacific radio links'.

By Kent Atkinson
Pacific Island nations -- and airline pilots around the globe -- could lose high frequency radio links for up to a week if the US goes ahead with a plan to protect its satellite network, Otago University researchers said today. They warned the Americans plan to protect its satellites from both natural radiation and "airbursts" of nuclear weapons posed a global communications threat. The US Air Force and the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have proposed using very low frequency radio waves to flush particles from radiation "belts" above Earth and dump them into the upper atmosphere over either one or several days. This deluge of dumped charged particles would temporarily change the ionosphere from a "mirror" that bounced high frequency radio waves around the planet to a "sponge" that soaked them up, Dr Craig Rodger of Otago University's physics department, said today.
Source:NZPA

Jin the otter on the move again.

Jin the otter's month-long escapade from Auckland Zoo has earned her some more travelling – a permanent move to Christchurch. Jin is being transferred to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve as part of an Australasian breeding programme for the asiatic short-clawed otter. She flies to Christchurch tomorrow and will be paired up with Willowbank's five-year-old male otter Jala. Auckland Zoo curator Brooke Noonan said the zoo had planned to send two of its seven female otters to other cities prior to Jin's escape. Her month at large around Auckland's Waitemata Harbour – and subsequent month alone in quarantine – helped convince the zoo she should be one of the otters to go.
Source:NZPA

Shoes may stay on.

Passengers travelling to the US through Auckland International Airport may soon find the security checks a little less stringent. Extra measures, including more intensive searching of hand luggage, have been in force since the busting of an alleged trans-Atlantic terror plot last week. Mark Everitt of the Aviation Security Service says overnight advice means the requirement that passengers remove their shoes for checking may be abandoned.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Desert Road driving treacherous.

Snow and ice are making the Desert Road in the central North Island treacherous. Police drivers are reporting that driving in the area is becoming increasingly difficult. In the South Island State Highway 94 between Te Anau and Milford has been closed by snow. Transit expects it to be reopened before lunch, but is advising motorists to use chains.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Tourists take off with shuttlebus.

Police have located a shuttle bus taken by a group of tourists from Christchurch Airport, and say they accept the incident was a misunderstanding, not a theft. A group of Australian tourists were given the keys to the shuttle bus to put their gear in the vehicle, while the driver rounded up his remaining passengers. On his return the driver found the tourists had left in the minibus. Police say it appears one of the tourists misunderstood the driver, and thought he was supposed to drive the vehicle.
Source:RNZ

Rare chance to view kakapo.

Conservationists are celebrating a major milestone in their fight to save the kakapo. Ten years ago there were only 50 of the rare native parrots left, but now bird watchers around the world are queuing up for a new experience on Stewart Island. A joint venture between the Department of Conservation and the Ulva Island Trust allows the public a rare chance to view them. Located in Stewart Island's Paterson Inlet, native birds are plentiful on Ulva Island, especially since rats were eradicated in the 1990s.
Source:One News

Winter melanoma numbers up.

It might be cold and miserable, but the sun's rays are still getting through. The number of New Zealanders diagnosed with melanoma during winter has risen almost a quarter since 2003. Men appear to be more at risk, with two thirds of invasive skin cancer diagnosed in cooler months found in men. Molemap chief Adrian Bowling says there has been a big increase in the number of early melanomas being caught.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Help for some first home buyers.

The Government is giving people struggling to accumulate a deposit a hand up onto the property ladder. Prospective first home buyers with no deposit can now borrow $200,000, under the Welcome Home scheme. The plan also helps people with only a small deposit borrow up to $280,000.

Japan and Australia 'overfishing'.

Japan has allegedly been over-fishing its bluefin tuna quota for the last 20 years. Australian officials say Japan has overfished its quota to the tune of more than $2 billion. Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton says new monitoring systems are working well, and that is how the issue has come to a head. But he says that it is not just Japan. Despite blowing the whistle on Japan, Mr Anderton says Australia has also been caught catching more bluefin tuna than it is allowed to.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Export timber burns.

Pallets of timber, dressed and ready for export to the United States, went up in smoke at a Bay of Plenty factory. The fire gutted half of a warehouse factory in Aerodrome Road at Mt Maunganui yesterday.
© 2006 Newstalk ZB News

Rugby-France to send weaker team for NZ Tests.

France, potentially the All Blacks' biggest threat at next year's rugby World Cup, appear set to send a below strength team to New Zealand next year in order to rest their top players three months out from the tournament.
The revelation in French media that head coach Bernard Laporte is planning to rest his top 30 players from the two-Test series in June has cast doubt over the tour and prompted an investigation by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU). The tour clashes with the French club semifinals and finals and Laporte has apparently agreed not pick any players involved in those for the tour, a move that contravenes International Rugby Board (IRB) regulations.

Yoghurt and muesli bars on schools' health hitlist.

By Catherine Woulfe
Children as young as five have been told off for bringing yoghurt, muesli bars, salad rolls and juice to school as over-zealous teachers try to enforce healthy eating rules. Some schools have a policy of confiscating anything deemed junk food - despite parents pleading to be allowed to give their children the occasional treat. Now, parents have reacted furiously to the lunchbox raids at schools and early childhood centres, saying it is political correctness gone mad.

NZ police help Tonga address domestic violence.

New Zealand police are helping Tongan officials set up a new division to handle domestic violence complaints in the island kingdom. Work has been undertaken by local police and two officers from New Zealand, including Superintendent Steve Darroch, as part of a New Zealand initiative to prevent domestic violence in the Pacific, the Tonga Broadcasting Commission reported. Mr Darroch said he was concerned with the rise of cases of domestic violence in the kingdom.
Source:NZPA