Japan reportedly ready to resume Antarctic whaling

Media reports in Japan say the country will go ahead with this season's whaling hunt in the Antarctic. The ABC reports that Friday's edition of the Asahi newspaper says the annual hunt, described by Japan as research whaling, will go ahead later this year. A panel was set up to discuss the future of whaling after disruption of the hunt over the past few seasons by the militant Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Maori King hosts South African monarch

The Maori King has met a South African monarch to discuss health, welfare, cultures and trade. King Molotlegi, of the Bafokeng Kingdom, held a hui on Thursday with King Tuheitia at Turangawaewae Marae - the home of the Kingitanga movement. The South African royal is here to watch Rugby World Cup games and made a special request through the Prime Minister to meet the Maori King. Bafokeng is regarded as the richest tribe in Africa, thanks to the world's second-largest platinum deposit.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Infant formula plant to be built near Balclutha

An infant formula milk powder plant is to be built near Balclutha in Otago. Brent Sutton, owner of Auckland-based global supplier of food and dairy products, the Sutton Group, and Dunedin-based dairy farmer Grant Paterson have teamed up to form Gardians, the group behind the plant. American-based SPX Corporation has been contracted to build the facility and the technology needed to convert fresh milk into powdered products. The group is releasing few details about the new plant, but says it will export the formula to emerging markets including India and Asia
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Canterbury University gets top marks

Canterbury University is the first in New Zealand to gain the highest mark in a new international rating system. The university was granted five stars by QS Stars, a global university rating system that evaluates universities against eight criteria, including research and teaching quality, and graduate employability. QS Stars said a university that achieved a five-star rating "would often be world-class in a broad range of areas, has cutting-edge facilities, and was internationally renowned for its research and teaching faculty". Canterbury University vice-chancellor Rod Carr said achieving the highest rating affirmed Canterbury's position among the best universities in the world and underlined the fact that it continued to provide a world-class learning environment.
The Press

Calls for protection of Hector dolphins

Forest and Bird is calling for immediate action to prevent New Zealand's Maui's and Hector's dolphins from extinction. The organisation says the main way to save them is to tighten fishing regulations in the areas where they live. Research shows 23 Hector's dolphins die each year in commercial gill nets off the east coast of the South Island alone. "Both of these dolphins are so unique, they're very rare in fact they're the smallest dolphins found in the world and they're only found here in New Zealand so let's protect them while they're in our backyard." Fewer than 100 Maui dolphins remain, and the numbers of Hector's dolphins have fallen from 30-thousand to just seven thousand since the 1970s.
By Juliette Sivertsen

Overwhelming response to Santa Parade ad

Auckland's Santa Parade organisers are receiving an overwhelming response to an ad seeking Dalmatians to feature in this year's parade. Crackerjack Promotions event coordinator Jennah Butt is surprised by the number of people eager to put their pets in the limelight. She is they're after as many dogs as possible, to join people in Dalmatian costumes taking to the streets. Anyone interested in getting their dogs involved, should contact Crackerjack Promotions.
By Jenee Tibshraeny

Wellington Airport wins top honours

Wellington Airport's been named Australasia's leading airport. It's taken out the honour at the World Travel Awards in Bangkok. The awards recognise excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry, and are voted on by travel agents. Wellington Airport's been nominated for the title each year since 2007 and has unseated Sydney as Australasiaâs Leading Airport, which has won seven of the previous eight years. It lost to Auckland in 2009.
By Yvette McCullough

Surprise entrance by blue duck

DEIDRE MUSSEN
One of Christchurch's newest and rarest residents has burst on to the scene within minutes of arrival from the West Coast. Five whio (blue duck) eggs were taken from a nest in Doctor Creek, a tributary of the Hokitika River, yesterday, flown by helicopter to Hokitika and carefully driven to the Peacock Springs Wildlife Park for rearing. As curator Anne Richardson gently removed the eggs from their portable incubator yesterday afternoon, one eager duckling suddenly thrust its wet head and bill from its cracking shell as it lay in her hand. "That's the first time that's happened," Department of Conservation (DOC) Hokitika biodiversity programme manager Dave Eastwood said as the duckling made its surprise entrance in front of the watching media and department and Isaac Construction staff.
The Press

Mining firm predicts thousands of workers needed

Mining giant BHP Billiton estimates Australia's resources industry will need more than 150,000 extra workers over the next five years. Mining companies are warning the Australian Government that it needs to boost spending on training or risk wasting the boom and damaging the rest of the economy. The ABC reports that some analysts are sceptical about that argument saying that miners are just trying to shift the cost of training their workers on to taxpayers. The mining industry has been trying to recruit people from the cities and from regions struggling with high unemployment.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Tokelau to follow Samoa on dateline switch

Tokelau is to accompany Samoa in its move across the dateline at the end of the year. The General Manager of Tokelau’s National Public Service says the fono’s decision to move west of the dateline maintains alignment with Samoa, where its administration is based. After December the 29th Tokelau and Samoa will skip one day and go straight to December the 31st. Joe Suveinakama says the change will make it easier to do business with New Zealand.Tokelau is working with New Zealand to prepare the legal framework for the switch.
News Content © Radio New Zealand Internationa

Navy celebrates 70th anniversary

Royal New Zealand Navy vessels are arriving in Wellington as part of celebrations to mark the service's 70th anniversary. King George VI officially recognised the New Zealand Navy as separate from Britain's on 1 October 1941. At midday on Saturday, about 700 sailors will parade down Lambton Quay with their new flag. The public will also have a chance to visit some of the Navy vessels over the weekend.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

NZ biotech company signs another Chinese deal

New Zealand biotechnology company Lanzatech has signed an agreement to strengthen its ties to China. Lanzatech has developed a technology which ferments waste gases and turns them into low carbon fuels, like ethanol. The system is already used at Glenbrook Steel Mill in New Zealand and by China's largest steel and iron company Baosteel. Lanzatech has formed a joint venture company with China's Shougang Group and New Zealand's TangMing to develop a demonstration plant at the Shougang steel mill.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

China Development Bank looks to NZ

A major Chinese bank could soon be eyeing up long-term investments in New Zealand. China Development Bank (CDB) is China's largest development financial institution and has 300 billion renminbi ($NZ59 billion) worth of registered capital. PricewaterhouseCoopers chief executive Bruce Hassall says the bank does not have any specific investments in mind at the moment, but is interested in projects with an emphasis on agriculture, infrastructure, natural resources, finance and the reconstruction of Christchurch.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Few Maori in Australia vote in NZ elections - survey

A lecturer at Victoria University's School of Maori Studies says an online survey of Maori living in Australia shows most feel deprived of their voting rights. Maria Bargh says the survey, which attracted 145 responses, was carried out between July and September. The survey suggests 72% of Maori did not vote in the 2008 New Zealand election, and 55% will not vote in the 26 November election. Among the reasons given for not voting in the New Zealand general election were a lack of information about the process and the belief they shouldn't vote since they live in Australia.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

More weight loss surgery funded

The Ministry of Health says there has been a 33% increase in publicly-funded weight loss surgery over the past year, with 350 morbidly obese people having operations. It says that was made possible by a Government funding boost announced last October of $8 million over four years. The ministry's manager of elective services, Clare Perry, says 414 operations are to be provided next year - two-thirds of them in Auckland and Northland.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

NZ well-placed to handle global financial turmoil - Bollard

Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard says New Zealand is reasonably well-placed to weather the turmoil on international financial markets and global slowdown. Dr Bollard says New Zealand is in a much better position than it was in 2008, and can respond to a worsening crisis if it eventuates. He told Nine to Noon that New Zealand's banks are well funded and prepared for any credit squeeze, and he did not think they would be faced with a repeat of the funding problems of 2009.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

NZ police recruited for Perth CHOGM

New Zealand police officers are being recruited to help out with security at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, in Perth in October. CHOGM organisers say 700 officers from other Australian states and up to about 20 New Zealand officers will provide support to Western Australia's police. They will be sworn in as local officers and have the same powers, including the ability to carry guns. About 50 heads of state are expected at the event which runs from the 28 to 30 October and the New Zealand officers will be required to spend around two weeks in Perth.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Inquiry into Maori children kicks off

Health, education and welfare issues for Maori children will go under the microscope in a parliamentary select committee inquiry. It will examine public investment in Maori children across the health, education, social services and justice sectors, and whether that investment is adequate and equitable. The inquiry comes despite opposition from the committee's National Party members, who say there's no need for the probe because of similar work being done by the prime minister's chief science adviser Sir Peter Gluckman, and Social Development Minister Paula Bennett. But they were overruled by the committee's other members. Greens co-leader Metiria Turei urges the public, including marae, teachers, academics and healthcare workers, to make submissions by the October 20 deadline.
Source: NZN

Rugby World Cup - Georgia down Romania in scrappy affair

Georgia have defeated Romania 25-9 in their pool b Rugby World Cup match at Arena Manawatu in Palmerston North. The match was marred by penalties and errors stifling the attack of both sides but the close contest still made for enjoyable viewing. The backlines for both teams did not see much ball but the forwards engaged in strong and regular collisions as both sides worked to gain the ascendancy. The Georgians now eye an upset in their final pool match against Argentina on Sunday while Romania's tournament sadly comes to an end after losses in each of their four pool matches.
Georgia: 25 (Gorgodze try, Kvirikashvili 1 con, 5 pen; Urjukashvili 1 pen)
Romania: 9 (Dumbrava 2, Vlaicu 1 pen)
Source: ONE Sport

Falling satellite passed through New Zealand skies

A defunct six tonne satellite passed over the West Coast and near Auckland before burning up over a remote area of the Pacific Ocean, Nasa maps show. The 20-year-old Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS) dropped about 24 pieces of metal over 800km as it entered Earth's atmosphere on Saturday. New Nasa data tracks its descent from above the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa to the Pacific Ocean at 14.1 degrees south latitude and 189.8 degrees east longitude. New Zealand was the only major land mass plotted on its re-entry path. The satellite was shown heading up the West Coast and north of Auckland before coming to rest in a "broad, remote ocean area".
- HERALD ONLINE

New shipping service links Auckland and northern Tonga

A new direct shipping service has begun between the northern islands of Tonga and Auckland. The 600 tonne MV St Theresa, operated by the JAWS South Pacific Shipping Company, carries general cargo. It’s operated by the Ramanlal family in Tonga. The MV St Theresa will provide a twice a month direct service from Auckland to Vava’u-Ha’apai and return.
News Content © Radio New Zealand International

NZ soldier killed in Afghanistan

An SAS soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, Prime Minister John Key has confirmed. Key said the soldier was shot while mentoring Afghanistan's Crisis Response Unit in the Wardak province, near Kabul. Fifteen SAS soldiers were involved in the incident, which began at around 9am NZ time and involved rifle fire and explosions. Chief of Defence Lt Gen Jones said the SAS soldier was shot in the head, evacuated by helicopter but died on the operating table. The name of the deceased soldier will be released tomorrow.
Source: ONE News

Georgia calls on NZ to help with Russia

The Prime Minister of Georgia has called on New Zealand to help his country improve its political relationship with Russia. Nicolaz Gilauri is in Wellington for the first ever meeting of the prime ministers of Georgia and New Zealand, and says he discussed with John Key economic matters and regional issues in Eastern Europe. He said Georgia and Russia have good economic ties but no political relationship whatsoever, and the two discussed what countries like New Zealand could do to help. Both leaders will attend Georgia's Rugby World Cup match against Romania in Palmerston North on Wednesday.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Government websites off-line after upgrade work

The Companies Office and 13 other Government websites have now off-line for four days following work on servers hosting them. The Intellectual Property Office and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs are also among those caught up in the outage. The Ministry of Economic Development, which owns the websites, says the failures were due to upgrade work on the servers hosting the sites. The ministry expected the sites to be running again by midday Wednesday.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Coronation Street to change timeslots

Coronation Street fans without recording devices will have to make a mad dash home from work to catch their favourite soap after Television New Zealand announced it is changing the show's regular 7.30pm timeslot for at least three weeks. TVNZ announced today that MasterChef Australia is moving to TV ONE's 7.30pm slot every week night for the final three weeks of its season. That will see Coronation Street, which currently airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7.30pm for an hour, bumped into the earlier timeslot of 5.30pm from October 17. There will be five half-hour episodes of Coronation Street a week, leading into ONE News at 6pm.
Source: ONE News

Birth of baby Lemur surprises Christchurch park staff

A furry new arrival is causing a stir at Christchurch's Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. Staff are celebrating the birth of a ring-tailed lemur on Saturday afternoon, which they admit came as a bit of a shock. "We didn't even know one of the animals was pregnant," says handler Genevieve Buckett. The baby lemur, clinging tightly to proud mother Rose, is the first to be born at the park in three years. Native to the island of Madagascar, lemurs can live for up to 20 years in captivity and are renowned for their playfulness and gentle nature. Once the new arrival's sex is determined, Willowbank will hold a competition during the school holidays to give children a chance to name it.
Source: ONE News

Big networks turn eyes to the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand

By Vaimoana Tapaleao
Top television networks in the United States, China and Russia are broadcasting Rugby World Cup matches for the first time, showing off our national sport to a huge new audience. American networks Universal Sports and NBC Sports are both televising several tournament games and showing up-to-date footage on their websites to an audience that traditionally does not follow rugby. The coverage includes the delayed broadcast of this weekend's All Blacks game against Canada in Wellington. And with Universal Sport Television Network going to more than 63,000,000 homes around the US, the move is set to get more people around the world talking rugby.

Australia to allow women into combat

Australia will allow women to join frontline infantry units in combat, following New Zealand's example. New Zealand, Canada and Israel are the only other countries that have removed restrictions on women in frontline roles. Defence Personnel Minister Warren Snowdon says senior defence members in Canada and New Zealand have told him there have been no issues with women serving in all roles. Ninety three percent of Australian Defence Force (ADF) positions are open to women.
NZN

Two babies hospitalised with whooping cough

Two babies are in hospital with whooping cough, in the Southern District Health area. Local Medical Officer of Health, Dr John Holmes, says that the babies are too young to be fully protected by their vaccinations to date. As such, he says they rely on being surrounded by older children and adults who are immune - and he's urging parents get children immunised. Dr Holmes says there is currently an outbreak of whooping cough on the West Coast - and people with a respiratory infection and cough should stay away from babies and preferably stay away from work or school.
By Lesley Deverall

Rugby World Cup - No Cup joy for Japan

The Japanese rugby team's been held to a heartbreaking 23-all draw with Canada in their World Cup pool clash in Napier. At half-time Japan were up 17-7 and two tries to one, but Canada's forwards stepped up the pressure in the second half and the North Americans added two more tries, and a penalty kick for the equaliser. It's the Asian nation's final Pool A game so Japan again bow out without adding to their only other World Cup win, over Zimbabwe back in 1991.
Italy outlast brave USA
Italy has beaten the USA 27-10 in their Pool C clash at Trafalgar Park in Nelson tonight. The Eagles were brave throughout but lacked the polish and class to really threaten what was only a 10 point Italian lead for most of the second half.

Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

State homes to get upgrades

Nearly half of Auckland's state homes are to get upgrades, with another 1400 to be built or bought over the next five years. Housing New Zealand has announced the plans today and Minister Phil Heatley says it'll mean many properties will be subdivided and sections made available to find room for the new homes. Mr Heatley says a number of properties are situated on large valuable sections, which outstrip the value of the houses which are often old or the wrong size to meet current need.
By Katie Bradford-Crozier

Agency to counter cyber threats towards Govt

A new agency has been opened designed specifically to counter cyber threats to Government departments and critical infrastructure providers. Communications Minister Steven Joyce is marking the opening of the National Cyber Security Centre which is to be run out of the Government Communications Security Bureau. Mr Joyce says the centre will give advice and support to help develop secure networks, as well as detect and respond to cyber threats.
By Felix Marwick

Rudd blames jet lag for prime minister gaffe

By LAWRENCE HAKIWAI - NewstalkZB
Kevin Rudd has blamed jet lag for forgetting her was no longer Australia's Prime Minister during a radio interview. He says he's very happy being prime minister, before correcting himself and saying he's foreign minister. There has been speculation Mr Rudd is planning another tilt at leadership but he says he fully supports Julia Gillard.

Georgian PM arrives in NZ

The Prime Minister of Georgia arrives in the country today for a six day visit. Nikolaz Gilauri will take part in his first talks with John Key while here and the pair will watch the Georgia vs Romania teams play in Palmerston North tomorrow night. Mr Key says hosting Rugby World Cup 2011 means New Zealand's in a position to develop new relationships in regions like Eastern Europe, where we have not traditionally had strong ties.
By Katie Bradford-Crozier

Stranded turtle to undergo health tests

A stranded turtle found on a south Auckland beach will undergo tests today to determine its state of health. The adult male was discovered floating in the water by a member of the public, before being collected by the Department of Conservation and taken to Kelly Tarlton's. He's been in a rehabilitation bath overnight to raise his internal body temperature. Marine Scientist Dan Godoy says today's assessment and x-rays will determine the next steps regarding the care of the turtle. He says if he's ingested marine debris there's little they can do as they can't operate, but if he's suffering from an illness like hypothermia he should bounce back.
By Juliette Sivertsen

Apartment gifted to NZSO

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's become the owner of an inner city apartment in Wellington thanks to the generosity of donors. Local couple Bob and Norma Hudson have donated their apartment to the orchestra's foundation, so it can be used by NZSO guests and players. NZSO chairman Donald Best says it's a generous gift that will help the organisation contain its costs. Support from private donors has helped guarantee the financial viability of an overseas tour by the orchestra, and allowed it to buy much needed instruments.
By Felix Marwick

Shackleton's whisky gets public taste test

Tastings of Ernest Shackleton's replica whisky get under way tonight. It was created in Scotland last year after three frozen crates were uncovered by the Antarctic Heritage Trust. Sold-out tastings are being held in Auckland tonight and tomorrow night and a few tickets are floating around for Wellington and Christchurch next week. Whisky Galore director Michael Fraser Milne describes the 47 percent-proof dram as a bit coarse when you first taste it. Shackleton's 1907 adventure ended just 97 kilometres from the South Pole after he made the agonising decision to turn back to spare the lives of his men.
By Amanda South

NZ Navy hands over command of taskforce

A Royal New Zealand Navy captain who has been at the helm of an international anti-piracy task force is about to hand over command. Captain Jim Gilmour took charge of the counter-piracy vessel in the Gulf of Aden in June. It was the first time in decades that a Royal New Zealand Navy officer had commanded a major multinational task force. Command will now be handed over to the Pakistan Navy.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Air NZ stake in Virgin Australia raised

Air New Zealand has increased its ownership in Virgin Australia. The airline has lifted its holding in the budget airline from 15% to almost 20%. Air NZ, which is 76% owned by the New Zealand Government, denies that it will make a full takeover bid. The airline paid $32.8 million for the stake, or 29.7 cents per share. Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia have formed an alliance on the trans-Tasman route, allowing them to code-share on flights and co-ordinate schedules.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Rugby World Cup - Wales too classy for Namibia

Wales has moved into a share of second spot in Pool D of Rugby World Cup 2011 after a 81-7 win over Namibia in New Plymouth. Wales out-scored the Namibians 12 tries to one but the Africans showed more resolve than the score-line suggests. The Welsh started strongly, scoring early points and racing out to a 22-0 lead before the Namibians could even get into the game. Namibia’s tournament comes to an end with the loss while Wales will need to beat Fiji in their final pool match on Sunday to ensure they progress to the quarterfinals.
© 2011 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

Graham Henry to bring up 100th All Blacks test

A week after captain Richie McCaw played his 100th All Blacks test, coach Graham Henry will bring up his 100th as All Blacks coach. For Henry Sunday's Rugby World Cup game against Canada in Wellington will be his 137th international, having also coached Wales and the British and Irish Lions. His first test as All Blacks coach was in 2004, replacing John Mitchell who was sacked in the wake of the 2003 World Cup. Since then the former headmaster's coached the All Blacks to 84 test wins. Halfback Piri Weepu says while the 65 year old Henry often appears grumpy, he's mellowed over time and is much more approachable.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Vanuatu chiefs to visit historic blackbirding sites in Queensland

A delegation of chiefs from Vanuatu’s six provinces will go to Australia next month to visit historic sites linked to the blackbirding trade. Thirty thousand people from Vanuatu were among thousands from Pacific Island countries kidnapped or tricked in the late 1800s into working as labourers on plantations in Queensland. Last week chiefs handed over tokens of thanks to Vanuatu’s Minister of Justice Ralph Regenvanu for research into blackbirding which has enabled labourers’ descendants to find their relatives in Vanuatu.
News Content © Radio New Zealand International

Chatham's Maori housing project to go ahead

Construction will begin on the Chatham Islands on a new housing project for Maori in November. The Ngati Mutunga O Wharekauri Iwi Trust has secured Government funding to help build three three-bedroom houses and two kaumatua flats. Chair Deborah Goomes says the Trust has always wanted to build accommodation for its people, but the fact it is happening in 2011 is quite by chance. She says due to a communication breakdown between the Chathams and mainland New Zealand, the Trust only found out about its eligibility to apply for funding a week before applications closed.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

High tides set to flood Auckland motorways

Exceptionally high tides are likely to flood parts of Auckland's motorway network this week. Tides of up to 3.6 metres, which is around half a metre higher than usual, are forecast between Tuesday and Sunday. The highest tides will be on Thursday and Friday morning, at 9.22am and 10.12am respectively, when the volume of traffic on the city's motorways will be high. "There could be some flooding, but the tides don't pose a significant risk to the safe operation of Auckland's motorways", NZTA's State Highways Manager for Auckland and Northland, Tommy Parker said. The section of the Northwestern Motorway, SH16, between the Patiki Road Interchange and the Rosebank Road Bridges is thought to be most vulnerable to the rising tides. "When the tides peak the cycleway will definitely be underwater.
Source: ONE News

Kiwis associate sea air scent with home

Salt sea air has come out as the number one smell Kiwis associate with home. More than half those interviewed by an air freshener brand say the air that wafts in while you're at a holiday bach beats everything else as the epitome of New Zealand as a nation. One fifth opted for the smell of a sheep or dairy farm, a sixth went for Friday night fish and chips, and the hangi was at 10 percent.
By Alexia Russell

Young people urged to enrol

Young people are being warned that one in four of them may miss out on voting in this year's election if they don't act quickly and get enrolled. There are only a few weeks to go until the rolls close for printing ahead of the November 26th election and referendum on the voting system. National Manager of the Electoral Enrolment Centre Murray Wicks says over 120,000 18 to 24-year-olds and 57-thousand 25 to 29-year-olds still need to enrol. It's not compulsory to vote, but it is compulsory to be enrolled. Mr Wicks says don't miss out as it's easy to do it via Facebook, at postshops, online or on the phone.
By Katie Bradford-Crozier

Kiwis swapping cash for cards

Kiwis are swapping cash for cards, with one third keen to eliminate notes and coins altogether. According to a Debit Savvy Shopper Survey, Aucklanders are leading the trend. It says contactless technology is giving consumers more choice and convenience. Debit cards are proving to be particularly popular, with more than a quarter of shoppers taking advantage of the exchange rate and shopping online.
By Newstalk ZB staff

'Hug an Aussie Day' on its way for Nelson

Ahead of the Wallabies arrival on Wednesday, (for the Rugby World Cup game) Nelson Mayor Aldo Miccio has launched 'Hug an Aussie Day'. He says while there is a bit of sporting rivalry, there's only a tiny percentage of New Zealanders who actually bear some kind of grudge against Australians. He says it's important they are made to feel welcome. Mr Miccio says he is himself married to an Australian and has two half Aussie children.
Copyright 2002 - 2011, TelstraClear Ltd

Hoki catch increased after fishery bounceback

By TIM HUNTER
The fishing industry will be allowed to catch more hoki in the coming season, which starts next month, despite calls from fishing company Sanford for the limit be maintained. Fisheries minister Phil Heatley said the ministry's science programme indicated the hoki fishery had fully recovered from its decline. ''The science also indicates that the hoki fishery could support an even greater catch increase, but it is important that we act responsibly so I have agreed to a more modest increase.'' The total allowable commercial catch will rise by 10,000 tonnes to 130,000 tonnes from October 1, with the increase applying to hoki stocks in the western fishing area. Hoki is one of New Zealand's most important commercial fish species, generating about $100 million a year in export revenue.
BusinessDay.co.nz

Government websites crash

Fifteen government websites including the Companies Office site and business.govt.nz are expected to be offline until midday Wednesday at the earliest. It comes after an outage affected the Economic Development Ministry's servers. The ministry said the outage occurred on Saturday evening during work to upgrade the servers hosting the sites. It said it would extend any filing deadlines that occurred during the outage.

Nelson wines top the list

Nelson aromatic wines have beaten the best from Italy and the United States in an international competition coinciding with Rugby World Cup events in Nelson. Judges from these three countries, as well as Australia, blind-tasted 45 wines - riesling, pinot gris and gewurtztraminer and then selected their favourite 15 wines. New Zealand took the overall award, with seven wines in the 'first 15'. Italy had six and the United States two. The best riesling was judged Blackenbrook Vineyard Nelson 2009, the best pinot gris was an American wine, and an Italian wine won best gewurtztraminer.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Gala lunch to plug avocados in Japan

HAMISH RUTHERFORD
Avocado exporters will host dozens of Japanese food journalists this week as part of a plan to cope with New Zealand's largest harvest. About 80 media and trade representatives will lunch at New Zealand's embassy in Tokyo this week, hosted by ambassador Ian Kennedy, to promote the fruit's versatility and health benefits. More than 500,000 trays of New Zealand avocados are destined for the Japanese market this year, twice as much as ever before and more than five times as much as last season. About 5.8 million trays (31,900 tonnes) of avocados are expected to be produced in New Zealand this year, almost double last season's 3.1 million trays, and a fifth more than the previous record harvest.

New Zealand in good shape: PM

By DANYA LEVY
Prime Minister John Key says there is optimism China's economy will remain strong and that will buffer New Zealand from the latest round of turmoil on global financial markets. World stock markets plunged on Friday after a series of stark warnings that the global economy was near a "dangerous phase" and recession was looming. There are fears the European Central Bank will have to bail out Greece and the debt crisis could spread to other countries. Key said today there was now a high chance of Greece defaulting on its loans. However, New Zealand was in much better shape than most other countries, Key said. If you look at the plan we've had, that's been very strong, whether it's rolling out infrastructure and making sure we are competitive, the tax system that we've got, interest rates at a 45-year low, we've been taking pressure of the Reserve Bank and a plan to get back into surplus. "All of those strong macro economic policies make New Zealand competitive and most countries would trade their right arm for our position that we have at the moment, which is one of the best performing economies out there. "We're growing, others are not."
Stuff

Supermarkets with Asian food on the rise

Supermarkets selling Asian food are expanding rapidly in New Zealand, becoming bigger competitors to the two mainstream operators. Coriolis Research, a retail analysis group, estimates Asian supermarkets have cornered at least 5% of the market in New Zealand. Based on its latest data, that means those supermarkets are turning over between $500 million and $800 million a year. One of them, Taiping Trading Group, is the third largest supermarket chain in the country, following Foodstuffs and Progressive.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Cheap flights Wellington - Queenstown

Jetstar is to offer cheap daily flights from Wellington - Queenstown from December. The airline says the fares will begin at $79 one way. Chief executive David Hall says the price will challenge other airlines as it is 30% lower than what they are offering. Mr Hall says Jetstar will also run a twice-weekly Sydney - Queenstown flight from $199 one way from December.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Mass vaccinations begin against Meningitis C

A mass vaccination programme begins in Northland this week, to protect young people from an outbreak of meningitis. The C strain of meningococcus is relatively uncommon in New Zealand, but there have been six cases in the north since July. A baby and teenager have died. Northland Health is offering free immunisation shots for everyone aged12 months - 20 years. Medical Officer of Health Clair Mills says high school students are the first priority because they are in the high risk group and have exams coming up. Vaccinations start on Tuesday in schools in Whangarei and Kerikeri where there have been confirmed cases of meningitis.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Rugby World Cup - Ireland vs Russia & Argentina vs Scotland

Ireland ran in nine tries to beat a spirited Russia side 62-12 on Sunday and remain firmly on track to top Pool C and claim a place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals. Maintaining the momentum from their upset victory over Australia, the Irish secured a bonus point at Rotorua International Stadium with three tries in three minutes at the end of the second half against a Russian team playing its third game in 11 days.
Ireland: Tries: Fergus McFadden, Sean O'Brien, Isaac Boss, Keith Earls (2), Andrew Trimble, Rob Kearney, Shane Jennings, Tony Buckley. Penalty: Ronan O'Gara. Conversions: O'Gara (6), Jonathan Sexton.
Russia: Tries: Vasily Artemyev, Denis Simplikevich. Conversion: Konstantin Rachkov.
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)

Argentina vs Scotland
A pressure-packed arm wrestle in atrocious conditions ended in high drama with Argentina defeating Scotland 13-12 in their Pool B match. The result means Argentina are in the box seat to qualify second in Pool B, providing they can get a win over minnows Georgia in their final match. However if Scotland can beat pool favourites England at Eden Park on Saturday, the group would be decided on bonus points.

Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Rugby World Cup - Samoa beat Fiji

Samoa have beaten Fiji 27-7 in their pool D Rugby World Cup match in front of a sold-out Eden Park. Samoa scored 2 tries to 1 and led 12-nil at half time. The result means Samoa are second in their pool, although third placed Wales have a game in hand. Samoa play South Africa in their last pool match next weekend, while Fiji play Wales. The match between Ireland and Russia in Rotorua has just kicked off, while tonight in Wellington Scotland play Argentina with the winner likely to meet New Zealand in the quarter-finals.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Kiwi hatchery welcomes 1000th chick

Kiwi chick number 1000 has safely arrived at Rainbow Springs Kiwi Encounter hatchery in Rotorua, taking a painstaking five days to break out of its shell. The chick is from the Waimarino Forest near Ohakune. It hatched at 3.05pm yesterday under the watchful eye of the forestry environmental manager who transported the egg to the hatchery, as well as a very excited tour group and Rainbow Springs staff. The chick weighed in at a healthy 386.2 grams, which is slightly above average. Rainbow Springs involvement in kiwi conservation began in 1995 with the arrival of an orphaned egg and the hatchery has grown over the years to become the largest kiwi hatching facility in New Zealand, successfully incubating and hatching brown kiwi eggs from around the North Island.
Source: ONE News

GPs push blood pill says son of victim

TONY WALL - Sunday Star Times
Doctors hyave been "pushing" the new blood-thinning drug Pradaxa before its side-effects are fully known, says the son of a man who is fighting for his life in Tauranga Hospital after suffering an adverse reaction to the medicine. The body representing general practitioners has admitted they are on a "learning curve" on how to use Pradaxa and it will be years before they have full knowledge of its effects. A Sunday Star-Times investigation has found that at least four elderly heart patients have died, and dozens have suffered bleeds, after switching from the anti-clotting drug warfarin to the new-generation medicine Pradaxa, also known by its generic name, dabigatran. Clinical trials have found that at certain doses, Pradaxa has lower rates of bleeding and risk of stroke than warfarin, and its other main benefit is that it does not require continual blood tests. But it cannot be monitored and surgeons and haematologists are alarmed that there is no antidote to reverse its effects in the event of a major bleed.

All Black coach please to have quality opposition

The All Black coach is pleased for a quality work out after his side qualified for the rugby world cup quartefinals with a 37-17 win against France at eden park last night. The victory, in captain Richie McCaw's 100th test for the All Blacks, means New Zealand will meet the runners-up of Pool B -- probably Scotland or Argentina -- while France look destined for a showdown with England in the quarter-finals. Graham Henry says the game was what his team needed and he dismisses the notion France fielded a B side. On the injury front Richard Kahui is in doubt for next Sunday's game against Canada after taking a knock on the thigh and suffering a tight hamstring. Israel dagg has also suffered a haematoma on a thigh while Corey Jane was subbed because of a head knock. Adam Thomson rolled an ankle during the game. Earlier last evening England scored ten tries to beat Romania 67-3 in Dunedin.
New Zealand: Tries: Israel Dagg (2), Cory Jane, Adam Thomson, Sonny Bill Williams. Conversions: Daniel Carter (3). Drop goal: Carter.
France: Tries: Maxime Mermoz, Francois Trinh-Duc. Conversions: Dimitri Yachvili (2). Penalty: Yachvili.
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland).
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

'Extinct' NZ bird back from the dead

DNA evidence has confirmed the tiny New Zealand storm petrel - thought to be extinct for more than 150 years - is still alive. It was rediscovered in 2003 by birdwatchers Ian Saville and Brent Stephenson in the Hauraki Gulf but there was confusion as to how and where the bird survived, and whether it was actually a separate species, or just a more common species of storm petrel, with odd colouring. But now the University of Otago's Bruce Robertson has matched DNA from the Hauraki Gulf birds to tissue fragments from three museum specimens in England and France - confirming they are the same species, the Sunday Star-Times reported.
NZN

Rugby World Cup - Wallabies bounce back to wallop US

Australia vs USA
Adam Ashley-Cooper scored a hat-trick in seven minutes as Australia rebounded from last week's shock defeat to Ireland with a ruthless 67-5 Rugby World Cup victory over the United States.
England vs Romania
England have sent a strong warning to Scotland and the rest of their World Cup rivals with a 67-3 win over Romania in Dunedin tonight. (saturday)
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Mineral wealth keeps rising for WA

Commodity sales topped the $A100 billion mark in Western Australia for the first time last year. Record mineral, petroleum and gold sales boosted royalty payments to the State Government to $A4.9 billion in 2010-11. The ABC reports increased sales of iron ore and petroleum into Asia, and in particular China, are behind the increase in exports. Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore said sales had increased by about $A10 billion in the last 12 months.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

NZ 'in good shape' - English

By Audrey Young
Finance Minister Bill English said that compared to the pessimism in the United States, the New Zealand was in "pretty good (financial) shape." "Where we are affected is that while we are pretty sea-worthy, the sea itself is getting rougher." He was speaking from Washington yesterday where he is attending meetings of global lenders the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Mr English said there had been some interest in New Zealand because it had followed a course that was being advocated by the IMF: borrow less, spend carefully, pay off debt and make the economy more competitive.

Sky watchers relaxed over falling satellite

New Zealand sky watchers are relaxed about the big hunk of space junk hurtling towards Earth. NASA expects 26 fragments of the satellite will survive re-entry, but it's not sure where the pieces will end up. The debris field is expected to cover an area of about 800 square kilometres. Grant Christie at Auckland's Stardome Observatory says the chances of getting hit are slim. Mr Christie says if the satellite did burn up over New Zealand, people would see a bright burning streak and a smoke trail.
Copyright 2002 - 2011, TelstraClear Ltd

Daylight Saving begins

New Zealand Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, when 2am becomes 3am. The Department of Internal Affairs says Daylight Saving Time ends in 24 weeks on 1 April next year when clocks go back one hour.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Rugby World Cup - Wallabies bounce back to wallop US

Adam Ashley-Cooper scored a hat-trick in seven minutes as Australia rebounded from last week's shock defeat to Ireland with a ruthless 67-5 Rugby World Cup victory over the United States.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Rare NZ war medal fetches $228,000

A rare New Zealand war medal has sold for $228,000 at an auction in London. The New Zealand Cross is one of the rarest medals in the world, with only 23 ever awarded. This one was awarded to Thomas Adamson in 1876. He had no children and 98 years after he died his medal was put up for auction. The London auctioneer, Christopher Hill, said the sale price surpassed expectations. He said there has been a huge surge in interest in medal collecting.
Source: ONE News

Agreement reached over expansion of gold mine

The Department of Conservation and Oceana Gold have reached an agreement on a proposed expansion at Macrae's mine in East Otago. The mine is on private land. The area is also home to rare native plant and animal species. The agreement will result in Oceana Gold signing convenants that will permanently protect 155 hectares of comparable habitat. The company will fund a $100,000 programme to maintain populations of the roundhead Galaxias, an acutely threatened fish. In turn, DoC will not oppose applications for the mine's expansion.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Whooping cough outbreak

Health agencies on the West Coast say an outbreak of whooping cough is showing no sign of waning with a futher 18 cases in the past week. The outbreak is centred on Hokitika and 152 cases have been reported so far. Medical officer of health Cheryl Brunton says parents should keep children home from school or pre-school and stay home from work themselves, if they develop a persistent cough. Two people are in hospital with complications. Nelson Marlborough has also had an upsurge of cases in the past two months.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Coin auction records broken

Record sales have been achieved at an auction of collectable coins and banknotes in Wellington. Some $350,000 worth of collectables were sold at the auction on Friday. Collections of stamps are expected to bring the total to more than two million on Saturday. Mowbray Collectables says the auction has been running for 10 years and every year the prices have gone up. In the current economic climate, owner John Mowbray says buyers see collecting coins and banknotes as a good investment rather than just a hobby.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Vital North Island road link remains cut

One of the central North Island's vital state highway links remains closed tonight after another rock fall. It was hoped Manawatu Gorge would be open in time for next week's Rugby World Cup game in Napier but after another slip it could be weeks until it is open again. Workers are risking life and limb to try to get the road open again and they had hoped to get at least one lane open in time for traffic heading to Tuesday's rugby match between Canada and Japan. But the cliff face has collapsed again and David McGonagil from the New Zealand Transport Agency said the hillside is still very unstable.
Source: ONE News

NZ baby boys better at surviving the winter

Researchers at Victoria University in Wellington have found that baby boys in New Zealand buck international trends and are more likely to survive cold weather. International research has shown male foetuses are more fragile and therefore less likely to survive in cold weather, than females, resulting in fewer live male births. An analysis of census data since records began in New Zealand in the 1870s, has found that the gender split is almost equal. Researchers say that may come down to a lack of temperature extremes, better health care, better nutrition and a less stressful environment, or it may be that male babies are not as delicate in this country as they are in other countries.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Canterbury Uni course replicated in US

A Canterbury University course created after the region's earthquakes is being replicated in the United States to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Vermont University has adapted Canterbury's CHCH101: Rebuilding Christchurch course to suit its students. CHCH101 was launched at Canterbury in July, and was designed for students who had helped or wanted to help quake-hit residents. The course connects students with a community service project related to quake recovery. Course co-ordinator Billy O'Steen said it was excellent the university could take the experiences learnt after the quake to help people in other countries. After hearing about Hurricane Irene, O'Steen sent the course information to about 10 universities in the hurricane's path, and Vermont had been quick to adopt it.
The Press

Overseas buyers have keen eye on Wellington auction

An auction of a collection of coins, banknotes and stamps with an estimated worth of more than $2 million is being held in Wellington on Friday and Saturday. The auctioneer and founder of the Mowbray Collectables event, John Mowbray, says New Zealand coins and stamps attract interest from all over the world. He says most items are sourced from within the country, and more than 60% are bought by overseas buyers. This year's auction includes a never-before-seen series of stamp drafts from almost 120 years ago, estimated to sell for $25,000.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Chinese Vice Premier Hui to visit New Zealand

China's Vice Premier Hui Liangyu will visit New Zealand on September 27 and 28. Deputy Prime Minister Bill English will host Liangyu, who is the second-ranked of China's four Vice Premiers and a member of China's Politburo. He will be the most senior Chinese official visitor to New Zealand this year. Several Chinese Vice Ministers will accompany Liangyu who will preside over the signing of several bilateral arrangements as well as commercial deals during his visit. New Zealand and China signed a Free Trade Agreement in 2008 - the only comprehensive Free Trade Agreement China has concluded with a developed country.
Source: ONE News

Spring snow forecast for the weekend

Wintry weather is expected to return over parts of Southland, Otago and Canterbury this weekend. MetService says a cold front is forecast to cross the South Island on Saturday with "reasonable snowfall" likely about inland areas. "Behind it, snow is expected to fall to near sea level in Southland, and to a few hundred metres in Otago and Canterbury on Saturday night and into Sunday," weather ambassador, Bob McDavitt said.
Source: ONE News

Family history enthusiasts to spend night in library

Around 60 family history enthusiasts are set to spend the night locked in at Auckland Libraries research centre to study their ancestry. It's for the annual Karen Kalopulu Family History Lock-In. Library staff and volunteers from the New Zealand Society of Genealogists will be on hand to help people track their family history. Ms Lewis says some participants bring a blanket and pillow for a nap while others keep going with the help of plenty of caffeine. She says there's a big appeal to spending all night in the library. "The ability to be able to sit down and focus on researching your family history outside of library hours when they don't have to share perhaps with other researchers who are researching other topics," she says.
By Juliette Sivertsen

Stick to the economic basics, says English

Finance Minister Bill English says international policymakers now realise there are no more clever solutions to help get large economies out of double-dip recession, and it's time to stick to the basics. Mr English is attending the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington. He says economies have slowed down but a lot of the pessimism from organisations such as the International Monetary Fund is as much because large countries, including the United States, now know there are no more clever solutions and they have to borrow less, spend carefully and pay off debt. "In New Zealand we've been focussing on that now for the last two or three years. For a lot of other countries, they're going to have to go back to basics." Mr English says there is little confidence in the effectiveness of measures announced on Wednesday by the US Federal Reserve to tackle weakness in the American economy. "The general opinion is that it won't make much difference and actually it's time for the US Congress to sort out their tax system, start cutting their spending and get on top of their debt." New Zealand is in a comparatively good situation having been cutting debt for some time, and it is important that international lenders understand that and continue to lend money, he says.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Rugby - Tonga too good for Japan's Brave Blossoms

Tonga beat Japan 31-18 in a frenetic rugby World Cup clash on Wednesday to grab their first victory of the tournament and keep alive their slim hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.
Merciless South Africa thump Namibia
South Africa showed little mercy as they romped to a 12-try, 87-0 victory over minnows Namibia on Thursday to edge within sight of a Rugby World Cup quarter-final berth.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Samoa plans to increase taro exports - but mindful of quality

Samoa’s Ministry of Agriculture is taking precautions ahead of a push by local farmers to increase taro exports to markets such as New Zealand. The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Le Mamea Ropati, says some of the five species of taro approved for export are under the microscope to ensure they have top quality taste and can compete with the much in demand Fijian taro.
News Content © Radio New Zealand International

Changes to immigration laws for film workers

Unions and actors guilds will no longer have the right to object to a visa application for entertainment industry workers who wish to come here, under big changes announced by the Immigration Minister. Jonathan Coleman says the 20-year-old policy has been changed to be more simpler for workers here for 14 days or less on an international co-production. For those here for longer periods, such as during the making of feature films, more trust is put in employers who have a track record of bringing in workers. Performers here for music, arts or cultural festivals can come into the country on a visitor visa.
By Newstalk ZB staff

New units opened for prison mums

A Mother and Baby Unit has been opened at Christchurch Women's Prison which will allow mothers to keep the infant with them for two years. Corrections Minister Judith Collins opened the Christchruch facility and will open a unit at Auckland Region Women's Corrections Facility tomorrow. Until now, mothers who had babies while in prison were able to keep the infant with them for only nine months. An amendment bill was passed in 2008 which set out provisions for mothers to keep their children with them in prison up until two years of age but it was conditional on getting the infrastructure in place. "Every child deserves a good start in life. They deserve a stable, supportive environment with a mother who is committed to what is best for that child," Collins said.
Source: ONE News

Measles alert for more air passengers

More domestic air passengers are being warned that they have been exposed to measles. The Auckland Regional Public Health Service also says three more cases of measles have been confirmed in the region on Thursday, bringing the total to 167 since late May. The service had already alerted passengers on five flights that they were exposed to the virus and on Thursday added two more Air New Zealand flights. All passengers are being told the check their immune status immediately and to contact their doctor if they have any doubt.
Flights affected
Air New Zealand flight 428 on 17 September.
Air New Zealand flight 446 on 15 September.
Air New Zealand flight NZ 419 on 9 September.
Air New Zealand flight 464 on 12 September.
Jetstar flight JQ 244 on 18 September.
Jetstar flight JQ 265 on 13 September.
Jetstar flight JQ 263 on 12 September.

Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Maori tourism operators pitch for RWC visitors

Maori tourism operators are collaborating with key tourism agencies to give overseas Rugby World Cup visitors indigenous experiences. The Discover Maori guide, which will be available through the i-SITE network up and down the country, includes 115 Maori tourism and retail outlets. It's aimed at the growing appetite of international tourists hungry for genuine Maori tourism experiences - from eco-tours to eateries. The chief executive of New Zealand Maori Tourism, Pania Tyson-Nathan, says overseas visitors are increasingly seeking tours and events linked to Maori people and culture.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Rugby World Cup - All Blacks in black, France in white for match

Those of you superstitious about what colour the All Blacks wear - fear not. Saturday night's big Rugby World Cup 2011 clash against France will be the All Blacks versus the "all whites". New Zealand is deemed the home side for the pool match, which means France will wear its alternate strip of white top, white shorts, and white socks.
By Jenny Woods

Kevin Rudd in striking distance of old job

By LAWRENCE HAKIWAI - NewstalkZB
Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd is believed to be within striking distance of getting his old job back. There are reports he's working the phones to mount a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Opposition MP's are fanning rumours that Rudd only needs another seven votes.
Copyright 2002 - 2011, TelstraClear Ltd

Upgraded ferry due back in Wellington

The Cook Strait ferry Aratere is due back in Wellington on Friday after a five-month upgrade in Singapore. The ferry was supposed to be back in time for the start of the Rugby World Cup, but delays to the upgrade have made it three weeks late. Improvements include a new bow and propellors, as well as 30 metres added to its length.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

New measles alert as Auckland cases climb

Aucklanders are being urged to take extra precautions against measles as the number of cases continues to climb. An extra seven cases were confirmed on Wednesday, in addition to an an extra 35 in the week to Tuesday. It takes the total number of confirmed cases of measles in the region to 164 since late May. Public health authorities say the outbreak is now affecting workplaces, tertiary institutes, early childhood centres and schools. An extra seven people were in quarantine on Wednesday, bringing the total to 35 people in quarantine after being in contact with someon who has measles. The Ministry of Health says adults as well as children are getting measles, and those who are not immunised should get it done quickly.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Graffiti find at Christchurch Boys' High

By TINA LAW
Decades-old graffiti has been uncovered during the deconstruction of a heritage building at Christchurch Boys' High School. The building, called the Radio Shack, was built in 1874 as a farm building on the Deans family estate and has been used by the school since 1926. It was progressively damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes and is now being carefully pulled down so its heritage features can be retained. During the deconstruction, workers have found names and other scribbles from former pupils at the school, some dating back to the 1930s. The school's radio station used the building as a base for several years, and in the 1960s new walls were constructed. The inner linings of those walls have uncovered a list of radio club members who claimed to be part of the construction. DG Stock and JW Smart were listed as "designers and master builders", while G Batterbury was a "labourer".

Zara Phillips arrives in town

Zara Phillips is in town. The Queen's grand-daughter, equestrian champion and wife of England rugby player Mike Tindall, arrived yesterday in Auckland. She hasn't raced to Queenstown to rein in her new husband, though. She has had better things to do. Zara Phillips attended a charity event for Catriona Williams' CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust in Auckland. Her appearance was a surprise to guests - and to the English media, which had predicted she'd be here tomorrow. England's next Rugby World Cup 2011 match is on Saturday in Dunedin.
By Alexia Russell

Rugby World Cup - All Black team named to play France

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and playmaker Dan Carter have recovered from minor injuries and will return to the side to play France in this Saturday's key Rugby World Cup pool match in Auckland. All Black Henry says the French often play their very best rugby against the All Blacks and they can never be underestimated. The team is.... 15-Israel Dagg, 14-Cory Jane, 13-Conrad Smith, 12-Ma'a Nonu, 11-Richard Kahui, 10-Daniel Carter, 9-Piri Weepu, 8-Adam Thomson, 7-Richie McCaw (captain), 6-Jerome Kaino, 5-Sam Whitelock, 4-Brad Thorn, 3-Owen Franks, 2-Keven Mealamu, 1-Tony Woodcock
Replacements: 16-Andrew Hore, 17-Ben Franks, 18-Ali Williams, 19-Anthony Boric, 20-Andy Ellis, 21-Colin Slade, 22-Sonny Bill Williams
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

$10b shaved off NZ debt

New figures show New Zealand is not as deep in debt as previously thought. Changes to methods used by Statistics New Zealand have shaved $10 billion off the country's net debt. The government's statistician has included student loans of New Zealanders living abroad and Australian shares owned by trusts as assets for the first time.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Sharp jump in Wellington meningococcal cases

The number of cases of meningococcal disease in the Wellington region has jumped sharply in September, and one person has died. The regional public health service says there have been 10 cases of the potentially deadly disease so far this year - half of them in September. A medical officer of health, Annette Nesdale, says one young person died on Monday. Dr Nesdale says both the C and B strains are involved in Wellington. She will not release any other details other than to say it's not known yet what type of meningococcal disease was involved. An outbreak of the Type C strain in Northland recently claimed two lives.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

New anti-graffiti system could go international

The Auckland company behind an innovative anti-graffiti system says it's looking to sell it internationally. The system sprays pressurised water on the tagger's target when sensors are triggered. Graffiti Security Systems' latest version, known as Stormrail, was installed in the Palmerston North railyards on 20 July to protect the Capital Connection train that runs daily between Palmerston North and Wellington. If someone approaches the train at night, sensors are triggered and a pressurised flow of water covers it, preventing aerosol paint from sticking. Operations manager Anthony Bicknell says there have been no successful acts of vandalism in the past two months and they're looking to capitalise on their success.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Television recycling programme launched

Environment Minister Nick Smith is hoping that thousands of people will take part in television recycling programme launched on Wednesday. Dr Smith says that over the next four years more than half a million televisions containing lead will be added to the country's landfill, as people upgrade to digital sets. He is urging people to instead drop their old sets at The Warehouse stores across the country for free for the next two weeks, and the Government will pay for the parts to be recycled. About 96% of the parts in old televisions can be recycled, at a cost of about $10 - $15 per set.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Numbers holidaying overseas hit record level

The number of New Zealanders holidaying overseas hit a record high last month. Statistics New Zealand says overseas trips rose 6% to 191,000 in August, the highest number of trips by New Zealanders in any August since records began. Visitors from overseas were also at record levels, increasing 5% from July to 176,000. Of these, 4,400 said they were here for the Rugby World Cup, with half arriving in the final week of August. Meanwhile, the number of foreigners arriving to live in New Zealand outweighed permanent departures for the first time in six months.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Daylight saving could catch out rugby fans

Rugby fans could miss some of this weekend's World Cup games if they fail to adjust to daylight saving time. At 2am on Sunday morning, clocks will go forward an hour to 3am, and if fans are not on the ball, they could end up being an hour late for the day's matches. There are three matches on Sunday: Fiji take on Samoa at 3.30pm at Eden Park, Ireland play Russia in Rotorua at 6pm and Argentina face Scotland at 8.30pm in Wellington.
Source: ONE News

McDonald's loses healthy heart tick

McDonald's restaurants in Australia will lose the right to display the National Heart Foundation's Tick on foods marketed as healthy options. The fast food giant pays about $300,000 a year so it can put the trademarked tick next to fish burgers, salads and chicken wraps. But the Heart Foundation has told McDonald's Australia it is removing the company's right to use the Tick, which has been used to promote its foods during the past five years, News Ltd reports. A number of smaller takeaway chains, including gourmet pizza group Crust, will also lose the Tick, but the symbol will remain on supermarket foods. The foundation also plans to announce a new plan to conduct random tests on restaurant and takeaway food for levels of saturated fat and salt.
- AP

Redhead sperm donors welcome, says doctor

By MICHELLE COOKE
Sperm donors with red hair, brown hair, blonde hair or no hair at all are all welcome in New Zealand, a leading fertility expert says. While one of the world's largest sperm banks has reportedly rejected sperm from red haired men because of little demand, New Zealand sperm banks welcomed swimmers from most men, and were definitely not putting a ban on redheads, Dr Richard Fisher said. Fisher, who works for the country's largest fertility clinic Fertility Associates, said there had always been a shortage of sperm donors in New Zealand. "We'd like to have enough donors for everyone and the issue of whether they've got red hair or not is a red herring," he said. London's Daily Telegraph reported that Denmark's Cryos sperm bank, which provides sperm to women in 65 countries, has started turning away red-haired donors because there is very little demand for their sperm.

Intern speed-dating wins international award

A Dunedin internship programme in which employers use a speed dating-style technique to interview students has won overseas recognition. The International Economic Development Council is giving an honorary award to the Sexy Summer Jobs programme, developed by the Dunedin City Council and Otago Polytechnic. The programme was started two years ago when it was realised the polytech's students could not find work in Dunedin, yet employers were short of experienced workers. Students sit for up to ten seven-minute interviews seeking a subsidised summer internship.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Sauvignon blanc wins supreme Marlborough award

A Marlborough sauvignon blanc has been judged champion wine of the region's first wine show. Invivo sauvignon blanc 2011 took the supreme winner's title from more than 420 entries, as well as winning the champion sauvignon blanc award for the year. Seventeen trophies were awarded at the show.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Another trans-Tasman cable planned

A third undersea internet cable is to be built between Auckland and Sydney. The Australasian telecommunications news service Communications Day is reporting that Axin and Huawei Marine will build the new trans-Tasman link. Axin is the New Zealand and Australia market representative of China Communications Service. Communications Day says work on the link will begin before the end of the year. The new cable will compete with the Southern Cross link and Pacific Fibre's planned cable.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Public encouraged to have a say in Family Court review

By Katie Bradford-Crozier - NewstalkZB
The public is being called on to have a say on an extensive Government review of the Family Court. The review is being carried out after concerns that costs have increased 63 percent since 2004 while applications have remained stable. Justice Minister Simon Power says there's no resulting improved outcomes as far as he can see, which indicates our second busiest court is not as effective and efficient as it should be. People can make submissions until the end of February next year.

Swimming with orcas

DENISE PIPER AND DELWYN DICKEY
An orca researcher is getting international exposure for her work with the top marine predators. Ingrid Visser and the Tutukaka-based Orca Research Trust have starred in a documentary aired by the BBC. The Woman Who Swims With Killer Whales is a joint production by BBC and Discovery Channel which follows Visser's unique research on New Zealand orcas. It was filmed mostly around Whangarei Harbour and the Tutukaka coast but also Kawau Island and Big Manly. Snells Beach underwater cameraman Steve Hathaway is part of the team that helped film it. The documentary has aired in the United Kingdom last week to rave reviews and within hours Visser's website had more than 5000 hits.
Rodney Times

Time is right for Kiwi tech start-ups - Massey

The head of Massey Universityâs business innovation centre says the environment is now right in New Zealand for technology start-up companies to succeed internationally. Chief executive of the Albany campus-based e-centre, Steve Corbett, believes business in the country has grown sufficiently over the past decade. He says technology investment companies from the United States are now actively looking for emerging New Zealand technologies. Mr Corbett says this is illustrated by last weekâs sale of high tech pipe profiling company CleanFlow Systems, which grew from the e-centre on the Albany campus.
By Nicola Grigg

Origins of visitors to New Zealand changing

By Juliette Sivertsen - NewstalkZB
The origins of visitors to New Zealand are changing according to a new report. The Ministry of Economic Development has released its updated Tourism Forecast, indicating the Chinese tourism market will overtake the American and British markets in spending by mid-2012. It won't be until 2014 that the number of Chinese tourists will exceed those from the UK and US. However the report reveals Australia will remain our largest market by a considerable margin, with $1.9 billion expenditure forecast for 2016.

Rugby World Cup a winner for Maori TV

Maori Television's Rugby World Cup coverage is scoring with viewers and setting records for the station. Friday's Japan versus All Blacks game drew the channel's highest audience ever, with 696,430 tuning in, almost double the previous best a week earlier for the England-Argentina game. On Saturday 487,730 viewers watched Australia play Ireland, winning the 8.30pm to 10.15pm timeslot.
Copyright 2011, APN Holdings NZ Limited

Google tops dream employer list

Google has again topped a list of firms that Australians and New Zealanders would most like to work for. It's the second year in a row the search engine giant has crowned the nation's dream employer list. Google handed its employees a 10 percent raise last year and its workers famously enjoy funky offices, massages and naps on company time. The Insync Surveys and RedBalloon 2011 Dream Employers Survey found that in New Zealand, self-employment was the second most popular option, followed by Air New Zealand, Apple and Kiwi Bank.
By Alexia Russell

Fisherman lands 305kg tuna

By KIRSTY MCMURRAY
A monster bluefin tuna worth up to $US80,000 (close to NZ$100,000) in Tokyo was brought ashore at Port Taranaki yesterday. But this tuna will not be gracing the plates of Japan's top restaurants – it is destined for barbecue hot plates this summer. The tuna, weighing in at 305.8 kilograms, was the first catch of its kind for Te Awamutu's Jeremy Walker, who hooked the giant on a game fishing trip off Westport in the South Island. "I've never caught one before. It's a once-in-a-lifetime fish, I think," he said. Fishing boat skipper David Donald, from Marokopa, said he had seen tuna that size go for as much as US$80,000 at the Tokyo fish markets.
Taranaki Daily News

Health of economy due to be revealed

Checks on the health of the New Zealand economy are due later this week, and are expected to show the recovery remained subdued in the three months to June. Balance of Payments for the June quarter, a measure of the country's international dealings, are due out on Wednesday and Gross Domestic Product figures are due to be issued on Thursday. Despite the earthquake in Christchurch in February, GDP cracked along in the first three months of the year, jumping 0.8%, though the recovery remained patchy. Migration and credit card billings for August are also due to be issued on Wednesday. The BNZ Business New Zealand Performance of Services Index is due on Monday morning.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

No figures on Solomon Islands overstayers in Australia

The Solomon Islands prime minister is pleased that Australia has agreed to help encourage Solomon Island overstayers to return home. Danny Philip asked the Australia prime minister, Julia Gillard, for help during the recent Pacific Islands Forum summit in Auckland. Julia Gillard then agreed she’d look into the issue and be of assistance, promising such overstayers won’t be ostracised.
News Content © Radio New Zealand International

Second study on Clifford Bay ferry terminal

By KATIE CHAPMAN
A high-level study designed to decide whether a ferry terminal at Clifford Bay goes ahead is being followed up by another study. Transport Minister Steven Joyce announced today that further evaluation of Clifford Bay and the business case will be carried out. An economic report carried out this year had found there was ''a financial and economic case for progressing Clifford Bay''. Shifting the ferry to Clifford Bay which is South of Seddon would allow traffic to bypass Picton, Blenheim and Seddon, cutting about 50 minutes off the road journey to Christchurch, and up to 80 minutes off the train journey.

Interment site for quake victims

Construction has begun of an interment site for the remains of unidentified victims of the Christchurch earthquake. The site at the Avonhead Cemetery was blessed by Ngai Tahu representatives on Monday. Work is due to be completed by December. Of the 181 victims of the quake on 22 February, the remains of four people who died in the collapsed CTV building were never found. They were Shawn Lucas, Rhea Sumalpong, Elsa Torres de Frood and Valeri Volnov and the site will also serve as a memorial to them.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Thunderstorms heading for upper North Island

By Alexia Russell - NewstalkZB
Hundreds of thunderstorms are moving towards the upper North Island this afternoon. WeatherWatch says in the past hour alone its lightning tracker has detected over 1150 strikes, just west of Auckland and Northland. It's warning residents and motorists across the two regions, and surrounding regions such as Waikato and Coromandel Peninsula, to keep up to date with the latest forecasts. Head weather analyst Philip Duncan says this is one of the most active thunder bands seen in some time.

Rugby World Cup - Cup play-off picture changes

The Rugby World Cup play-off picture has changed dramatically following Ireland's win over Australia at Eden Park on Saturday night. Radio New Zealand's rugby reporter says it could mean that Tri-Nations teams will be on one side of the knockout draw and the Europeans on the other. Unless Ireland slip up, they will finish top of pool C and Australia will be second, meaning the Tri-Nations champions will have to meet South Africa in the quarter-finals. All going well the winner of that match will then face the All Blacks in the semi-finals. That leaves the other side of the draw to be contested by European teams. Ireland now control pool C and could go on to face Wales in the quarter-finals, as long as they beat Italy in their last match. England could play France in the other.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Helicopter tours popular

Helicopter tours of parts of Christchurch damaged by the earthquakes are gaining in popularity. Three helicopter operators are flying over the central city with two of them incorporating Lyttelton and Sumner in the tour. One of them, Helipro, says most of its customers are Canterbury people who want to see the city before the demolition crews finish their work.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Prison mothers can now keep babies for longer

Women in prison are now able to keep their babies with them for longer, as a law change takes effect from Monday, 19 September. The age limit for infants living in prison is now extended from nine months to two years. Mother and baby units at Auckland Regional women's corrections facility and Christchurch women's prison open their doors this week, following construction and conversion work. Plunket says the change is a step in the right direction, but says it should go further because international evidence shows the first three years of a child's development are crucial.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Rugby World Cup - Updates

Wales 17 vs Samoa 10.
Wales has survived a massive challenge from Samoa to win their Pool D Rugby World Cup 2011 clash in Hamilton. The Samoans played with plenty of intensity and took a 10-6 lead into halftime.
England 41 vs Georgia 10.
England put their off-field distractions behind them to subdue a plucky Georgian side 41-10 at Otago Stadium in Dunedin. England will be better off for tonight's hitout, but will know they have a huge amount of improving to do before the quarter-final stage of the tournament.
France 49 vs Canada 19
France produced their best rugby late in the 46-19 World Cup defeat of Canada in Napier. The scores were level at 10-10 late in the first half before three straight penalties to halfback Morgan Parra pushed the French nine points clear at halftime. France scored four tries to one and the strong finish will give them some confidence heading into their key pool fixture against the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday.

Rugby World Cup - Still two more games - Irish skipper

Irish flanker Sean O'Brien fends off Australian winger James O'Connor at Eden Park.
PHOTO: AFP

Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll celebrated his first Rugby World Cup win over Australia on Saturday night, but warned that the job was "only half-done." The Irish now aim to finish as Pool C winners and potentially set up a quarter-final clash against Wales. ''It is a performance we knew we had in us. We had to dig deeper than we had done in the last five games," said the skipper after Ireland's 15-6 victory. ''We will enjoy this, but let's not forget that we have two more games.'' Coach Declan Kidney also refused to get carried away with the victory. However, he added: ''It's the fifth time we have played Australia in the Rugby World Cup and you get a bit fed up with losing.'' Ireland next play Russia on 25 September and Italy on 2 October.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Fanzone crowds throng Napier

By Bruce Russell - NewstalkZB
Large crowds are heading to Napier's fanzone ahead of the city's first Rugby World Cup match. France and Canada play tonight at McLean Park at 8.30. The fanzone on Napier's Marine Parade is attracting both locals and visitors as part of the region's World Cup party. With 17 thousand people expected at tonight's match, the Art Deco party on the waterfront is proving a hit. Many roads around McLean Park are already closed off to traffic. Both teams are coming off wins from their last Pool A games, so the crowd is expecting a good result from both sides.

Antarctic oil sets up cold war

By MICHAEL FIELD
Construction of a startling new base on the Ross Sea coast will bring millions of dollars to Christchurch but raises questions over possible rival bids over New Zealand's potentially oil-rich Antarctic claim. South Korea, using a Lyttelton-based icebreaker, will next year begin building a $120 million base at Terra Nova Bay, 300km north of New Zealand's Scott Base. Jang Bogo, named after an eighth-century maritime king who controlled Asia's Yellow Sea, will be one of the largest permanent bases after Scott Base and the United States' McMurdo Station. Hyundai Engineer and Construction will build the 4000m2 Jang Bogo base, which will house 15 people in winter and 60 in summer. An environmental review noted that because the Terra Nova Bay lacks suitable runways, the materials will all be shipped from Busan to Christchurch where it will be loaded aboard Korea's new icebreaker, Araon.
Fairfax Media

Ngati Kahungunu chair hails Takitimu festival success

Ngati Kahungunu chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana says the second international Takitimu festival held in Hastings this week has been an outstanding success. The festival included the Indigenous Peoples Business Conference which attracted iwi representatives from all over New Zealand, as well as visitors from the Pacific, China and Canada. Mr Tomoana says the conference part of the event focused on strengthening overseas business links, between Maori and other peoples with a similar cultural outlook.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Northland Health seeks help to combat meningitis

Northland Health says it will be calling on Maori health workers around the region to help with a vaccination programme against meningitis. Of the six cases of the meningitis C strain in Tai Tokerau since July this year, half the cases have been young Maori. Two people have died. Northland Health says normally, it would see only two cases a year of the killer disease. It is embarking on a mass immunisation programme with a vaccine it says has been used safely in Britain and Europe for many years. The vaccine will be free for everyone aged from 12 months to 20 years. Northland Health says its first priority is high school students in communities where there have already been meningitis cases, including Okaihau, Kaikohe, Taipa and Bream Bay.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Claims about end of diabetes programme dismissed

Diabetes New Zealand has rubbished claims that a Government-funded diabetes programme has failed because it did not give strong enough direction about healthy eating. The Society of Naturopaths says the programme is being ended because it advised diabetics to avoid unhealthy foods rather than to stop eating them entirely. But Diabetes NZ says the programme had little to do with healthy eating and was focussed on catching complications from the disease early on. Last week, the Government announced the end of the programme after a review found it failed to deliver any tangible health benefits.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Rugby World Cup - Irish eyes smiling at Eden Park

Irish rugby fans danced impromptu jigs outside Eden Park after their side produced the first big upset at the Rugby World Cup on Saturday night. Ireland beat Australia 15-6. No tries were scored and Ireland's points came from four penalties and a dropped goal. But the crowd of about 58,000 did no seem to mind. The half time score was 6-6. It was a famous victory - Ireland's first over Australia in five attempts at World Cups. Ireland's next game is against Russia in Rotorua on 25 September.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Rugby World Cup - Todays games

South Africa vs Fiji
South Africa easily beat Fiji in their Rugby World Cup pool match in Wellington on Saturday night, running out winners by 49-3. South Africa led 21-3 at halftime. On a fine night at Wellington Regional Stadium the Springboks scored six tries, five of them converted, and three penalties to Fiji's single penalty.
Argentina vs Romania
Argentina's beaten Romania 43-8 in their Rugby World Cup pool match in Invercargill. Argentina led 26-8 at halftime. It's Argentina's first win at the tournament after losing their opening game to England and sets up a showdown with Scotland in Wellington next Sunday with the winner in pole position to ensure a the quarter-finals bert
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Rugby World Cup - Weekend matches

Three Rugby World Cup pool matches will be played on Saturday.
The first is in Invercargill when Argentina play Romania at Rugby Park stadium at 3.30pm.
Next South Africa play Fiji in Wellington at the Regional stadium at 6pm.
Then Australia play Ireland in Auckland at Eden Park at 8.30pm.
A further three pool matches will be held on Sunday.
Wales play Samoa in Hamilton at Waikato stadium at 3.30pm.
England play Georiga in Dunedin at Otago stadium at 6pm
France play Canada in Napier at McLean Park at 8.30pm.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Flu cases low this year

Wellington medical officer of health Margot McLean says she is not sure why the number of influenza cases has been so low this year. According to the latest figures, the peak weekly consultation rate for influenza-like illnesses this year, is 60 consultations per 100,000 people. This is well below the peak of 151 per 100,000 people in 2010 and 284 in 2009. Dr McLean does not see any concrete reason why this year's tally should be so low, but says the Swine Flu of 2009 and 2010 means the consultation rate in those years was very high.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

US reveals Pharmac demands in trade talks

The United States has for the first time revealed the demands it will make in relation to Pharmac as part of a trade deal with New Zealand. They were revealed in a document from the US Trade Representative's office during the latest round of talks for the TransPacific Partnership in Chicago, this week. Radio New Zealand's economics correspondent says they call for transparency and procedural fairness in Government healthcare reimbursement programmes such as Pharmac. Victoria University intellectual property specialist Suzy Frankel says the demands match those of the American pharmaceutical industry. She says that if agreed to, they could undermine Pharmac's ability to get the best value for money from drug purchases.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Rugby World Cup - All Blacks thrash Japan

The All Blacks thrashed Japan 83-7 in their second Rugby World Cup match in Hamilton on Friday.
New Zealand - Tries: Conrad Smith, Richard Kahui (2), Jerome Kaino, Keven Mealamu, Andy Ellis, Colin Slade, Sonny Bill Williams (2), Isaia Toeava, Andrew Hore, Ma'a Nonu, Adam Thomson. Conversions: Slade (9)
Japan - Tries: Hirotoki Onozawa; Conversions; Murray Williams
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Northland Health seeks help to combat meningitis

Northland Health says it will be calling on Maori health workers around the region to help with a vaccination programme against meningitis. Of the six cases of the meningitis C strain in Tai Tokerau since July this year, half the cases have been young Maori. Two people have died. Northland Health says normally, it would see only two cases a year of the killer disease. It is embarking on a mass immunisation programme with a vaccine it says has been used safely in Britain and Europe for many years. The vaccine will be free for everyone aged from 12 months to 20 years.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

New agency to regulate natural health products

Parliament is making another attempt to regulate ''natural'' health products such as Chinese medicines, herbal remedies and dietary supplements. Legislation creating a stand-alone agency to oversee the industry has unanimously passed its first reading. Dr Coleman says the new regulations would cover a wide range of products and the set-up costs would be met by the Government. The industry is estimated as being worth an estimated $760 million per year in New Zealand.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Australia and NZ shortlisted for telescope site

Australia and New Zealand are shortlisted to host the most powerful radio telescope ever invented. The Square Kilometre Array telescope will detect radio frequency signals from space through thousands of receptors, covering an area of one square kilometre. Australia and New Zealand are vying against South Africa to host the telescope. The final site for the telescope will be decided early next year and it will be in operation by 2020.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Baby blood samples to be held forever

The Government has decided that more than two million blood-spot samples collected from newborn babies will be kept indefinitely. ''Guthrie'' cards have been collected from every baby born in New Zealand - 65,000 per year - as part of a screening programme to identify and treat those born with serious metabolic disorders, such as cystic fibrosis. There has been mounting concern over access by researchers and others, and new governance arrangements were issued on Friday. Under these, individual written consent will be required for population research on samples collected before June this year. Meanwhile, Radio New Zealand's health correspondent says ''Guthrie'' cards were used to identify victims of the Christchurch quakes, and may be used to identify Pike River victims.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Did your ancestors support women's suffrage?

The historic 1893 petition that helped New Zealand women get the vote is available online letting people see whether their family members were among those who signed. People can visit a database - which contains the names and addresses of about 24,000 people age 21 or over - and search by name or location to find out whether their family members signed the petition. They can also add posts with information or experiences about people on the list. Manatu Taonga, Archives New Zealand, and the Ministry of Women's Affairs created the database to mark Women's Suffrage Day on September 19, which is the day the Governor Lord Glasgow signed the Electoral Act into law to grant women the vote. The 1893 petition was signed by Mary J Carpenter and 25,519 others, and the roll of names is now preserved at Archives New Zealand and available online at the nzhistory.net.nz website. Further research is required to find out what happened to the 1500 names missing. New Zealand was the first self-governing country in the world to grant all women the right to vote.
NZN

Student loan amendment bill passes first reading

Government legislation that would shorten the repayment holiday for overseas-based student loan borrowers has passed its first reading in Parliament. Revenue Minister Peter Dunne says it would maximise repayments from New Zealand-based student loan borrowers by removing their ability to offset losses against their net incomes to reduce loan repayments. He says overseas-based borrowers would also have their repayment holidays cut from three years to one. Mr Dunne says the legislation has been sent to a select committee for further consideration.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

Plenty of money needed to restore historic ferry

The last of Auckland's big double ended ferries still afloat will take hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore. The Kestrel is back in Auckland after spending recent years as a a floating restaurant in Tauranga. Waterfront Auckland has donated around $85,000 to pull the boat out of the water next month to inspect it. Kestrel Preservation Society member Hugh Gladwell says the group wants to see the Kestrel sailing up and down the Waitemata again. "We're looking at about $200,000 to $300,000 to get the boat operating again, in other words to get the boat sound, seaworthy and to get the engine running."
By Blair Cunningham

Russian free trade negotiations could get boost

There'll be give and take in free trade negotiations with Russia. But John Key won't be drawn on what the details might be, after talks with the country's deputy prime minister Alexander Zhukov. They met in New Plymouth before Russia's Rugby World Cup 2011 match against the USA team last night. "Obviously from New Zealand's perspective on the dairy side of things, Russia are very strong in terms of oil exploration and exports." A free trade agreement with New Zealand would be Russia's first with a developed country. Mr Key says should National win the election, he expects to visit Russia twice next year.
By Kim Savage

Rugby World Cup - United States beats Russia, 13-6

The United States has beaten Rugby World Cup first-timers Russia 13-6. The Pool C match was played in New Plymouth. It is the first time Russia has played in a Rugby World Cup tournament
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Quarter of New Zealanders obese

New health findings show New Zealand obesity rates have increased, with more than a quarter of the country now obese, up from about a fifth 12 years ago. Researchers who conducted the Adult Nutrition Survey in 2008 and 2009 say this probably means people are exercising less than they did when the last survey was done in 1997. Nearly 28% of men are now obese, up 10%, while the rate for women has risen 7% to the same total. An Otago University professor of human nutrition and medicine, Jim Mann, consulted on the survey and says New Zealand is high up in the ranks globally, where obesity has reached a pandemic level.
Copyright © 2011 Radio New Zealand

Research by think tank suggests expanding seasonal worker scheme

New research by an independent think tank suggests the New Zealand government should expand its seasonal worker scheme to include more Pacific people. The Maxim Institute has released a policy paper with key recommendations for improving New Zealand’s contribution to foreign aid and international development. Under the Recognised Seasonal Employer or RSE scheme, more than five thousand Pacific Islanders find work each year in New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture industries. About two thousand more RSE workers come from Asian countries. Researcher Dr Jane Silloway Smith says one of their recommendations is to increase the number of Pacific seasonal workers and cut back those from Asia.
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