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PLAY: MR NEW THEME:
PRESENTER ONE: Good morning, This is MORNING REPORT on RADIO NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL ,
It's Thursday February the 3rd.I'm Geoff Robinson.
PRESENTER TWO: and I'm Simon Mercep
On the programme this morning .. Cyclone Yasi comes ashore at Mission Beach in Queensland .
PRESENTER ONE: Rocks and Petrol bombs thrown as Pro Mubarak supporters clash with protestors in Cairo's Tahrir Square...
PRESENTER TWO: and knowing the election date this far out..does it help or hinder ?
With Radio New Zealand news, here's Nicola Wright
06:00am news bulletin
You're with Morning Report - in this hour
*Violence erupts in Cairo's Tahrir Square between pro-democracy protesters and supporters of President Hosni Mubarak. Claims are made the presidents supporters are made up of members of the secret police.
* In an unprecedented move the PM names election day 10 months out.
*and Andrew Mears, the hunter who shot dead 25-year-old Rosemary Ives' at a DoC campground, is jailed for manslaughter.
But first ,
One of the most powerful cyclones on record is pummelling Queensland.
In the early hours of this morning, Cyclone Yasi crossed the far north Queensland coast at the tourist town of Mission Beach, halfway between Cairns and Townsville.
The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre's Neil Bennett says wind gusts of up to 290 kilometres an hour have hit the town of Innisfail.
PLAY AUDIO: YASI DANGEROUS CUT
IN:......it's a phenomenal speed
OUT:... to be in
DUR:...13
The deputy mayor of the local council, (Cassowary Coast council), Mark Nolan, says the authorities in Innisfail feel helpless because it's too dangerous to respond to calls for help.
PLAY AUDIO: YASI NOLAN CUT
IN:......We're getting
OUT:...emergency service etc
DUR:...20
The ABC's Murray Cornish is in Townsville and he joins us now.
* what's it been like overnight
* worried about how long Yasi stays over them
* but storm surges not so bad
Violence has erupted in Cairo's Tahrir Square between pro-democracy protesters and supporters of the embattled President Hosni Mubarak.
Unconfirmed reports suggest more than 100 anti-Mubarak protesters have been injured.
Thousands of Egyptians are crowding the square, unmoved by Mr Mubarak's declaration yesterday that he would leave politics when his term expires in September.
The United States president, Barack Obama, has repeated his call for a peaceful transition of power in Egypt but in Tahrir Square, the scenes were anything but peaceful.
The pro and anti-Mubarak factions exchanged volleys of stones and Egyptian state television pictures showed bloodied protesters being dragged to safety by supporters.
Protesters and journalists in the square reported seeing police officers taking part in the violence, but this was denied by Egypt's Interior Ministry.
From Tahrir Square, here's the BBC's Ian Pannell:
PLAY AUDIO: PANNELL CUT
IN:......there are pitched
OUT:... tahrir square
DUR:... 1:24
Ian Pannell in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
PLAY MR HEADLINES BED
The top stories this morning on RADIO NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL
* Cyclone Yasi hits Queensland - we'll have coverage throughout the programme
* Violent clashes in Egypt
* The 90-day probation period may have led to more jobs
and.... John Key sets an election date, and draws a line on possible coalition partners
PLAY AUDIO:0617 KEY TRAIL
IN:......IF WINSTON PETERS
OUT:...LED LABOUR GOVERNMENT
DUR:...4
We'll hear from Winston Peters after seven, here on Morning Report.
And now to the Pacific news with Megan Whelan
Pacific news bulletin
And now the rural news with Demelza Leslie in studio
Rural news bulletin
Now it's the Waatea news with Eru Rerekura
PLAY AUDIO: waatea 01 thursday
IN:...... Nga mihi o te ata,
OUT:... 10 to nine.
DUR:... 3:11
PLAY AUDIO: 0630 BED
FADE UNDER PRESENTERS AFTER TWO BEATS UNTIL THEY THROW TO THE NEWS
PRESENTER ONE: It's 6.30
You're listening to MORNING REPORT on RADIO NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL with Geoff Robinson and Simon Mercep
PRESENTER TWO: This morning ..One of the most powerful cyclones on record pummells Queensland.
PRESENTER ONE: pro Mubarak protestors attack the crowd in Cairo's main square.
PRESENTER TWO and in business , the risk that high commodity prices may crash.
But first, here's Nicola Wright with the news......
06:30 News bulletin
Within the last half hour, Cyclone Yasi has been downgraded to a category four cyclone after crossing the Queensland coast.
But that hasn't helped battered residents, as the state took an overnight hammering.
A North Queensland local councillor, Ross Sorbello, says the town of Tully,
southwest of where Yasi first crossed the coast, has been devastated by the cyclone.
Mr Sorbello is sheltering in a car with his wife and mother after being forced to leave his mother's house when the roof was blown off.
PLAY AUDIO: YASI TULLY CUT
IN:......Her house the
OUT:...totally devastated
DUR:...21
Simone Austin took refuge in a pub at Tully, with about 60 backpackers and 20 locals.
PLAY AUDIO: YASI SIMONE CUT
IN:......It got pretty scary
OUT:...under doors and stuff
DUR:...15
For the latest, the duty forecaster at the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre, Rick Threlfall, joins us now.
This year's election campaign is set to be a marathon, after the Prime Minister announced the election date 10 months ahead of polling day.
John Key says he broke with tradition to give the public certainty.
From parliament Chris Bramwell reports.
PLAY AUDIO: Election Thurs Pkg
IN:......John Key concedes that
OUT:...Chris Bramwell
DUR:...3'07"
PLAY MR HEADLINES BED
the top stories this morning on RADIO NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL
* Residents are told they're on their own as the biggest cyclone in living memory hits Queensland
* John Key says he won't work with New Zealand First - we ask Winston Peters what he thinks of that
* Phil Goff dismisses claims he pressured the Navy to deploy HMNZS Canterbury
And ...Egyptian protestors clash with Hosni Mubarak's supporters in Cairo
PLAY AUDIO: 0644 CAIRO TRAIL
IN:......SOME ROCKS WERE
OUT:...THERE WAS TEAR GAS
DUR:...6 SECS
Coverage of the crisis in Egypt throughout the programme, here on Morning Report.
Time now for a look at the morning newspapers ... with Cyclone Yasi sweeping across all the front pages.
The New Zealand Herald says its the 'mother of all storms,' with evacuation centres so full, there's been no room for late comers.
Featuring satellite imagery which compares Yasi with Hurricane Katrina, the paper says a massive rescue and recovery effort is planned in response to the most powerful cyclone in Australian history.
The front page is completed by a picture of Cairns hospital patients being airlifted to Brisbane for safety.
The Dominion Post says Yasi will be scoring a 'king hit' on Queensland, as the state's agony continues, just weeks after it was ravaged by floods.
It says nervous tension hung over Cairns and Townsville last night, as winds and rain began to pick up.
And there's a photo of one family who were left to fend for themselves in the open after their local emergency centre was declared full, with the gate locked.
In other news ... the paper follows yesterday's news about Children's Commissioner John Angus, by revealing that another public service chief has been funded by taxpayers to commute, this time from his family home in Australia.
And Victoria University professor Sir Paul Callaghan has been named New Zealander of the Year for his work in nanotechnology and magnetic resonance.
Describing a 'monster' storm, the Press talks to former Cantabrians in Queensland who were last night battening down the hatches.
The Holmes family now live in Townsville and planned to stay in their home, but have put masking tape across windows to stop them shattering and barricaded the front door.
And finally to the Otago Daily Times, which takes a similar approach with former Dunedin man Damian Philippa, whose family were last night holed up in a friend's hillside house in Cairns anticipating the onslaught.
Closer to home, grave fears are held for the safety of a Roxburgh man believed to have fallen into the swollen, swift-flowing Talla Burn near Beaumont yesterday while taking water samples.
TRAFFIC: Now, the traffic news
BUSINESS: It's time for the business news - here's ....
Business news bulletin
PLAY MR NEW THEME:
PRESENTER ONE: Nau no mai haere mai ki Morning Report.
It's Thursday February the 3rd.
Ko Simon Mercep tenei
PRESENTER TWO: Ko Geoff Robinson tenei ... On the programme this morning...Winds up to 290 kilomtres per hour lash Queensland with the state's Premier tells her people "You're on your own until the cyclone has passed"
PRESENTER ONE: Petrol Bombs and Rocks thrown as clashes break out between pro and anti Mubarak supporters in Egypt
PRESENTER TWO: and the politics of naming the election date this far out..Where does that leave Winston?
Kei Konei a Nicola Wright me nga pito pito kōrero
and this is Morning Report - coming up on the programme
* Pro Mubarack supporters, many believed to be secret police, clash with pro-democracy protesters demonstators in
Cairo's Tahrir Square. Shots are fired as the army stands by watching the violence escalate.
*Winston Peters responds to John Key's refusal to work with him after the election.
*and Rosemary Ives' mother calls for more people to be prosecuted for her daughters shooting death at a DoC campground.
Cyclone Yasi is pounding the state of Queensland this morning.
One of the most powerful cyclones on record has uprooted trees, torn roofs off buildings, with more danger to come from deadly storm surges.
The duty forecaster at the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre, Rick Threlfall, told Morning Report it's been a massive weather event, with the eye of the system crossing the northern coast of Queensland at about 2 oclock this morning.
PLAY AUDIO: CYCLONE RICK
IN:...... WHEN IT CAME ONTO
OUT:... IN PLACES
DUR:...22
The town of Tully, southwest of where Yasi first crossed the coast, has been devastated.
A local councillor, Ross Sorbello, has been sheltering in a car with his wife and mother after being forced to leave his mother's house when the roof was blown off.
PLAY AUDIO: YASI TULLY CUT
IN:......Her house the
OUT:...totally devastated
DUR:...21
At Bilyanna [PRON bill -yann], south of Tully, buildings have been damaged.
One resident, who gave her name only as Rae, says her roof went around midnight.
PLAY AUDIO: YASI RAE CUT
IN:......think all the roof's
OUT:...the shed went earlier
DUR:...9
At Mission Beach, where the eye of the cyclone crossed the coast, residents are bracing for a massive cleanup.
Paul Gaiscogne left the house he was sheltering in at South Mission Beach during the eye of the storm to inspect the damage.
PLAY AUDIO: YASI PALM CUT
IN:......palm trees everywhere
OUT:...debris everywhere.
DUR:...10
The ABC's Penny Timms is in Townsville and joins us now.
* she'll talk about what it's been like overnight
* what reports of injuries, damage
* power out everywhere - including in emeergency shelters
* latest forecast - downgrades to a category four cyclone. Any relief?
* how long expected to last?
Hopes of a continuing peaceful protest against the rule of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak have been shattered by a day of violence in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Groups supporting and opposing Mr Mubarak have fought pitched battles.
The violence started when supporters of president Mubarak stormed the square some on camel and some on horseback armed with whips. There have been reports of secret police being involved and shots have been fired..
There are unconfirmed reports that more than 100 people have been injured, mostly anti-government protesters who were hit by flying stones.
Egypt's Interior Ministry denied witness reports that police officers were helping orchestrate the violence
The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, has called for restraint.
The anti-Mubarak protesters had returned to Tahrir Square in large numbers, unmoved by Mr Mubarak's declaration yesterday that he would retire from politics in September.
The Egyptian journalist Nadia El-Awady was in the midst of the tussles in Tahrir Square. She says the media were targeted by protesters.
PLAY AUDIO: NADIA CUT
IN:...... some rocks
OUT:... on both sides
DUR:... 50
CNN's Hala Gorani was caught between rival factions.
PLAY AUDIO: GORANI CUT
IN:......I've got to say
OUT:...them with violence
DUR:... 1:57
That's CNN's Hala Gorani.
The Egyptian army has said it will not use force against the anti-Mubarak protesters, but today it called on them to leave the square and go home.
Some protesters questioned the army's neutrality, saying soldiers should have acted to protect them from the pro-Mubarak forces.
CNN's Ben Wedeman says he saw police officers in the crowd.
PLAY AUDIO: WEDEMAN CUT
IN:...... there were police
OUT:...had police ID
DUR:... 26
A former Egyptian MP, Mohamed Abdallah, rejected suggestions Mr Mubarak's response to the unrest has been inadequate.
PLAY AUDIO: ABDALLAH CUT
IN:...... Definitely it is not
OUT:... pay the price
DUR:... 20
But the Egyptian scholar, Mamoun Fandy, said the country is on the brink of descending into widescale violence and only the army can prevent that happening.
PLAY AUDIO: FANDY CUT
IN:...... it takes only two
OUT:... very high
DUR:... 40
Mamoun Fandy.
And we'll have more on this unfolding story in the next hour, including reaction from Egyptians living in New Zealand.
PLAY MR HEADLINES BED
The top stories this morning on Radio New Zealand National....(alternating read)
* Cyclone Yasi lashes northern Queensland..
* Scores are injured in mass street fights in Egypt
* A hunter who mistook a woman for a deer is jailed for manslaughter
And ... more schools tell parents to provide laptops
PLAY AUDIO:0721 LAPTOP TRAIL
IN:......I-TOUCHES, I-PADS, I-PODS
OUT:...WAY OF THE FUTURE
DUR:...6
Innovation - or another way to separate the haves from the have nots? More on that coming up, here on Morning Report
The New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is accusing the Government of running scared after the Prime Minister John Key said he would not go into coalition with any party led by the New Zealand First leader.
In a surprise move, Mr Key yesterday went against convention and named the day he would go to the polls early.
That date is the 26th of November five weeks after the Rugby World Cup final.
During the announcement, Mr Key said a vote for New Zealand First would be a vote for Labour.
PLAY AUDIO: ELECT KEY CUT
IN:......I want to
OUT:...that I lead
DUR:...0'11"
The leader of the Labour Party, Phil Goff, says Mr Key's move is egotistical.
PLAY AUDIO: ELECT GOFF CUT
IN:......I think its arrogant
OUT:...into parliament
DUR:...0'11"
Joining us now is the leader of New Zealand First, Winston Peters.
Listening to that is our political reporter, Julian Robins.
NEWS: and coming up before 8 on Morning Report
*We go back to Queensland where Cyclone Yasi is causing massive damage
*We hear from the mother of the woman who was accidentally shot dead near Turangi last year . She is angry that none of the shooter's associates have been prosecuted over the killing.
*and Booming dairy prices spells good news for the economy and farmers, but will result in price rises in the supermarkets.
but first the news with Nicola Wright
News bulletin
TRAFFIC: to the traffic news now
Back to our lead story now
Queenslanders have spent a nerve-wracking night sheltering from Cyclone Yasi
The eye of the system crossed the northern coast of Queensland at about 2 oclock this morning.
One of the most powerful cyclones on record has uprooted trees, torn roofs off buildings, with more danger to come from deadly storm surges.
An Australian sugar cane farmer, Alf Strano, has been waiting out the storm with his wife at home on his farm southeast of Innisfail
He joins us now.
* "we copped it" he said, worst wind when eye passed at about midnight their time,
* house many be damaged - head roof flapping - but hasn't been out to see
* his sugar cane crops will be 'devastated"
* went through cyclone Larry and we spoke to him then so can compared
* pretty laconic but then he has been up all night
The mother of the woman who was accidentally shot dead near Turangi last year is angry that none of the shooter's associates have been prosecuted over the killing.
Andrew Mears has become the first hunter to be jailed for manslaughter, after mistaking 25-year-old Rosemary Ives' headlamp for the eyes of a deer at Labour weekend.
Tim Graham reports.
PLAY AUDIO: hunter sentence pkg(with lawyer)
IN:...... 25-year-old Miss Ives
OUT:... for MR TG
DUR:... 2:38
OR
PLAY AUDIO: hunter sentence pkg SHORT(without lawyer)
IN:...... 25-year-old Miss Ives
OUT:... for MR TG
DUR:... 2:09
On the front pages of this morning newspapers, there's just one top story, as Cyclone Yasi roars into Queensland.
The New Zealand Herald says its the 'mother of all storms,' with evacuation centres so full, there's been no room for late comers.
Featuring satellite imagery which compares Yasi with Hurricane Katrina, the paper says a massive rescue and recovery effort is planned in response.
The Dominion Post says Yasi will be scoring a 'king hit' on Queensland, as the state's agony continues, just weeks after it was ravaged by floods.
It says nervous tension hung over Cairns and Townsville last night, as winds and rain began to pick up.
Describing a 'monster' storm, the Press talks to former Cantabrians in Queensland who were last night battening down the hatches.
The Holmes family now live in Townsville and planned to stay in their home, but have put masking tape across windows to stop them shattering and barricaded the front door.
The Otago Daily Times takes a similar approach with former Dunedin man Damian Philippa, whose family have holed up in a friend's hillside house in Cairns ahead of the onslaught.
Now sports news
PLAY: MR HEADLINES BED
The top stories this morning on RADIO NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL
* Cyclone Yasi uproots trees, tears roofs off buildings, and terrifies residents in Northern Queensland.
* Egypt descends into chaos
* Winston Peters says John Key is naive for ruling him out as a potential coalition partner.
And ... the Thorpedo is back in the water
PLAY AUDIO:0744 THORPEDO TRAIL
IN:......I WAS SNEAKY
OUT:...SAME POOL TWICE
DUR:...7 SECS
More on Ian Thorpe's Olympic strategy, after eight on Morning Report.
The leader of the Labour Party, Phil Goff, is dismissing accusations he put political pressure on the Navy to speed up the deployment of HMNZS Canterbury despite having at least 24 hazards on-board.
The claims were made by the Deputy Inspector General for Defence, Commander William Craig, during the inquest into the death of Able Seaman Byron Solomon, who drowned when he became trapped under an inflatable boat in 2007.
He says there was significant pressure to launch the vessel quickly because of the considerable delays in building the ship.
PLAY AUDIO: BOAT LACK CUT
IN:......Can I draw the analogy
OUT:...were lacking
DUR:...0'11"
Bryon Solomon's mother, Jayne Carkeek, says the blame for her son's death lies squarely with Mr Goff - the Defence Minister at the time of the incident.
PLAY AUDIO: BOAT EGO CUT
IN:......The HMNZS incident was
OUT:...incomphrensible
DUR:...0'22"
Phil Goff was the Minister of Defence at the time - but he says he was not involved in operational decisions about HMNZS Canterbury.
PLAY AUDIO:Boat Goff Prerec
IN:......ANYONE WHO HAS
OUT:...WOULDN'T WORK WITH HIM
DUR:...3:33
The Labour Party leader Phil Goff
New research has found that the government's 90-day probationary period for workers is creating more jobs.
The trial period was introduced in 2009 for businesses employing fewer than 20 people, and will be extended to all businesses on April the first.
Now, research by the independent Institute of Economic Research says the first six months of the policy has led to improved market flexibility and has increased the number of people hired.
But unions say the research is just another feeble attempt to justify what they're calling an unfair law.
The author of the research, the Institute's principal economist, Dr Bill Kaye-Blake, joins us now in the studio.
A growing number of schools are asking parents to add laptop computers to their back-to-school shopping bill.
This year a state school has taken the unusual step of making them compulsory for its year nine students.
And though they cost anywhere from 500 to more than 1000 dollars, education leaders say more schools are likely to follow suit.
Here's our education correspondent, John Gerritsen.
PLAY AUDIO: Laptop School Pkg
IN:......For years now, some schools
OUT:...John Gerritsen
DUR:...2'39"
PLAY: MR NEW THEME:
PRESENTER ONE: Ko te purongo o te ata nei, ki runga i Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa,
It's Thursday February the third..I'm Geoff Robinson
PRESENTER TWO: and I'm Simon Mercep In this hour..as Dawn breaks in Queensland, the scale of the damage from Cyclone Yasi is becoming apparent.
PRESENTER ONE: Pro Mubarak supporters have attacked protestors in Hrarir Square in Cairo as Pressure on the President to resign keeps up.
PRESENTER TWO: and Rodney Hide on Election prospects and his relationship with National.
But first, with Radio New Zealand news, here's Nicola Wright
Good morning, this is Morning Report - and in this hour
* One person is dead and close to 400 people have been injured in clashes between anti and pro Mubarak factions in Cairo's Tahrir Square
* We'll speak to the leader of the Act Party, Rodney Hide, who will have to battle a National canddiate in his electorate at this year's election.
* AND we discuss the price of milk - booming dairy prices are good news for the economy and farmers, but will see oprices rise in supermarkets.
Queenslanders are sheltering from the fury of Cyclone Yasi, the most powerful tropical storm in Australian history.
The howling winds have lifted roofs from houses, and knocked out power as well as communications to tens of thousands of homes.
The cyclone made landfall at about 2 o'clock this morning, just south of Innisfail; five years after the town was devastated by Cyclone Larry.
It's now about 100 kilometres south of Innisfail and moving south west.
Earlier on the programme, we spoke to cane grower Alf Strano who farms near Innisfail.
It's the third cyclone he's experienced, and much the worst, with the power going off at 7 last night, before he and his family headed for shelter in the smallest room in the house.
PLAY AUDIO CYCLONE ALF CUT
IN TOOK
OUT ... POP OUT
DUR 28
Cyclone Yasi has now been downgraded to a category three cyclone
But the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre's Manfred Greitschus says the cyclone continues to pack dangerous winds and dump flooding rains.
PLAY AUDIO: CYCLONE MANFRED CUT
IN:......over teh next 12 hours
OUT:...as it spreads inland
DUR:...13
At its peak the cyclone battered Innisfail with gusts of up to 290 kilometres an hour
Joining us from Innisfail now is the mayor of the regional council for the Cassowary Coast, Bill Shannon.
* He's spent the night in the council chambers ( which is a 5 storey building) with 600 others.
* he's still there and says it was pretty bad over night. Still very windy.
* He says they've evacuated 10, 000 people. 1 thousand have stayed.
* He remebers Cyclone Larry.The area was also battered by the recent weather which caused $5 million damage.
The ABC's Penny Timms is in Townsville, where overnight wind gusts were extreme ... she joins us now ...
There have been fierce clashes in the Egyptian capital between supporters of President Hosni Mubarak and protesters calling on him to resign immediately.
State TV says a member of the security forces has been killed and hundreds of people have been wounded in pitched battles in and around Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Up to 2,000 anti-Mubarak demonstrators had spent the night in the square, the main focus of the protests, saying the president's pledge to stand down in September was insufficient and chanting: "We will not leave
The violence came after earlier calls by the army for people to go home.
It started when supporters of president Mubarak stormed the square some on camel and some on horseback armed with whips.
Anti-Mubarak protester Gigi Ibrahim describes the scene.
PLAY AUDIO: GIGI CUT
IN:...... Right now
OUT:... Mubarak is out
DUR:... 32
From his vantage point above the melee, CNN's Ivan Watson watched the violence.
PLAY AUDIO: WATSON CUT
IN:...... we're watching
OUT:... country right now
DUR:... 43
With us now from the edge of Tahrir Square is our correspondent Nathan King.
There was a far more peaceful protest in Christchurch last night as members of the Egyptian community came out to voice their support for change in their homeland.
Bridget Mills reports.
PLAY AUDIO: egypt chch pkg
IN:......Cathedral Square is
OUT:... for MR BM
DUR:... 2:41
Joining us now is Dr Maria Rublee < Rube-ley> from The University of Auckland's Department of Political Studies, and an expert on Egyptian politics
The leader of the Act Party, Rodney Hide, says he's not concerned by National standing a candidate in his Epsom electorate at this year's election.
In a surprise move, the Prime Minister, John Key, has announced November the 26th as election day and said that National will once again stand a candidate in Epsom and in Peter Dunne's Ohariu electorate.
In 2008, Mr Hide was re-elected to Epsom with a 12-thousand vote majority, despite running against a former MP for the seat, Richard Worth.
Earlier on Morning Report, the leader of the New Zealand First Party, Winston Peters described Mr Key as naive and anti-democratic .
PLAY AUDIO: WIN UNNAC CUT
IN:......THIS IS SIMPLY
OUT:...INTERESTS ARE SAFEGUARDED
DUR:...23
As for the leader of the Act Party, Rodney Hide says he's not worried about National's decision to stand in Epsom.
PLAY AUDIO ELECT HIDE PRE REC
IN NOT AT ALL
OUT ... RACE BASED PRIVILEGES
DUR 3.36
early out ... ECONOMY UNDER THREAT 3.01
That's the leader of the ACT Party, Rodney Hide.
MARKETS: For a quick update on what the markets are up to this morning, here's.... Anusha Bradley
Sharemarket bulletin
NEWS: and still to come before 9 here on Morning Report
*We speak to the mayor of Cairns about how his region has been hit by Cyclone Yasi
*and the new Mayor of Dunedin, Dave Cull, telss us about his first 100 days in office.
- here's Nicola Wright
News bulletin
SPORTS: Time for the sports now with Gary Ahern
Booming international dairy prices spells good news for the economy and farmers, but not consumers.
Dairy prices surged by seven percent at the latest fortnightly auction, the fifth consecutive increase.
And consumers may pay more for milk at the supermarket chiller, as Catherine Hutton reports
PLAY AUDIO: milk price pkg edited
IN:...... agencies that deal
OUT:... for MR CH
DUR:... 3:16
Returning now to our top story and our coverage of Cyclone Yasi.
With daylight now broken, residents of North Queensland will soon be able to comprehend the level of destruction.
It's thought Mission Beach, where the category five monster made landfall early this morning and the nearby town of Tully and Innisfail are the worst hit.
The Innisfail district police inspector David Tucker says he expects the small coastal towns have been badly damaged.
PLAY AUDIO: cyclone tucker cut
IN:......we can expect
OUT:...proper assessment
DUR:...17
Yasi has now been downgraded to a category three cyclone and is moving inland.
But the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre's Manfred Greitschus says winds at the heart of the cyclone are still gusting at 200 kilometres an hour and it's dumping flooding rains.
PLAY AUDIO: CYCLONE MANFRED CUT
IN:......over the next 12 hours
OUT:...as it spreads inland
DUR:...13
Yasi's fury has been felt for hundreds of kilometres from Cairns to the north, and Townsville to the south.
The mayor of Cairns, Val Schier <Shear> says the city has got off relatively lightly.
PLAY AUDIO CYCLONE VAL
IN CAIRNS HAS ACTUALLY ...
OUT .. COUPLE OF HOURS
DUR 3.34
early out ... BATTERING 3.11
That's the mayor of Cairns, Val Schier.
It's time for the Waatea News with Eru Rerekura
PLAY AUDIO: THURS WAATEA 02 -- short
IN:...... Kia ora, good morning,
OUT:... tau te mauri.
DUR:... 1:49
There were a number of new mayors elected around the country at last year's local body elections.
One of them, the new Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull, marks his 100th day in office today.
Our Dunedin reporter Lorna Perry spoke to some council watchers about how Mr Cull is going.
PLAY AUDIO: 100-Day Mayor Pkg
IN:......A Dunedin retiree
OUT:...Lorna Perry
DUR:...2'50"
Today marks the 80th anniversary of New Zealand's greatest natural disaster.
Late in the morning on February the third 1931, a seven point eight magnitude earthquake with a depth of about 16 kilometres, hit Hawke's Bay and lasted more than two minutes.
More than 250 people in Napier, Hastings and Wairoa were killed, thousands were made homeless, and hundreds of commercial buildings and houses were severely damaged or destroyed.
Heugh Chappell reports.
PLAY AUDIO: Hbay Earthquake Pkg
IN:......The physical cost of the earthquake
OUT:...Heugh Chappell - SFX Bell
DUR:...4'09"