The Waitangi Tribunal has today found that Māori have do have a Treaty-interest in petroleum - and past breaches mean the Crown is obliged to negotiate redress for past breaches. But the Tribunal report has been careful to steer clear of saying what compensation Māori might get - or whether it might include lucrative petroleum royalties. That, of course, might all be a moot point... because the government has already catergorically ruled out petroleum resources for redress... Well we're joined now by our Māori Issues Correspondent Gideon Porter.
Joining us now is the Treaty Negotiations Minister Margaret Wilson.
New Zealand has put a hold on any beef imports from Canada after the first case of mad cow disease there for a decade. The testing positive of a cow in Canada's top cattle producing province of Alberta for the brain wasting disease has already triggered an immediate United States ban on Canadian beef and other meat products. I asked Brian Lynch from the Meat Industry Association whether it was a surprise that Canada has lost its BSE free status. PREREC
BUSINESS with JOHN DRAPER
Auckland police say they're getting about four complaints every month of kidnapping attempts from the Asian community. Yesterday an Auckland judge sentenced an Asian man to eight years for kidnapping a fellow student and demanding over a million dollars ransom. The head of the Asian Crime unit Detective Sergeant George Koriasays it's taken some time for the Asian community to become confident in reporting these kinds of crimes to police. I asked Mr Koria if he found the figure of up to four complaints a month at all surprising. PREREC
The Kapiti Coast District Council is pushing ahead with a bore drilling programme to help alleviate water supply problems every summer. The council held an extraordinary meeting this morning to consider a report which identifies the most likely areas for bores as a back up for future water supplies. Antony Byers reports. PKGE
Though SARS outbreaks have been contained in some countries where the disease originally appeared, the World Health Organisation says that Taiwan now has the fastest growing outbreak of the deadly flu-like virus. There are more than 400 probable cases on the island and Taiwan's death toll from the disease stands at 52 - the third highest incidence of the disease in the world, after China and Hong Kong. New Zealander Larry Love teaches at the Taipai American School and was recently quarantined at home for a week after it was suspected that one of the school's teachers had SARS. I asked him how he found out about the quarantine. PREREC
5.30 NEWS HEADLINES
SPORT WITH ELMA MAUA
The U.S. government has raised its terror alert status to the second-highest level, citing the risk of attacks on American soil in light of suicide bombings in Morocco and Saudi Arabia. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security says the decision to raise the alert level to "high" or orange was made based upon the recent terrorist bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morocco and in conjunction with intelligence reports concerning anti-U.S. terrorist groups' intentions. Our Washington correspondent Priscilla Huff reports. PKGE
The organiser of a petition calling for an improved organ donor system says more families must be asked if the organs of deceased relatives can be used for transplants.
Andy Tookey's eleven-hundred signature petition is being considered by Parliament's Health Select Committee which today heard that about a third of the families of potential donors are not approached. Although just over one million people have indicated on their driver's licence that they are willing to donate their organs New Zealand has one of the lowest rates of organ donation in the world. Mr Tookey's young daughter has a progressive liver disease and will need a transplant by the time she is five - he says he was horrified to discover how difficult it was to get a donor. PREREC
In the Court of Appeal the Crown has submitted that convicted murderer Kevin Harmer's carefully constructed account of the 1999 land-rover fire in which his wife died, was designed to put investigators on the wrong path. Crown lawyer Chris McVeigh QC stressed this when opposing Harmer's conviction appeal. Merle Nowland was there and joins me now. LIVE
A South Island beekeepers group is questioning why the Government won't contribute to the cost of a surveillance programme to detect an early varroa bee mite infestation.
MAF tests have revealed that the mite has spread to all parts of the North Island, except Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay and parts of Taranaki, but a squabble over who pays to keep it out of the South Island, has intensified. Ceinwen Curtis reports. PKGE
Sick of cat hair? the demanding dog or the dirty goldfish tank? Think instead of insects - large ones - like giant cockroaches which are slowly but steadily becoming a popular pet. In Australia - that is. Sue Hasenpusch owns and runs the Australian Insect Farm which breeds and researches native beetles, stick insects and worms. She says a few years ago hardly anyone was interested in keeping insects as pets but now staff spend every Monday and Tuesday packing up to 80 creatures to send to loving homes. One of the most popular is the Giant Litter Bug. PREREC
MANA NEWS
CLOSE & THEME