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Checkpoint FOR MONDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2012
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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The Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has scored a decisive win over Kevin Rudd. She's won the leadership battle by 71 votes to 31 - the biggest win in a Labor ballot for the top job in 30 years. The Prime Minister says this means the end of the political drama while this was the response from Mr Rudd shortly after the vote. CUT On the line now from Canberra is the ABC's political correpsondent Louise Yaxley. LIVE
The Government has announced when its sweeping welfare reforms will come into force.
It'll introduce law changes from next month, including to the Domestic Purposes Benefit, youth benefits and the widows and women alone benefit . A second bill overhauling benefit categories and aimed at clamping down on fraud is due in July, with the changes kicking in next year. The Minister for Social Development Paula Bennett says the Government is confident the jobs will be there for beneficiaries to move into. PREREC
The public's health watchdog has today blamed a hospital doctor and a hospital midwife over their role in the death of a newborn baby. In a report, the Health and Disability Commissioner, Anthony Hill, says the doctor failed to read a monitor correctly and realise there were problems, and the midwife failed to act on her growing fears about the birth. None of the parties have been named. Our Health Correspondent, Karen Brown, is with us now . LIVE
CUT Excitement late this afternoon for New Zealand's Bret McKenzie, who has won an Academy Award for his tune Man or Muppet. CUT McKenzie's mother Deidre Tarrant is in Los Angeles. PREREC
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH Jonathan Mitchell
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A structural engineer has broken down at the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission after admitting he contributed to a woman's death in the February the twenty second earthquake.
The hearings are looking into the partial collapse of part of the Ballantynes department store.
Conan Young was there. PKG
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17.30 HEADLINES
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The families of four murder victims have spoken out at a protest today about the bail laws they blame for letting criminals go free. About 500 people campaigning for tougher bail laws gathered outside the High Court in Auckland today. Briony Sowden went along. PKG
The police have charged seven environmental activists with burglary for occupying an oil exploration ship. They were perched more than 50 metres up the drilling tower on the Noble Discoverer for four days. Teresa Cowie reports. PKG
It's been a decisive win for Julia Gillard in one of Australia's most vicious leadership contests - beating Kevin Rudd with more than 2-thirds of the caucus vote. Here's returning officer Chris Hayes announcing the result to the waiting media scrum. READER + CUTS
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17.45 MANU KORIHI
Tēnā koutou katoa, good evening,
The Labour Party says it needs to focus on improving political campaigns for the Māori electorates, as part of an organisational review.
Next Monday in Napier the caucus begins a series of 18 regional meetings for members and supporters, as the party embarks on a wholesale review of its organisational structure.
The Leader David Shearer, says Labour is failing to connect with many voters, and the party will take a fresh look at many areas, including campaigning, party communications, and how the leader is elected.
The Party President, Moira Coatsworth, says attention has to be paid to all seven Māori electorates and how the party can be more effective in campaigning for votes.
LABOUR MAORI TP
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Labour Party President Moira Coatsworth.
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The Qualifications Authority has highlighted excellent results at the Whakatāne based, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.
The authority has just published its latest evaluation of the wānanga, and given the educational institution the highest rating for educational performance.
It says 95 per cent of Awanuiārangi's students are Māori and their results greatly exceed national averages.
The evaluation report says that's excellent work, because wānanga courses range from community education to PhD level.
The Qualifications Authority also praises the wānanga for helping people with little educational success, advance from marae based courses to more advanced qualifications.
It says the NZQA is highly confident in Awanuiārangi's educational performance, and in its ability to monitor and improve its own performance.
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There's a call for a complete overhaul of the tribal rules governing Waikato-Tainui.
The disputed Chair of the iwi's executive, Tūkoroirangi Morgan, says the regulations are vague and give rise to a great degree of uncertainty.
He insists he's still head of the executive, but the tribal Parliament, Te Kauhanganui, says he's not, as both argue over the results of a recent tribal election.
Mr Morgan suggests calling in a former Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court and the former Courts Minister to review the regulations.
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Tūkoroirangi Morgan.
The tribal Parliament, Te Kauhanganui, couldn't be reached for comment.
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The eastern Bay of Plenty haka group, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, secured first place at the Mātaatua regional competition at the weekend.
The event held at Ōmaio near Te Kaha, selected the top groups to go on to the 2013 national Te Matatini Kapa Haka competition, to be held in Rotorua next February.
Five teams, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ōpōtiki-Mai-I-Tāwhiti, Ruatāhuna Kākahu Maukū, Tauira-mai-Tāwhiti and Te Karu, a team from Ruātoki, will represent the region in 2013.
Next weekend it'll be Tairāwhiti's turn to hold its competition on Te Poho o Rāwiri Marae in Gisborne.
That's Te Manu Korihi news I'll have a further bulletin in an hour.
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European Union ministers are to consider economic sanctions on Syria when they meet tonight.
They're aiming to pressure the government of Bashar al-Assad to end its violent crackdown on dissenters. Even as a nationwide referendum on the country's political future was taking place, activists reported at least fifty-five more people were killed throughout Syria yesterday. CNN's Michael Holmes has the latest : PKG
Criminal defence lawyers have launched a legal fight, to stop fixed fee payments being applied to their legal aid work. The Criminal Bar Association argues that the changes, due to take effect next month, are unlawful, unreasonable and invalid. The Association has today filed a judicial review, claiming the moves will lead to a two-tier justice system between defendants who can and cannot afford to pay. With us now is the Criminal Bar Association's spokesperson, Matthew Goodwin. LIVE
The civil trial of those responsible for the Deepwater Horizon disaster almost two years ago has been delayed. Eleven men died and millions of barrels of oil leaked when the BP-operated drilling rig exploded and sank off the coast of the United States. The oil giant is facing the threat of tens of billions of dollars in fines and penalties if it's found grossly negligent. From New Orleans, where the case is to be heard, here's the BBC's, Jonny Dymond: PKG