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Checkpoint is a drive-time news and current affairs programme on Radio New Zealand National. It broadcasts nationwide every weekday evening for two hours and covers the day’s major national and international stories, as well as business, sport and Māori news. This recording covers the first hour. The following rundown is supplied from the broadcaster’s news system:
Checkpoint FOR FRIDAY 31 JANUARY 2014
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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A man who has spent half his life in jail for a murder he says he didn't commit could see freedom. Teina Pora's lawyers want him out on bail now they're allowed to take his case all the way to the Privy Council in London. Pora who twice has been convicted for the murder and rape of Susan Burdett in Auckland in 1992, was locked up when he was 19 and is now 38. But there's been growing momentum from justice advocates, community campaigners, politicians and even police officers to have his case re-examined. His convictions will now be tested. Kim Baker Wilson compiled this report.
PKG
Further to that, Susan Burdett's brother, Jim says the police should look back at how they investigated the Pora case to see where they went wrong. And we'll hear more from Mr Burdett after six o'clock.
A designer jacket has triggered a war of words between three of Parliament's most senior women MPs amid accusations of hypocrisy and racism. The National Minister, Anne Tolley, yesterday criticised the Greens' co-leader, Metiria Turei, for saying the Minister was out of touch, while wearing designer clothing and living in a castle. Here's our political reporter, Craig McCulloch.
PKG
Listening to that is the Green co-leader Metiria Turei.
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The Reserve Bank is ringing a warning about households, already heavy with rising debts, facing the benchmark interest rate almost doubling within two years. The bank governor Graeme Wheeler confirmed in a speech today he expects to raise the official cash rate from 2 point five to about 4 point 5 percent in the next two years to curb inflation.
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The Reserve Bank's repeated warnings are prompting more and more home owners to fix their mortgage rates as a buffer. The percentage of households on floating as opposed to fixed rates just keeps dropping - it was at 53 percent a year ago and is now at 41 percent. Bernard Hickey is a financial commentator
CUT
Rising rates and rising house prices are big concerns for the Reserve Bank governor as he considers threats to the country's economic expansion, which he puts at an annual rate of 3. 5 percent. The Labour Party used figures from a financial services company UBS today to claim it's now more expensive to buy a house in Auckland than Melbourne. Graeme Wheeler told the business audience in Christchurch today that what's making things worse overall is household debt levels at about 150 percent of disposable incomes, and rising.
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More than two years after an Italian court aquitted American, Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend for the murder of a British student, the appeals court has reinstated the guilty verdicts. Knox and her former boyfriend were originally convicted in 2009, but that conviction was overturned in 2011. Knox has now been sentenced to to twenty-eight years and six months in prison and Raffaele Sollecito to twenty-five years. The BBC's Lousisa Baldini reports from Florence :
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS with Jenny Ruth
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17. 30 HEADLINES
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A primary school north of Auckland has dumped its scheme of issuing families tags saying "donation paid" just two days after it started because of an outcry. The well-off decile 9 Whangaparaoa primary turned to the tags, which children could attach to their bags, as a last-ditch effort because almost half of its families aren't paying the 155 dollars a year donation. It started handing out tags just on Wednesday. But now the Board of Trustees chair, Tristan Dean admits they got it wrong, in the face of online criticism from parents saying it promotes bullying and an unfair class system.
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The independent MP, Brendan Horan, says he would welcome any police investigation into allegations he stole money from his late mother's estate. Mr Horan's brother is to lay a complaint with the police. Brendan Horan was expelled from the New Zealand First caucus in 2012 when the allegations were made public. Our parliamentary chief reporter, Jane Patterson, joins us now
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Australia's Great Barrier Reef watchdog has approved the dumping of millions of cubic metres of dredged mud near the fragile reef. It's in order to create the world's biggest coal port and possibly unlock 30 billion dollars or so in coal projects. Scientists and conservation lobbyists are aghast. The ABC's David Chen is with me now.
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The United States is accusing Syria of removing just a small fraction of the chemical weapons it declared. The Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters in Poland that Damascus is behind schedule on the UN backed plan that averted American strikes. Our correspondent in Washington is Priscilla Huff.
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An off-duty detective has been sentenced to six months home detention for attacking a male model at a party after a fashion show in Auckland. Jan (yarn) de Moor, who has since resigned from the force, punched and kneed Elliot Serjeant several times in the head after Mr Serjeant stumbled into him on the dance floor in 2012. At the Auckland District Court this afternoon Judge Robert Ronayne accepted that de Moor was acting out of character. But he said his actions must be denounced, and home detention is necessary. The victim, Elliot Serjeant, says he's happy with the sentence that.
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Reporter Mani Dunlop was in court.
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17. 45 MANU KORIHI with Eru Rerekura
Tena koutou katoa, good evening,
The Maori Party has thrown its support behind Teina Pora and is relieved that the convicted murderer's appeal can be heard again in court.
The Privy Council has announced it will hear Pora's appeal against his convictions.
He has spent two decades in prison, after being twice found guilty of raping and murdering Susan Burdett in her Auckland home.
The Maori Party co-leader, Te Ururoa Flavell, believes Pora was a brown, naive young man in the wrong place at the wrong time.
PORA-FLAVELL-TP
IN TO GET THE
OUT GOOD DAY FOR HIM
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Te Ururoa Flavell says Teina Pora's whanau have been very grateful for the support.
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A Ngati Tuwharetoa woman - who's been a longtime stalwart of Maori well-being - has been awarded a top royal role.
The Maori King Tuheitia has appointed Dame June Mariu to be a patron of Maori the health public health provider, Hapai Te Hauora.
She was presented with a royal warrant during a special ceremony in Auckland today.
The CEO of Hapai Te Hauora, Lance Norman, says it's a significant step in improving Maori ownership of Maori health gain.
He says Dame June will be feeding back information to the king so he can consider Maori health priorities at his events and in his circle of influence.
June Mariu was also the national co-ordinator of Te Hotu Manawa Maori (Maori Heartbeat), and former president of the Maori Women's Development Fund.
She is also currently the national co-ordinator for Aotearoa Maori Netball.
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A Tairawhiti iwi is supporting a Maori trust's plan to build a dam in the region, citing environmental and recreational benefits.
Wi Pere Trust is to construct a reservoir on on old river bed at Whatatutu, and will hold enough water to service its
farmland, vineyards and orchards for 20 days during any prolonged dry spell.
Potatutatu Bill Ruru - a representitive of a local tribe Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki - says the dam would become a home for fish and be used for water sports.
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Potatutatu Bill Ruru of Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki.
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Organisers of the biennial Waikato-Tainui Games say more than 20-thousand tribal members are likely to take part in the competitions.
The event, which has been held over three weekends, has been created for descendants of all ages, and celebrates tribal identity and unity, as well as encouraging members to support their more than 60 tribal Marae.
This weekend is the last installment of the event, and will showcase the main games, including touch rugby, netball, table tennis and chess - and is being held near Hamilton. [Hopuhopu]
The two day gathering will end with a concert, featuring performances by artists including; 1814, Sons of Zion and Bella Kalolo.
That's Te Manu Korihi news, I'll have a further bulletin in an hour.
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Only some people in Thailand will go to the polls this weekend. The government of Yingluck Shinawatra is pushing ahead with Sunday's ballot, despite a boycott by the main Opposition party and three months of street protests, aimed at stopping the vote. It's one of the most fraught and troubled elections in the country's history. John Sudworth is in Bangkok for the BBC :
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Presenter: Philippa Tolley
Editor: Phil Pennington
Deputy editor: Mei Yeoh
Producers: Cushla Norman