Checkpoint FOR THURSDAY 11 MARCH 2010
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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The disgruntled Rodney District Council is making a last ditch bid NOT to become part of Auckland's new Supercity.With the ink barely dry on the new political map for the region the Council held a special meeting and voted in favour of a new plan to breakaway.It wants the law changed to let it opt out of the Super City and become an independent Unitary Authority.
We'll talk to the mayor of Rodney shortly.But first Todd Niall reports on how the new Supercity will look. PKG
We're joined now by the Rodney District Mayor, Penny Webster: LIVE
The country's largest tobacco company has been grilled by MPs over its responsibility for the high number of Māori smokers and smoking related deaths.British American Tobacco fronted up today to the the Māori Affairs select committee, telling MPs it does not target youth, Māori or the poor but instead operates a legal business in a highly regulated market. The inquiry was established in September last year, after Māori Party MP Hone Harawira said he wanted the health effects of tobacco on Māori well publicised and he attacked the tobacco companies saying he wanted to lynch them.Belinda McCammon was at the hearing in Auckland: PKG
A group of New Zealand businessmen have joined forces with a plan to break the digital divide between New Zealand and the rest of the world. Pacific Fibre, which includes Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall, and Trade Me creator Sam Morgan, want to build an underground fibreoptic cable which will give unlimited high speed broadband to Australia, New Zealand and the USA by 2013.
One of the founders is Mark Rushworth, who was until recently Vodafone's chief marketing officer.
He joins us now: LIVE
The country's record low official cash rate will start climbing again later this year with the Reserve Bank saying there'll be enough economic growth by then to start pushing up inflation.
As expected the Bank left the OCR at 2.5 percent where its been since last April but the governor Dr Alan Bollard says a slow recovery will continue as unemployment falls and businesses take on more work. He says by the September quarter the economy will be back to where it was in late 2007 just before the recession hit. PRE-REC
Food prices have fallen for the sixth time in just seven months.Statistics New Zealand says the one-point-three per cent fall in February was led by a three-point-five decrease in fruit and vegetable prices, while meat and fish prices also fell. Will Hine reports. PKG
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH
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Two burglars got more than they bargained for when they broke into the home of a West Auckland grandmother. Lesley Buckleigh says she'd been out on her tractor at her Waimauku property, and came home to find an unfamiliar car in the driveway.Her first reaction was to confront the man inside the car about who he was and exactly what he was doing there. PRE-REC
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17.30 HEADLINES
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Interest rates are set to rise later this year, but the Reserve Bank has signalled the increases will be more gradual than in the past.The Reserve Bank governor, Alan Bollard, says higher funding costs for banks mean interest rate rises might not have to be as steep.Here's our political editor Brent Edwards. PKG
The Hell's Angels motorcycle gang, is dismissing claims, that a rival gang is threatening its motorcycle fund raising rally, through Nelson tomorrow.Police say they've been made aware of threats made by members of the Southern Skinheads ahead of the rally and have to take them seriously to ensure public saftey.Hells Angel member, who didn't want to be named, says the story has been made up to try and run their rally out of town. CLIP The Hell's Angels says it is still going ahead with the rally. Senior Sergeant Grant Andrews who will be policing the event joins us now.
LIVE
A Fiji pro-democracy group says there are growing fears about the fate of a high profile politican who was seized by soliders last Friday and who hasn't been seen since.
Peceli Rinakama had an altercation with some soldiers outside the High Court in Suva after eight men were sent to prison for conspiring to murder Fiji Army Commander Frank Bainmarama.
Critics of the controversial case say the charges were simply made up and the seven year jail sentence for one of the men, Ratu Inoke Takiveikata, is travesty of justice.Usaia Waqatairewa (wanga-tie-wear-a) is with the Fiji Democracy and Freedom Movement based in Sydney.He says after the altercation Mr Rinakama went to Mr Takiveikata's home. PREREC
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17.45 TRAILS
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WAATEA
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An American woman who called herself Jihad Jane has been linked to an assassination plot against a controversial Swedish cartoonist.US federal prosecutors have accused Colleen LaRose, from Philadelphia, of linking up through the internet with militants overseas and plotting to carry out a murder.Colleen LaRose - also known as "Jihad Jane" and Fatima LaRose was arrested in Philadelphia in October 2009, but the case was kept secret until now.Authorities say the case shows how terrorist groups are evolving by trying to recruit ordinary Americans.Our correspondant in the US is Nathan King: PRE-REC
A group of New Zealanders are preparing to brave treacherous seas, sharks and pirates as they attempt to jetski from London to Auckland.The epic journey, which they're calling The Ultimate Ride, aims to raise awareness of cancer prevention - as well as money for research.
Team leader Jeremy Burfoot has had cancer himself, and took part in a charity jetski ride around New Zealand in 2006. PRE-REC