HEADLINES & NEWS
The former Human Rights Commissioner Ella Henry who resigned this morning, says she only did so because the incident over her partner's traffic ticket had become public.
Ms Henry wrote to the police after her partner John Pene was caught running a yellow light at a school pedestrian crossing in June. She accused the officer involved of picking on Mr Pene because he is black and enclosed her business card in the letter. The officer was upset at the allegation and thought Ms Henry was using her position to influence the police. After an exhange of letters, Ms Henry apologised. The incident became public last night, and was followed by Ella Henry's resignation early today. I asked her what had prompted her actions in the first place. PREREC
[illegible] Justice Minister Margaret Wilson says Ella Henry could not have continued with the job regardless of whether or not the incident had become public. Ms Wilson is rejecting accusations from the Act leader Richard Prebble that she had known about the incident for weeks, and that Ms Henry's resignation only took place because the issue hit the headlines. PREREC
A leading cancer expert and professor of medicine has hit out at what he calls the dismal way New Zealand deals with cancer services. Dr David Skegg, a professor of Preventive and Social Medicine at the University of Otago, told a Cancer Society gathering in Wellington today that New Zealand's cancer services are in a dire situation compared with other countries. He is critical of the high cancer incidence and death rates, and the lack of funding for treatment and research. Our Health Correspondent Leigh-Anne Wiig was there and joins us now. LIVE WITH DROP INS
Lion Nathan has run up the white flag in the billion dollar takeover battle for winemaker Montana. After months of exhausting legal action Lion found the 480 cents a share offer of British wine and spirits group Allied Domecq too rich [illegible] its pocket. It has decided to sell making a 127 million profit. Lion had [illegible] nearly 63 per cent of Montana but a stock exchange committee found that it had breached exchange rules getting there and made it sell 19 per cent. Our business editor John Draper joins us now. LIVE WITH DROP INS
BUSINESS NEWS WITH JOHN DRAPER
Public support for MMP is being put to the test with a petition that seeks to force another referendum on the voting system. The Clerk of the House, Parliament's most senior official, has approved the wording of a petition that calls for a Citizens Initiated Referendum to be held on the future of the voting system, based on 99 MPs. The petition has now been signed by 26-thousand people, but a referendum will only be held if the petition attracts 260-thousand signatures before March next year. Here's our Parliamentary Chief Reporter Kathryn Street. PKGE
5.30 NEWS HEADLINES
SPORT with JOHNNIE BLADES
There's been a last minute rush of candidates wanting to stand for local body and district health board elections. The nominations closed at midday - despite concerns that there would not be enough candidates, many electoral offices report a last minute flood of people putting their names forward. However, as Andrew Greenwood found, the last minute rush doesn't reflect voters' enthusiasm for local elections. PKGE
And voters will also have a good range of candidates to choose from to represent them on District Health Boards.
Earlier this week, there were so few nominations for the Boards that many candidates would have been elected unopposed. But the director of District Health Board elections David Curry says the last minute rush means that's no longer the case and they've now received almost 700. PREREC
To Fiji - on the eve of the country's elections, the treason trial of coup leader George Speight and his 11 accomplices has been delayed until February. The move comes after the defence questioned the eligibility of Justice Peter Surman to preside over the case. Our Fiji correspondent Shalen Shandil was in court today and he joins us now. LIVE WITH DROP IN
Across the Tasman - the mayor of Port Augusta says she will fight a Government decision to build a new detention centre near the city to cope with the influx of asylum seekers. The government is spending around 22-million dollars setting up three new detention centres to accommodate the increasing numbers of asylum seekers entering Australia by boat. One of the centres will be at El Alamein Army Base near Port Augusta and will take twelve hundred asylum seekers. But the mayor of Port Augusta, Joy Baluch told me she's concerned at the lack of Government consultation about the decision. PREREC
Auckland's mayors and the Government are putting on a show of solidarity as the deadline draws nearer for a succesful conclusion to negotiations with Tranzrail over the future of the region's rail network. The Ministers of Finance, Transport and Auckland issues met the mayors today and emerged issuing a statement showing there's still some way to go to striking a deal with Tranzrail to buy back the tracks needed for a regional rapid transit network. Our reporter Todd Niall has been following the long-running saga ... Todd what has been the result of today's meeting? LIVE WITH DROP IN
[illegible] courts now - and nine psychiatrists are now giving evidence at the trial of David Gates, the man charged with killing Wellington law student Gavin Dash. Gates admits he strangled and decapitated Mr Dash, and later broke into his former flatmate's new address and stripped his room to make it look as if he had just vanished. Despite the admission, Gates' legal team contend he was insane at the time, and so cannot be found guilty. The trial is now ending its thirs week - our Court Reporter Merle Nowland joins me now. LIVE
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