There is outrage in rural and small town New Zealand over Telecom's announcement of massive increases in the cost of new phone connections. All new customers face some increase. But while city dwellers will pay an extra 33 [illegible] to have a new phone connected, people in small towns will pay 250 dollars more, while the cost for rural customers could run into the thousands. Our consumer reporter, Michelle Hollis, has been gauging reaction from the regions. PKGE
I asked Jim Anderton - the minister of regional development - for a response to Hamish McBeth's comments and the anger from many rural Telecom customers. IV
Prison officers are critical of the Corrections Department's admission that [illegible] than half of the country's worst criminals are being held in high security prisons. The department's admission comes as it tries to work out how a dangerous prisoner sentenced to preventive detention for rape maanged to break out of Christchurch Mens Prison.
Mark Anthony Taylor was recaptured last night, after 24 hours on the run. But the prison officers' union, the Corrections Association, says Taylor should not even be at Christchurch Prison - John MacDonald reports. PKGE
BUSINESS NEWS WITH JOHN DRAPER
To the United States now - and Republican supporters are crediting President George W Bush's hard-line policy on Iraq for the Party's success in the mid-term elections. But as our Washington correspondent Malcolm Brown reports, not everyone convinced. PKGE
There's a warning today that community trusts funded to provide health and social services are being treated as personal banks by the people who run them.
Dot Field is the chairperson of the Kaikohe Disabilities Resource Centre which last year got 150-thousand dollars to assess people and get them services such as homehelp. The Centre is now being investigated by the police after Ms Field [illegible] 20 thousand dollars worth of debt in unpaid rent, tax and phone bills, shortly after taking over as chairperson.
She says there's still unanswered questions about trustee travel expenses and how 11 thousand dollars of Child Youth and Family funding has been spent. But she's also angry about the lack of accountablity required by funders. IV
Billboard companies in Auckland are denying responsibility for a mysterious - and illegal - tree-felling campaign in the central city. Over the last few months a significant number of protected trees have disappeared and others have been pruned severely in the covert attacks, which have all been on trees obscuring advertising billboards. But as Catherine Wilson reports it remains a puzzle as to who the culprit could be. PKGE
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SPORT with STEPHEN HEWSON
It has been revealed that the boxer now under investigation for leaving signficiant details off his fight history had fought at both the Oceania and Commonwealth Games - but didnt note them in his official record. Peter Williams fell into a coma after winning a national title last month - he remains in intensive care in Timaru Hospital, in a critical but stable condition. Now Boxing New Zealand says its investigations have shown that he fought for Samoa at the 1996 Oceania Games and the 1998 Commonwealth Games, but did not enter those bouts on his record. The Association's chairman, Keith Walker, says the main problem is that officials have to rely on the honesty of the boxers, and they have no way to punish them for lying. IV
To the United Nations now - and the Security Council will shortly debate the redrafted American resolution on Iraqi disarmament, which Washington is [illegible] overcomes the objections of key council members. While the United States is confident its revised resolution will be passed, Russia, France and China are still expressing concern as out correspondent Steve Mort reports. PKGE
The Māori Television Service says it has done everything to get Māori TV on air, and is warning that any future delays holdups will be the government's fault. The warning came from the service's chairperson, Derek Fox, during his appearance before Parliament's Māori Affairs Select Committee to brief it on progress on getting Māori TV to air. Mr Fox also told the committee there's a new proposal for Māori Television to buy TV4's national transmission network. I asked our Māori Issues Correspondent Gideon Porter for details about that development. IV w DROPINS
The Finance Minister Michael Cullen has fleshed out his plan for a social partnership amongst the government, business and unions which would promote economic growth. Kathryn Ryan reports that the issue was discussed at a Government-Union forum in Wellington today, involving senior ministers and the Council of Trade Unions. PKGE
AUDIO Hollywood star Winona Ryder has been convicted of shoplifting after a high-profile trial in Los Angeles. The Oscar-nominated actress was charged with stealing more than 10-thousand (NZ) dollars worth of clothing from the posh Beverly Hills department store, Saks last year. Our Los Angeles correspondent Peter Bowes told me that American TV stations interrupted the US mid-term election coverage to broadcast the verdict live, showing a stony-faced Ryder in court. IV
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