1700 to 1707 NEWS
Safety concerns have resulted in four New Zealand cricketers making themselves unavailable for the five-match tour to Pakistan due to begin next week. Craig McMillan, Lou Vincent, Scott Styris and Ian Butler, plus the Black Caps video analyst Zach Hitchcock, are returning home after the current one day series in India. It follows the bombing outside the team's hotel in Karachi last year, when the team last toured Pakistan... New Zealand Cricket has also revealed it received a warning earlier this week, threatening the safety of the Black Caps should they tour Pakistan. The Chief executive Martin Snedden is with us now .. LIVE
An Auckland property developer has been fined 30-An Auckland property developer [illegible] been fined 30-thousand dollars following the death of a man at a building [illegible] last year. Te Rue Tearetoa was crushed to death when an earth bank collapsed at a construction site in the central city last January. Brent Clode earlier admitted 18 charges under the Building Act and the Health and Safety in Employment Act, relating to failing to provide a safe workplace. In the Auckland District Court today, he has been fined 30-thousand dollars, and ordered to give over 12-thousand dollars to the parents of the victim. Clode's companies, Raiser Developments and Clode Consulting have also been fined a total of 59-thousand dollars. Sarah North has been at court at she joins us now. LIVE
The High Court in Auckland has heard that Ese Falealii suffers from a personality defect that leads him to blame others for his crimes. A trial is underway for Joseph Samoa, William Johansson, and Pago Savaiinaea, who are accused of killing bank teller John Vaughan in Mangere Bridge last year. Samoa and Johansson are also charged with the murder of pizza parlour worker Marcus Doig. Our reporter Kirsty Jones was in court and she joins us now? LIVE WITH DROPINS
[illegible] New Zealand Defence Force says it has no intention of getting its troops out of Iraq, despite bomb attacks creeping ever closer to its positions there.
It says the 61 members of the engineering-dominated force will stay there as long as they can do their job. Its comments follow a bomb blast that ripped through an Italian base in the same part odfthe countrey that the New Zealanders work in. However the Defencer Force says even though its troops are staying put, their security of the troops is being kept under close watch.
Eric Frykberg filed this report on today's developments. PKGE
1720 BUSINESS NEWS WITH JOHN DRAPER
Searchers are praising two Chilean climbers who spent four nights in a snowcave before being rescued saying they were well equipped for the ordeal. The men, who were two and a half thousand metres up Mount Aspiring near Wanaka, were found after a helicopter search this morning. Stu Thorn, who organised the search, told me how the climbers were found. PREREC
1730 HEADLINES
SPORTS NEWS WITH RICHARD CROWLEY
500 tonnes of unstable rock came tumbling down Mount Maunganui early this afternoon in a dramatic controlled blast which attracted thousands of spectators. It was the biggest thing to happen in the Mount for years and for those watching the spectacle it was free. Andrew McRae was there and compiled this report. PKGE
A controversial new law which means all puppies registered after June 2006 will need to be microchipped has just been passed by Parliament. The laws aimed at reducing the risk of dog attacks mean that dog owners now have to use or carry a leash at all times when in public places, and take extra care around children. This does not apply to working dogs. The new law also bans the importation of four breeds considered to be dangerous, and requires the muzzling in public of specified breeds seen as 'menacing'. Joining us now is the director of the Auckland SPCA Bob Kerridge. LIVE
[illegible] Federated Farmers is taking on the National organisation in a blatant [illegible] to boost membership. The breakaway Northland group is offering a cheap diesel deal to members - and says it plans to roll out the offer to farmers all over the country. It's negotiated a members' discount of up to 14-cents a litre off Mobil diesel; and petrol for wholesale rates. The president of Northland Federated Farmers, Ian Walker says they're now in healthy competition for members, with New Zealand Federated Farmers. He's with us now. LIVE
There are calls for an end to the secrecy surrounding an investigation into a Hawke's Bay Māori health trust which gets more than 800-thousand dollars of funding each year. Former workers at Te Whatui-apiti Trust have complained it is rife with nepotism and that money is being used to give jobs and resources to relatives rather than provide health services to the community. The Hawke's Bay District Health Board which funds the trust says a comprehensive audit, which has not been made public, has raised significant issues and there'll now be a second audit looking into some financial matters. Sarah Chase from the settlement of Te Hauke, organised a petition protesting over the trust's management and she wants the audit released so the community can see what's in it CUT
Sarah Chase says people have no faith in the trust's ability to manage health services. Joining us now is the DIstrict Health Board's chief executive Chris Clarke. LIVE
Debate has been sparked today over the merits of a possible rise in petrol taxes, to raise the funds needed to tackle Auckland's transport problems. A leaked report written for Auckland mayors and government ministers includes the proposal to raise petrol taxes for all New Zealand motorists by between five and fifteen cents a litre, to help raise the billions of dollars required. The money would be distributed on a population basis throughout the country, which means that as well as creating funds for Auckland, the rest of the country would get money for transport infrastructure as well. The Transport Minister, Paul Swain moved quickly to quash the prospect of a 15 cent increase in petrol, but officials around the country are interested in a rise of some kind to fund transport projects. Our transport reporter Jane O'Loughlin has more. PKGE
An Australian crocodile hunter is on his way to catch Hong Kong's first ever crocodile which has spent almost two weeks now in a river eluding all attempts to capture it. The animal mysteriously surfaced earlier this month and has so far avoided cages baited with chicken, as well as officials with tranquilliser guns and nets. Crocodiles are not native to the region, and importing them is banned so there's much speculation as to how this one arrived. John Lever is an expert on the reptiles and Hong Kong authorities have welcomed his offer to help. He spoke to me from the airport at Cairns about his crocodile catching plan. PREREC
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