Checkpoint FOR WEDNESDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2011
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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The Police Commissioner is not ruling out an apology to Tuhoe over the armed raids carried out in the Ruatoki Valley four years ago. Officers, including those from the anti terrorist Special Tactics Group, swooped on homes and set up road blocks as part of a nationwide operation targeting what they said were military style weapons training camps. The Crown now says there is no longer sufficient evidence to charge 13 of the 17 people arrested. The Police Commissioner at the time of the raids, Howard Broad, accepted that relations with Tuhoe had been damaged and said an apology was possible. His successor Peter Marshall agrees. PREREC
The mother of a Hutt Valley High student who had his leg grated raw in an attack four years ago says she's astounded it's taken so long to get an apology from the school. An investigation by the ombudsman has found that serious assaults, including sexual assaults, in late 2007 were not one-off attacks but part of a systemic problem of violence which the school did not do enough to stop. Attacks continued into 2008 and frustrated and angry parents complained to the ombudsman. Andrea Downs, whose son Peter is now in his last year at the school, says it's taken far too long to fix the problems. PREREC
The former safety and training manager at the Pike River mine has described a dispute with the chief executive Pete Whittall over the second exit from the mine. Neville Rockhouse, who lost his son Ben in last November's disaster, said he had never seen the 100 metre vertical ladder as a satisfactory exit, despite Mr Whittall's claims. Geoff Moffett is at the hearing, and Geoff Mr Rockhouse at odds with Mr Whittall over safety? LIVE
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH Naomi Mitchell
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Despite one Pacific nation speaking out in support of Fiji at the Pacific Islands Forum, the Prime Minister, John Key, says there will be no vote on whether to lift Fiji's suspension.
The annual summit of regional leaders is meeting in Auckland this week, and as the host country, New Zealand is chairing. Mr Key says a vote on Fiji is not on the forum agenda.
CUT Our parliamentary chief reporter, Jane Patterson, is there and she joins us now LIVE
A refrigeration engineer has described the rules for installing cooling system which use highly dangerous gases as disgraceful. Brian Jackson has been giving evidence at the inquest into the death of a fireman, killed when a coolstore exploded near Hamilton three years ago. Derek Lovell died and seven other firefighters were seriously injured. Andrew McRae has been at the Coroners Court in Hamilton. PKG
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17.30 HEADLINES
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The Maori and Green parties are calling for an inquiry into the police raids in the Urewera now the charges have been dropped against all but four of those arrested. The Maori Party says it wants a Royal Commission of Inquiry after talking it over with Tuhoe, the iwi at the centre of the police raids. Here's our political editor Brent Edwards. PKG
Officials in Niger say Colonel Gaddafi's security chief is among several former Libyan officials who have crossed the border. They say the man entered the country on Sunday. Meanwhile, a convoy said to be carrying dozens of heavily armed Gaddafi loyalists as well as gold and cash, has also reached Niger. The whereabouts of Moammar Gaddafi himself is still a mystery.
The ABC's Timothy McDonald reports : PKG
The Commerce Minister says foreigners using New Zealand registered companies to commit money-laundering, tax evasion and fraud have battered the country's reputation as a good place to do business. The Companies Office has taken steps to remove about 18-hundred firms and the government's agreed to make changes to the law, but the Green Party is accusing it of moving too slowly. The Party's co-leader Russel Norman joins us now. LIVE
Christchurch may have missed out on hosting any of the Rugby World Cup games, but the city did get its first taste of the competition today with a visit from the England team. Our reporter, Bridget Mills, joined the players on their whirlwind trip around the city, and filed this report. PKG
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17.45 MANU KORIHI
Tēnā koutou katoa, good evening,
A Pākehā woman arrested in relation to alleged training camps in Te Urewera says she was better treated than those arrested in Ruātoki during the police raids.
Mārama Meyrick is one of thirteen people who've had charges against them dropped by the police.
She says she was arrested at her parent's home in Whakatāne.
And she suspects it's because she's Pākehā that she received better treatment than others charged in Ruātoki.
RAIDS-TREATMENT-TP
IN I WAS ONLY...
OUT ...TREATED ME SO DIFFERENTLY.
DUR 25
Ms Mayrick says it feels great not to have court action hanging over her - but the downside is that she now has thirty thousand dollars worth of lawyer's bills.
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Meanwhile,
The Māori MP for the Bay of Plenty is talking to the Tūhoe tribe about taking a new claim to the Waitangi Tribunal, arguing the 2007 police raids in Ruātoki breached the Treaty of Waitangi.
The member for Waiāriki, Te Ururoa Flavell, says the Crown should be answerable, particular for the way people were innocently caught up in the actions - and for those who've now had charges against them dropped.
The Māori Party MP says his caucus and Tūhoe are looking for more than an apology.
RAIDS-FLAVELL-TP
IN WE'VE EVEN TALKED...
OUT ...OF SOME KIND.
DUR 18
The Māori Party MP, Te Ururoa Flavell.
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The Ngāti Kurī kuia Saana Murray, who died at the weekend, has been laid to rest after a funeral today at Kapo Wairua - Spirits Bay.
Mrs Murray was the last living claimant in the Wai 262 Flora and Fauna claim, lodged twenty years ago.
Aunty Saana as she was known - had been in failing health for some time, but she was able to make it to Roma marae in the Far North, in July, to receive the report on the claim from the Waitangi Tribunal.
She was not overly impressed by it.
Her four-day tangihanga ended this morning with a funeral, followed by a hākari in marquees set up for the occasion, at her beloved Kapo Wairua.
Nō reira e kui, moe mai rā.
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Building of the big plastic land-based waka destined for the Rugby World Cup celebrations is picking up pace.
A central Auckland hapū, Ngāti Whātua ō Ōrakei, is managing the Government-funded attraction.
A spokesperson, Renata Blair, says the waka should be completed before the end of the month.
The hapu's hoping the waka will be unveiled in October at Te Wero Island, in the heart of the Viaduct on Auckland's waterfront.
That's Te Manu Korihi news, I'll have a further bulletin in an hour.
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A lawyer from Westport has been convicted of drink driving, despite going to great lengths to sabotage the breath testing machine. Douglas Taffs, who's 53, tried everything, including putting an urban myth into practice, to avoid giving a sample.
To tell us more, we're joined by the police prosecutor on the case, Sergeant Graeme Eden. LIVE
The police officers involved in two fatal pursuits last year in which three people were killed have been cleared of any wrongdoing. The Independent Police Complaints Authority has found the officers complied with police policy and acted lawfully. But the father of one of the drivers, who survived a crash that killed another woman, believes policy changes are needed. Jessica Maddock reports. PKG
British members of parliament investigating the hacking scandal have been told James Murdoch did see an email showing that phone hacking was used by more than one rogue reporter at News of the World. The BBC's Rob Watson explains : PKG