Checkpoint FOR THURSDAY 26 JANUARY 2012
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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The surprise leak today of the so called teapot tape is putting renewed pressure on the Prime Minister to drop his complaint to the police. The recording of John Key's meeting in an Auckland cafe with John Banks during the election campaign has been posted on the internet. And that's already forced an apology of sorts out of Mr Key. The police say they're looking into the leak, and stressed it's still an offence to disclose unlawfully intercepted private communications. It's not clear just who is behind the leak though the man who made the original recording, Bradley Ambrose, denies it has anything to do with him. Mr Ambrose insists he recorded the conversation by mistake, and his lawyer Ron Mansfield says Mr Key should withdraw his complaint. cut Our political reporter, Chris Bramwell has more. pkg
Our Political Editor Brent Edwards is with us now. q and a
The Government's projected return to surplus in two years time is still in place but John Key has had a massive chunk sliced out of it. Today the Prime Minister, John Key, delivered his first speech of the year, where he re-iterated his Government's commitment to getting the country's books back into surplus. cut But Mr Key went on to revise the pre-budget surplus figure for 2014 / 15, from 1 point 45 billion dollars, to only about a third of that. cut - reader
I asked finance minister Bill English about the forecast for a reduced surplus. pre-rec
New Zealand officials served a rogue Norwegian adventurer with a deportation notice and warned him not to leave for Antarctica. Jarle (Yarley) Andhoey was served with the notice on Monday this week, the day he's believed to have sailed from Auckland for the Ross Sea on a second illegal trip there. During his first botched attempt on the South Pole a year ago, three people died when Mr Andhoey's support yacht sank . pkg
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH
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The commander of Papua New Guinea's defence force, Francis Agwi (are-gwee), has been overthrown after rebel soldiers stormed his Port Moresby barracks this morning and placed him under house arrest. It is the latest move linked to the power struggle between two political camps claiming to be the government. Colonel Yaura (yow-rah) Sasa, says he is the new head of the military, saying he was appointed by the former prime minister, Sir Michael Somare. Now the retired colonel wants Sir Michael and the prime minister, Peter O'Neill to return to parliament within seven days to resolve what he calls the country's constitutional impasse. Jonny Blades reports. pkg
Two of the men arrested along with Kim Dotcom have been granted bail, despite the United States fighting to keep them behind bars. Bram van der Kolk who is 29 and Finn Batato who is 38, were among those arrested in Auckland on Friday. The US wants them extradited to face charges in what is its biggest ever internet piracy prosecution over the file sharing site Megaupload. Yesterday the founder of the site, Kim Dotcom was denied bail with the judge ruling he posed a flight risk. Our reporter Georgina Ball joins us now from outside the North Shore District Court. live
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17.30 HEADLINES
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Protesters have returned to Aotea Square in Auckland after police earlier today evicted them, making 20 arrests. The Auckland Council's Chief Executive Doug McKay went down to the Occupy movement protest and spoke to people individually, and says some of them listened. cut However, one Occupier, Suzie says the treatment of her fellow protestors is unacceptable. cut Our reporter Sam Morrah is at Aotea Square and he joins us now. live
The surging New Zealand dollar has shrugged off mild admonishment from the Reserve Bank and no change to the Official Cash Rate to make further strong gains today. But it wasn't the central bank's words that sent the Kiwi skywards. Our economics correspondent, Nigel Stirling, explains. pkg
There are fears that a daring raid into Somalia by US special forces may increase the risks to other hostages being held by Somali pirates. In a pre-dawn raid, the same Navy Seals group which was involved in the killing of Osama Bin Laden, rescued two foreign aid workers who'd been held captive for three months. The ABC's Barbara Miller reports. pkg
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17.45 MANU KORIHI
Kia ora Susie, huri noa te motu whānui tēnā koutou katoa,
A pōwhiri which was due to start at Te Papa museum at four o'clock this afternoon, to mark the return to New Zealand of 20 toi moko or Māori ancestral heads from France, has been delayed.
High winds at Wellington airport have prevented the plane carrying the toi moko from landing.
The repatriation ceremony will now begin at half past seven tomorrow morning.
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The Customs Service in Christchurch today returned one-hundred-and-75 kilograms of pounamu to Ngāi Tahu iwi at a ceremony on Rehua marae in the suburb of St Albans.
The Deputy Controller of Operations, Robert Lake, says officers intercepted the greenstone, which a South Island jeweller was trying to export to China, in December 2010.
POUNAMU CUSTOMS TP
IN.......THIS JEWELLER IS
OUT...WE IDENTIFIED IT.
DUR...20".
Robert Lake says the jeweller who's been very co-operative, was issued with a warning but wasn't prosecuted.
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Ngāi Tahu's Deputy Kaiwhakahaere, Lisa Tumahai, says the seizure by Customs of such a large quantity of pounamu, is a timely reminder that there are strict exporting rules for the taonga resource.
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IN.......IMPORT AND EXPORT
OUT...THE FINISHED PRODUCT.
DUR...25"
Lisa Tumahai says Ngāi Tahu's thrilled with the return of the pounamu and the process which the Customs Service has in place to protect the greenstone resource.
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Coastal iwi in Bay of Plenty who've been affected by the grounding of the container ship Rena, plan to table their demand for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the ship's grounding, at the national iwi leaders forum in Waitangi.
Te Moana-A-Toi Iwi leaders group which represents 16 iwi, wants an independent inquiry into the marine disaster, so something similar never happens again.
The Group's Chairman, Charlie Tawhiao, says they'll be looking for backing for the inquiry, at the iwi leaders forum next week.
RENA WAITANGI TP
IN:.......WHAT WE'RE GOING TO
OUT:...COMMISSION OF INQUIRY.
DUR:..21"
Charlie Tawhiao says this will be taken to the government in the spirit of partnership that's been developed around the recovery.
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Te Aupouri iwi in the Far North hopes a Treaty settlement package with the Crown, will set the course for economic recovery and greater opportunities for its people.
The signing of Te Aupouri's Deed of Settlement and the Crown's apology to the iwi, are key features of a three day Tū Ake Te Aupouri festival which begins in Te Kao tomorrow.
About 95 per cent of Te Aupouri people who participated in the settlement ratification process agreed to accept the package which the Crown offered.
An iwi trustee and treaty negotiator, Peter-Lucas Jones, says although no treaty settlement can really compensate or do real justice for an iwi, Te Aupouri looks forward to a better relationship with the Crown.
He says the settlement will put the tribe on its feet, rejuvenate economic activities and help realise the aspirations of the people.
That's Te Manu Korihi news, I'll have a further bulletin in an hour.
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A long-term plan to return the Bay of Plenty coast back to pre-Rena days has been unveiled. It's expected to cost at least three million dollars and take at least 12-months. The container ship ran aground on Otaiti, the Astrolabe Reef in October. The environmental recovery plan was outlined at the Waikari Marae near Tauranga today. Andrew McRae was there. pkg
Tens of thousands of Egyptians have returned to central Cairo today to mark the anniversary of the uprising which toppled Hosni Mubarak. The one time president is now on trial accused of ordering the killing of demonstrators - and the Muslim Brotherhood he once had banned is the biggest party in the new parliament. While some in Tahrir Square are celebrating, many more are demanding an immediate end to the temporary military government. Ibrahim Al-Fayed is a businessman who's been a part of the protests since they began. cut The BBC's Jon Leyne has spent the day in Cairo's Tahrir Square. pkg
A two year boy has escaped unscathed after hitching a ride on his unwitting grandfather's trailer for 20 kilometres. The police say the toddler hung on down the twisty Takaka Hill road - all the way to Motueka - before being discovered. Senior Sergeant Grant Andrews is from the Motueka police. pre-rec
It's semi-final time at the Australian Open in Melbourne and watching the action is our tennis correspondent Dave Luddy....live