Checkpoint FOR FRIDAY 11 MAY 2012
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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Tonight thousands of Aucklanders living in the one and half kilometre fruit fly exclusion zone are banned from taking fruit and vegetables outside the restricted area and some are not even allowed to take them off their own property. This comes as biosecurity inspectors comb the suburb of Avondale where a male Queensland fruit fly was discovered in a trap. It's regarded as one of the world's worst fruit pests and a big threat to this country's 4 billion dollar fruit and vegetable industry. Andrew Coleman from the Ministry of Primary Industries is with us now. I/V
The police are to investigate the catastrophic collapse of Stadium Southland in a big snow storm two years ago. A report by the buildings owner in the immediate aftermath of the roof's collapse, found remedial work to fix sagging roof trusses discovered during construction in 1999, was inadequate and the welding was not up to standard. A Department of Building and Housing report out today confirms that finding, and says although the snowstorm was a one in 250 year event, it wasn't enough to cause the roof to collapse if it had been built properly. Here's the Department's Dave Kelly. I/V
Families of the miners killed in the Pike River disaster are threatening to block coal sales from the mine if it is re-opened commercially without the bodies of the dead miners being brought out first. They say a deal to sell the mine to Solid Energy devalues a pledge to get the bodies returned first.
Eric Frykberg reports. pkge
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH Patrick O’Meara
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Two men have been found guilty of wilfully ill-treating animals during the slaughter of more than 30 dogs at a Wellsford property. Tony Campbell and Russell Mendoza have been convicted of five charges, including one for recklessly discharging a firearm. The pair had been on trial in the Auckland District Court after they shot 33 dogs two years ago because they believed one or more of the dogs had mauled Mr Mendoza's fox terrier. Our reporter Briony Sowden is with us now I/V
The Auckland SPCA's executive director, Bob Kerridge, is with us now. LIVE
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17.30 HEADLINES
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The Government is coming under renewed pressure to halt further changes to the country's biosecurity system after the discovery of a Queensland fruit fly in Auckland. Cabinet papers obtained by Radio New Zealand propose less screening of incoming passengers but Opposition parties say there needs to be more. Here's our political editor, Brent Edwards. PKG
The UN Security Council and the United States have condemned two suicide car bombings, which killed at least 55 people and injured 400 more in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The government and opposition forces have blamed each other for the blasts, which happened during the morning rush hour. The attack's also led to fears that al-Qaeda style militants are becoming increasingly active in the conflict. The BBC's Lyse Doucet reports. PKG
To Norway, where a court in Oslo has been hearing more shocking testimony from survivors of Anders Breivik's shooting rampage on Utoya Island last July, where 69 people died. A 19 year old who was just metres from Breivik during the attack, described him as calm and stone-faced. Steve Rosenberg is at the court. PKG
A leaked letter from the Chief District Court Judge says her court will be put at risk unless more judges are hired. Jan-Marie Doogue has written to the Attorney General, Chris Finlayson, saying a significant number of Acting Warranted Judges leaving next year will not be replaced. And she says retirements from 2018 pose a risk for District Courts, with an increase in workloads and delays. But Mr Finlayson says he's satisfied with the number of District Court Judges he is appointing. And he has hit out at the Labour MP, Charles Chauvel, for releasing the private letter. CUT. Chris Finlayson declined to speak with Checkpoint, but Labour's Charles Chauvel is with us now. LIVE
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17.45 MANU KORIHI
Tēnā koutou katoa, good evening,
The Whangārei pre-school at the centre of a storm over HIV - says the little boy involved was never expelled and is welcome back.
The four-year old who's HIV positive, had been at the Mokopuna centre for four months before his mother told staff about it last week.
The pre-school says she failed to declare the child's medical condition, as required, when she enrolled him.
The chief executive of He Marama Trust which runs Mokopuna, Raewyn Tipene, says the mother agreed last Friday to keep the child home while she worked with staff on a care plan for the boy.
But she says the subsequent media frenzy over reports that he'd been expelled because of his HIV status, have derailed that process.
HIV - PLAN
IN:.......WE DIDN'T EXPEL...
OUT:...ABOUT IT.
DUR:..21"
Raewyn Tipene says Mokopuna has care plans for children with all sorts of conditions, to keep them and others safe.
But she says following the publicity, the mother's now indicated she'll take her child elsewhere.
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A health study's found excessive drinking could be reduced if patients are queried about alcohol use during routine visits to their doctor.
Researchers have run pilot checks at surgeries in the Whanganui region, where doctors have asked questions, offered advice, and provided counselling.
Forty three per cent of patients were screened - and more than half of them were drinking more than international guidelines suggest.
Māori were asked about alcohol consumption less than non-Māori, possibility because surgery time is taken up with more serious medical complaints.
Researcher Dr Heather Gifford says asking about drinking can pay off - but going to the doctor needs to be cheap and easy.
DRINKING-ROUTINE-TP
IN:.......SOMETIMES FOR SOME...
OUT:...VERY VERY HARD.
DUR:..21"
Dr Heather Gifford of Whakaue Research for Māori Health and Development.
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The Māori Party is mourning the death of the former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Sir Geoffrey Henry.
Sir Geoffrey Arama Henry originally from Aitutaki died this week at the age of 71.
Māori Party co-leader, Tariana Turia, is expressing her sadness to the people of Rarotonga and the Cook Islands.
She says he dedicated his life to the political leadership of the Cook Islands, from his early entry to the Legislative Assembly in 1965, right up to his election as Speaker of the Parliament, last February.
Mrs Turia says the party's grief is extended to the Henry family and more broadly to Cook Islands people at home and here in Aotearoa.
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Te Papa Tongarewa - the national museum is gearing up to celebrate Matariki - the Māori new year starting in early June.
Māori new year events are celebrated annually at Te Papa, but the theme for this year is: Ngā Kete o te Wānanga or, The Baskets of Knowledge which focuses on Tainui traditions.
It will share the story of Tāwhaki - a Tainui ancestor who defied all odds by climbing up to the heavens and gaining worldly knowledge on his journey, which he shared with his people.
That's Te Manu Korihi news, I'll have a final bulletin in an hour.
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More now on the police being brought in to investigate the collapse of Stadium Southland. A report out today by the Building and Housing Department blames shoddy construction, particularly welding on the roof trusses that was insufficient or missing altogether. The report says the substandard work could easily have been picked up at the time during the regular building inspections. Amalgamated Builders, the firm behind the project, have issued a statement saying the report is unbalanced and lacking vital information. The firm's director, Bruce Middleton, declined to be interviewed by Checkpoint. But we're joined now by Noel Fitzgerald, who owned Aorangi Steel at the time the welding work in question was done. LIVE
In Britain, one of the people at the centre of the phone hacking scandal has been questioned about his relationship with the Prime Minister at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards. Andy Coulson, who quit as editor of News of the World, has admitted he held tens-of-thousands-of-dollars’ worth of News Corp shares while he was working for David Cameron. He's also been asked why he was able to go to high level meetings without proper security clearances. Reporting from London, the ABC's Lisa Millar. PKG
An angler who shot at fleeing burglars in a remote Wairarapa town has been given back his firearms licence after a judge ruled it had been unlawfully taken away. Garth Gadsby appeared in the Masterton District Court this morning - after the police refused to grant him a new license earlier this year. The 65-year-old man was found guilty in 2008 of recklessly discharging a firearm when he fired at a stolen car in the coastal town of Ngawi two years earlier. He was ordered to pay a fine of three thousand dollars and forfeit his gun. Mr Gadsby says today's result is fabulous, as having a firearms licence is very important to him. CUT. Craig McCulloch was at the Masterton District Court for Judge Chris Tuohy's ruling. PREREC
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