Checkpoint FOR MONDAY 3 DECEMBER 2012
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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A man whose wife died in the collapsed CTV building has told an inquest he was stopped by the police from rescuing her, and that they ignored valuable information on where she was inside the rubble. Alec Cvetanov spoke many times by phone to his wife Tamara who was trapped inside CTV. She was one of eight people who initially survived the collapse, but died before rescuers could reach her. Conan Young is covering the inquest in Christchurch. PKG
The Justice Minister, Judith Collins, is seeking more legal advice before making a recommendation to Cabinet on whether compensation should be paid to David Bain. Mr Bain spent 13 years in jail for the 1994 murders of his parents and three siblings, before he was acquitted at a retrial in 2009.He is seeking compensation for wrongful conviction and imprisonment. Here’s our political reporter, Clare Pasley. PKG
A deadly attack on a Radio New Zealand journalist has been described as deliberate, violent and unprovoked by the crown prosecutor in court today.43 year old Phillip Cottrell was beaten in Boulcott Street in Wellington minutes after leaving work on The Terrace at the end of a night shift in December last year. Nicho Waipuka, aged 20, and Manual (man-yall) Robinson, who is 18, are on trial for his murder. In his opening statement the crown lawyer Tom Gilbert told the court that Mr Cottrell was badly assaulted and suffered severe injuries to his head, including neck fractures. CUT But in the opening address for the accused Nicho Waipuka, his lawyer Paul Paino (pron Pie-eno) said client had no murderous intent. CUT Our reporter Andrew Macrae has been at the High Court in Wellington court today. IV
A convicted child molester who abused boys as a Catholic brother has appeared in court as Australia seeks to extradite him, after his surprise return to New Zealand on Friday. The Australian police asked police here in October to help extradite Bernard Kevin McGrath but he had already left for Sri Lanka. That’s despite 252 charges of sexually abusing boys having been laid in June in a Newcastle court .The ex St John of God brother has already served two terms in prison in New Zealand on similar charges. The Crown opposed bail in court today - but he was granted it and will reappear in two weeks. The prosecutor says McGrath has given no indication if he will consent to being extradited. Ken Clearwater heads the Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust and has been talking to McGrath's victims in this country. IV
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH
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A hearing panel has been told to embrace the opportunity for Dunedin's first luxury hotel because it might not come again for decades. The panel today began two weeks of resource consent hearings into the controversial 28-storey glass and concrete building proposed for the city's waterfront. The developer says the project is the last obstacle to cracking the vast market of middle-class Chinese tourists. Here’s our Otago reporter, Ian Telfer. PKG
The body found in a burnt-out car in North Canterbury on Sunday is not the owner of the car. Christchurch police say the car was found by a group of four-wheel drive enthusiasts, in a shingled area at the southern end of Dunlops Road, near Loburn. Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Archer says the vehicle is very badly burnt, as is the body, which was in the driver's seat. He says the identity is not known, however it is not the local Christchurch man who owns the car. IV Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Archer is asking for any sightings of the 1989 silver Subaru station wagon between Thursday afternoon and Sunday.
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17.30 HEADLINES
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To Japan now where rescue crews are risking their own lives in a bid to recover the bodies of at least nine people from inside a collapsed motorway tunnel. An urgent investigation is now underway to find out why a 110 metre section of the concrete tunnel caved in, crushing vehicles and sparking fires. The ABC's Mark Willacy is on the line now from Tokyo IV
Waihī householders worried a new mine under their houses will mean more blasting and dust have rallied in the street today. This coincided with the start of the resource consent hearing for Newmont Waihī Gold's Golden Link project which includes the Correnso underground mine. Lorna Perry reports. PKG
The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, has become the latest to criticise Israel’s plans to build further settlements on the West Bank. He said such a move would deliver a huge blow to the chances of a peace deal with the Palestinians. Israel announced the plans in response to a United Nations vote, which upgraded the Palestinians' status to that of a non-member observer state. The BBC's James Kelly reports: PKG
A jury deciding the fate of five businessmen accused of operating a one-stop-shop for cannabis equipment, have been told not to let their beliefs on this country's drug laws get in the way of their verdicts. Five managers from the retail chain, Switched on Gardener, are accused of participating in an organised criminal group and selling equipment to grow cannabis. They were among 200 people arrested in 2010, as part of a nationwide sting, where 6 thousand marijuana plants were seized. Olivia Wix has been at the Auckland District Court, where the judge has been summing up the case. IV
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17.45 MANU KORIHI
Nau mai haere mai ki te pūrongo nei a Te Manu Korihi,
The tāngata whenua of Rapanui are preparing to give their Māori cousins a warm welcome as the Waka Tapu expedition gets ready to disembark their two waka.
The waka's skipper Jack Thatcher says his crew were ecstatic after reaching Rapanui or Easter Island on Friday, nearly ninety days after they left New Zealand.
Two double hulled canoes Te Aurere and Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti are raising environmental awareness by retracing the epic journey of their ancient Polynesian ancestors using traditional navigation methods.
The Rapanui Elders Council President, Koro Alberto Hotus, says through his translator, that his people are getting ready for a big celebration.
RAPANUI-RECEP-TP
IN: SPANISH IN WORDS...
OUT: ON THE ISLAND (SPANISH FADE OUT)
DUR: 26"
Koro Alberto Hotus of Rapanui.
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Māori Rotorua residents angered by a plan to build a new rubbish transfer station in their suburb where four Marae are - have entered into mediation with the company behind the proposal.
Talks are the result of an independent commissioner earlier granting the Transpacific Industries Group consent to build.
It's proposed to be built on the corner of Te Ngae Road and Hamiora Place in Ngāpuna.
The consent approval's angered some local residents - and has even lead to one of them, John Tapiata, filing an application with the Environment Court.
Mr Tapiata says in the meantime, Ngāpuna residents are in talks with Transpacific and are working towards a solution, which he hopes will ensure Māori values are acknowledged.
In July, Te Manu Korihi, reported that some Māori residents are worried that the transfer station would be built within a circle of four marae, with one likening it to having a rubbish bin put in their lounge.
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A lawyer with extensive experience in representing both the Crown and Iwi claimants before the Waitangi Tribunal has been appointed as a temporary Māori Land Court judge.
Michael Doogan starts his role next year on January 21, and will hold his temporary position for two years.
The Minister of Māori Affairs, Pita Sharples, says his depth of knowledge will be of great value to the current bench of the Māori Land Court.
Mr Doogan's temporary appointment is necessary to help with the workload of the court and the Waitangi Tribunal.
Māori Land Court judges also act as Presiding Officers in the Tribunal.
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Tuahiwi Marae in north Canterbury celebrated the opening of their newly built whare Maahunui the second over the weekend with hundreds of Ngāi Tahu whānau and visitors there for the special occasion.
The old Maahunui hall which was erected in 1922 was pulled down in January and work on a new building started soon after with input from Ngāi Tūāhuriri elders and hapū members who had a vision for the future.
The head of the Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga, Rakiihia Tau, says the opening of the whare represents their intention to strengthen their relationship with the past, the present and the future and to share it with surrounding Māori and non-Māori Communities in Christchurch and in the wider Canterbury area.
That's Te Manu Korihi news; I'll have a further bulletin in an hour.
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An unnamed surgeon breached patient rights by failing to ensure a seriously ill woman got emergency surgery quickly. The orthopaedic spinal surgeon operated on a 69-year-old doctor in the unnamed private hospital in 2009, to ease her long-standing back pain. By midnight on the day of the surgery, the patient had lost feeling and movement in both feet. The Health and Disability Commissioner, Anthony (t not th) Hill says the nurse on duty failed to tell anyone and the next morning the surgeon also failed to move quickly enough. Mr Hill says the patient's loss of feeling was serious. IV
In Australia, the search is continuing for a nine-year-old boy in the Northern Territory who was taken by a crocodile as he swam at a beach near the eastern tip of Arnhem Land. It follows a similar attack on a young girl in Arnhem Land three weeks ago. Locals tend to have a good knowledge of the dangers of living near crocodiles - Adam Britton is a Darwin-based crocodile specialist who says there are a couple of clues as what's gone wrong. IV