Checkpoint FOR TUESDAY 2 APRIL 2013
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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The Prime Minister says there could be some advantages to New Zealand, if the Tīwai Point aluminium smelter closes. The smelter's majority owner, Rio Tinto, is returning to talks with Meridian Energy for a deal on power prices after rejecting what the Government says is its best possible offer of a short-term subsidy. Here's our parliamentary chief reporter, Jane Patterson.
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The State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall declined to talk to Checkpoint. Pacific Aluminium, the Rio Tinto company that owns Tiwha Point, wouldn't be interviewed either, saying only in a statement it believes a power deal with Meridian can be reached. An analyst from Milford Asset Management, William Curtayne, is with us now.
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A farmer has told police about the strange behaviour of a dark coloured jeep in the minutes leading up to fatal shooting of a road worker two weeks ago. George Taiaroa was shot dead near Atiamuri, in south Waikato. Detective Inspector Tim Anderson says the farmer has come forward in the last few days to tell them he was driving a tractor that day on the road near where the shooting happened and came across a four wheel drive.
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH Kate Gudsell
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The United States has positioned a destroyer off the coast of the Korean peninsula following North Korea's declaration that it is back in a state of war. The White House spokesperson, Jay Carney, says that kind of tough talk is part of a familiar pattern but the US is going to remain vigilant.
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CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more on America's military moves
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Analyst Victor Charr speaking with Barbara Starr, and the BBC's Lucy Williamson has the latest from South Korea.
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Red zoned home owners in Christchurch who are refusing the Government's offer to buy their land say they will stay put, despite not knowing whether they'll get insurance or have basic services like water and sewerage. At five o'clock this evening, the voluntary buyout offer expired. Late last week (Thursday), about six thousand people had settled with the Crown, but more than 270 hadn't. Marcus Irvine reports.
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17. 30 HEADLINES
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Two companies have been fined more than 200-thousand dollars for ripping off busloads of Asian tourists with fake souvenirs. Visitors from China, Korea and Taiwan on organised tours were taken to factories and shops where they were sold imported alpaca rugs labelled as New Zealand made, and duvets that were being passed off as 100 per-cent merino or alpaca wool. Consequently, the souvenirs were all grossly over-priced. The charges, against Top Sky Holdings and Kiwi Wool Limited, were brought by the Commerce Commission - it's chairperson is Mark Berry.
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There has been a jump in the number of reported assaults and sexual crime in Northland but the police say most of that is because of two men who are now under arrest. And an increase in Canterbury of overall crime is being blamed on the 2011 earthquake. Nationwide though, total crime is down seven-point-four percent, to the lowest it's been in 20 years. William Ray reports.
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The wreckage of the plane carrying the 2 Degrees chief executive and his wife may have been found using sonar, 56-metres below water off the coast of Raglan. Eric and Kathy Hertz were flying from South Auckland to Timaru on Saturday when their twin-engine plane plunged into the sea. A police spokesperson, Andrew McAlley (mah-cauley), says a Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle is being used to take more detailed photos to help confirm if it is the aircraft or not.
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17. 45 MANU KORIHI
Tēnā koutou katoa, good evening,
Official recognition of the Māori names for the North and South Islands are one step closer.
The Geographic Board, Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa has agreed in principle to formalise Te Ika-a-Maui and Te Waipounamu as having equal status with the English names, North and South Islands, but will consult with the public before making a final decision.
The Chairman of the board, Dr Don Grant says while the Māori and English names have appeared on maps over the years, neither has ever been made official.
He says Captain Cook recorded the Māori names on his early charts.
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Don Grant says the board is likely to make a final decision in July.
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The Chairperson of the Federation of Māori Authorities says her recent trip to Rapanui or Easter Island highlighted the need for Māori to play a bigger leadership role in the Pacific for social and economic development.
Traci Houpapa was part of a Latin American trade mission in March which visited a number of South American countries to forge closer relationships including First-Nations peoples.
The trip also included a stopover at Rapanui.
She says Māori are held in high esteem by the Rapanui people who want to have more exchanges with their Polynesian cousins and to join forces to support economic and social outcomes.
Ms Houpapa says native Easter Islanders want to learn from the Māori model of economic development.
She says it made her realise that Māori have under estimated the leadership role that they should be playing to provide guidance in economic and social development for their Pacific cousins.
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Ngāi Tūhoe leader, Tamati Kruger, says having more tribal representatives in parliament would certainly help lift the number of Māori enrolling to vote.
The Electoral Commission is urging tangata whenua to decide whether they want to be on the general electoral roll or Māori roll.
At present 235-thousand people are on the Māori roll and 192-thousand tangata whenua are on the general roll.
A suggestion's been made in passing that Tamati Kruger would be a good representative in parliament.
Mr Kruger says he's never considered the idea.
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Tamati Kruger of Ngāi Tūhoe.
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The costs incurred so-far by the Waitangi Tribunal to hear the claim by the Māori Council over water rights and asset sales is just over 213-thousand dollars.
The figure has been released by the Courts Minster, Chester Borrows in response to a Parliamentary question from the Green Party Co-Leader Russel Norman.
The Minister of Justice, Judith Collins has also revealed that legal aid payments associated with the claim lodged by the Māori Council and Te Tokerau District Māori Council currently stands at $537-thousand dollars excluding GST.
That's Te Manu Korihi news, I'll have a further bulletin in an hour.
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The union for workers at Tiwha Point says the Government must show it will fight to save the smelter after months of inaction. The mining multinational Rio Tinto has rejected the Government's offer of a short-term subsidy, and the Government says it's not interested in providing a long-term subsidy. Instead, Rio Tinto has gone back into its talks with Meridian Energy for a deal on cheaper power. Meridian says it's already made several concessions and is waiting to hear from the company about how the talks can proceed. The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union's assistant national secretary Ged O'Connell is with us now.
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Climate scientists are predicting the rain will back to normal for autumn and early winter but warn farmers will need more to really soak their parched paddocks. Niwa's just released the climate outlook for April, May and June. Here's Dr Andrew Tait.
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Latest figures suggest the on-going conflict in Syria is becoming increasingly violent, March being the deadliest month since anti-government protests began two years ago. According to the campaign group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights over six thousand people died last month. The BBC's Beth McLeod has the story :
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Back to South Korea's now where the president has reacted to North Korea's declaration of war by pledging a strong military response to any aggression. With the latest is Steve Herman - the Voice of America's Northeast Asia bureau chief is on the line
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