Checkpoint is a drive-time news and current affairs programme on Radio New Zealand National. It broadcasts nationwide every weekday evening for two hours and covers the day’s major national and international stories, as well as business, sport and Māori news. This recording covers the first hour. The following rundown is supplied from the broadcaster’s news system:
Checkpoint FOR MONDAY 7 OCTOBER 2013
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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Thousands of young children across half of the country's DHBs are being recalled for hearing tests because of mistakes in screening newborns. The mistakes by screeners, including checking the same ear twice, and screening one of their own ears instead of both of the baby's ears, go back further and are more extensive than first thought. In all, 10 of the countries 20 DHBs incorrectly screened 5 thousand and 2 newborns - those ten are Waitemata, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Hutt Valley, Hawkes Bay, Canterbury, Counties Manukau and Taranaki. That's triggered the recall of 6 thousand 943 children, of whom almost 1800 have now been re-tested. From all those checks, five children have now been diagnosed with hearing loss, two of them severe to profound. Counties Manukau DHB was the latest today to announce the recall of over 900 children. A chief advisor at the Ministry of Health paediatrician Pat Tuohy says they're confident they've weeded all the bad screeners out.
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The police say a knife attack against an officer in Auckland this morning was unprovoked. Constable Todd Martin was stabbed in the face with a long-bladed knife while speaking to a man, described as being abusive and confrontational, on Tamaki Drive this morning. Inspector Jim Wilson says the attack was so sudden, the officers had little time to react.
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Filepa (fil-ee-peh) Soto was in his partner's apartment when he heard the attacker yelling and fighting with police during the arrest.
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Our reporter Murielle Baker's been following the story and joins us now.
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The country's biggest company looking after intellectually disabled people has been been roundly criticised over the way it treated a young man with epilespy and the language skills of a five year old. The 21 year old was being looked after at NZ Care. He was manhandled for not covering his mouth when he coughed and twice didn't get the medication he needed to prevent dangerous epileptic fits. A report by the Health and Disability Commissioner says a Health Ministry audit 18 months earlier found the company needed to improve the way it recorded information about people in its care but the problems hadn't been fixed. Our Health Correspondent Karen Brown explains what happened to the young man in May 2010.
I/V
The police say scientific analysis of Robin Bain's fingerprints don't support what's been called game changing evidence in the case. It had been claimed - that marks on his thumbs were caused by gunpowder residue, suggesting he loaded the rifle that was used to kill his family. But experts who have examined the prints say the marks, seen in crime scene photos, were minor cuts on the skin. Tests aimed at replicating residue marks were also carried out, but an ESR scientist said there is considerable doubt whether the shape, size and colour of the marks on Robin Bain's hands were what would have been expected, from loading a cartridge into a magazine. Assistant Commissioner Malcolm Burgess says the police looked at the best set of fingerprints, taken the day after the killings.
I/V
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS
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Law lords at the Privy Council are just hours away from delivering a decision on whether the double-murderer Mark Lundy's convictions will be quashed. The 54-year-old is serving a life sentence for bludgeoning to death his wife Christine and their seven-year-old daughter Amber at the family home in Palmerston North 13 years ago. Lundy's legal team took the case to the Privy Council in June this year, arguing that bad science was used to convict him. Our correspondent in London for today's landmark decision is Tim Graham.
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17. 30 HEADLINES
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Wellington's new commuter trains have been abruptly withdrawn from service this afternoon for safety checks. KiwiRail says the Korean manufacturer of the Matangi trains says the fleet requires an immediate precautionary inspection. Kiwirail runs the trains on behalf of the Wellington regional council. The council's manager of rail assets Ian Gordon is with us now.
I/V
The Finance Minister, Bill English, says the Government remains on track to have the books back in surplus by 2014/15. The financial statements released this afternoon show the Government's operating deficit before gains and losses has halved for the last financial year. Bill English says the deficit is smaller because of higher tax revenue and core Crown expenses being lower than forecast.
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Mr English was asked whether the improvement in the economy is being passed along to everyday New Zealanders.
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Our parliamentary chief reporter, Jane Patterson, joins us now.
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A Consumer New Zealand investigaton has found farmed salmon, including that produced by New Zealand King Salmon in the Marlborough Sounds, is not as natural as people may think. It also found the Omega 3 levels from five different smoked salmon brands were lower than advertised. Alison Hossain reports:
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17. 45 MANU KORIHI
Kia ora, good evening,
Latest figures from Statistics New Zealand indicate the number of people on the Maori roll has increased.
But it's not enough to force the creation of an eighth Maori seat.
The number of Maori electorates will stay at 7.
According to the latest census results, the Maori population has increased by 4-point-7 per cent from the last count held in 2006.
The Maori population increased from 720-thousand to more than 755-thousand.
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A poll surveying Maori voters in the Waiariki electorate shows significant support for the Maori Party in the party vote and the electorate vote, and that most people are happy with the new Maori Party co-leader, Te Ururoa Flavell.
The survey, by the TVNZ news programme Te Karere, reveals that 35 per cent of Maori in Waiariki would vote for the Maori Party, and 43 per cent of them would choose a Maori Party candidate.
An overwhelming 75 per cent of voters in the Bay of Plenty Maori electorate are happy with the Maori Party co-leader, Te Ururoa Flavell, with nearly 40 per cent of those voters saying he is doing an above average job.
Labour are second favourites in the party and electorate votes, with the Greens coming third in the party vote, and the Mana Party coming third in the electorate vote.
The Te Karere digipoll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 point 3 per cent.
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An organisation providing food for children in low decile schools says demand for the service continues to rise.
A report by the Children's Commissioner's Expert Advisory Group on Child Poverty, released in December last year, says 270,000 children are living below the poverty line.
The chief executive and co-founder of KidsCan, Julie Chapman, says the charity provides food for more than 10-and-a-half-thousand children in 350 low decile schools each week.
Mrs Chapman says the number of schools signing up to the service is increasing.
POVERTY-KIDS-TP
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OUT: . . . in New Zealand.
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Julie Chapman says demand for their health and basic clothing programmes is also rising.
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Meanwhile, a panel of Maori and Hawaiian speakers have gathered in Hamilton today to assert that traditional indigenous knowledge provides a range of answers for dealing with issues facing Maori, indigenous children and their whanau.
The panel includes Maori researchers from Waikato University's Te Kotahi Research Institute, and Dr Jamee Miller of the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center in Hawaii.
The Director of Te Kotahi Research Institute, Dr Leonie Pihama, says it is currently working on a project called Tiakina Pā Harakeke, which is supported by Nga Pae o te Maramatanga on exploring traditional Maori views on childrearing.
This week the conference will also discuss cultural concepts and practises that will provide models for intervention in issues that face children and families.
That's Te Manu Korihi news, I'll have a further bulletin in an hour.
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It's been revealed that half of the country's DHBs have made mistakes in screening the hearing of newborn babies. All 20 DHBs have now all but completed checking all their screening, and 10 have found mistakes - Waitemata, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Hutt Valley, Hawkes Bay, Canterbury, Counties Manukau and Taranaki. That's now triggered the recall of almost seven thousand children, and almost 18 hundred of those have so far had their hearing retested. The mistakes first discovered last year include screeners checking the same ear twice, and screening one of their own ears instead of both of the baby's ears. At Counties Manukau, checks found a two and half year old with significant hearing loss - that DHB is recalling more than 900 children for retesting. Its head of ear, nose and throat, Dr David Grayson is with us now.
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At least fifty people have been killed and dozens wounded in Egypt after clashes between the police and supporters of the deposed President Mohammad Mursi. Dozens were also injured in scenes reminisant of the brutal miliatry crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in the weeks immediately after the Mr Mursi was removed from power in July. Security forces fired shots and tear gas to stop demonstrators entering Tahir Square in Cairo where large crowds had gathered to mark the fortieth annivesary of the war with Israel. From Cairo here's the BBC's Quentin Sommerville:
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Newly released census figures for the past seven years show Auckland's population has grown the most, while there's been an exodus of people from Christchurch. Jacob McSweeny has been looking over the numbers.
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Presenter: Mary Wilson
Editor: Maree Corbett
Deputy editor: Phil Pennington
Producers: Susie Ferguson