CKPT FOR THU 9 AUG 2007
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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In a rare move, the Government is cutting the amount of red tape it'll take to build the massive power line from Waikato to Auckland. Instead of using the normal Resource Management Act process, submissions on the controversial project will be heard by a Board of Inquiry. This is because the Government says the scheme is "of national significance". One the line now is Cabinet Minister Pete Hodgson. LIVE
Outspoken Māori Party MP, Hone Harawira has gone missing on an official visit to Australia. He was supposed to be in Melbourne as part of a trip by Parliament's justice and electoral select committee to study election finance law. But he hasn't been seen since Tuesday and it's believed he's touring the Northern Territory with a film crew, making claims about the Australian government's treatment of Aboriginals. Mr Harawira last month made headlines on both sides of the Tasman after calling Australian prime minister John Howard a "racist bastard" One the line now is New Zealand First MP Ron Mark - who's been asking questions about Hone Harawira in the House. LIVE
The Rotorua 3-year-old Nia Glassie has been laid to rest following her funeral in Tokoroa. Mourners dropped flower petals on her white coffin after a second, brief service at the graveside featuring much Cook Islands singing. Ministers at the church service spoke of the need for family and ethnic unity, and of the need to remember the innocence of children.
PKG
Our reporter Matthew Farrell was at the funeral and the burial. LIVE
The conviction of a former police chief for obstruction of justice shows that Louise Nicholas did not get a fair hearing during the trial last year that saw Brad Shipton, Bob Schollum and Clint Rickards aquitted of raping her. That's the view of the President of the Criminal Bar Association, Graeme Newell. A jury last night decided that John Dewar covered up Mrs Nicholas's allegations against the three men, and deliberately wrecked two trials of another officer she'd accused of rape. Graeme Newell says there's no doubt that Dewar's conviction raises questions about what kind of justice Louise Nicholas got. PRE-REC
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BUSINESS NEWS WITH PATRIC OMEARA
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The Lord Lucan mystery has gripped Britain for over 30 years. Is the English aristocrat alive - or did he die or commit suicide after the murder of his nanny Sandra Rivett? Well, the puzzle has now moved to New Zealand, with suspicions that a man living near Marton IS Lord Lucan. We sent our super-sleuth Palmerston North reporter Bryan Gibson on his trail. PKG
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1730 HEADS
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Nearly 92 thousand New Zealanders have signed up to Kiwisaver - just five weeks since it was launched. That's well ahead of Treasury forecasts, which estimated just under 30 thousand people would enrol each month. But the high number of enrolments could also mean the scheme ends up being more expensive for the Government than expected. Kate Williamson reports. PKG
The Green Party says people could be eating genetically engineered foods every day and not even aware of it. The debate over the safety or otherwise of genetically engineered food has reared its head again after the recommended approval of a GE soybean. Natalie Mankelow reports. PKG
In Australia, the Prime Minister John Howard is hoping that instead of spending their gap year traveling or doing voluntary work, school leavers will want to spend the time in the military. He's launched a scheme aimed at recruiting up to 1000 school leavers to spend their gap year in the military. To promote the scheme John Howard has put a personal appeal up on to the internet site Youtube. ABC correspondent Kirren McKechnie joins us now. CUT & LIVE.
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WAATEA NEWS
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The National Party has again attacked the State Services Commissioner Mark Prebble, accusing him of giving contradictory accounts of his involvement in the Madeleine Setchell affair. In a series of questions in Parliament National's deputy leader Bill English questioned whether the public could continue to have confidence in Dr Prebble. Here's our political editor Brent Edwards. PKG
An after-work drink in Queenstown's Old Man Rock Cafe turned into a nightmare for two customers, when they were served industrial cleaner instead of mulled wine. The mix-up left one person requiring hospital treatment with burns to their oesophagus and stomach. A cleaning company had delivered the industrial cleaner to the cafe in an old mulled wine container - although the container was clearly labelled as poison. We sent our Queenstown reporter Steve Wilde along to the cafe. PKG
The incident was investigated by the Department of Labour, and the departments labour services manager John Pannett says it appears the worker simply didn't notice the poison label. PREREC
Yachts could be nearly as important as sheep to New Zealand's economy if the government has its way. They've just announced a $2 million cash injection into a new super yacht building precinct in West Auckland. Here's Rowan Quinn. PKG