**** CKPT FOR WED 16 JULY 2008
******************************
1700 to 1707 NEWS
****************************
DOGS-ATTACK: A 13 year old Waitoa boy is lucky to be alive after he was attacked by four hunting dogs in the Waikato town on Monday evening. The pitbull-greyhound cross dogs mauled the boy while he was riding his bike and only the actions of a passing motorist saved his life. The child is in a fair condition in Waikato Hospital. Andrew McRae reports. PKG.
AUCKLAND-KIDNAP: The police say they haven't eliminated family members from their investigation into the abduction of Auckland girl Cina Ma. Reporter Kim Baker Wilson was at a police media conference today, and joins us now. LIVE.
POLITICS-ACC: The National Party has officially announced its policy on ACC saying it will investigate opening up workplace compensation to competition if it becomes the government. But National's leader John Key says any moves to introduce elements of competition will be made carefully. LIVE.
REST HOMES-NURSES: The manager of the Far North's only rest home says it may have to shut its doors if the District Health Board continues to poach its nurses. But the Northland DHB denies it is taking the resthome's staff, saying it works in accordance with the pay scale set down in the The Nurses' Organisation collective agreement. Teresa Cowie has more. PKG.
POLICE-FUNERAL: More than a thousand friends and collegues gathered this afternoon to pay tribute to Sergeant Derek Wootton who died on duty when he was struck by a stolen car on Friday. Our reporter Cherie McQuilkin was there, she joins us now. LIVE.
***********************
BUSINESS NEWS WITH AMY WILLIAMS
************************
BRIDGECORP: The receivers for the failed property investment company Bridgecorp have started bankruptcy proceedings against the company's founder Rod Petricevic, who failed to hand over close to 600 thousand dollars plus interest to settle a personal tax bill he got the company to pay for him. Colin McCloy is with receivers PriceWaterhouseCoopers. PREREC.
***********************
17.30 HEADLINES
***********************
AUSTRALIA-EST: The Australian Government has today unveiled its plans for an emissions trading scheme to be introduced in 2010. But it will offset every cent the scheme pushes up petrol prices with an equivalent cut in petrol excise for the first three years. Joining us now is the ABC's political correspondent Louise Yaxley. LIVE.
FIJI: The deposed former Prime Minister of Fiji, Laisenia Qarase, says despite indications to the contrary, he's confident that elections will be held by next year. Mr Qarase met with the six Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers who are there to assess Fiji's preparedness to hold elections. Our parliamentary chief reporter Jane Patterson is there, and she joins us now. LIVE.
***************
WAATEA NEWS
****************
DEATH: The widow of a linesman electrocuted on the job says it took her husband's death to force the company he worked for to introduce proper safety standards. Tenix Alliance was today fined 62-and-a-half thousand dollars over the death of Chris Petersen in June last year. Our reporter Craig Ashworth was in New Plymouth District Court and he joins us now. LIVE.
NZ-ECONOMY: There's been a big increase in the number of small and medium businesses unable to pay their bills. The credit company Veda Advantage has released figures for the first six months of this year, and Veda's spokesperson John Roberts says the most significant figure is the 24 percent increase in businesses defaulting on payments. PREREC.
CAMBODIA-THAILAND: Cambodian officials have claimed that troops from neighbouring Thailand have crossed into their territory, near the Preah Vihear temple. While the temple itself is in northern Cambodia, the surrounding area has been the subject of a long-running border dispute, as Guy Delauney reports from Phnom Penh. PKG.