*** Checkpoint FOR TUES 6 OCT 2009
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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Phillip Field is behind bars tonight - the first member of parliament in New Zealand to be prosecuted - and now jailed - for bribery and corruption. The former Labour MP has been sentenced to six years in prison, after being found guilty of giving immigration favours to Thai people in exchange for work on his properties and for perverting the course of justice. Belinda McCammon was at a packed High Court in Auckland: PKG
A gunman at the centre of a massive two day police search in southern Hawkes Bay raised his weapon and struggled with the two armed officers who found him hiding in a toilet block at the Norsewood Golf Club. The hunt for David Bourke involved armed offender squads, helicopters with heat seeking equipment and a cordon of 3-thousand hectares. The 46 year old was found just after half past ten this morning - police had been searching for him after the body of a man was found in his car and following the shooting of a farmworker on Sunday afternoon. Superintendent Russell Gibson explains how they caught him. PREREC
Meanwhile, dairy farmers who've been caught up in the police hunt are relieved life can now return to normal. They've been unable to properly feed or look after their cows because of tight police security. Andrew Young says not being able to milk his cows for almost two days will have a major effect at a critical time of the year. CLIP He says the disruption to regular milking means it'll be a couple of weeks before the cows are back into full production.
Sam von Dadelzson owns a property within the cordon, where a farm worker was shot. CLIP He says it's lucky the man's injury is relatively minor.
The National-led government's two main allies are once again butting heads - this time over the controversy surrounding the bid for broadcasting rights for 2011 Rugby World Cup The ACT Party says it disagrees with public money being used to Māori Television's bid for the free-to air-rights. Here's our parliamentary cheif reporter, Jane Patterson. PKG
It's now been nearly 24 hours since two year old Asiling (ASH-ling) Symes went missing in West Auckland and police say they have grave fears for her safety. She was with her parents at a vacant property they were tidying up in Longburn Road, when she disappeared at about half past 5 yesterday evening. Her aunt Aithne (Athna) Potts says Ashling's mother Angela turned her back for two seconds and when she looked back she was gone.
Aithne Potts says now they're hoping and praying for a miracle.
CLIP Inspector Gary Davey, says they're particularly worried about a stream near the house, as Asiling liked water. Our reporter Georgina Ball is at Longburn Road where Asiling (ASH-ling) disappeared. She joins us now LIVE
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS WITH Naomi Mitchell
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People displaced by the deadly earthquake triggered tsunami in American Samoa are begining to filter back to their homes.
Near on 4-thousand people have been living in sixteen emergency shelters in recent days. Our reporter Clint Owens filed this report from America Samoa PKG
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17.30 HEADLINES
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Thousands of Auckland bus passengers face massive disruption once again with services suspended indefinitely from early Thursday morning. The main operator NZ Bus, has issued a lockout notice against its workers after they said they would initiate industrial action over pay. This comes a week after bus drivers and cleaners rejected the most recent offer of a 10-point-five percent pay increase over three years. The pair have been in negotiations for five months. Joining us now is Karl Andersen from the four unions representing bus drivers. LIVE
Zane Fulljames is the general manager of operations at NZ Bus - he joins us now. LIVE
The Health and Disability Commission has criticised a Christchurch resthome after finding that a dementia patient was not showered for an entire year. The Deputy Commissioner, Rae Lamb, also found failings in the care of an elderly man who lost eight kilograms in six weeks while at Villa Gardens Home and Hospital. Rae Lamb said the family of the dementia patient had complained their mother had not been showered for a year and that soiled clothing and uneaten food were found in her room.
She found that the resthome's owner, Oceania Care Company, did not have adequate systems in place to provide appropriate care and was therefore vicariously liable for the staff breaches.
Geoff Hipkins is the CEO of the Oceania Group, and joins us now. LIVE
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17.45 TRAILS
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WAATEA
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There are signs the economic recovery could be undermined by a shortage of credit to businesses. NZIER's Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion has showed a jump in firms citing financial constraints. This, despite firms saying they were their most confident about their future prospects in ten years. Our economics correspondent, Nigel Stirling, reports. PKG
A woman who claims a Wellington couple sexually assaulted her and enticed her into prostitution at the age of 14 has revealed further details about her escort agency work. She was giving evidence at the trial of Garry Duffin, the father of Lower Hutt schoolgirl Karla Cardno, who was raped and murdered 20 years ago. He and his wife Sharyn Hills are facing several sex charges in the High Court in Wellington. Our Court reporter Ann Marie May is following the case and joins us now. LIVE
The United Nations Secretary General Ban ki Moon has condemned an attack on a UN compound in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, which killed five employees of the World Food Programme. A suicide bomber blew himself up inside the heavily fortified building and the WFP says it will now close its office there. From Islamabad Orla Guerin: PKG