0609 NZ NEWSPAPERS
0611 MāORI NEWS
0616 NEWS STORY: FIRE LEVIES - Insurance Council urges govt to change way levies are charged to prevent growing abuse of system. Chief exec Chris Ryan says increasing number of commercial property owners turning to insurance brokers to find ways of reducing levies paid to fund Fire Service. (Stephen Harris)
0620 RURAL NEWS RURAL GPs - Health minister Bill English tells select committee rural GPs now bring trained in specialist areas to help plug gaps caused by surgeons leaving hospitals in rural areas. (Al Morrison) RURAL HEALTH groups welcome govt premium especially to help small hospitals meet cost of isolation. 25 hospitals qualify for funding which is only available to hospitals serving less than 10,000 people on 24 hour basis. (Catherine Harris) MILK PRICES - Mainland Products announces it's increasing milk and cream prices illegible 10 cents a litre from next month, and Dairy Foods says it's reviewing its prices, because milk supplies for domestic market will dryup if it can't compete with returns from export market. Consumers Inst chief exec David Russell says they've made rash decision. (Catherine Harris) DAIRY DEREGULATION - Northland farmers expected to turn out in force tonight for forum on industry deregulation. Otago Univ's former head of marketing Prof Gunther Mueller-Heumann worried that industry will be taken over by overseas competitors. (Catherine Harris) YOUNG FARMER OF YEAR contest kicks off today with street parade in Invercargill. (Catherine Harris)
0625 SPORTS STORY U.S. SPORTS - live i/v with "Sports Illustrated"s Paul Witteman, (baseball)
0630 NEWS/WEATHER
0636 NEWS STORY: AUSTRALIA - NATIVE TITLE - Aboriginal leaders say they'll mount high court challenge over issues. Amended legislation have passed through Senate, aboriginal groups see it as sell-out of their rights. (Zandra Sharpe)
0639 INTERNATIONAL PAPERS
0642 MANA NEWS illegible CLAIM - Waitangi Tribunal decision leads to mystery over what govt means by "relativity"/ MāORI LANGUAGE - survival back in spotlight.
0651 BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL NEWS: SKELLERUP/MAINE - Guardian Trust, trustee for Skellerup bondholders accepts revised rescue plan for group, without planned 3rd meeting of bondholders. (Rodney Joyce) PROJEX commercial equipment hire company reports record growth and profit figures for past financial year, despite being part of troubled Skellerup Group. (Janice Aplin) JOB ADVERTS - number falls significantly last month, according to ANZ Bank June survey. ANZ economist David Drage says fall in WN job ads surprisingly large. (Janice Aplin) FINANCE/MARKETS MARKET REVIEW JAPAN - ECONOMY - PM Hashimoto leaves more doubt in minds of market analusts after promising permanent tax cuts but giving no more detail. Polls suggest his Liberal Democratic Party may fail in bid to win back majority of Upper House seats and may even lose ground.(RTR) FIRE LEVIES - insurance industry say publicity about loopholes in levy system has prompted companies to try to reduce their own bills. Insurance Council chief exec Chris Ryan says there's nothing Council can do to stop companies putting pressure on insurance brokers to cut their levies. (Janice Aplin) PETROL PRICES - Australian company Liberty scoffs at price cuts, promises much bigger reductions when it sets up in NZ later this year. Comment from chief exec Mark Kevin. (Clare Sziranyi) CAR REGISTRATIONS - new car registrations rise 17% last month, up 2.8% of June 1997. (Janice Aplin) JAPAN - TRADE SURPLUS looks set to reach new levels in June, with exports up nearly 5% and imports down more than 6% in first 20 days of month. (AAP)
0700 INTRO/NEWS FIRE LEVIES - Auditor-General's report says basis for funding firefighting, the levy, is flawed and open to abuse, recommends govt changes way funding is calculated. Live i/v with Political correspondent Stephen Harri; live i/v with United NZ Party leader and former Internal Affairs minister Peter Dunne. Auditor-General David McDonald, Fire Service Commission head Roger Estall and Internal Affairs minister Jack Elder decline i/vs. NIGERIA - DEATH - military ruler Gen Abubakar appeals for calm after rioting illegible by death of opposition politician Moshood Abiola. Team of international pathologists from US, Britain, and Canada on way to Nigeria to carry out autopsy. Correspondent Paul Okolo says it's hoped this will quash rumours of foul play - i/ved. (Mng Rpt) TOURISM - CAPE REINGA - row brewing amongst tourism operators, Dept of Conservation and iwi. Ngati Kuri wants to take over tourism at the Cape from Doc. Tourist bus operators also unhappy with Doc, refusing to pay fee to take passengers to Cape. Ngati Kuri Trust Boar chair Tom Bowling Murray wants fees paid to tribe. (Lois Williams); live i/v with Conservation minister Nick Smith. WORK FOR DOLE - Human Rights Commission adds voice to criticismof govt's community wage scheme, saying it's flawed and rushed through without enough attention to detail. Social Services select committee convense in AK to hear submissions on 2nd part of legislation, which deals with detials of work-testing and sanctions. Comment from Human Rights Commissioner Pamela Jeffries. AK District Social Services spokesman Richard Northey and AK City MIssioner Diane Robinson. (Kiri Coughlan)
0730 NEWS/WEATHER/SPORTS NZ PAPERS FINANCE UPDATE SOUTH PACIFIC FORUM Finance minister hold annual meeting in Fiji, discussion includes Asian crisis and impact on Pacific region. Live i/v with Treasurer Winston Peters. TELECOM FAILURE - computer failure cuts off thousands of phones in Palmerston North, frustrates city businesses and concerns emergency services. Comment from Massey Univ head of information technology Gerrit Bahlman, Cafe manager Mark Weir and Deborah Buchanan, blood centre manager. (Andrea Rush); live i/v with Telecom spokesman Peter Brittenden. SOCCER WORLD CUP - half time in semi-final between France and Croatia. Live i.v with correspondent John Bell; big gathering of supporters at Croatian Cultural Club in WN. Live i/v with president Ivan Surrich. TUNA - Greenpeace critical of govt's response to Japan's plans to catch even more of endangerd southern bluefin tuna from off NZ. Acting Foreign Affairs minister simon Upton summoned Japanese ambassador to hear formal protest, says plan to catch extra 1400 tonnes is of grave concern; live i/v with Mike Hagler, Greenpeace, who's taking part in protest at port of AK wharf.
0800 NEWS/WEATHER FIRE LEVIES - Auditor-General's report says basis for funding Fire Service is seriously flawed. I/v with Maurie Cummings, former chief exec of Fire Service. (Mng Rpt); former Internet Affairs minister Peter Dunne says there's been consistent lack of political will to get anything done; live i/v with state Insurance managing director John Pritchard. TOURISM - CAPE REINGA - DoC terminates bus operators' contracts to travel to Cape Reinga after operators refuse to pay fee. I/v with Peter Crapper, Kings Tours, which makes trips to Cape. (Mng Rpt) PETROL PRICES - big four companies and Fletcher Challenge drop prices by up to 2.2 cents a litre in past 2 days. 2 Australian companies planning to join NZ market signal there will be further cuts, but there's scepticism about some of the promises. Comment from Liberty's Mark Kevin, Gull's Bryan Dustin, AA's george Fairbairn, and John Collyns, Bus Assn. (Clare Sziranyi) INTERNATIONAL PAPERS TERTIARY EDUCATION - chair of Vice-Chancellor's committee, Bryan Gould, fears govt will cut $100 million from tertiary education in its efforts to protect Budget surplus from effects of Asian crisis. He's i/ved live. SOCCER WORLD CUUP - members of NZ's French community watching match against croatia at French Cultural and Scientific Centre in WN. Live i/v with ambassador Jacques le Blanc.
0830 NEWS/SPORTS FATAL ACCIDENT involving petrol tanker and 2 cars effectively closes main road at paekakairki, north of WN. Slip Closes one lane of alternative route. Live illegible with Insp Pat O'Neill. WOMEN - UN - NZ's Associate Women's Affairs minister Deborah Morris faces some searching questions at UN today when she presents govt's report on how it's tackling discrimination. Committee overseeing compliance with Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women expected to raise issues ranging from impact of restructuring on women, to equal pay, paid maternity leave and access to health services. (Judy Lessing) AUSTRALIA - NATIVE TITLE - law passed yesterday effectively reduces Aborigines' rights to claim access to govt land leased to farmers. Aboriginal leaders say they'll mount international campaign against the legislation. Live i/v with Aden Ridgeway, chair of National Indigenous Workoing Group and one of the key negotiators. OBESITY DRUG - Northland doctor Dave Jennings boycotting Roche, manufacturers of Xenical and is encouraging other GPs to follow suit. Medical Assn has already voiced concern about Roche's advert Camapign which it believes could cause people to pressure doctors for prescription when drug is not suitable for them. (Lisa Owen) FRUIT AND VEG report with Jack Forsythe. SOCCER WORLD CUP - if Croatia defeats France in semi-final it would be first eastern European side to reach World Cup final in 36 years. Live i/v with Zagreb correspondent Bruno Ogolorec.