0600 NEWS/WEATHER
0609 NZ NEWSPAPERS
0611 NEWS STORY MIDDLE EAST - PEACE TALKS - Israel and Palestinians in West Bank town of Ramallah aiming at final peace accord, with deadline of mid-February to reach outline agreement and September for final treaty. (BBC) ELECTIONS - HOARDINGS - campaign organisers say vandalism of election billboards is worst they've ever seen and is costing thousands of dollars. Comment from National Party president John Slater, Alliance camapign director Matt mccarten, ACT campaign manager Jason Thomas and Labour Party president Bob Harvey. (Tama Muru)
0620 RURAL NEWS illegible PRICES RISE by 15% in past few weeks and national pork consumption also illegible to all-time high, according to Pork Industry Board. One reason for price rise is rise in cost of imported pork. Comment from Board chair Neil Managh. (Kevin Ikin) INTENSIVE HIGH YIELD AGRICULTURE, not organic farming, is key to feeding world's population and protecting environment, according to Dennis Avery, director of global food issues at US think-tank Hudson Inst. He tells fertiliser conference in WN that NZ is caught in new world war being fought between environmentalists, farmers and agribusiness over modern, high yield agriculture. (Kevin Ikin) ORGANIC STANDARDS - Tom Lambie, Fed Farmers vice president, says NZ's organic certification standards more than meet European Union's requirements, says they're higher and more stringent than minimum standards set by EU. (Kevin Ikin) STOCK MEDICAL HISTORY - from December 1, declarations providing animal status assurances for cattle and deer sent for slaughter will be needed, similar declarations will be introduced for sheep, goats, horses and pigs from October 1. Declarations mandatory for farmers selling to meat processors but not for farm to farm sales, but Chris Lester, Chair of NZ Meat and Fibre Producers, says buyers must insist on getting right information from vendors or they may illegible into difficulties later. (Trudi Sheridan)
0625 SPORTS STORY RIGBY - JONAH LOMU - speculation continues in Britain that Lomu will leave All Blacks to start new career with Bristol club. Live i/v with correspondent Paul Newman.
0630 NEWS/WEATHER
0635 NEWS STORY PAKISTAN - NEW ADMINISTRATION - new chief exec Gen Musharraf has refused to give time-frame for returning country to civilian rule as demanded by Commonwealth. Pakistan now facing suspension from organisation but Gen Musharraf has faced Pakistani and international media to outline kind of administration he intends to run. (BBC) INTERNATIONAL PAPERS MANA MāORI TRAFFIC REPORT
0648 BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL NEWS TRANZRAIL CREDIT RATING - both Moody's and Standard and Poors downgrade TranzRail's credit rating, with Moody's saying operating performance had deteriorated following competition in freight industry and weakness in export sector. Tranzrail's chief financial officer Mark Bloomer says downgrades are disappointing but will have little impact and won't increase credit costs. (Paul Diamond) FLETCHER CHALLENGE/TELECOM - credit agencies casting eye over stocks. Moody's says failure of Fletcher Challenge's plan to merge paper and Canadian operations has it reviewing company's credit ratings for possible downgrade. Rating agenices also reviewing Telecom in light of its success in capturing just under 80% of AAPT. (Gyles Beckford) RICHMOND MEAT PROCESSOR confident of better result after posting after tax loss of around $850,000, cf last year's profit of $4.6 million. Comment from chief exec John Loughlin. (Paul Diamond) FINANCE/MARKETS MARKET REVIEW SMALL BUSINESS - survey by post-grad students at Waikato Univ Accountancy dept shows small businesses losing out by relying on gut feeling and intuition rather than financial analysis when making investment decisions. Co-author Adam Vos says not using financial techniques makes it harder for small businesses to obtain finance and stops them from taking longer-term view. (Paul Diamond) FEEL GOOD ADVERTISING - Ford using $20 million advert campaign to make people illegible good about the compnay and increases awareness of all its brands. Approach becoming increasingly popular with big corporates. Michael Morley, Edelman advertising company, says trend reflects changing view of consumer behaviour, says consumers now more interested in the company's behaviour and attitudes towards eg environment. BUSINESS BRIEFS
0700 INTRO/NEWS ELECTION - SKY DEBATE - Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark face off first TV debate between them. Sky debate one of 3 encounters on television between the two during campaign. Audio of both; live i/v with Political editor Al Morrison. WELFARE PLACEMENT - Labour's Social Welfare spokesman Steve Maharey releases details of CYPFS placment of teenage boy with his sister who's just been released from jail and whose own children are in care. Boy is the older brother of 14 year old jailed last week for raping a woman at knife-point after being places in care of gang member. Social Services minister Roger Sowry declines i/v, Child, Youth and Family Services Dept says it's inappropriate to discuss matters endorsed by courts. SAteve Maharey says situation is unacceptable - i/ved. (Mng Rpt) illegible - ALL BLACKS return home. Julian Robins reports live from AK Airport. OVERSTAYERS - leading Pacific Island authorities say tough new immigration laws driving overstayers to ground and problem reaching crisis point. Latest figures show there around 2,000 known overstayers in NZ andmore than half are from Pacific Islands. Comment from Michelle Oberg, ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, Dr Colin Tukuitoga of Pasifika Healthcare and anonymous overstayer. (Barbara Dreaver) INDONESIA - ACEH RALLY - hundreds of thousands of people converge on Banda Aceh, capital of Aceh province, to demand referendum on independence. Organisers expected up to 1 million people at rally - i/v with correspondent Jonathan Head re how many were there. (Mng Rpt)
0730 NEWS/WEATHER NZ PAPERS TRAFFIC REPORT RUGBY - ALL BLACKS return home. Taine Randall i/ved live. FINANCE UPDATE INDIA - CYCLONE - DEATH TOLL officially about 3,500, but it's feared up to 10,000 people could have been killed. Fears thousands more could die from starvation or from drinkig contaminated water. I/v with Sanjay Sojwell, World Vision aid worker who's been in Orissa. (Mng Rpt) MIDDLE EAST - PEACE TALKS - Israeli and Palestinian negotiators seem determined to complete task despite the difficulties; live i/v with Peter Hirschberg, "Jerusalem Report".
0800 NEWS/WEATHER ELECTION - POLL - latest poll, TV3/CM Research, indicates one of biggest gaps between National and Labour so far. Poll shows National's support falling to 28% and Labour moving up to 41%. Comment from Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark. Poll also shows ACT at 10%, Alliance at 7% and NZ First on 6%. Live i/v with political analyst Nigel Roberts. ELECTION - MIDDLE CLASS - National and Labour both trying to woo those caught by the economic squeeze that's hitting people in the middle income brackets. (Bronwen Evans) GERMANY - BERLIN WALL ANNIVERSARY - as Germany celebrates 10th anniversary of the fall of the wall, conviction upheld against East Germany's last communist leader Egon Krenz for allowing people to be shot as they tried to flee West. Live i/v with correspondent Marius Benson. OVERSTAYERS - Pacific Island leaders in NZ concerned overstayers have no legal access to education, health or emergency services. Recent changes to immigration law means overstayer no longer has 42 days to appeal removal order and can be deported immediately, causing pressure on families. Live i/v with National list MP Arthur Anae and Dr Colin Tukuitonga, Pasifika Healthcare. TRAFFIC REPORT
0830 NEWS/WEATHER/SPORTS AMERICAS CUP - 2 teams have upset wins in Louis Vuitton challengers' series. Swiss syndicate Fast 2000 scores first win, beats Hawaii's Abracadabra, while America True beats better financed America One. Live i/v with correspondent Penny Whiting. ELECTION - SPECIAL VOTES start being cast today. Estimated there will be almosty 280,000 cast, as in 1996, including those by Defence Force personnel in East Timor and others around the world. Comment from Penny Gaylor, Electoral Office, Murray Wicks, Electoral Enrolment Centre, and VUW political scientist Nigel Roberts. (Blair McLaren) INTERNATIONAL PAPERS MEXICO - PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES held for first time in Mexico, to choose ruling PRI Party's presidential candidate. Previously, outgoing presidents handpicked successors. Election riddled with accusations of dirty tricks, cheating and fraud. Live i/v with correspondent James Blears. HIGH YIELD AGRICULTURE - Dr Dennis Avery, director of Global Food Issues for US-based Hudson Inst, says only way to feed world's population is for all farms illegible use more fertiliser. He's keynote speaker at NZ Fertiliser Manufacturers' Research Assn conference, says it's the only way to stop farms taking over natural wildlife areas, desecrating plant and animal life. He's i/ved live.