0600 NEWS/WEATHER
0609 NZ NEWSPAPERS
0611 NEWS STORY OTaGO/SOUTHLAND FLOODING - DAMAGE caused could cost more than $20 million to repair, according to estimate by Queenstown's mayor Warren Cooper. Repairs to state highways alone estimated by Transit NZ to cost more than $2 million; around third of Queenstown's business district still under water while in Alexandra, massive cleanup operation underway. (Karlum Lattimore); heavy rains and high rivers and lakes have affected many farmers in areas. Lindsay Alderton, Fed Farmers Otago president, has been talking to farmers around region to assess how much damage has been done to farms - i/ved live. AFGHANISTAN - BORDER with Iran re-opens after more than a year closed after 8 illegible diplomats and a journalist killed during fighting between Taleban and opposition Afghan alliance. Taleban forced to turn to Iran after main flour supplier Pakistan imposed export ban. (BBC)
0620 RURAL NEWS OTAGO/SOUTHLAND FLOODING - farmers in most areas hit by last week's flooding had enough warning to shift stock in time but there's been heavy damage to buildings, equipment, crops and access roads. Inch Clutha farmer Peter Sutherland says it could be Christmas before he can get all his dairy herd back. (Kevin Ikin) OTAGO/SOUTHLAND FLOODING - ORCHARDS along Clutha River escape extensive damage although a few individual growers have suffered more serious losses. Frutigrowers' Fedn Otago director, Neil Stevenson, says main concern is loss of frost protection on about 8 orchards in Ettrick area because of flooding, as orchardists had to remove water pumps as river rose. Orchards rely on water spray to keep late Spring frosts at bay. Helicopters to be used as alternative form of protection. (Kevin Ikin) MEGA MERGER - former Dairy Board chair Sir Dryden Spring says Kiwi Dairy Co and NZ Dairy Group need to trust each other more if they are to pull together merger agreement. Sir Dryden says they've each taken actions to advance their own positions which have reconciling points of view more difficult. (Kevin Ikin)
0625 SPORTS STORY SOCCER WORLD CUP for under 17s - Australia meets US and Brazil meets Ghana in semi-finals. Live i/v with correspondent Gordon Irving.
0630 NEWS/WEATHER
0635 NEWS STORY ANTARCTICA - DRILLING - team of 80 international scientists drill into sea floor off coast to try and find out what climate was like 35 million years ago. Science co-ordinator Dr Peter Barrett, VUW, says core samples reveal unexpected fault line as well as type of rock not found elsewhere in region - i/ved. (Veronica Meduna) INTERNATIONAL PAPERS MANA MāORI ELECTION - MāORI ELECTORATES - polling shows tight race in some electorates. MARATHON RUNNER - kaumatua completes New York marathon, looks forward to his next 42km run, in Tennessee. TRAFFIC REPORT
0648 BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL NEWS ELECTION - INVESTMENT - David Hale, chief economistof US-based Zurich Financial Serives say overseas investors wary of possible change of govt, says reports being heard overseas putting investors off. (Gyles Beckford) FINANCE/MARKETS WEEK AHEAD ELECTRICITY LINES COMPANIES PRICES - Commerce Commission close to completing background information on applying price controls. Issue raised by both govt and opposition with both intent on review of current legislation. Comment from Commission chair John Belgrave. (Helen Matterson) MEGA MERGER - former Dairy Board chair Sir Dryden Spirng critical of lack of progress with mega merger proposal, believes it's nightmare scenario if merger doesn't go ahead. He describes what he thinks is main obstacle to merger making headway. (Helen Matterson) MERGERS - in telecomms sector, Britain's Vodafone eyeing Germany's Mannesman, further action in pharmaceuticals and biotech areas also expected. But evidence suggests pursuit of dollars, cost savings and synergies is blinding architects of such mergers to human issues. Recent international study finds many mergers fail to dleiver expected returns because they mismanage staff issues. Comment from Rich Pinola, chair and chief exec of Right Management Consultants. (Paul Diamond) BUSINESS BRIEFS
0700 INTRO/NEWS ELECTION - FINAL WEEK CAMPAIGN - latest polls give Labour comfortable lead over National after weeks of aggressive and often personal campaign tactics. All parties have money kept aside for last big multi-media pushh this week. I/v with Helen Clark - does Labour plan aggressive last week on hustings? (Mng Rpt); live i/v with PM Jenny Shipley. OTAGO/SOUTHLAND FLOODING - DAMAGE - last week's flood in Southern Lakes district biggest since records began, has destroyed roads, forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes and hit local economies hard. Graham McKerracher reports from Central Otago; Peter Wells reports live from Queenstown, where things are slowly returning to normal. QUEENSTOWN LANDSLIP - Queenstown Lakes District Council says it had no inkling area of Frankton Road was in danger of slipping and couldn't have foreseen problem. Geologist Mike Robins says whole area is former landslide, so why weren't residents made aware of it? Live i/v with Duncan Field, council's chief exec; Gary Reynolds one of residents affected by latest slips in Frankton Rd, illegible council should marked potential for landslips on land titles - i/ved live
0730 NEWS/WEATHER NZ PAPERS FINANCE UPDATE MISSING PLANE - search resumes off North Canterbury Shore for light plane thought to have made forced landing in sea late yesterday. 2 people, believed to be Japanese students, on board when plane ditched near mouth of Waipara River near Amberley. I/v with Snr Sgt Barry Legg, Amberley Police. (Mng Rpt) ELECTION - CENTRE LEFT - key feature of election campaign has been relative peace on the centre left, cf 1996 campaign. Comment from Helen Clark, Jim Anderton, and political commentator Chris Trotter. (Sarah Boyd) CHECHNYA - RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN - BBC correspondent Jeremy Cook has just been in Chechnya with Russian army - what impression did he get of way Russians conducting campaign? He's i/ved. (Mng Rpt) AUCKLAND REGION GROWTH - 3 documents which will shape way region develops over next 50 years to be formally presented to political and community leaders later today. Live i/v with AK reporter Todd Niall.
0800 NEWS/WEATHER ELELCTIONS - FINAL WEEK CAMPAGN - PM Jenny Shipley sais it will be test of credibility for major parties' Helen Clark says National's performance over recent days shows a govt on the ropes; live i/v with Political editor Al Morrison. OTAGO/SOUTHLAND FLOODING - WARNING that more rain could raise level of Lake Wakatipu again. Consultant hydrologist Dave Stewart says more rain forecast for tomorrow night and it could push up level of lake again - i/ved live. OTAGO/SOUTHLAND FLOODING - MAYORS MEETING - 3 Otago region mayors meet today to discuss how to prevent flooding like this from happening in future. Live discussion with Queenstown Lakes Distict mayor Warren Cooper, Central Otago mayor Bill McIntosh and Juno Hayes, Clutha District mayor. AIR NEW ZEALAND DISPUTE - Air NZ says it's prepared to take part in mediation to resolve dispute with international flight attendants, who are threatening to take strike action in Los Angeles this week over working conditions and pay. Flight attendants' industrial officer Terry Law says they'll go ahead with tomorrow's stoppage because they've seen no sign company serious about resolving dispute; live i/v with Public Affairs deputy manager Alistair Carthew. BOARDSAILING - NZer Barbara Kendall adds another victory to tally, wins Women's World Boardsailing Championships in New Caledonia. She opted not to sail final race after clinching title early on in championship - i/ved. (Mng Rpt) TRAFFIC REPORT illegible NEWS/WEATHER/SPORTS SOUTHERN TRAVERSE - competitors lining up this morning for start of gruelling annual adventure sports event. Record 48 entries, including 21 overseas teams, will set out on 443 km course over Kahurangi, Nelson Lakes and Abel Tasman national parks. I/v with race director Geoff Hunt. AMERICAS CUP - second round robin of Louis Vuitton Cup over but still work for all teams involved, trying to strengthen boas after series of failing in rough conditions. Live i/v with correspondent Penny Whiting. U.S. - GUNMAN KILLS 3 - Indiana man, angry at being turned away from a party, shoots dead 3 people and injures 2 others before killing himself. (AAP) BAD BLOOD transfusions, delivered pre 1992, when more rigourous screening programme introduced, leads to death of another victim. AK man dies of Hepatitis C, believed to be 19th casualty of blood transfusions carrying virus. Comment from Elona Bliss, whose husband died from Hepatitis C contracted from a transfusion, Roger Chapman, lawyer trying to win compensation battle since 1994, and co-vice president of the Haemophiliacs' Association, Mike Mapperson. (David Passey) INTERNATIONAL PAPERS SCHOOL COSTS - taxpayers still paying for the row at school 5 years ago when the principal Anna Hobday was fired by the school's board. Figures obtained by Radio New Zealand show govt still paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars to the school. Figures also show recently publicised success at South Ak's Southern Cross campus has not come cheaply. (Gael Woods) CORRECTION - in coverage last week about Wairarapa electorate, we listed parties taking part. We did not note, as we should have done, that NZ First was among those parties. Our apologies to NZ First and its Wairarapa candidate Rob Harris. MONDAY OZ SPOT - live i/v with Phil Kafcaloudes. (country's road rules are to be standardised)