News, sport and weather.
Main stories:
The Cook Islands intends to use some of the Arab sourced loan money which the Maori Affairs Department was forced to abandon by the New Zealand Government. The Cook’s Prime Minister Sir Tom Davis has dealt personally with the agent for the fund, West German financier Max Raepple, and he’s satisfied the source of the loan is genuine. He says the money is coming through the Gulf state of Kuwait and thinks Maori have been too harshly criticised for trying to help themselves. Speakers: Sir Tom Davis (Cook Islands Prime Minister).
Meanwhile Mr Raepple is due in New Zealand on Saturday to explain his role in the loans affair at a national hui organised by South Auckland Maori leaders. He also wants a meeting with the Prime Minister, and an apology for being called a “broker of phoney loans”. David Lange says he’s not interested until the West German can prove his credentials and the source of his funds.
A big hui in Rotorua has called for tribal and regional authorities to be set up to meet the economic needs of the Maori people. The hui involved 60 tribal representatives from around the country. Speakers: Dr Peter (Pita) Sharples (Maori Leader), Api Mahuika (Maori Leader).
Farmers in Manawatu and Rangitikei are applying for drought relief as they move into their third month of dry weather. Although there was low cloud and light rain throughout the region today, the two provinces remain at the heart of a drought area which stretches across the southern half of the North Island. Speakers: Steve Arnott (Dairy Farmer).
Other stories:
The extreme risk of fire has forced the Fire Service to impose restrictions on the public in the central North Island, placing a total ban on fire permits in the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua regions.
KZ7’s two losses against Stars and Stripes seem to be hurting the stock market. The Barclays Index dropped by 69 points today. One of the casualties was Capital Markets, of which New Zealand syndicate leader Michael Fay is a director and major shareholder.
A search is under way in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour this evening for an 11 year old boy thought to have fallen off a harbour ferry.
Eight Christchurch people have been found fit and well after spending 24 hours trapped in the Babylon cave on the West Coast of the South Island.
Near Arctic conditions continue to grip Europe.
School Certificate results are due out in just a few days, and Education Department workers are frantically busy mailing 75,000 certificates. Education Minister Russell Marshall helped out today, processing certificates in a new era of grading. Speaker: Russell Marshall (Education Minister).
The numbers game Lotto will be run by middle of this year according to Internal Affairs Minister Peter Tapsell.
A New Zealand mining company backed by Australian interests says its found big supplies of platinum at several sites in Western Southland. Speaker: Geoff Walkson (Company Spokesman).
Sport:
While the New Zealand America’s Cup squad has decided not to race today after losing twice in a row to Denis Conner’s Stars and Stripes, the Australian’s are hard at it in the Defender’s Series.
KZ7 may be up against it at the moment, but the crew is getting lots of support from home. Post Offices around the country opened a special hotline to the New Zealand America’s Cup headquarters in Perth this morning so people can send a good luck message or short note to the NZ team. Reports from Auckland and Fremantle. Speakers: David Richwhite, Michael Fay (Challenge Chairman), Chris Dickson (KZ7 Skipper), John Bertrand (1983 Cup Winner).
Kelly Evernden had a magnificent win at the Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne, however Julie Richardson, Bruce Derlin and Russell Simpson are all out of the tournament.
England vs Australia cricket test match score.
Shell Trophy Cricket scores.
Weather.