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1700 to 1707 NEWS
A State Services Commission inquiry into the lucrative scampi industry has found that the Ministry of Fisheries gave one of the industry's biggest players preferential treatment. A Parliamentary select committe last year found the Ministry had acted unfairly in its management of the 100-million-dollar fishery, and this latest inquiry accuses the ministry of acting in the interests of one of the biggest companies Simunovich
But It's found no dishonest or corrupt behaviour from officials. However the report raises further questions about the fairness of the system which favoured Simunovich through a critical period which will determine how much scampi quota the company gets later this year.
The State Services Commissioner Michael Wintringham says it's sorry tale but he won't be sacking anyone. PRE-REC
The chief executive of Fisheries Warwick Tuck says his ministry has been vindicated. He joins us now. LIVER
Patients are being warned that it will take time for district health boards to deliver on the Government's promise to double the number of hip and knee replacement operations.
The Prime Minister has announced an additional 30-million-dollars will be spent next year, rising to an extra 70-million-dollars a year by 2007-2008. Our Health Correspondent, Rae Lamb, with this report. PKG
The Land Information Minister has been grilled in Parliament over giving wrong information in the House last year about how much of the foreshore was in private ownership. John Tamihere said that "significant chunks" of the foreshore was in private hands, and that access to up to one third of it was potentially restricted due to private ownership or other restrictions. A report done since has found the information Mr Tamihere gave was wrong. But in Parliament today, National's Nick Smith accused the minister of misleading the House claiming Mr Tamihere had a much better idea of the true picture, when he gave his answer to the House last year.
Our political reporter Liz Banas was there. PKG
1720 BUSINESS NEWS WITH LOUISE GARRETT
A Balclutha company has been fined 35-thousand dollars and ordered to pay 50-thousand dollars to the family of a farmer who was killed in an accident in his dairy shed. Clutha Chain Mesh Products was sentenced in the Gore District Court today, after admitting it failed to take all practicable steps to install or arrange equipment so that it was safe for its intended use. A prominent dairy farmer Chris Welch was killed last October after becoming trapped between a stationary steel bar and a part of the moving dairy shed.
Shortly after sentencing, OSH's Southland service manager John Pannett said he felt frustrated, because he thought the accident was totally avoidable. CUT A supporter of Mr Welch's widow, Russell Falconer [FALL-kinn-a] who is also the chariman of the Southland branch of Dairy Farmers New Zealand, conceded the company had acted quickly once the accident happened. Joining us now from Gore is our reporter Nathan Mills. Q + A
1730 HEADLINES
SPORTS NEWS WITH STEPHEN HEWSON
U.S. officials say they have obtained new highly credible intelligence that terrorists are preparing to launch a major attack in America this summer. It comes as the U.S. and Britain fall out over how much control Iraq's caretaker government will have over American-led military operations after the handover of political authority on June 30th.
Our Washington Correspondent John Terrett reports. PKG
The grandfather of two murdered Masterton schoolgirls is disappointed that their killer has been granted leave to appeal his conviction to the privy council. Bruce Howse was jailed for at least 25 years for killing 12-year-old Saliel Aplin and her ten-year-old sister Olympia Jetson in December 2001. But the court of Appeal has ruled that he didn't recieve a fair trial, and his lawyer has applied to the Privy Council for a re-trial. I asked the grandfather of the murdered schoolgirls, Alan Aplin, how he felt when he heard the Privy Council had agreed to hear the application. PRE-REC
A Transpower report has revealed that there were warnings the demand for power in the South Island was growing faster than expected as far back as early 2003. South Islanders from Ashburton north are bracing for possible winter evening blackouts, as Transpower struggles to push enough current through the national grid to meet demand.
The energy minister Pete Hodgeson told Radio New Zealand this morning that the seriousness of the squeeze only became clear a matter of days ago. But in February 2003 a System Security Forecast by the national grid company Transpower pointed to the growth in demand outstripping earlier assumptions. Brian Lealand is an independent power industry consultant, and he joins us now to try to clear up the confusion. LIVE
The girlfriend of the British tourist Peter Falconio has resumed giving evidence at the committal hearing in Darwin of the man acused of his murder. Joanne Lees told the court how she couldn't sleep following her escape from an attacker on a Northern Territory highway because she was so anxious to look for her missing boyfriend. Bradley John Murdoch is accused of the unlawful assault and deprivation of liberty of Ms Lees as well as Mr Falconio's murder. The [illegible] Amanda Morgan is at the hearing and she joins us now. LIVE
Local councils are being hit hard by staff recruitment and retaining problems as they try to compete with private sector salaries. Manukau City Council has gone one million dollars overbudget in its bid to fill the gaps left by staff shortages.
And a new survey has found the gap between private and public sector salaries is continuing to widen. Anna-Louise Taylor reports. PKG
British television chef and food writer Rick Stein is in the country promoting his latest book that celebrates small growers and producers - the people Stein calls his "food heroes". Chefs like Rick Stein and Jamie Oliver are increasingly pushing the message that homegrown, hand-reared, stoneground and free range is better. Anna Tait-Jamieson joined Rick Stein and a group of local "food heroes" in Wellington to find out if New Zealanders are keen to embrace the trend. PKG
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