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** CKPT RUNDOWN FOR THURSDAY FEBRUARY 16
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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There's been another setback today for the hundreds of New Zealand women battling for access to the breast cancer drug Herceptin. The expensive treatment is currently subsidised for patients with terminal cancer but studies have shown big benefits for women if they have it in the early stages of their illness. Some patients face paying up to a hundred thousand dollars to get Herceptin - but today the drug funding agency Pharmac decided it would not subsidise the medication for early breast cancer. One patient Alicia Hudson says she doesn't know what to do - her oncologist is telling her she would benefit from the drug, but Pharmac insists more trials should be done. CUT
Why has Pharmac made this decision? - joining us now is Dr Peter Moodie - Pharmac's medical director - and Libby Burgess from the Breast Cancer Advocacy Coalition. DOUBLE HEADER
Despite good intentions many groups providing care for disabled people are doing a second rate job, leaving people with disabilities facing bleak and futureless lives. That's according to Lorna Sullivan - an executive member of the Disabled People's Forum. Her concern follows
reports released to Radio New Zealand today which have pointed to problems with the quality of care provided by the Cerebal Palsey Society. In 2003 Lorna Sullivan was involved in writing a critical report about services to adults with an intellectual disability. Called "To Have An 'Ordinary' Life" it concluded that care tended to be custodial and constrictive. She says since then there have been no improvements - in fact things are potentially worse. To explain she joins me now. LIVE IV
The Speaker has ruled that TVNZ's board will have to answer to Parliament's Privileges Committee over its censure of its former CEO. Ian Fraser was stripped of his remaining duties after criticising the Board at a Select Committee inquiry. Our Political Reporter Corin Dann
joins us now. Q AND A
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1720 BUSINESS NEWS WITH RICHARD SCOTT
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More details have been released revealing why controversial lawyer Christopher Harder has been struck off. Today, a body that governs barristers - the Auckland District Law Society - released reams of paper from his disciplinary tribunal hearing. Details include: Coercing a
female client into performing sex acts - saying by doing so he would avoid a jail term for her. Smoking drugs in front of clients. And...telling a client he accepts drugs in payment for fees. This is Mr Harder's reaction to the tribunal's published details. CUT
He says the Law Society hasn't played by the rules. CUT
Now there's the question of why it took so long for Christopher Harder to be brought to book - after more than 100 complaints against him. The President of the Auckland District Law Society is Gary Goitleb. PREREC
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1730 HEADLINES
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SPORTS NEWS WITH STEPHEN HEWSON
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Hamilton's proposed V8 street circuit has been described as spectacular and better than exisiting circuits in Adelaide and the Gold Coast. The city has secured the rights to host the race for seven years from 2008. The council will foot the bill, estimated to cost up to seven million dollars, but hopes to reap 25 million in economic benefits each year the race is held. The city's mayor is confident the race will get the resource consents and that there won't be the opposition that Auckland and Wellington faced trying for the event. Andrew McRae has been guaging reaction to the news. PKGE
The US Vice President Dick Cheney has taken the blame for accidentally shooting a friend on a hunting trip describing it as one of the worst days of his life. The second most powerful man in the world has been telling the Fox News Channel that he accepts full responsibility for blasting 78-year-old Harry Whittington in the face and neck. John Terrett filed this report.
PKGE
Movistar has beaten the New Zealand-skippered ABN Amro by half a boat length, in a nailbiting finish of the latest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race in Wellington. After sailing more than 2 thousand 3 hundred kilometres from Melbourne, the two yachts had an exciting last-minute duel for the top spot, with Movistar winning by 9 seconds. The New Zealand skipper of ABN Amro, Mike Sanderson, says they came barrelling into the Cook Strait with 32 knots
of breeze, and within an hour, it had dropped to half a knot. Mr Sanderson says second place means they still hold on to an overall lead. CUT
Movistar team member and Wellingtonian Stuart Bannatyne says it was a very close finish. CUT
Another crew member from the winning boat, Noel Drennan, joins us now. LIVE
National's Don Brash and the Prime Minister Helen Clark have once again gone head to head in Parliament, over the allegations Labour misused parliamentary funding for its election pledge cards. The police are currently investigating whether Labour went over its election spending limit, following a referral by the Electoral Commission. Our political reporter, Jane Patterson, has more. PKGE
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WAATEA NEWS with Eru Rerekura
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ESR is trialing what's being described as a revolutionary new method of DNA extraction which enables crime scene samples to be processed much faster. It's all down to an enzyme derived from a micro-organism found in a volcanic vent in Antarctica by New Zealand scientists in 1981. The breakthrough product has been launched on the lucrative DNA extraction market today by a Hamilton-based company. ESR's Forensic Science Leader, Dr Sally-Ann Harbison, told me the enzyme attacks and quickly breaks down the protein in cells. PREREC