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**** CKPT FOR FRIDAY JULY 7 *******
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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FLOODS CLEAN-UP: The torrential rain that's wreaked havoc on the lower North Island has stopped but a massive clean-up will now start - with huge areas of farmland under water and roads still impassable. The bill will be many millions of dollars. In the Rangitikei District five homes and a marae were evacuated today because of the raging Whangaehu (whang-aye-hu) River - one of the worst affected areas.. A helicopter was sent up earlier today to survey the damage and evacuate locals. The Chief Executive and local controller at the Rangitikei District council, Leigh Halstead, was on board, and he joins us now. LIVE
FLOODS TARANAKI: Worse than the devastating floods of 2004 - that's the assessment from a farmer in South Taranaki. Paddocks along the Waitotara and adjoining Ngutu-wera Valleys are draining after being inundated overnight, revealing thick silt and dead animals. Our reporter Craig Ashworth is looking over the flooded valleys and he joins us now. LIVE
FLOODS WAIRARAPA: In Masterton, sewage contamination has led to five houses being evacuated in the south of the town. Paul Walker from the Masterton District Council says the sewage isn't draining away and so the families have been moved out as a precautionary measure. And he says it may be some time before they can return to their homes. CUT
Ted Taylor from the Wellington Regional Council says river levels are starting to drop, but the prospect of even more rain on the sodden ground is a worry. CUT
Moving on to the Southern Wairarapa now. District mayor Adrienne Staples has been monitoring the situation and she's on the line now... LIVE
FINANCE SENTENCING: A Hamilton man described as a financial predator who exploited vulnerable people, has been sentenced to eight years in prison, with a minimum non-parole period of five years. Finance broker, Miles McElvy was convicted on 27 charges, including forgery and money laundering. McElvy is one of 30 people arrested in a major police investigation dubbed Operation Allsorts. He was described as the ringleader in the fraud and was sentenced today in the Hamilton High Court. Our reporter Andrew McRae was there. PREREC
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1720 BUSINESS NEWS WITH SEAN KENNEDY
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KNIFE FACE: Surgeons in Middlemore Hospital have just begun a delicate operation to remove a 15-centimetre knife blade embedded in a man's head. The 36-year-old man was rushed to hospital early this morning with the knife sticking out both sides of his face, just below his eyes. North Shore police say the man was stabbed after a fight broke out at a party in Albany. Detective Senior Sergeant Kim Libby joins me now ... LIVE
SCHOOL BUSES: There are claims more needs to be done to police school bus services, with accusations some companies are running old, potentially unsafe vehicles. The allegations were made at the The Bus and Coach Association's annual conference today as operators met to hear about proposed changes to the way contracts for school bus services are let. Our reporter, Patric Lane was at the conference. PKGE
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1730 HEADLINES
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SPORTS NEWS WITH BADEN CAMPBELL
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FAILURE POLICE: An internal police report has found Taranaki officers failed to adequately monitor a drunk driver who killed three young people, after a police chase. Raymond John Hansen is serving a nine-year-jail sentence for the manslaughter of the three, after he crashed into their van on a rail overbridge at Normanby near Hawera last August. Police had earlier abandoned a pursuit of Hansen's car, but soon after spotted it outside a bar in Hawera. They asked volunteers at the Hawera police station to keep an eye on security camera footage of the car. But the radio communications failed as Hansen returned to the car, drove off, and crashed. Joining us now is Central District Police Commander Mark Lammas (LAMB-iss) LIVE
TONGA NEPHEW: Tonga has lost a key figure in its struggle for democracy. The king's nephew, Prince Tu-ipelly-hake and his wife Princess Kaimana, died in a car crash in San Francisco last night. The prince, who was seen as a link between the royal family and the commoners, headed a special committee on political reform and was in San Francisco as part of trip to get the views of Tongans living abroad. Radio New Zealand International correspondent, Mateni Tapu-eluelu, says the royal was regarded as the "prince of the people" and his death will come as a shock for many Tongans. PREREC
DEPARTMENT CHECKS: The Prime Minister's Department should be doing its own checks on whether prospective staff have criminal records or dodgy credit ratings. That's one of the recommendations in a review done by the former chief electoral officer David Henry following the country's biggest ever political leaks. Michael Ryan - a messenger in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet was sacked after giving a secret Cabinet paper on Telecom deregulation to a close personal friend who worked for the company. Amongst the 41 recommendations the review suggests the Department shouldn't just rely on security vetting by the Security Intelligence Service. Department head Maarten Wevers joins us now. LIVE
HOMOSEXUALITY SALVATION ARMY: Gay rights activists are insulted by a Salvation Army statement which says it regrets any hurt caused during Homosexual Law Reform campaign. This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the legislation. The statement, issued earlier this week, says the organisation understands its opposition to the bill was deeply hurtful, but some say that's far from an apology. Jean Edwards compiled this report. PKGE
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WAATEA NEWS with Marcus Hamilton
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