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Checkpoint is a drive-time news and current affairs programme on Radio New Zealand National. It broadcasts nationwide every weekday evening for two hours and covers the day’s major national and international stories, as well as business, sport and Māori news. This recording covers the first hour. The following rundown is supplied from the broadcaster’s news system:
Checkpoint FOR THURSDAY 21 MAY 2015
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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A 790 million dollar four-year anti poverty package at the heart of today's Budget delivers the first rise in core benefits not tied to inflation in four decades. That means an extra 25 dollars a week after tax to beneficiary families with children. After earlier dampening down speculation he'd target the poor, Bill English has done just that, including giving more money to low income working families and boosting childcare subsidies from four- to five-dollars an hour. On the downside, however, the one thousand dollar kickstart for Kiwisaver is axed, and there's little new money for education. Labour says the Budget is the Government's desperate attempt to look like it's taking action on shameful child poverty rates. But the Prime Minister was having none of it in the debate that followed his Finance Minister's seventh Budget. CUT While benefits will go up, more is expected from beneficiaries. Sole parents will need to be available for part time work once their youngest child turns 3, instead of FIVE as now, and those with part-time work will need to do at least 20 hours a week, up from 15. Bill English says 110 thousand families with 190 thousand children will be better off. But this Dunedin solo mother of one and beneficiary, Olive McRae, is unimpressed. CUT This Gisborne father of five, Tutu Ngarimu, is in line for the extra 25 dollars a week after tax. CUT Paul Blair from the Beneficiary Advocacy Federation says some families will end up no better off. CUT As for low income working families, the poorest will get up to 24 dollars a week extra, though many just half that. Health gets an extra three-hundred-million dollars this year, with 76 million of that to care for the terminally ill. For education it's less bright - school operations grants go up by just one percent next year, half as much as in previous Budgets. And there are no increases at all to subsidies for most tertiary courses or to the early-childhood subsidy rates, though growing ECE rolls will swallow an extra 75 million. Tertiary fee rises will be capped at 3 percent a year, down from 4 percent.
We'll hear from Bill English shortly. But first here's our political reporter, Chris Bramwell.
PKG
I asked the Finance Minister Bill English why he decided, after all this time, that beneficiary families need more money. i/v
Peter Sykes heads the Mangere East Family Service Centre. He says a 25 dollar a week benefit increase won't mean much for struggling families who are already overwhelmed. i/v
The Crown says Blessie Gotingco was wriggling and struggling when she was stabbed multiple times. In his closing address before a packed public gallery at the murder trial today, the Crown prosecutor Kieran Raftery said the accused ran down the North Shore mother of three then took her back to his garage where he raped her before stabbing her to death. A 28 year-old man with name suppression denies the charges. Mr Raftery says a neighbour heard a scream and the wounds to Mrs Gotingco shows she was still obviously alive. CUT The defence lawyers told the jurors at the High Court in Auckland that the accused accidentally ran Mrs Gotingco down as he was driving around looking to score methamphetamine. Chris Wilkinson-Smith says then he panicked after the crash, at night and in the wet. CUT Our reporter Edward Gay has been in court.... i/v
Unwanted as helmsman by Team New Zealand, Dean Barker has now signed with Japan's America's Cup challenger. He split in March from Grant Dalton, rejecting his offer to stay on as a sailing coach and performance manager. But his new team SoftBank Japan was only confirmed as a challenger earlier this month and Barker faces an uphill battle just to recruit a crew for the America's Cup World Series event in Portsmouth in July. Dean Barker spoke to us from Bermuda. i/v
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17.30 HEADLINES
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17.35 MARKET UPDATE
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People who work in early childhood education are disappointed the Budget has no increase at all for the subsidies they get per child. There is 75-million-dollars extra to cover pre-school children enrolling for more hours over the next four years, but the rate of subsidy is unchanged. The chief executive of Kindegartens New Zealand, Clare Wells, says that follows several years of minimal increases to subsidy rates. CUT Labour leader Andrew Little says the Government 's pushed the panic button with this year's budget. He's with us now i/v
Our political editor Brent Edwards is with us now i/v
Back now to the closing addresses at the trial of the man accused of raping and murdering the North Shore mother of three Blessie Gotingco. Our Auckland court reporter Edward gay is BACK with us IN THE STUDIO now. i/v
Zespri has announced record returns for green kiwifruit for the 2014-15 season, but that was helped by a drop in supply from Chile. The company, which is responsible for the majority of overseas marketing of the fruit, describes it as an extroadinary year and says it shows the industry is back on track following the PSA crisis. But as Kate Gudsell reports not everyone is happy. PKG
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A group of Māori intellectuals are calling on tāngata whenua to become more open to transplants and supplying human tissue to improve their health.
The researchers want them to become more receptive to the idea and say tikanga needs to continue evolving to make sure that happens.
Te Manu Korihi's Alexa Cook reports.
BIOETHICS-WAIKATO-PKG
IN PRACTICES SUCH AS
OUT ALEXA COOK
DUR 2:50
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The Campbell Live show is getting the chop and John Campbell is quitting TV3. He's rejected an offer to co host a new four nights a week current-affairs show. The head of News at TV3, Mark Jennings, says he's disappointed at that. On Twitter John Campbell says he is proud of his wonderful team and is still finalising when his last night on air will be. No-one from TV3 or Mediaworks is available to be interviewed - media commentator Phil Wallington is with us now... i/v
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Presenter: Mary Wilson, Jim Mora
Editor: Maree Corbett
Deputy editor: Phil Pennington
Producers: Mei Heron, Michael Allan, Duncan Snelling