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HEADLINES & NEWS
An Australian company is to buy five of Tranz Rail's passenger operations. West Coast Railway, a tourist and commuter train company from Victoria, has today signed a heads-of-agreement for the sale with Tranz Rail. West Coast Railway will buy the Northerner and Overlander services between Auckland and Wellington, the TranzCoastal service between Picton and Christchurch and the TranzAlpine which runs between Christchurch and Greymouth. The company will also buy the Capital Connection, a long-distance commuter service between Wellington and Palmerston North.
Joining us now is Tranzrail's managing director Michael Beard. LIVE
The Government has unveiled new policies intended to bring to an end years of one off payments to public servants. These payments, such as one to the chief executive of Waitemata Health, have long been in the Labour Government's firing sights, and today the Government revealed what it intends to do about them. Its plans were contained within a set of parameters for state sector agreements outlined by the State Services Minister Trevor Mallard at a conference of the PSA today. Eric Frykberg reports. PKGE
BUSINESS NEWS WITH PATRICK O'MEARA
Returning now to our earlier story, an Australian company is to buy five of Tranz Rail's passenger operations. West Coast Railway, a tourist and commuter train company from Victoria, has today signed a heads-of-agreement for the sale with Tranz Rail. Joining us now is the spokesperson for West Coast Railway, Don Gibson. LIVE
During a lengthy and at times tense cross-examination by the Crown the Work and Income chief executive Christine Rankin has maintained her department has worked hard to improve its public image. Mrs Rankin is claiming 818-thousand-dollars for what she says was unfair and unlawful treatment in her employment. Crown lawyer Alan Galbraith has spent a day attacking various parts of her claim, including pointing out that she had even been criticized by ministers in the former national govt. Our reporter Merle Nowland has been covering the case and she's with us now. LIVE WITH DROP INS
In Papua New Guinea, there have been running street battles in the capital Port Moresby, as five days of student-led protests spilled into outlying areas. Several thousand students have been camped in the grounds of Parliament since Thursday in what had been a peaceful protest over the Government's plans to privatise state owned enterprises. But last night the protests turned violence with shooting, arson and looting incidents and several government vehicles and shops set alight. Kevin Ricketts who is the correspondent for Australian Associated Press in Port Moresby went to see what was happening. PREREC
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SPORT with STEPHEN HEWSON
A report into the attempted deportation of two cousins in Hamilton rejects claims the case was badly handled by Immigration authorities. Attempts to remove 10-year old Cristine Tilo, and her 21-year old cousin Seneuefa Tilo were stopped by a High Court judge earlier this month, just an hour before their plane was due to leave for Samoa. Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel ordered the report into the incident in response to allegations made by the pair's lawyer. Ms Dalziel says the lawyer's claims that the 10-year-old was taken screaming from the house and that the pair were held in a police cell are incorrect - she joins us now. LIVE
Middlemore Hospital says about a dozen patients will be affected this week by its decision to suspend non-urgent surgery due to a lack of beds. The south Auckland hospital this morning put some elective surgery on hold as it struggles to cope with an influx of patients suffering from the flu, respiratory problems and other winter ailments. Julian Robins has been looking in to the situation. PKGE
Probation officers today walked off the job at more than two hundred offices throughout the country. It is a continuation of strike action taken yesterday by more than 500 Probation Service staff. They are on strike because some [illegible] officers were suspended for refusing to attend a training session, as part of a campaign of limited industrial action, over a pay offer they say is unacceptable. The workers union, the PSA, says its members who struck yesterday, returned to work this morning, but walked off the job again, because the suspended workers have not been re-instated. As this striking worker explains, probation officers have had enough. CUT Joining us now is PSA national secretary Richard Wagstaff. LIVE
The Probation Service general manager, Ann Clark, joins us now. LIVE
Auckland medical professionals and community workers have expressed frustration at the lack of progress in preventing youth deaths and have vowed to do something about it. Barbara Dreaver went to the Child and Youth Mortality Forum hosted in Auckland today by the resgion's mayors. PKGE
Two children from Foxton Beach have won the last Golden Ticket in a Willy Wonka competition running across Australia and New Zealand. The competition is based on the hit movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the prize includes 10 trips for two children and two adults to the WONKA factory in Chicago, including 5000 dollars spending money and seven nights accommodation. Lawrence Tua is the father of six year old Atapuuao and her brother Tuainuku who is seven and very excited. CUT
Lawrence Tua explains what happened. PREREC
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