0600 NEWS/WEATHER
0609 NZ NEWSPAPERS
0611 Māori NEWS 1616 NEWS STORY WAITING LISTS - 107,000 people now waiting for first appointment to see if they qualify for surgery under new booking system. Comment from Grey Power spokesperson Graham Stairmand, Tina Handyside of Fedn of Womens Health Councils, Health minister Bill English, director of Health Funding Authority's National Waiting Times Project, Dr Paul Malpass and booking system critic Dr Geoffrey Horne. (Blair McLaren)
0620 RURAL NEWS VEGETABLE EXPORTS earnings shoot up, latest figures show returns increased by almost quarter to $366 million for year ending June. Opening new markets and developing crop lines for specific customers equally important. (Kevin Ikin) VEGETABLE GROWERS in Pukekohe struggling to cope with extremely dry conditions. Pukekohe growers' president, Stan Clark, says they're having to make heavy use of irrigation, which greatly increases costs and workload. (kevin Ikin) SQUASH HARVEST - current growing conditions could cause complications for next year' harvest. Jonathan Brownrigg, Buttercup Squash Council chair, says there's risk of bottleneck in harvest with result that several shipments arrive in Japan on top of one another. (Heugh Chappell) TOPO CLIMATE TRUST launched in Southland, will provide farmers and horticulturists with information they need to grow crops best suited to their land. Trustee Cathy Henderson says aim is to analyse soil and climatic conditions in more detailed way than possible before. (Kevin Ikin)
0625 SPORTS STORY AUSTRALIAN SPORT - i/v with correspondent Tim Gavel. (disappointing end for Australia to first Ashes test in Brisbane)
0630 NEWS/WEATHER
0635 NEWS STORY illegible DRUGS - new that Commonwealth Games silver medallist Denis Petuchinsky has tested positive for banned drug brings calls to tighten drug testing for NZ athletes. Comment from Sports Drug Agency exec director Graeme Steel, New Zealand Olympic Committee spokesman Michael Hooper, former Olympic team doctor, Dr David Gerrard, and lawyer David Howman. (q). (Diana Leufkens)
0639 INTERNATIONAL PAPERS
0642 MANA NEWS DISPUTE RESOLUTION - need to revive some traditional methods of resolving disputes getting attention in Māori legal scene.
0651 BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL NEWS U.S./EUROPEAN SHAREMARKETS lose a little after strong start to week. Was Monday's rise fuelled by merger mania or have markets undergone more solid attitude change? Comment from Ralph Acampora of Prudential Securities. FINANCE/MARKETS MARKET REVIEW HARDWARE STORES - Australian company BBC Hardware expanding chain of Hardware House supestores in NZ. Company also owns chain of Benchmark Buildings Supplies stores. Comment from chief exec Ian Tsicalas. (Clare Sziranyi) DIAMONDS - leading dealer De Beers is said to be looking at making loan to Russian govt. De Beers keen for new sales contract to gain control of Russia's diamond production. BUSINESS BRIEFS
0700 INTRO/NEWS DRIVING LICENCES - govt cuts proposed costs of lifetime licences. It had appeared to be facing defeat in key parts of Land Transport Bill because of opposition to $60 fee for new licences. Comment from ACT's Ken Shirley, Labour's Mark Burton and NZ First's Peter Brown. (Sarah Boyd); live i/v with Transport minister Maurice Williamson. WAITING LISTS - 107,000 people waiting for appointment with consultant or specialist to find out if they can be added to official hospital waiting list. Health minister Bill English says work being done to streamline communication between GPs and surgeons so they can agree on who should be referred to specialists; live i/v with Medical Assn Chair Dr Anton Wiles. SPORTS DRUGS - Athletics NZ says positive drug test for banned steroid Stanazolol, returned by pole vaulter Denis Petuchinsky, is isolated incident. Athletics NZ chair Graeme Avery says it shouldn't tarnish reputation of athletics. (Mng Rpt)
0730 NEWS/WEATHER/SPORTS NZ PAPERS FINANCE UPDATE HOPE/SMART CASE - first stage of depositions hearing for Scott Watson, accused of murdering Olivia Hope and Ben Smart, takes place in Blenheim. Live report from Helen Shea. BULK FUNDING - schools tempted to opt for bulk funding of teachers' salaries may end up penalised if Labour Party becomes govt. Education spokesperson Trevor Mallead says schools who think they can take up option knowing they can then pull out under Labour govt, should think again. Comment also from School Trustees' Assn head Owen Egerton, and Phil Raffills, Assn of Bulk Funded Schools. (Gael Woods) BRITAIN - HOUSE OF LORDS - Queen announces govt's plans to strip hereditary peers of voting and sitting rights in House of Lords in traditional speech from the throne, arousing unprecedented reaction instead of traditional silence. Live i/v with correspondent Tim Franks. TROUT - Taupo people warn govt to make good on moves to block importation of trout which is feared to lead to increase in poaching and could spread disease to NZ trout. Also, Court of Appeal has ruled Māori do not have customary right to fish for trout without licence. (Tama Muru) AIDS - global HIV infections rise 10% in 1998 despite promising new drugs and improved prevention. Dr Berhard Schwartlander, UN AIDS agency, says while some countries are succeeding in controlling spread of AIDS, overall picture remains grim - i/ved. (Mng Rpt)
0800 NEWS/WEATHER DRIVING LICENCES - govt could have difficulty getting changes through Parliament despite halving fee for new photo-ID cards. Transport minister Maurice Williamson says photo-ID licences will help make roads safer by making identification of dangerous drivers easier; Automobile Assn general secretary George Fairbairn says AA members agree with stronger penalties for serious offenders but are worried about any attack on personal freedom - i/ved. (Mng Rpt) WAITING LISTS - wait can be long for some people who qualify for the list. Tania Oolders reports on plight of Michael Mcmahon who suffered heart attack 2 years ago and who's been waiting since then for procedure to clear 2 blocked arteries; live i/v with Dr Paul Malpass, Health Funding Authority's director of National Waiting Times Project. INTERNATIONAL PAPERS SPORTS DRUGS - Dr David Gerard, sports medicine expert and NZ's chef de mission at Atlanta Olympics, says there's no way athlete could inadvertently take the anabolic steroid Stanozolol - i/ved. (Mng Rpt)
0830 NEWS/SPORTS CYCLONES - reporter Heugh Chappell looks back at Cyclone Bola which devastated North Island's East Coast 10 years ago. Long term effects on farmers and communities has been focus of national resource management conference in Gisborne. INDONESIA - 163 SOLDIERS JAILED for actions during clashes between troops and student demonstrators earlier this month. I/v with correspondent Mark Bowling re what the soldiers are accused of. (Mng Rpt) POWER CABLE - Transpower offering reward for information on who was responsible for damaging one of its fibre optic cables under Cook Strait. Fishing Industry Assn says it's another move to blame fishing boats without evidence. Comment from Assn spokesman Richard Griffin, Trevor Morley of Morly Security, and Clive Bull, Transpower. (Paul Diamond) PLANT CLASSIFICATION - botanists at London's Kew Gardens introduce revolutionary new system. Classification of plants by their DNA instead of physical characteristics reveals some plants thought to be unrelated are actually close relatives and vice versa. I/v with project leader Dr Mark Chase. (Mng Rpt) ELLERSLIE FLOWER SHOW opens today, not at Ellerslie but at AK Regional Botanic Gardens in Manukau. Organisers predict record crowds. Reporter Christine Cessford goes along. BRAZIL - RESIGNATIONS - 3 top official resign amid allegations they tried to influence multi-billion dollar privatisation of telecommunications company. Head of National Development Bank, Communications minister and Foreign Trade secretary all resign after telephone conversations between them were illegally taped and leaked. Live i/v with correspondent Stephen Cviic.