0600 NEWS/WEATHER
0609 NZ NEWSPAPERS
0611 NEWS STORY COALITION CABINET - coalition agreement allows ministers who lose battles at cabinet table to have case tested in Parliament. Both Labour and Alliance say measure fundamental to airing differences in way that isn't destructive of coalition. Comment from Jim Anderton, Helen Clark, and Alliance conference delegates Dianne Hewitson and Robin Gwynne. (Stephen Harris) WORLD TRADE ORGN - SEATTLE MEETING ends in acrimony, with no agreements to launch new round of talks on world trade liberalisation. Correspondent Malcolm Brown says one reason for failure was sheer complexity of task and short amount of time given to it - i/ved. (Mng Rpt)
0620 RURAL NEWS WORLD TRADE ORGN - SEATTLE MEETING fails to set agenda for new round of trade reform negotiations. Cairns Group members disappointed with failure to persuade European Union to agree to work towards elimination of farm subsidies but Group chair and Australian Trade minister, Mark Vaile, says substantial progress made towards developing detailed agricultural agenda; NZ Trade minister Lockwood Smith convinced if they'd had more time, delegates would have reached consensus needed to set agenda for new round of talks. (Kevin Ikin) INTERNET WOOL SALES - Wool Board's long-awaited internet selling system is fully operational for first time today, allows farmers or brokers to sell wool electronically to whoever wants to buy it. WoolNet's operations manager Paul Stanley-Boden says extra time taken to smooth out problems has resulted in much better service. (Diana Leufkens) WINE SHORTAGE - Wine Inst chief exec Philip Gregan says many NZ producers have opted to supply export markets rather than domestic market after reduced 1999 harvest caused by East Coast drought and other factors. More imported wines being drunk because of local shortage. (Diana Leufkens)
0625 SPORTS TENNIS - LONDON MEN'S SENIOR - John McEndoe and Henri Leconte square off in finals. Live i/v with correspondent Paul Newman. illegible NEWS/WEATHER
0635 NEWS STORY OTAGO/SOUTHLAND FLOODING - Queenstown - hundreds of people attend Mardi Gras organised by Queenstown Lakes District Council to raise funds for Otago Flood Relief Fund and to thank residents for co-operation during flooding. Live i/v with event co-organiser Anton Ruddenklau. INTERNATIONAL PAPERS MANA MāORI TRAFFIC REPORT
0648 BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL NEWS AIR N.Z. - BRIERLEY - speculation envelops BIL stake in airline as institutional investors and leading businessmen variously tipped as ready to buy if BIL forced to sell. Brierley now regarded as foreign-owned but chair Sir Selwyn Cushing says there are fall-back plans in place to ensure Air NZ stays a local company, none of which he'll detail. (Gyles Beckford) U.S. - ECONOMY - stocks surge to record hights and bonds rally after news wages barely rose in November while unemployment stayed steady at 4.1%, helping to ease investor worries that Federal Reserve will hike rates aggressively to head off inflation. Wall St economist Kerry Leahy, High Frequency Economics, says there seems to be no end to good news for "Goldilocks economy". FINANCE/MARKETS WEEK AHEAD NO FRILL DISCOUNT BROKING service opens on both sides of Tasman today. ASB Securities, ASB Bank's sharebroking arm, wille be telephone-based, also bringing in internet site. Managing director Tim Preston says face of sharebroking changing rapidly. (Gyles Beckford) BRITAIN - country's first day-trading centre opens in London. Chief exec of Invest-in-Securities, Lawrence Biggs, describes sort of person trading. PASSIVE INVESTMENT - BNZ launching new, passive international share investment fund, will monitor wholesale international fund and track modified version of Morgan Stanley International World Index. US-based State Street Global Asset advisors will manage the investments. (Gyles Beckford) BUSINESS BRIEFS
0700 INTRO/NEWS COALITION AGREEMENT to be officially signed today. Alliance Party conference unanimously endorse agreement. Leader and deputy PM-elect Jim Anderton tells delegates that coalition govt now has 3 years to prove to NZers that MMP can work. He's i /ved live; live i/v with Political correspondent Stephen Harris. illegible PROBE - NASA scientists banking on 10-minute communications "window" to finally contact Mars Polar Lander which has been silent since touching down on Saturday; live i/v with Wayne Zimmerman, senior engineer on project at Pasadena Jet Propulsion Laboratory. WORLD TRADE ORGN - SEATTLE MEETING ends in disarray, with delegates from 135 member states failing to set up new trade liberalisation talks. Comment from Mike Dolan, of US consumer organisation Public Citizen, Federated Farmers chief executive Tony St Clair, incoming NZ cabinet minister Jim Sutton, and WTO head Mike Moore. (Eric Frykberg); outgoing NZ Trade minister Lockwood Smith says progress will still be made when it comes to free trade despite problem with talks - i/ved. (Mng Rpt)
0730 NEWS/WEATHER NZ PAPERS FINANCE UPDATE INTERNATIONAL PAPERS AMERICAS CUP - CHALLENGERS - cracks appearing among some top challengers while Swiss team has to call it a day. Latest incident puts Dennis Conner's campaign off course with boat undergoing major repair. Louis Vuitton series increasingly unpredictable. (Todd Niall) LIQUOR SALES - liquor stores and supermarkets report steady sales after start of Sunday trading in alcohol. Changes to liquor laws also allow 18 year olds to drink legally in hotels. (Luke Henshall) CHECHNYA - GROZNY SURROUNDED by Russian forces who are said to be preparing to advance amid allegations of massacre of up to 40 civilians. I/v with Moscow correspondent Andrew Harding. (Mng Rpt) INDONESIA - ACEH - MORE VIOLENCE predicted after start of Ramadan next month. Jakarta correspondent Jonathan Head says people will be much more sensitive during Ramadan to any real or perceived attacks by authorities. (Mng Rpt)
0800 NEWS/WEATHER COALITION AGREEMENT - few details released but agreement known to be short on policy details, instead concentrates on reinforcing spirit of co-operation between Labour and Alliance. Jim Andertons ays new govt has mandate to change way cabinet operates in attempt to avoid mistakes of last 3 years; live i/v with Jonathan Boston, VUW professor of Public Policy. WORLD TRADE ORGN - SEATTLE MEETING - NZ - delegates went into meeting with high hopes and long list of items which officials said would be key to further economic growth, left without list fulfilled. (Emily Harris, Feature Story) WORLD TRADE ORGN - LABOUR ISSUES - live i/v with Nigel Haworth, AK Univ Professor of International Business. OIL SPILL - outgoing Conservation minister Nick Smith says 2 ships being investigated as possibly responsible for oil spill near Poor Knights marine reserve and there is good case for prosecution if those responsible identified. Calls from local diving businesses for ships to be excluded from channel between Poor Knights Islands and mainland to prevent this sort of incident. Live i/v with Nick Smith. TRAFFIC REPORT
0830 NEWS/WEATHER/SPORTS SOFTWARE PIRACY - Microsoft offering reward to NZers who help it stop software packages from being copied illegally, places newspaper adverts saying up to $5,000 available for information leading to successful legal action against those who infringe its copyright. Regional law and corporate affairs spokesperson Alex Mercer says 3 out of every 10 software packages sold in NZ are counterfeit - i/ved live. MARS PROBE - NASA scientists struggling to contact Mars Polar Lander so far have no response to latest message to machine. Scientists trying to establish contact between Polar Lander and orbiter, Mars Global Surveyor, but so far no communication between Lander on Mars surface and orbiting spacecraft. Live i/v with Peter Xaypraseuth, Pasadena Jet Propulsion Laboratory. KAYAK CHAMPIONSHIPS - 25 teams at World Rodeo Kayaking Championships in Taupo illegible to go ahead with finals today despite death of competitor in Irish team. 24 year old Niamh Tompkins drowned during break in competitions when she and 2 other women decided to swim through rapids. Vice president of NZ Freestyle Kayaking Committee Jo Lucas says tapu lifted last night - i/ved live. AMERICAS CUP - CHALLENGERS - major blow for Dennis Conner, major structural damage to Stars and Stripes boat; first ever Swiss campaign for Americas Cup ends, syndicate pulls out after collapse of mast; live i/v with yachting correspondent Penny Whiting. INTERNATIONAL PAPERS FIJI - MILLENNIUM CELEBRATIONS thrown into confusion after death of paramount chief whose territory includes tourist resorts on international dateline. Traditional 100 days of mourning declared after death of Ratu Glanville Lalabavalu in early November but that jeopardises millennium parties and dives planned. Live i/v with Dr Paul Geraghty, director of Inst of Fijian Culture and Language. MONDAY OZ SPOT - live i/v with Phil Kafcaloudes. (Indonesian PM Wahid says Australia childish after East Timor dispute flaired; push to change the date of Australia Day, 26 January)