RNZ: The Week In Review

A review of the week's news including... labour's senior leadership comes under intense pressure after revelations of sexual assault at a youth camp, New Zealand's pursuit of a free trade deal with Russia has been complicated by a nerve agent attack in London, a bogus breath-testing checkpoint is ruled unlawful and unjustified, the police face renewed criticism of their pursuit policy after three people were killed near Nelson, National's new leader reveals his new look opposition line up, the EQC Minister signals legislative change may be needed to deal with Canterbury homeowners who purchased houses post-quake believing the homes had been fully repaired, the Defence Minister says he's the victim of a scurrilous attack, ocean swimming events are now regularly being cancelled in Auckland because the city's beaches are so dirty, more than half of the engines on Air New Zealand's eleven Dreamliner planes have had to be checked after two long haul flights had to turn back, Chatham Islanders hope their new wharf will make life smoother sailing and Te Papa's new art gallery 'Toi Art' is officially opened.

A review of the week's news including... inside the Canterbury Home Repair programme, the explosion in freedom campers has reached a crisis point, a hundred or so tourists trapped near Taumarunui are rescued by helicopter, the revamped Trans Pacific Partnership is finally signed, a Ministry of Transport fraudster denied parole for a second time, New Zealand gives nearly 10 million dollars to help Samoa tackle climate change and boost its economy on the first stop of the government's Pacific 'reset' tour, twenty-seven thousand hospital nurses could go on strike, Golden Bay business owners try to figure out how to cope with a dramatic downturn in business since last month's storm, It's official - we've just experienced the hottest summer on record and a famous picture has been immortalised in bronze.

A review of the week's news including... Simon Bridges is in - Bill English checks out, seven years after the big one and still 48% of claims are unresolved, revelations law students and solicitors had sex on a boardroom table, just four days left to fill in census forms, Aotearoa needs more midwives, a British endurance swimmer has strong feelings about Air New Zealand's latest safety video, Sky Television is cutting prices of its cheapest plans to try and counter a slide in subscribers, Winston Peters presses ahead with legal action against four former National Party ministers, New Zealand rugby boss says potential future All Blacks are being plundered by overseas clubs as teenagers and beginners' classes in Te Reo Maori are attracting so many enrolments, many are full and some have hundreds of would-be students on their waiting lists.

A review of the week's news including... Cyclone Gita rips through central New Zealand, two Olympic medals in just two hours breaks a 26 year drought, Australian cancer patients are better off and experts agree, a new report warns an uncontrolled invasion of the Asian stink bug would devastate New Zealand's horticultural industry, the entire forested area of Auckland's Waitakere Ranges will soon be closed to the public, an equal-pay advocate who changed the lives of thousands of New Zealand's lowest paid workers is the New Zealander of the year, the Human Rights Commission says it dished out the appropriate punishment to a senior staff member who sexually harrassed an intern, One of the country's biggest media companies has unveiled plans to sell or close 28 of its community papers and magazines, the race to become leader of the National Party has become even more crowded, hundreds of drivers have had their licenses cancelled or have been required to re-sit tests after an investigation into bribes being paid for licenses and a traffic stopping swan's swansong.

A review of the week's news including... A massive clean up is underway for Tonga after Cyclone Gita, Bill English resigns from Parliament and leadership of the National Party, a MP is forced to change how uses Snapchat after concerns, friends and family of a murder victim walk out of court in tears as the man who discovered her burnt body described what he saw, the Christchurch Muslim community will be involved in intensive monitoring of a radicalised teenage boy sentenced for a violent attack, an Auckland woman breaks a half century of secrecy around her father, Fletchers building division announces revised losses of $660 million, a retired school teacher is on trial for assisting her mother to commit suicide, the road safety minister is unimpressed with a recommendation to introduce roadside saliva testing, the police union says the number of officers being threatened with guns has increased by almost 40 percent in two years and the struggle of being a full time carer and only being being offered 17 hours a week at the minimum wage.

A review of the week's news including... the biggest and busiest Waitangi Day commemorations ever, tension in court as a 30 year old Dunedin doctor is charged with the murder of a 16 year old girl, one of the teenagers killed in a flash flood had been trying to help his friend when he was swept away, the Minister of Employment says the percentage of Maori out of work compared to the national average is still too high, a wide-ranging government inquiry will look into whether New Zealanders are getting a fair deal on their power bills, Team NZ win big at the Halberg awards, a company that writes and manages wills, trusts and estates trials a four day week for it's staff, the New Zealand tax payers Union is unhappy with figures showing Callaghan Innovation spent over two million dollars on travel and accommodation, rotting food is been fingered for its huge role in causing climate change, the record-breaking hot summer is causing high numbers of fish to die in Kapiti waterways, hunting Rangitoto Island's black cat and an Auckland doctor has developed a test which shows how your genes could be helping or hindering you achieving the goals of looking younger, getting fit and losing weight.

A review of the week's news including... bad weather hits, many victims from a Kiribati ferry sinking are likely to be high school children, the son of a medicinal marijuana campaigner says the government's medicinal cannabis bill is 'woefully inadequate' while the Green MP whose medicinal marijuana bill was heavily defeated this week says politicians have demonstrated how out of touch with the public they are, the refugee community is devastated following a terror attack in Afghanistan, a New Zealander is among a group of 10 foreigners arrested for "singing and dancing pornographically" in Cambodia, hundreds of Wellington commuters were stranded after an electrical fault stopped all Wellington's electric trains, a weather bomb hits mainly the south, the Prime Minister heads to Waitangi for a five day first visit, unhappiness at Fire & Emergency's dropping of an investigation into the devastating Port Hills fires, speculation mounts about the future of Bill English as National leader while his deputy says she's "feeling much better" since having gastric bypass surgery and a Kiwi singer-songwriter takes home her first ever Grammy.

A review of the week's news including... The Government's announcement of a ministerial inquiry into mental health and addiction and it's first changes to employment laws since assuming power, potentially carcinogenic chemicals the Air Force used in firefighting foam has farmers calling for more information, Winston Peters says NZ First now supports the TPP, the significance of the Prime Minister spending more than five days at Waitangi this year and a warm welcome for Jacinda Ardern at Ratana Pa this week, why were repeated concerns raised against the appointment of a DHB chief executive now under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office ignored? and New Zealand becomes a player in space with the successful launch of a Rocket Lab 'Electron' rocket from the Hawke's Bay's Mahia Peninsula.

A review of the week's news including... Some medicinal cannabis users say the Government's plan to overhaul the law offers hope but no material changes for them, mental health issues down on the farm, Greyhound Racing NZ denies dogs ill treated, the Government's gets a pat on the back for its new road safety initiative, the High Court puts a roadblock in the way of a plan to extend Wellington Airport's runway, A West Coast mayor says it's a relief to hear the coalition government will consider new oil, gas and mining permits, but he's alarmed conservation land remains off limits, Air NZ is stalled by faulty replacement plane, Christchurch ratepayers will have to foot part of the bill to help repair the city's quake-ravaged Anglican cathedral, RNZ Mediawatch's take on the Court of Appeal's upholding of the Commerce Commission's view that a major media merger would lessen competition and reduce the diversity of news, the economic cost of shifting the vehicle import trade away from Auckland's downtown port put as high as a billion dollars - Phil Goff responds and one in eight of the people who were in hospital emergency departments at 2 oclock in the early hours of Saturday morning in 2017 were there because of alcohol, an improvement on last year.

A review of the week's news including... the Government opens it's books and launches announces a family package to halve the number of children in poverty, nearly two thirds of MPs vote in support of a bill to legalise euthanasia, women fighting for a ban on surgical mesh feel vindicated health officials have finally acted, shocking details emerge on how an Invercargill policeman planned and executed his estranged wife and shot her new partner, a trainer could be kicked out of greyhound racing if it's proved he used live animals as bait, a serious cattle disease is found in the Hawkes Bay and Southland for the first time, does KFC operate a Yellow list to avoid giving employees days off in lieu?, the State Services Commissioner names and shames Government entities who ignored guidelines and paid their CEOs too much, the head of Briscoes appeals a decision restricting the number of times he can land a helicopter at his new Herne Bay home, why have there been an 'exodus' of dancers from the Royal New Zealand Company?, a raised maximum speed limit comes in to force on two of New Zealand's safest roads and an archeologist makes a remarkable discovery at the site of the country's first major battlefield.

A review of the week's news including... we meet the man who's the Government's longest ever motel tenant, hundred of thousands of people may be forced to have their water chlorinated, cancellations and delays to Air New Zealand long haul flights lie ahead for weeks as Rolls-Royce does urgent maintenance to it's Boeing 787 engines, the Foreign Minister speaks following Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, New Zealanders being held in Australian detention centres claim they're being offered a cash incentive to leave before the end of the year, Fonterra cuts its forecast milk price, a medical trial shows Pharmac was right to initially fund the breast cancer drug Herceptin for just nine weeks of treatment, Aucklanders could be in for more train disruption before Christmas, New Zealand is being urged to follow Australia's lead and tighten security laws to prevent foreign governments influencing domestic politics, several Taupo lakeside settlements have had their water supplies shut down over fears of a potentially toxic algae bloom, Christchurch swelters in 30 degree heat all week and environmentalists are disappointed at the Auckland Council's decision not to close the Waitakere Ranges in a bid to stop the spread of kauri dieback.

A review of the week's news including... Widespread dismay at a decision not to prosecute anyone for the deaths of 115 in the CTV building collapse, the Chair of the embattled Waikato District health board resigns, tensions reach "motion of no confidence point" at the Horowhenua District Council, more emerge about unreleased notes from the coalition talks between Labour and New Zealand First, the New Zealand First leader seeks monetary damages from two journalists, central Auckland comes to a standstill as Tongan league fans converged for yet another protest after their world cup semifinal loss, biographies of Green Party MPs are reviewed, could the Kauri go extinct?, an independent review of the Auckland Council's efforts to improve outcomes for the city's Maori finds little improvement, after waiting 38 years friends and family of those who died in the Erebus crash have finally been promised a national memorial, a mother who suffered from Munchausen Syndrome by proxy is sentenced to seven years jail and a hot, sticky summer is on the cards.

A review of the week's news including... Global pressure mounts on Australia to address the plight of Manus Island detainees, options for re entering the Pike River Mine's drift presented to cabinet, the Waikato DHB chairman refuses to resign over the over-spending of the board's chief executive, a freelance journalist lays a complaint against a Hamilton City councillor who sent her a sexually explicit joke, the Government wants to punish charities who refuse to follow the rules after two Destiny Church charities are deregistered, the Associate Transport Minister calls for a crisis meeting over the road toll, the Government is urged to carry out a proper trial of driverless electric vehicles, one of New Zealand's richest places now has some of the cheapest bus rides, it's going to be foiling monohull yachts for the next Americas Cup and plans for a new whizz-bang theatre in Hamilton.

A review of the week's news including... a re-fashioned TPP is met with jubilation and trepidation, when is a journalist not a journalist?, members of a family are in a vegetative state after eating what could have been contaminated wild boar, a former Manus Island detention centre security guard urges the Prime Minister not to take 150 refugees from Manus, Australians vote in favour of same sex marriage, Wellington train staff go on strike, the trial of two senior police officers on kidnapping charges continues, a crowd funding campaign to buy an Otago chocolate factory raises two million dollars in two days, United Future calls it quits and Lorde is the big winner at the 2017 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

A review of the week's news including... The Prime Minister says there is only a fifty-fifty chance of a Trans Pacific trade deal being reached, media freedom advocates say an attempt to obtain the emails and phone records of two journalists is outrageous and will have a chilling effect on democracy if successful, a new prayer removing references to the Queen and Jesus Christ causes ripples at the start of the new parliamentary term, Business New Zealand says the extension to paid parental leave could make it difficult for smaller businesses to keep staff, a TOP party candidate is effectively expelled for questioning the party leader, Checkpoint continues their effort to contact the director of Nosh chasing non paid wages owed to workers, health experts are worried about a rise in the number of children with serious dental problems, the New Zealand Super Fund confirms dealings with the law firm at the centre of the Paradise Papers leak, seven years on and the families of Pike River victims say it's only now they're being listened to, a prototype whale-lifting machine offers hope to stranded whales, a South American wave descends on Wellington for the World Cup playoff game between peru and the All Whites and New Zealand's first cat has died.