RNZ: The Week In Review

A review of the week's news including... questions are being asked about the impact of a ban on foreigners buying New Zealand homes, six people are arrested following a brawl linked to tension in the run up to a Rugby League World Cup match, police and customs say their largest ever haul of of cocaine shows drug smugglers are desperate to expand the market for the illegal drug in New Zealand, where is Dr Yang?, Auckland's port company unveils what it wants to do over the next thirty years, one of Auckland's busiest buildings hasn't had a warrant of fitness for over a year and has been allowed to remain open, an Otago University study finds a widening gap between the income of chief executives and their staff, critics say the Ministry of Social Development pensioner payment system is flawed, an ecological restoration project is underway at the home to one of the most significant collections of historic Maori rock art in New Zealand and a sinkhole filled with fat and rats has prompted a North Island council to educate its residents on how to get rid of grease.

A review of the week's news including... The new Labour-led government is officially in place, Southern DHB confirms there are over 500 urology patients waiting longer than they should for treatment, did the National Party breach copyright with their use of a piece of music that sounded like Eminem?, a convicted double murderer to ask the new Prime Minister for a pardon, a newly released survey of high-rise buildings in Auckland and Wellington shows nearly all of them fail key earthquake standards, a road safety campaigner says it's pointless for the police to just lecture young offenders on the risks of fleeing them, an angry shareholder calls Fletcher Building 'a disaster company' at it's annual general meeting, the country commemorates The New Zealand's Wars and our new Bird of The Year is poisoned.

A review of the week's news including... The impact of the more than 380-thousand special votes to be revealed, a former Greens MP believes the strongest push for a Blue-Green coalition is coming from those within National looking to weaken Winston Peter's position as Kingmaker, two women who lost family members in the Pike River mine explosion are continuing their legal fight to have someone held accountable for what happened, the findings of the independent review of the Rangitaiki River Scheme, the senior doctors' union says it's no surprise the chief executive of the Waikato district health board has quit after an investigation into his overspending, the council chief executive who intercepted people's emails says there was nothing anti-democratic about it, northern iwi are welcoming New Zealand First's call to re-establish a Forestry Service, it's been revealed that a senior gang member used a friend inside Vehicle Testing New Zealand to get the names and addresses of nine people, Countdown supermarkets have vowed to get rid of single use plastic bags by the end of next year, the Kereru count is up and the Wairarapa town of Masterton has reached the finals of the Keep New Zealand Beautiful most beautiful city awards - much to the surprise of some locals.

A review of the week's news including... Kingmaker Winston Peters returns to parliament with the media in his sights, a former New Zealand First MP says Jacinda Ardern would be wise to offer Winston Peters a shared prime minister's role, National and Labour put the wheels in motion to enter talks with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters as they vye to form the next government, the "youthquake" that didn't happen, a political panel discussion a week on from the election, controversy has reignited over the thorny issue of teaching christianity in state schools, New Zealand's highest paid worker gets a pay rise taking him to 160-thousand dollars a week, librarians are being asked to do more to make homeless people feel welcome, more than 200 companies pledge to hire more people who don't have formal qualifications, the number of children and teenagers appearing in court for robbery is the highest in almost a decade, the cost of the worst outbreak of water bourne disease in New Zealand's history a New Zealand Air Force plane returns from carrying out a survey of Vanuatu's erupting Monaro volcano and a nine-week voyage to study the lost, submerged continent of Zealandia sheds new light on New Zealand plants and animals.

A review of the week's news including... Political leaders make their final push for votes, who pays for the Marsden to Auckland pipeline break?, in search of the owner of SaveMart, the Southern DHB Chief Medical Officer says he'll resign if it makes a difference over delayed prostate cancer treatment, a south Auckland mother-of-four faces eviction and potential bankruptcy over the bill to repair her leaky house while the community housing sector criticises a big upmarket Auckland Council development, a High Court judge says a staff member at Vehicle Testing NZ handed over the name and address of a police informant to a patched gang member, Indian students are turning to self harm or suicide according to a group representing them, hanglider and paragliders could be putting themselves in danger to look good on social media, lightning strikes New Plymouth's wind wand and the latest trouncing of South Africa by the All Blacks earns worldwide criticism and scorn.

A review of the week's news including... Labour makes a sudden and dramatic shift in its tax strategy, more in the series of Morning Report party leaders interviews featuring Winston Peters and James Shaw, a National MP seeks legal advice over a story which raises questions about his links with Chinese military and intelligence, a shock response to a very simple social experiment conducted by Checkpoint, can a single person live off the pension and afford rising rents?, butter is back in vogue with high demand being blamed for pushing prices to a record high, the 2021 America's Cup defence to be sailed in monohull yachts, thousands gather on the streets to celebrate the beginning of Te Wiki o te Reo Maori and young Maori graphic designers are dismissing criticism that they have gone too far by modernising historic Maori figures in contemporary art.

A review of the week's news including... Labour edges ahead of National in the RNZ Poll of Polls, Bill English and Jacinda Ardern lock horns in more leaders' debates, the National and Labour deputies both admit making mistakes in their Spinoff debate, the Maori Party co-leader knows he has a battle on his hands to keep his place in Parliament, New Zealand Rugby investigates 36 cases of misconduct in the past four years, the Environment Minister is the victim of two protests, doctors can now prescribe medicinal cannabis without approval but advocates say the move won't make a difference to people in pain, public health authorities struggle to bring a mumps outbreak in Auckland under control, the days of owning a car could be numbered in Christchurch and an Auckland man calls for a colonial memorial to be removed saying the man it honours is nothing more than a thug.

A review of the week's news including... the first major party leaders TV debate as seen by our deputy political editor, police charge two men in relation to the 1987 murder of Chris Bush at the Red Fox tavern, who new about Winston Peters' superannuation over-payment and how long ago did they know about it? Winston Peters wants to move Auckland's container port to Northland, David Tamihere tells a court a secret witness wrote to him admitting he gave false evidence, the union for two truck drivers who have been stood down for being overweight says the men have been humiliated, the head of a Maori suicide prevention group says it's time to let rangitahi lead the discussion on how to reduce appalling rates of suicide among young Maori, the Hawke's Bay regional council votes to pull its financial support for the failed Ruataniwha Dam project, dire prediction from divers, conservationists and salvage experts unless something is done about the wreck of the Niagara, a judge adjusts Teina Pora's wrongful imprisonment compensation for inflation, a young woman who fled Gloriavale says its residents work for free whilst leaders of the West Coast community claim family tax credits as a charity and the Black Ferns win the Rugby World Cup.

A review of the week's news including... Why Peter Dunne wasn't willing to fight to the end in Ohariu and what political commentators made of it, the new Labour Party leader launches 'the campaign of their lives', the National Party announces more roads of national significance, the Act Party leader David Seymour uses an expletive ridiculing a New Zealand First candidate, The TOP Party founder defends his 'lips on a pig' tweet, a standoff between the Northland DHB and the Ministry of Health, the Maori Party wants Mike Hosking to be dumped from his role as election debate moderator, a union says bus driver pay and conditions are being pushed down to save money, Auckland Council will not allow more shops to open on Easter Sunday, tributes pour in from fans friends and family in Colin Meads' King Country hometown who has died.

A review of the week's news including... a poll crash for the Greens, the Southern DHB CEO admits eleven men waited too long for prostate surgery, the Australian Government accuses the New Zealand Labour Party of colluding with the Australian Labor Party, four political partys sign a commitment to re-enter the Pike River Mine, hundreds sign a petition calling on police to change the way they post on social media to find offenders, a youth justice lobby group slams a proposed bootcamp for serious young offenders, Sir John key receives his knighthood, Wellington's renters are keen on a voluntary rental warrant of fitness, conditions on an Invercargill dairy farm described as catastrophic and MPs sling barbs across the house.

A review of the week's news including... The shock resignation of a Greens Party co leader, continuing questions about the Prime Minister's role in the Todd barclay affair, the amount of surgery at Dunedin Hospital revealed - one a day a fortnight, more medical students face having to drop out of their studies, the Opportunities Party want much better legal rights for renters, a new report shows Maori mothers are less likely than any other group to breast feed their babies, a child is found by after hours cleaners at a Ministry of Vulnerable Children's office after social workers forgot about him, evidence given at a Sydney court hearing into the alleged bugging of the All Blacks, Timaru shot-putter Tom Walsh talks about winning gold at the World Athletics Championships in London and the battle of the darts playing David and Goliath.

A review of the week's news including... Jacinda Ardern promises to run the "campaign of our lives" after becoming Labour's youngest ever leader, the auditor general falls on his sword, Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei gave a false address when she enrolled to vote in the 1993 election, a crisis at the Southern DHB, property values in parts of Auckland are dropping and the rate of growth in other areas is at multi year lows and a former All Black captain and Auckland Grammar Headmaster has died.

A review of the week's news including... details emerge of the life of a Whangarei double killer, eight people die after smoking synthetic cannabis and Checkpoint meets users of the drug on the streets of Auckland, an apology to whistleblowers who were bundled out of the Transport Ministry by a convicted fraudster, close to a 100 staff at a Thames engineering firm lose their jobs, a court hears the Crown claim a father cocked a loaded shotgun, pointed it at his two year-old daughter and pulled the trigger, Auckland school principals fear they won't be able to find enough teachers, Britain's foreign secretary assures New Zealand it's near the front of the queue for a free trade deal, a Government backtrack on changes to skilled migrant visas, an aviation conference in Hamilton is told 50 alcoholic pilots are back flying, the country's councils call on the government to give them extra powers to protect wildlife from cats, an over-zealous team of election volunteers in Christchurch nail their hoarding over one belonging to another candidate and the big winner at this years annual Matariki awards.

A review of the week's news including... State owned company Airways has apologised for "excessive and unacceptable" spending after it over eleven thousand dollars for a farewell book, an internal audit says the Horowhenua District Council has engaged in extremely risky practices including secretly intercepting emails, a senior constable wept as she described to a court the bloody scene where a child had been shot, a community meeting in Dargaville lifts the lid on homelessness in the town, Labour makes its main economic pitch to voters, a new report on the financial position of 31 iwi and hapu shows they're recording an average return on assets higher than top 40 listed companies, Fletcher Building shows thier CEO the door as earnings shrink, the granting of Australia's top honour to Sir John Key bemuses some New Zealanders across the Tasman who say the Australian government is treating the former prime minister far more kindly than it treats expat Kiwis, the renowned Maori artist and carver Cliff Whiting has died, why calling a cab in Auckland is twice as expensive than doing the same in Sydney and it's a tough life if you're an urban-dwelling little blue penguin.

A review of the week's news including... State owned company Airways has apologised for "excessive and unacceptable" spending after it over eleven thousand dollars for a farewell book, an internal audit says the Horowhenua District Council has engaged in extremely risky practices including secretly intercepting emails, a senior constable wept as she described to a court the bloody scene where a child had been shot, a community meeting in Dargaville lifts the lid on homelessness in the town, Labour makes its main economic pitch to voters, a new report on the financial position of 31 iwi and hapu shows they're recording an average return on assets higher than top 40 listed companies, Fletcher Building shows thier CEO the door as earnings shrink, the granting of Australia's top honour to Sir John Key bemuses some New Zealanders across the Tasman who say the Australian government is treating the former prime minister far more kindly than it treats expat Kiwis, the renowned Maori artist and carver Cliff Whiting has died, why calling a cab in Auckland is twice as expensive than doing the same in Sydney and it's a tough life if you're an urban-dwelling little blue penguin.