RNZ: The Week In Review

Terminally ill prisoner Vicki Letele is released from prison, the world wakes up to the next President of the United States, December's heavyweight boxing title in Auckland will be the most expensive boxing contest ever to be held in New Zealand, can the proposed marriage of two of New Zealand's biggest media companies recover from an initial Commerce Commission rejection? is a new government injection of funding to help the homeless enough? a man leaves a parliamentary committee during an anti-euthanasia submission by the wife of the deputy prime minister, two Auckland sisters waive their right to anonymity so they can name their step-father who abused them and the King and Queen of the Netherlands have visited New Zealand with a record sized trade delegation in tow.

A review of the week's news including... The case of a terminally ill woman serving a prison sentence for fraud, Gareth Morgan promises to shake up New Zealand politics, schools are to be banned from using seclusion rooms to punish children, the serious backlog of eye appointments at the Southern District Health Board, Auckland's new mayor is sworn in, Labour's former leader says he won't run for re-election next year, an Auckland councillor whose family were refused entry into VIP seating says he wants the problem fixed, a woman stranded on an uninhabited island in the Hauraki Gulf sets fire to 13 hectacres in a bid to attract help, the Auditor General clears the Government in the controversial Saudi sheep deal, a former soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder wins a landmark case for compensation, Ranfurly's only bank opened for its last day of business this week and Longtime RNZ White House correspondent Connie Lawn who says lots of Americans could be packing their bags for New Zealand if Donald Trump wins.

A review of the week's news including... Police admit they used a drink drive checkpoint to identify and trace people who had been at a meeting organised by a voluntary euthanasia group earlier this month, four people including a New Zealand woman are killed in an accident that ranks among the world's deadliest theme park accidents, the former Maori Party co leader says families are being torn apart by Housing New Zealand's use of Meth testing, the Ministry for Primary Industries launch a full investigation into new hidden-camera footage, depicting rough treatment of bobby calves, the fairy tale appears to be over for an iconic children's clothing retailer, WorkSafe admits there's not much more it can do to crack down on people flouting quad bike safety rules, for the first time a three-way kidney exchange has taken place in New Zealand, Auckland principals say nearly every secondary school in the city is losing staff to high house prices, the Prime Minister wraps up his official visit to India with the strongest commitment yet from the Government there to finalise a free trade deal and a Whakatane woman who failed to get into Police College says she was told it was because she was from Tuhoe and knew too many locals.

The family of Warriena Wright cried in court when Gable Tostee was cleared of all charges in the death of the 26 year old Wellingtonian, about two and a half thousand junior doctors didn't show up to work this week, special education advocates say seclusion rooms are a symptom of under funding of the special education system, an elderly Nelson woman says she was stunned when two police officers turned up on her doorstep with a search warrant, the family at the centre of an alleged kidnapping incident involving a teenager and senior policeman have spoken for the first time, Education Minister Hekia Parata denies she's leaving the Beehive before seeing through some major reforms, the US Navy confirms the USS Sampson will be its first naval vessel to visit NZ since the anti nuclear rift three decades ago, British MPs looking into the performance of a child sex abuse inquiry focus on New Zealand judge Dame Lowell Goddard, a 500 dollar moisturiser has tested less effective than its 13 dollar supermarket competitor and New Zealand fashion stores urged to pull up their socks after the arrival of some of the world's biggest fashion retailers.

A review of the week's news including... The Labour MP Phil Goff delivers his valedictory speech to Parliament after 35 years in the house before taking up the Auckland mayoralty, the battle lines are drawn around the table at the newly elected Canterbury Regional Council, a Taranaki iwi leader says it is no surprise that not a single Maori candidate has won a seat on the New Plymouth District Council, campaigners against child poverty are aghast at a claim by the Police Minister Judith Collins, a union is heralding a collective agreement with Restaurant Brands that guarantees workers' hours, reports of children being locked in a very small cell-like room at a Wellington primary school as a form of control and punishment, migrants are no longer able to sponsor their parents for residency under new immigration rules, it's been revealed that controversial spitting hoods have been used by Police more than 300 times over the last two years, a petition urging the Government to make medicinal cannabis more readily available has been presented to Parliament and one of the country's most prominent unionists has died.

A review of the week's news including... Maori leader Sir Ngatata Love is jailed for obtaining property by deception, All Black Aaron Smith is suspended in disgrace after an incident with a woman in a disabled toilet at Christchurch Airport, the Human Rights Review Tribunal orders Colin Craig to pay Rachel MacGregor record breaking damages plus costs, the Children's Commissioner urges National and Labour to work together to cut child poverty rates by 10 percent, private prison operator Serco was scoring "exceptional' marks for performance at the very time it had too few guards to detect or stop organised fights, the country's biggest bank is closing its Milton branch and the town's mayor isn't happy, a senior hospital doctor says many of them are working hours just as tough as those facing junior doctors as junior doctors prepare to strike, Helen Clark misses out on the top job at the UN, a Dunedin council candidate challenges other candidates to "wheel a mile in his shoes" on a busy lunchtime in Dunedin's CBD, the insurance company Youi is fined 100-thousand dollars for misleading sales practices, two top olympians are unfazed at becoming the first New Zealand athletes to have medical documents made public by Russian hackers and the launch of a book is raising questions about how New Zealand history is taught in schools.

A review of the week's news including... New Zealand Rugby concedes it has lessons to learn from the handling of a rugby player's discharge without conviction for a vicious assault on four people, Don Brash champions a new lobby group, family doctors call for an overhaul of maternity funding after a study found babies are more at risk if a midwife is the lead carer, a boxing official says there aren't enough rules in place to ensure the safety of inexperienced boxers at corporate events, NZQA admits it handled the fallout over a maths exam badly, the Corrections Minister Judith Collins addresses cabinet after her department bungled the release dates of thousands of people, the lawyer for the man suing Colin Craig for defamation tells a court Mr Craig was the author of his own misfortune, an Auckland reality TV star wants the Race Relations Commissioner to apologise for casting her as a racist, New Zealand's 21st Governor General is sworn in at a formal ceremony and the retiring Mayor of Auckland says goodbye to the Auckland Council.

A review of the week's news including... An email trail reveals how top bureaucrats were intent on prosecuting fishermen for dumping until they got worried about being publicly embarrassed in court, a private tertiary institution has been accused of selling pass marks to foreign students, a Wellington maths teacher says for the year 11s who sat an algebra exam last week it was like little lambs being sent to the slaughter, the Prime Minister says there is zero chance the dispute over the Kermadec ocean sanctuary will destabilise his government, concerns about sexual allegations against Colin Craig were raised at every monthly board meeting of the Conservative Party after the last election, the country's biggest company Fonterra is milking it - literally and figuratively, people living in some of the country's smallest towns have been hit with the news they're to lose their Westpac banks, the New Zealand Paralympians arrive back in the country, up to 400 thousand people living in Waikato can now speak to a family doctor online, the Christchurch mayor takes asset sales off the table, the Queenstown mayoral race sparks a debate over whether the resort town should be limiting its booming growth, a new 36-million-dollar theatre on Auckland's waterfront has officially opened and Foxton residents are 'up in arms' over their council's plan to shift the town's cenotaph, describing the move as sacrilegious.

A review of the week's news including... An immigration lawyer says 'paying for jobs' is so rampant in New Zealand there needs to be a fresh look at powers available to officials, criminals are using sex to blackmail Indian male students, Auckland lays out its plan to spend 83 billion dollars on transport, the electrified section of the main trunk line between Auckland and Wellington could be mothballed, frustrated advocates are calling for better reporting of suicides committed by current and former members of the military, doctors say making voluntary euthanasia legal would involve many complex and difficult decisions and New Zealand should avoid it, the Morning Report Wellington mayoral candidates debate, a Maori fisheries body wants the Maori Party to abandon its support for the Government if plans for a Kermadec ocean sanctuary go ahead unchanged, Maori representation becomes a virtual no-go area for those vying for public office in New Plymouth, Colin Craig denies ever sending his former press secretary explicit text messages, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child raises concerns about the naming of the new children's ministry, MPs hear emotional pleas from the family of soldiers killed in action and buried in Malaysia for the government to bring their remains home, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform in Christchurch on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the Canterbury earthquakes this summer and Prince Charles praises New Zealand soldiers who fought at the Somme at a centennary ceremony in Northern France.

A review of the week's news including... Reaction to the Chiefs and NZ Rugby's investigation into what happened at the team's end of season party, a guilty verdict in the stop-go murder trial, reaction to the performance of Auckland's main mayoral candidates in RNZ's candidates debate held this week, the East Coast settles back into normal life following the big 7.1 quake, the average house price in Auckland breaks the million dollar mark, the NZ First leader wants his party to be a major player after the next election or else he says it's not worth carrying on, six legal aid offices around the country are set to close leaving only two, the P babies - victims of drug addicted parents who are being cared for by their grandparents, who will replace the All Blacks Sevens' coach? and a painting by Colin McCahon sells for a record price.

A review of the week's news including... A tsunami warning after a severe 7.1 earthquake north of East Cape, Havelock North's residents finally get the chance to grill their local leaders, the Environment Minister says people who insist that every lake and river should be safe to swim in are being unrealistic, Kim Dotcom wins his bid to live stream his High Court appeal against his extradition, New Zealanders who've been living in Australia for up to ten years say they're reaching breaking point, legal action over faulty steel mesh triggers doubts about some house insurance, a prominent Maori leader is found guilty of defrauding his fellow trustees in the Wellington Tenths Trust, a South Canterbury farming official says stealing 500 cows is like stealing the Crown jewels - complicated but not impossible, Auckland mayoral candidate Vic Crone pledges to bring forward the cross-harbour tunnel project by a decade or more after saying she'd make no commitments on it, while another candidate, Phil Goff wants to introduce a living wage for all council staff, the transgender community wants the waiting times for sex change operations cut, a sit down chat with Olympic pole vaulting bronze medalist Eliza McCartney and the real story behind the 2nd Bledisloe Cup test in Wellington from a former Wallaby.

The Government outlines the parameters of an inquiry into the contamination of the Havelock North water supply, New Zealand's Olympic athletes return home with a record medal haul, the Maori King makes an unprecedented attack on the Labour party, the former head of the Wellington Tenths Trust who's on trial in the High Court takes a break due to ill health, a controversial businessman and three others get the largest forfeiture order in New Zealand to date over alleged money laundering, a young Czech tourist survives three nights out in the open and almost four weeks in a freezing DOC hut, the Government wants children to ditch the classroom and study at home from on-line schools, Parliament's health select committee begins hearing submissions on a voluntary euthanasia petition, Parliament passes a law giving local councils power to decide on Easter Sunday trading, a Nelson woman carries a jar full of cannabis in to the country, Helen Kelly talks about her use of medicinal cannabis for terminal cancer, what a survey on alcohol consumption by young people in Wanaka found and pizza delivery by air is coming to Auckland.

A review of the week's news including... Medical centres in Havelock North have been under siege and schools have been closed this week as a water contamination crisis escalated, a new poll has found two thirds of New Zealanders want cannabis legalised for personal use or at least for criminal penalties to be removed, the Intelligence and Security Committee is being likened to a cozy club between National and Labour, Wellington International Airport vehemently rejects a report which says there won't be enough demand for proposed international routes to justify a runway extension, the real estate giant Colliers International suggested the government house homeless people in tents and warehouses, student loans are costing taxpayers 600-million dollars a year in interest write-offs and aren't actually benefiting poorer students according to a think tank, the Chatham Islands wants to upgrade its airport so jet aircraft can land, the New Zealand cloud storage company Mega fails in a High Court bid to stop information about its customers being handed to the Kazakhstan government, there's deep disappoint at Vietnam's last minute decision to cancel a ceremony planned to mark this week's 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, another record has been broken in Utah by a TEAM of New Zealanders, and for the first time a musical performance on Checkpoint.

A review of the week's news including... Hundreds of homes in the Taupo district and parts of Hawkes Bay lose power after a big snow storm pounds the region, a High Court murder trial hears the first details of what the crown says happened to road worker George Taiaroa, one of Britain's best known commentators on the law suggests the New Zealand judge who headed an independent inquiry into child sex abuse was sacked, Kiwi medal highs in the first week of the Rio Olympics, Sir Colin Meads has a tough fight on his hands following a cancer diagnosis, a decision on the future of the search for flight MH370 is approaching, alcohol interlocks to stop drunks starting their cars will soon become compulsory, an immigration consultant says people need to put the politicking aside and it was a case of third time lucky for the Hurricanes as they claimed the Super Rugby championship.

A review of the week's news including... A stripper hired by the Chiefs rugby team says the players were drunk, swore at her and touched her inappropriately, a case that has gripped and polarised the country for 22 years has come to it's final conclusion, a Bay of Plenty town is in mourning after the death of five Tongan seasonal workers in an horrific crash, scientific evidence used to evict people for methamphetamine contamination is being questioned by a top expert in the field, the Wellington City Council votes for compulsory microchipping of cats, a Kiwi motorsport legend has died and Dunedin has been named the Pokemon capital of New Zealand.