RNZ: The Week In Review

A review of the week's news including... The Auckland Unitary Plan is released, only twelve people take up a Government grant to move out of Auckland to free up state housing, revelations the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet were told of Chinese threats to NZ exports, accusations DHBs are hiding patients on phantom waiting lists, freedom campers travelling without toilets could be permanently banned from Christchurch, a decision to have a China state owned company as the majority shareholder of a new milk plant near Gore is described as economic lunacy and we hear from the mayor of the Gore district, the New Zealand Olympic committee backs the decision not to impose a blanket ban on Russian athletes as the New Zealand team delays it's move into the Rio athletes village, the Government announces it's intention to make New Zealand predator free by 2050, David Jones arrives in Wellington to major excitement and what are our current favourite forms of media?

A review of the week's news including... After a thirty-year stalemate the United States says it will send a naval ship to New Zealand, allegations of steel dumping are labelled a 'storm in a teacup', Checkpoint reveals WINZ has directed desperate families to garages in South Auckland, the New Zealand First Leader says the Government and Reserve Bank need to front up to the public about the realities of the property market, the head of New Zealand's largest bank warns the housing market is overheated and could face a messy end, the new Maori Party President has the Labour held Maori electorate seats in his sights, Auckland health authorities want to encourage more women to give birth at home, New Zealander William Trubridge breaks his own world record for the deepest free dive, the tobacco industry wants the government to crack down on a burgeoning black market in home grown tobacco, we take a ride on the country's first smart motorway, Auckland harbour bridge gets ready for pedestrians and cyclists and we go for a flight in the world's largest airborne observatory.

A review of the week's news including... In the wake of two shootings this week there have been calls for police to start wearing body cameras, the Labour Party's big plan for affordable housing is attacked by property investors, opposition parties have a field day after the government announces it will not be receiving a dividend from Housing New Zealand, the frustrating and fruitless search for an affordable home in Auckland, the coroner rules the death of Kirsty Bentley fifteen years ago was not accidental, Northland Grey Power members wanting to plant marijuana are standing firm in the face of mounting opposition from within their own organisation, the Nauru opposition MP who has returned to New Zealand after a cloak and dagger escape from his home country, Helen Clark spells out why she believes she should be the next Secretary General of the United Nations, a dairy owner chases away four men who tried to rob his store armed only with a broom, a commercial fisherman is to be prosecuted over the deaths of 38 albatrosses, a 17-year-old building apprentice from Luggate is on his way to the world championships of duck calling, and the world premier of a movie about the release of a song that shot to world wide fame 32 years ago.

A review of the week's news including... The saga surrounding Taranaki based kaiwhakamana and Black Power member Ngapari Nui, cab drivers in Christchurch say their incomes have plummeted since the arrival of Uber, a former chair of the Reserve Bank says the government needs to deliberately crash Auckland house prices by 40-percent, the Labour and Green Parties are launching an inquiry into homelessness, the mother of three year old Moko Rangitoheriri hears of the more than one hundred criminal convictions amassed by his killer - through the media, unions representing aviation security staff in Auckland and Wellington agree to last minute talks ahead of a planned strike, gay men convicted of homosexuality may be pardoned as the Government considers acknowledging the wrongs of the past, a former army instructor goes on trial accused of grabbing his students' testicles and dragging female recruits to the ground by their hair, a High Court judge publicly apologises to former Act leader John Banks's wife after questioning her credibility as a witness and Nasa's super balloon launched from Wanaka in May successfully completes its mission in Peru.

A review of the week's news including... Police arrest a fugitive who was on the run for 30 hours in Palmerston North, a judge in Rotorua has handed down the highest sentence ever given in New Zealand for the manslaughter of a child, Police in Waikato appeal to the public for any last known sightings of a man whose body was discovered in a cardboard bale in Hamilton, Friday marked an historic day for advanced melanoma patients, the Prime Minister has been forced to backtrack on his claims that New Zealand has a World class foreign trust system that doesn't need changing, members of New Zealand's Muslim community say they've been targeted by Airport Customs, half of Auckland's 180 thousand Supergold cardholders are now without their access to free public transport, more developments on the RNZ News discovery that past steel test certificates from a Chinese firm now providing steel for a major New Zealand project were fakes, how much should patients be able to find out about surgeons' safety records?, unions pushing for a living wage say increasing numbers of New Zealanders are feeling the pinch as the value of their wages falls and well-paid jobs disappear and a sequel to a story we included in last week's Week in Review edition, that of Sir Peter Snell's double Olympic gold medal winning black singlet.

A review of the week's news including... the Prime Minister says the Government will not pay a ransom for a Kiwi kidnapped in Nigeria, a scheme to pay homeless people to move out of Auckland began this week and we here from a special arrival at Te Puea, the Auckland marae that has been taking in the homeless, a damning report in to an inquiry carried out by the Government's 'go to woman' isn't a fatal blow to future work for her, New Zealand military personal will stay in Iraq longer, New Zealand's first prosecutions for owning and distributing violent Islamic propaganda, the economics of the Compass Group's contract to supply food for some DHBs, an Auckland mayoral candidate's idea to free up housing, scaremongering by anti immunisation groups is being blamed for a drop in the rate of Pakeha girls receiving the HPV vaccine, an American company is being condemned for selling tea towels featuring portraits of Maori and a black singlet sells for over a hundred thousand dollars, we hear from the man who made it famous.

A review of the week's news including... The Justice Minister says the two and half million dollars in compensation offered to Teina Pora is fair, the father of schoolboy unleashes a scathing criticism of his son's school, saying it should have done more to communicate with the family after he died, hundreds sleep out in Auckland in support of the homeless, the Social Housing Minister apologises after one of her staff members told a journalist a marae official was under police investigation, deaths will soon be able to be reported as a "suspected suicide" after legislation to change the Coroners Act passes, the champion of a bill which would have extended paid parental leave says she's exhausted every avenue, a group supporting gay and transgender young people in New Zealand warns some schools are not safe for transgender students, is the risk of Meth residue contamination in houses seriously overstated? the Transport Agency entrusts an investigation into bad steel at the new Waikato Expressway to the very company that imported it, an ACC blunder overcharging thousands for their car registrations is much bigger than initially thought, the Government pours cold water on suggestions of a Mediaworks and TVNZ tie up, a group credited with fighting racism against Pacific people in New Zealand commemorates its 45th anniversary and a five metre tall sculpture of an artist's hand and facial features is unveiled on the roof of the Christchurch City Art Gallery.

operation A review of the week's news including... comment and analysis following this week's budget, the Government's cash injection offer to help people pack up and move out of Auckland, why are families using emergency housing in Auckland being forced in to debt? the Police IT project that is running months late and millions over-budget, controversy over the way thousands watched boxer Joseph Parker take on and beat Carlos Takam, a stranded 4 wheel drive group prompts a dramatic search and rescue operation involving more than 50 volunteers, helicopters and snowcats, Wairoa iwi say the initialing of their deed of settlement with the Crown is a powerful milestone, Helen Clark's leadership style at the UN Development Programme has been criticised harshly as the battle for the UN's top job heats up, a newly restored digital version of the documentary 'Bastion Point - Day 507' has screened at Orakei marae thirty eight years after the Bastion point eviction and we meet the current national speed cubing champion.

A review of the week's news including... Those dealing with Auckland's most needy say the Government's efforts to deal with the city's housing crisis are failing, the Government warns it could step in if the Auckland Council doesn't agree to open up more land for new houses, the inquiry into the management of Tony Robertson who raped and murdered Auckland mother of three Blessie Gotingco is released, Police in Christchurch believe sex workers could hold the key to solve the mystery of a young woman's death, another Wicked Campers van is ordered off the road, the Government and the seafood industry are sceptical of a new report which claims there's been gross under-reporting of the country's commercial fish take for decades, a fisherman targeted in a fish dumping investigation admits what he was doing was illegal but he was never charged, an outbreak of measles in Waikato may not be fully contained until next month, the group 'No Forced Vaccines' questions a request for non vaccinated Waikato school children and staff to stay home during the measles outbreak, pirated science from Nine to Noon and Nasa's super balloon successfully launches from Wanaka airport.

A review of the week's news including... Cyber attacks are being seen as an increasingly significant threat by Government ministers and New Zealand's intelligence agencies, the Marlborough region is facing it's worst drought in nearly 15 years, the New Years Honours are out and we hear from three recipients, Kiwi race car driver Scott Dixon tells us why his 2015 Indy Car title was his greatest yet, the husband of Lecretia Seales talks about a blog he kept called called Lecretia's Choice, we meet the main Auckland mayoral candidates hoping to succeed Len Brown next year, New Zealand actor Cliff Curtis' production company gets set to produce it's first documentary and we hear from the great granddaughter of a suffragette leader about a movie based on her famous family members.

A review of the week's news including... Hollywood's powerbrokers welcome a court decision Kim Dotcom and his associates can be extradited to the United States to face movie piracy and racketeering charges, the Government leaves the door open to the possibility of taxpayers money being spent reinstating Christchurch's cathedral, illegal practices uncovered by Labour Department inspectors have found widespread worker abuse and exploitation, Blackcaps captain Brendon McCullum is pulling stumps on his illustrious international career, the tourism industry is scrambling to ensure there are enough hotel beds and tourist buses a record numbers of visitors expected this summer, New Zealand is set to get a new Maori science academy, we meet the first person attempting to cross the Antarctic continent alone, two veteran RNZ presenters hung up the headphones this week and what word made the grade in this year's word of the year poll?

A review of the week's news including... A police raid on journalist Nicky Hager's home has been ruled illegal, a convicted armed robber who's lived in Australia since he was nine and has just been deported to Invercargill fears he's on the brink of returning to a life of crime, the Law Commission wants a specialist sexual violence court set up, youth advocate Tupua Urlich who spent his childhood in state care talks with Kathryn Ryan about his involvement in a review of Child, Youth and Family, Auckland's mayoral race has a new prominent contender, questions raised again about the Prime Minister's media interviews, the first charter school to fail, the American psychologist whose study on prison mentality exposed the ease at which participants playing the role of guards began psychologically torturing their prisoners, evolutionary biologist, ardent atheist and science educator, Professor Richard Dawkins who is coming to New Zealand, the principal investigator of the New Horizons mission to Pluto and a new religion based on a belief in an airborne god formed from spaghetti and meatballs has won the right to conduct legally recognised marriages.

A review of the week's news including... The number of women travelling from New Zealand to Islamic State controlled areas in the Middle East is on the rise, a new Government agency to combat cyber crime is being described as a huge change in the way this country deals with online threats, farming leaders say an advertisement in a British newspaper highlighting animal cruelty in the New Zealand dairy sector is a kick in the teeth, the Mayors of two areas whose young adults have been labelled the most "at risk" in the country blame a lack of jobs and hope, National MP Judith Collins has been returned to Cabinet, we hear from TV3 journalist Mike McRoberts who's in Lebanon ahead of the first intake of the Government's emergency quota of Syrian refugees, a Hawke's Bay pastor has had a head wound stapled after a strange attack by a man wielding a Maori weapon, Wellington will get a new multimillion dollar movie museum and convention centre, Monday's Nine to Noon feature guest Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu who was suspended from international rugby after accusing a referee of racism in a series of tweets and an incredible 14 month 'lost at sea survival story' is told in a new book, we hear from the author.

A review of the week's news including... Pharmac says there's not enough evidence to justify spending 30 million dollars a year on a promising new melanoma drug, an animal rights campaigner says the dairy industry's reputation is in tatters after revelations of shocking animal abuse, the latest investigation into the so-called Roastbusters case has found social workers initially took complaints of rape seriously but then decided the sex was consensual, five young men associated with Opotiki College are charged with sexual offending against underage girls and appear in court, a not guilty verdict for cricketer Chris Cairns, the Meat Workers Union says its members are being bullied and made to feel distressed since winning a major court case against their employer, Government ministers have been questioned about their record on climate change after the Prime Minister's speech to a Paris summit this week, the Army has sacked five soldiers for taking a powerful hallucinogenic drug called N-bomb on a night out in Palmerston North over Labour Weekend and a sneak look inside the Otago region's first digital planetarium which opened this week.

A review of the week's news including... recovery teams bring down the remaining three victims from last weekend's Fox Glacier chopper crash, firefighters battle a forest fire that's burned through more than 400 hectares north of Blenheim, tens of thousands of New Zealanders are expected to attend the public memorial service for Jonah Lomu at Eden Park in Auckland, a leading obesity campaigner is quitting the battle saying she has achieved nothing in the last 14 years, a massive increase in the number of homeless people asking Citizens Advice Bureaux to help them find emergency housing, the Chris Cairns perjury trial enters its final stages, Qatar's attorney-general has ordered an appeal against the acquittal of several people over the Doha Mall fire that killed New Zealand triplets, the Labour Party leader says Australia is wasting its money keeping New Zealanders in its detention centres, veteran Labour MP Phil Goff confirms he will run for the Auckland mayoralty next year, about 100 thousand patients with alcohol related problems are being treated by emergency doctors in New Zealand every year, Dunedin succeeds in its bid to host some of the 750 Syrian refugees coming to New Zealand and Sam Hunt is turning 70 and has a new book of verse on the way.