National Radio Midday Report

Patient Safety – Bus Driver Sentenced – Terralink Sold – Urewera Road – Toll Calls – Middle East – US Retaliates – Spy Meetings – River Search – Stewart Island – Strip Bar

- PATIENT SAFETY: Waitemata Health is calling for priority to be given to measures to improve patient safety, following a report on injuries to patients in hospitals, but says finding funds will be a struggle.

- BUS DRIVER SENTENCED: The Auckland bus driver convicted of careless driving causing the death of a schoolboy has been sentenced to four months periodic detention, forced to pay 2500 reparation and disqualified from driving for 12 months.

- TERRALINK SOLD: The failed mapping SOE Terralink, put into receivership earlier this year, has been sold to a NZ mapping consortium. Terralink has become the first SOE sold by the Labour/Alliance Government, which was elected with a mandate not to sell SOEs.

- UREWERA ROAD: The Conservation Department is to upgrade the controversial Urewera road nicknamed the “road to nowhere.” Fixing the road will cost a third of a million dollars.

- TOLL CALLS: The price of toll calls is rising for Telecom residential customers. Toll calls and calls to mobile phones will be rounded up to the nearest minute.

- MIDDLE EAST: The Palestinian Authority has declared a state of emergency in Gaza. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has welcomed an independent report on Mid East violence.

- US RETALIATES: The US House of Representatives has voted to withhold more than $500m in dues to the United Nations in retaliation for being voted off the Human Rights Commission.

- SPY MEETINGS: European law makers are cutting short a visit to Washington after failing to get meetings with some of the US’s most secret spying agencies.

- RIVER SEARCH: In Northland the search has intensified for a man missing on the swollen Kerikeri river. Searchers have not given up hope that 21-year-old Nick Squire may be alive.

- STEWART ISLAND: Residents of Stewart Island have gathered in their community hall to hear plans to turn most of the Island into a National Park. Strong winds meant the plane carrying a delegation including the Prime Minister and Conservation Minister Sandra Lee had to turn back, but a later flight brought them to the island.

- STRIP BAR: Businesses and residents of Courtney Place in Wellington have launched a newspaper publicity campaign against a planned strip bar and massage parlour for the street that has been given the go-ahead by the City Council.

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