National Radio Midday Report

Fire Agreement – Powell Sentencing – Tauranga Attack – Fat Tax – Lillybing Sentencing – Low income Families – Bush In Europe – Moriori Compensation – Dairy Vote – Gisborne Railways – Drink Drivers – Oxford Dictionary – No Rams

FIRE AGREEMENT: Agreement has been reached in the long running industrial dispute between the fire service and the Fire-fighter’s Union. The agreement is understood to include a pay rise of up to 8% this year and 2% next year. The offer will be put to union members at the weekend for a vote.

POWELL SENTENCING: Christchurch man Derek Paul Powell has been sentenced to 9 months periodic detention over the manslaughter of Christine Clark when he ran her over on a picket line at the port of Lyttleton. He has also been disqualified for 2 years.

TAURANGA ATTACK: Police investigating the killing of a Tauranga man say he died as a result of a frenzied knife attack while he was sleeping in bed with his wife.

FAT TAX: The Ministry of Health says it is looking at was of fighting rising obesity in NZ, including a tax on fatty and sugary foods.

LILLYBING SENTENCING: Two women who admitted ill-treating the Wairarapa toddler known as Lillybing are being sentenced in Wellington. Rachel Namana has received six years in prison for manslaughter. Rongomai Paewai has not yet been sentenced.

LOW INCOME FAMILIES: The rising cost of feeding a family has sounded a warning that the Government is not doing enough to support low-income families.

BUSH IN EUROPE: US President George W. Bush and European Unions leaders have failed to resolve differences on climate change and the Kyoto Protocol, as protesters demonstrated in Gothenburg.

MORIORI COMPENSATION: The Waitangi Tribunal has recommended that compensation be given to Moriori in the Chatham Islands for enslavement and unjust allocation of land by the Crown.

DAIRY VOTE: An independent poll indicates the vote for the dairy merger may be a close one.

GISBORNE RAILWAY: Gisborne railway workers and a union representative will meet with TranzRail this afternoon to discuss a management proposal to cut staff from four to one.

DRINK DRIVERS: There has been a call for more funding for alcohol programmes for repeat drink-drivers.

OXFORD DICTIONARY: Expressions of Homer Simpson, such as “Doh”, and the film The Full Monty have made it into the prestigious Oxford Dictionary.

NO RAMS: The organisers of Running of the Rams event in Hastings says its cancellation will not ruin the weekend celebrations designed to celebrate the Spanish heritage of the city.

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