National Radio Midday Report

Knowledge Wave – Taoupo Rain – ACC Trouble – Qantas NZ – Heroin Charges – Northland Development – Digital TV – Fiji Elections – Adventure Tourism – One Tree Hill – Northern Ireland – Blair In Argentina – Indonesian Landslide – Taiwan Typhoon

KNOWLEDGE WAVE: The head of the reserve bank Don Brash told the Knowledge Wave conference that the welfare system needs a radical overhaul if we are to lift economic growth and ‘catch the knowledge wave’.

TAUPO RAIN: A lack of rain in the Lake Taupo Basin is having a serious effect on power generation at the nine Waikato hydropower dams at a time when the country is heading for a power generation crisis. More rain is forecast, however.

ACC TROUBLE: A man has been arrested after a car crashed thorough the same ACC office where a worker was stabbed 2 years ago.

QANTAS NZ: The union representing former Qantas NZ staff may join other creditors in taking legal action against the failed airline.

HEROIN CHARGES: Two Malaysian men charged with importing $30 million worth of heroin have been remanded in custody after appearing at the Auckland District Court. They didn’t enter a plea this morning.

NORTHLAND DEVELOPMENT: The Regional Development Minister Jim Anderton is launching a 10-year development plan for Northland today in Whangarei.

DIGITAL TV: Telstra Saturn and TVNZ are both playing down what they are calling a deferral in plans for a joint digital TV venture.

FIJI ELECTIONS: Fiji’s 18 political parties must today finalise their preferences ahead of the national election later this month, under the country’s preferential voting system which forces parties to enter friendly dialogue with each other ahead of voting.

ADVENTURE TOURISM: Emergency services and tourism operators in Queensntown say some adventure tourism operators have hushed up accidents in the past, but it is not happening anymore.

ONE TREE HILL: A hearing to consider planning permission to replace the pine on One Tree Hill has been told it could take 25 years until a suitable tree is established because of the difficult terrain.

NORTHERN IRELAND: Northern Ireland’s political parties have been given five days to respond to the to the latest proposal for peace.

BLAIR IN ARGENTINA: Tony Blair has arrived in Argentina in the first visit by a British Prime Minister since the 1982 Falklands war.

INDONESIAN LANDSLIDE: At least 60 people are dead after torrential rains triggered a massive landslide on a remote island in Indonesia.

TAIWAN TYPHOON: In Taiwan, hopes are fading of finding alive more than 100 people swept away in floods or buried under mud and rock after a typhoon.

© Scoop Media