National Radio Midday Report

Consultancy Costs – Hydro Lakes – NGC Loss – Mining Row – Macedonia – Brian Curtis – Foreign Doctors – Family Homes – Clarkson Beating – Tourism Conference – Dunedin Club

CONSULTANCY COSTS: An Auckland Council’s multi-million dollar consultancy costs have come under scrutiny. The North Shore Council paid millions on consultants in just one month – more than it paid its own staff in the period.

HYDRO LAKES: Trust Power believes that the South Island Hydro lake situation that is threatening power cuts will be worse next year, as bad as 1992 when New Zealand did have power cuts.

NGC LOSS: The Consumer’s Institute says gas customers should not have to carry the burden of the Natural Gas Corporation’s $300m losses, due mainly to the company’s exit from the electricity retail market.

MINING ROW: Alliance President Matt McCarten says a lack of self-discipline in Labour’s ranks has drawn out the row over the Conservation Minister’s refusal of a gold mining consent on the West Coast. ECO says it is unreasonable to blame the former Forest and Bird spokesman Kevin Smith, who now works in Conservation Minister Sandra Lee’s office, for unduly influencing the decision to deny consent for the gold mine.

MACEDONIA: Nato’s top commander has met alliance experts and Macedonian security chiefs to judge whether a cease-fire with guerrillas has improved enough to launch Nato’s third Balkans mission since 1995.

BRIAN CURTIS: Police in Auckland confident that maximum security prisoner and former Paremoremo Prison escaper Brian Curtis will be staying behind bars, after rumours that he was planning an escape.

FOREIGN DOCTORS: Parliament’s Health Select Committee is concerned about the Medical Council’s restrictive practices in allowing foreign doctors to work in New Zealand.

FAMILY HOMES: The Law Commission is suggesting that the Joint Family Homes Act has outlived its use-by date and may breach the Human Rights Act.

CLARKSON BEATING: A street cleaner has told the Auckland District Court that he saw four people near where Nicholas was found beaten and left for dead around the time of the early morning attack. Two women and two men are accused of robbing and murdering Mr Clarkson.

TOURISM CONFERENCE: The Tourism Industry is defending a claim that the conference in Rotorua is not tackling the hard issues to do with the environment and sustainable practices that the industry faces, and is instead focusing solely on growth.

DUNEDIN CLUB: The President of the Dunedin Club says its decision to allow women to become members is partly a reflection of the club’s dwindling membership.

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