RNZ: The Week In Review

A review of the week's news including... Lorde picks up two Grammys at America's premier music awards in Los Angeles, Teina Pora is granted leave to appeal his convictions to the Privy Council, a war of words breaks out between the Electricity Authority and an economist who's accused the electricity industry of price gouging, an Auckland blogger who called a West Coast man "feral" while his family was still mourning his death accuses the man's mother of making death threats, Labour promises to pay 60 dollars a week to almost all families with newborns for the baby's first year of life, and a fine example of how hardy they breed them in the Deep South.

A review of the week's news, including... New highly paid roles for the best teachers and principals announced, a six-point-two magnitude earthquake shakes the lower North Island, there's a new man in the picture at the New Zealand Film Commission, the Prime Minister outlines who he'd rather make deals with if it comes to forming to a new Government, the Green Party says Labour's stance on deep sea drilling is a mistake and the sun seems to be rising on New Zealand's solar power industry.

A review of the week's news, including... A Dunedin community in shock after two children were shot dead by a man who had no gun licence and protection orders against him, Kim Dotcom announces the name of his new political party, papers are filed in court taking a private prosecution against the Mayor of Auckland, the former MP who introduced the anti-smacking amendment bill in 2007 says she's appalled the Conservative Party leader has publicly admitted smacking his daughter, Fonterra doesn't yet know how dangerous the E. coli strain is detected in thousands of bottles of fresh cream, The ACC Minister Judith Collins says 19 million dollars spent on health and safety contracts is a rort, a discussion on the political year ahead with Associate Professor Raymond Miller and former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer and New Zealand's highest peak, Aoraki Mount Cook, is now shorter.

A review of the week's news, including... Estimates that legal action against dairy giant Fonterra could cost the average New Zealand dairy farmer 43 thousand dollars, a video showing a child drinking alcohol has prompted police to launch an investigation into an incident in a Hamilton Park, environmentalists are expressing concern at Shell deciding to go ahead with plans to drill for gas off the Otago-Southland coast, the New Zealand and Australian Governments are facing renewed pressure to act on Japanese whaling in Antarctic waters, a fund manager slams the Government's asset sales programme, the Auckland house price average tops 700 thousand dollars, a Christchurch City Council report says many low lying suburbs will be submerged as a result of changing sea levels, a new study may help us understand what causes super volcanoes like Lake Taupo to erupt and some old TV gems in the realm of the political.

A review of the week's news, including... Passengers on board a stranded ship in the Antarctic are rescued, New Years Eve crowds are generally well behaved while a New Zealand Greenpeace activist is pleased to be back home for New Year, support builds for a special commission to review alleged miscarriage of justice cases, global temperatures could rise by up to five degrees, the director and actor Ben Stiller on 'The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty' along with a country and western icon who's coming to New Zealand and Black Cap Corey Anderson rewrites cricket's record books.

A selection of news and interviews of the past week including: the country's biggest year for tourism in a decade; six New Zealanders among 70 people stuck in ice off East Antarctica; New Zealanders paying almost a third more for some phone and internet deals than average for developed countries; home loan interest increases "just the beginning"; Whakatane community rallying around two bashed German tourists; Auckland pensioners fear being kicked out of home by Housing NZ; Christmas shoppers make record purchases; ecologist says New Zealanders not getting true picture of how dirty the country's rivers and streams are; Steve Williams shocked at dumping of Lydia Ko's coach; and a scientific look at Santa's trip through New Zealand.

A selection of news and interviews from Radio New Zealand news including: Super City Mayor Len Brown surviving his biggest test in front of the Auckland Council, the woman dubbed the 'Black Widow' is convicted in a Christchurch court of poisoning Philip Nisbet, the Government has signed a deal to have the next three Avatar movies made in New Zealand, multi Academy award winning director James Cameron talks about the Avatar movie deal, new liquor laws came in to place this week, Treasury upgrades it's forecasts of economic growth while the Finance Minister predicts a small surplus and a New Zealand computer programmer has caught North Korea trying to rewrite history.

A selection of news and interviews from Radio New Zealand news including: new report confirms one in four New Zealand children lives in poverty, Pike River families appalled charges against mine boss are dropped, Westpac charging higher interest rates for low deposit mortgages, Reserve Bank indicates interest rates increases not far off, no agreement yet on Pacific trade deal, Wellingtonians pay tribute to Nelson Mandela, Government refuses to pay extra compensation to Nepata brothers, family members of Helen Milner tell court she offered them money to help kill husband, second Hobbit instalment hits New Zealand screens.

A selection of the week's news including a former New Zealand cricketer demanding answers over how his name has been linked an investigation into match-fixing, the Act Party leader announces he is quitting as party leader and will leave parliament next year, the biggest drug haul in New Zealand history, the Auditor General apologises to Mangawhai locals for Audit New Zealand's failure to identify a 60 million-plus waste-water debacle, the Labour Party says its victory in the Christchurch East by-election is an indictment of the Government's response to the earthquakes, we hear from the author of a book about the building blocks of our words and literature and the national champion who will proudly represent New Zealand at an international competition in Perth.

A selection of the week's news including Ewen Macdonald's second bid for parole turned down, tough new lending restrictions cutting back hard on low-deposit home buyers, call for auditor general to investigate mothballing of multi-million dollar court modernisation project, political parties band together to thwart Government over price of internet connections, bad week for New Zealand's schools, Government rejects Labour's claim over record Australia-New Zealand wage gap, anti-mining protestors block country's main highway, depression and stress apparent in small post-quake Marlborough communities, All Blacks complete perfect season, and Geoff Robinson to retire.

A review of the week's news, including... a twenty four year prison sentence for well known Northland farmer and anti Treaty activist Allan Titford, the third anniversary of the Pike River disaster passes along with audio of the disaster heard for the first time, Police reveal a corrupt senior constable in Christchurch was investigated six years ago over inappropriate conduct, KiwiRail asks the Government for more money to help it cover the cost of replacing the broken down Cook Strait ferry the Aratere, a man has died in Wellington carrying a superbug that couldn't be cured by any antibiotic, Lorde continues her stellar rise, taking away a haul of new Zealand music awards, New Zealand's Soccer World Cup dreams are over and heavyweight boxer David Tua's decision to hang up his gloves has stunned those closest to him.

A review of some of the week's news including: the police take to internet to encourage Roast Busters perpetrators and victims to come forward, Government refuses to pay Pike River families compensation, Maori mental health patients in "seclusion" twice as much as non-Maori, Waitangi Tribunal says Treaty breaches over establishment of Tongariro National Park and power scheme means iwi due compensation, PM leaves for CHOGM despite boycott call, Government finally decides Picton will stay Cook Strait ferries berth-place, two New Zealand teens in global influence rankings, South Island brown teal next native bird to be declared extinct, calls for Ricki Herbert to step down after All Whites' savaging by Mexico, new Highlands Motorsport Park first venue outside Australia to host GT championship - and locals love it.

A review of the week's news including: wide condemnation for the leaking of a press gallery journalist's phone records,business confidence highest it has been for 14 years,widower of woman killed in 2001 RSA triple killings awarded compensation,concern over proposed 600 million dollar dam for Hawkes Bay,rescuer tells of smashing car window to save toddler in sinking car,Lauren Boyle wins second bronze medal at World Swimming Championships,the clean up for June storm in Wellington likely to exceed four million dollars,a new app for people suffering with panic attacks is a best seller and New Zealand's biggest fishing firms sign up to a programme to protect seabirds.

A review of the week's news including : Defence Force pleads guilty to ensuring safety of soldier who died on training exercise,plans to restrict some types of home loans could undermine financial stability,some insurers refuse to issue new policies in wake of earthquake in Wellington and Marlborough,concern over safety of some buildings in Wellington CBD,veterans from protest at Muroroa Atoll seek answers from government on continuing health problems,price of rental properties in Auckland rising less than in the rest of the country, 18 carved poles unveiled as part of redevelopment of Civic Square in Hawkes Bay, workers at tobacco factory lose their free cigarettes,general public not permitted to see gory movie starring Elijah Wood,increase in number of breeding pairs of endangered Kokako,mince and cheese wins in the annual pie awards,tickets snapped up for All Blacks training games and annual rich list revealed.

A review of the week's news including: A controversial plan to put a bus tunnel through Fiordland and Mount Aspiring National Parks is rejected, inflation at its lowest level in 14 years but cost of living still hitting low income families hard, the Government buys the CTV building, scientists discover major threats to New Zealand's manuka honey industry, bullied teenager awarded nearly 40-thousand dollars by Employment Relations Authority, New Zealand researchers asked by World Anti-Doping Agency to come up with improved test to detect the use of EPO by athletes, workers at Auckland steel factory fortunate to escape injury after big explosion, survey reveals New Zealanders are happier than most Europeans, and Hairy Maclary celebrates his 30th birthday.