RNZ: The Week In Review

A review of the week's news including... Rugby's first global superstar former All Black Jonah Lomu has died at the age of 40, Richie McCaw says farewell to his 14-year All Black career, twelve New Zealanders deported from Australia land at Auckland International Airport, the Police have charged a man with the murder of road worker George Taiaroa more than two years after he was shot and killed, Scott Watson speaks publicly for the first time since his arrest to protest his innocence of the murder of Olivia Hope and Ben Smart in the Marlborough Sounds more than seventeen years ago, the fifth anniversary of the Pike River disaster, the Salvation Army demands a new law to make sure all children have a legal right to adequate housing, Police reveal they pepper sprayed a six-year-old boy earlier this year after he threatened to kill his mother, should motorcyclists pay less for their vehicle insurance than the rest of us? a warning that Monarch Butterflies are facing a famine in Auckland this summer, Dan Carter interviewed on Nine to noon and the winners and losers at the 2015 New Zealand music awards.

A review of the week's news including... The champion All Blacks World Cup parade moves through the country, one of the country's largest farms is sold to New Zealand buyers, details of the controversial Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement are finally made public, a New Zealand bred horse takes first and another raised here third in the Melbourne Cup, the latest from the Chris Cairns perjury trial in London, New Zealand First's deputy leader is accused of racism, police officers are having to deal with more than a hundred cases a day involving what they term acutely distressed mentally ill people, New Zealand's unemployment rate cracks six percent, the Government won't be reining in the record profits made by the country's main Australian-owned banks, Queenstown airport plan to bring in night flights prompts serious safety fears from pilots, we meet the 12th Dr Who and why is Radio New Zealand now RNZ?

A review of the week's news including... Victims' families feel betrayed over the Transport Accident Investigation Commission investigation into the Fox Glacier skydive crash, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Seymour Hersch says there is something 'dramatically wrong' with the way the Government has behaved toward Nicky Hager, a New Zealand family makes headlines around the world after their decision to stunt the growth of their severely disabled daughter, the parents of triplets killed in the Doha mall fire are calling on the Prime Minister to follow up promises made to him by the Emir of Qatar, an Immigration New Zealand investigation into the use of fake documents by Filipino farm workers is leaving them desperate and unable to work, the latest from the Chris Cairns' perjury trial in the UK, sixty two homes in Upper Hutt remained cut off Friday morning after a surging Akatarawa River damaged a narrow bridge, a woman who fled violence in Iraq 23 years ago was told by the New Zealand Defence Force she couldn't enlist because of where she was born, a former trade unionist and professional director wants companies to start putting senior executives on casual contracts, the future of the Wellington Phoenix in the Australian A-League football competition is becoming increasingly uncertain after Football Federation Australia declined the club's bid for a 10-year extension, a new regional airline launches services this week and new additions to the list of New Zealand's top ten most endangered species.

A review of the week's news including... Hundreds of coalminers still have their jobs at Solid Energy but they're only secure for the next five weeks, Fonterra's woes continue with the cooperative being placed on negative credit watch, Sir John Kirwan talks to farmers about depression and resilience, hospital emergency departments are seeing record numbers of sick patients and some staff are reaching breaking point, animal advocates and opposition MPs say they're appalled the Government pushed the country's animal welfare laws to the limit to fly heavily pregnant sheep to Saudi Arabia, Auckland Council goes ahead with the first ever sale of a house because a woman didn't pay her rates, a second Australian community housing organisation wants to buy or lease state housing in New Zealand, a new survey finds that almost two thirds of New Zealanders nearing retirement have not yet even started to think about how much money they'll need, the Dunedin city council is reassuring ratepayers it has no more big lurking scandals to reveal and scientists mark twenty years since the Mt Ruapehu eruptions.

A review of the week's news including... The Nepalese man who died alongside his wife and young son in a house fire had moved to Waimate to provide his family with a better life, the latest dairy price drop is described as 'about as bad as it could have been', a boxload of documents sheds more light on the deal which led to the Government paying a Saudi businessman to set up a sheep farm, people from both sides of the debate present their arguments at a meeting on the Ruataniwha Dam in Napier, the Prime Minister says the state-owned coal miner Solid Energy is in a precarious position and a decision on its future could be made within weeks, Dame Silvia Cartwright talks about eight years presiding over the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia, volunteer firearm instructors are reeling at the sudden shake up of the country's main gun safety programme, New Zealand has not learnt the lessons of the last global financial crisis according to the author of a new book, the last living Dam Buster pilot dies in Tauranga hospital at the age of 96, the Netball World Cup gets under way in Sydney and John Campbell is joining Radio New Zealand as a drive-time news and current affairs presenter.

A review of the week's news including... The Trans-Pacific Partnership talks go into the final sprint towards a finish, a prisoner at the centre of the violence accusations at Mt Eden Prison says he was beaten by four prisoners and dropped off a balcony, authorities knew exactly where Tony Douglas Robertson was every minute of every day but couldn't stop him abducting, raping and murdering a North Shore mother of three, Conservative Party founder and one time leader Colin Craig announces he's suing blogger Cameron Slater, a political rival and a lobbyist, the Government maintains it has public support for its referendum to change the flag, a trucking supremo takes a swipe at the Treasury's call to shut down KiwiRail because it's bleeding millions, who is on the National Business Review Rich List and how much richer are they? the first set of quintuplets born in New Zealand 'The Lawson Quins' turn 50, black magic-practicing witch doctors storm South Auckland and a retired top rugby referee cries foul over All Black captain Richie McCaw's match-winning try against the Springboks last weekend.

A review of the week's news including... the Department of Corrections considers what action it can take against prison manager Serco after discovering yet another inmate has been injured at Mt Eden prison, a new report concludes it's futile to fight ACC decisions through the court system, banks have been quick to lower their interest rates after the Reserve Bank cut its Official Cash Rate, cabinet ministers claim to have been offered Kereru at a hui in Ohakune in 2013, substandard building work is on the rise, a Manawatu rugby club is investigating the deliberate ploy to incriminate a player who was handed out a hefty ban for abusing a referee when that player wasn't even at the game, we hear from the New Zealand cousin of surfer Mick Fanning who survived an encounter with a great white, a Russian internet billionaire donates 100 million to dollars to a project that's searching for extraterrestrial intelligence and New Zealand's scrabble champion is now the French champion.

A review of the week's news including... a Northland farming organisation says banks are quietly forcing debt-ridden dairy farmers to quit, Fonterra is cutting 523 jobs as it pushes ahead with restructuring plans to cut costs and make the company more resilient in an increasingly volatile market, Labour rejects accusations of racism and xenophobia as it stands by data showing 40 percent of homes sold at auction in Auckland over a three-month period went to people with Asian surnames, beneficiary advocates are accusing Work and Income of bending its own rules so it can slash benefits, John Banks says he's not giving up his hunt to find out why Crown Law withheld key evidence during the Dotcom donations prosecution against him, where to draw the line between free speech and having straight conversations about racial and religious differences without being offensive from Nine to Noon, the Ministry for Primary Industries tightens controls on swamp Kauri exports, New Zealand veterans attend a reunion to mark the 50th anniversary of this country's involvement in the Vietnam war, the first national bonspiel to be held at Naseby in more than 80 years is likely to be the first of many thanks to perfect ice conditions and the 2015 APRA Silver Scroll award finalists have been announced and the organisation is also presenting the lost award from 1981.

A review of the week's news including... a Northland farming organisation says banks are quietly forcing debt-ridden dairy farmers to quit, Fonterra is cutting 523 jobs as it pushes ahead with restructuring plans to cut costs and make the company more resilient in an increasingly volatile market, Labour rejects accusations of racism and xenophobia as it stands by data showing 40 percent of homes sold at auction in Auckland over a three-month period went to people with Asian surnames, beneficiary advocates are accusing Work and Income of bending its own rules so it can slash benefits, John Banks says he's not giving up his hunt to find out why Crown Law withheld key evidence during the Dotcom donations prosecution against him, where to draw the line between free speech and having straight conversations about racial and religious differences without being offensive from Nine to Noon, the Ministry for Primary Industries tightens controls on swamp Kauri exports, New Zealand veterans attend a reunion to mark the 50th anniversary of this country's involvement in the Vietnam war, the first national bonspiel to be held at Naseby in more than 80 years is likely to be the first of many thanks to perfect ice conditions and the 2015 APRA Silver Scroll award finalists have been announced and the organisation is also presenting the lost award from 1981.

A review of the week's news including... Manu Samoa take the All Blacks down to the wire in the historic Apia test match, the Prime Minister rejects suggestions from economists that the Government will need to spend more money to stimulate the economy while also rejecting advice to close down KiwiRail but it has still put it on notice, a judge tells former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd that his rockstar lifestyle has finally caught up with him, the Government commits to what it says is a more ambitious emissions reduction target, could West Auckland become home to the country's biggest film studios?, thousands living in cold, damp private rentals will have to wait up to four years until their landlords are forced to insulate their homes, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister cancels drinks to avoid publicity about suggestions of an improper relationship with the event's sponsor, New Zealand's first celebration of all things truffle and this week marked the 175th anniversary of the ocean liner.

A review of the week's news including... Four bodies have been removed from a house in Ashburton, angry rugby fans crash an auction for tickets to the weekend's Super Rugby final as excitment in the Hurricanes vs Highlanders game builds, the principals of two schools involved with a violent rugby brawl meet with the Auckland Rugby Union, sending harmful messages or posting damaging images or comments online is now a criminal offence, two Northland MP's accuse a Cabinet Minister of misleading Parliament on laws governing the export of swamp kauri, a Napier teenager is told to stay away from school after giving a speech about bad teachers, the Government is considers changes to tenancy laws to support the growing number of 'forever renters', the first of the new digital speed cameras has more than doubled the number of tickets issued, a child's nightmare that turned out to be real and the Wellington man who has has lived life in the public eye and been seen by millions of people around the world without anyone knowing what he looks like hangs up the costume.

A review of the week's news including... Helicopters evacuated pregnant women and ferried food and generators to farms cut off in flood-ravaged Whanganui and Taranaki, thousands of Auckland homeowners face rates hikes of more than a thousand dollars a year, there's shock from both the family and friends of Auckland dairy owner Arun Kumar at the verdict reached for his killer, the sacked head of Auckland's downtown promotion agency is jailed, protesters climb on to Parliament's roof to protest Government inaction on climate change, the lawyer for Edward Livingstone's ex wife says she doesn't accept the coroner's finding that agency action might not have stopped the shooting of her children, the Association of Scientists says more scientists are coming forward saying they are being gagged or pressured, schools pulling out all the stops to attract the best student athletes may be weakening not only those players but also New Zealand's ability to compete and win internationally, a New Zealand sailor who leapt for his life from a burning yacht says he and his mates were saved by series of miracles and drone racing is taking off as a new sport in New Zealand.

A review of the week's news including... Regional city councils welcoming Jetstar's plans to expand, the Crown rubbish claims the stabbing of a dairy owner was self defense, are large slabs of New Zealand swamp Kauri being sold overseas illegally? Otago and Southland leaders back the sacking of the Southern DHB, accusations New Zealand's agricultural reputation has been put at risk as a result of a controversial Saudi farm deal, thousands farewell Jerry Collins, heavy flooding cuts off the West Coast, some of the poorest parts of New Zealand could soon be paying 500 dollars more a year for power, large swells close Wellington's south coast roads leaving the future of some stretches in question, a Wellington emergency physician calls for a rethink of the country's drug laws, Motueka High School students fight for the right to wear puffer jackets, a teenager joyrides in a stolen digger and the New Zealand Police Museum has decided to lay to rest human remains, some of them old murder victims.

A review of the week's news including... Regional city councils welcoming Jetstar's plans to expand, the Crown rubbish claims the stabbing of a dairy owner was self defense, are large slabs of New Zealand swamp Kauri being sold overseas illegally? Otago and Southland leaders back the sacking of the Southern DHB, accusations New Zealand's agricultural reputation has been put at risk as a result of a controversial Saudi farm deal, thousands farewell Jerry Collins, heavy flooding cuts off the West Coast, some of the poorest parts of New Zealand could soon be paying 500 dollars more a year for power, large swells close Wellington's south coast roads leaving the future of some stretches in question, a Wellington emergency physician calls for a rethink of the country's drug laws, Motueka High School students fight for the right to wear puffer jackets, a teenager joyrides in a stolen digger and the New Zealand Police Museum has decided to lay to rest human remains, some of them old murder victims.

A review of the week's news including... Low payouts, low dividends and a tumbling share price has the country's biggest company facing complaints of poor performance, what's thought to be the biggest ever live shipment of sheep from New Zealand left the port of Timaru this week, a one off cannabis oil treatment for a 19-year old Nelson man has been approved, the central bank cuts the official cash rate for the first time in more than four years, rescuers recover the body of a digger driver who was buried under tonnes of rock at a quarry near Waikari, secondary students zip their lips for a day in a stand against the bullying of LGBT students, one of this county's leading lawyers dies of cancer aged 80, a South Auckland primary school is spending thousands of dollars a year on air testing so it knows when to move the children out of toxic classrooms and one of New Zealand's greatest racehorses has been buried at Ellerslie Racecourse where he so often triumphed.