The Provincial Growth Fund is putting $3.16 million towards building two wind turbines on Rakiura / Stewart Island; and schools are preparing to test the boundaries of the Government’s school donations scheme which forbids the ones that opt in from seeking payment for anything other than optional activities in school camps.
1.The jury in the trial of the man accused of murdering Grace Millane have been told they must put feelings aside when they solemnly consider their verdict. The 27-year-old accused who has name suppression has been on trial for the past three weeks.
2.Pregnant women in Samoa who are unvaccinated against measles have been told to stop going to work. Travel between the country’s two main islands is also banned for those under the age of 19, as part of the latest round of Government orders as it tries to contain the measles epidemic.
3.The High Court jury in the trial of the former Dunedin doctor accused of murdering Amber-Rose Rush has been played the police interview with him. Venod Skantha denies killing the 16-year-old in February last year. The police took the 32-year-old into custody two days after she was stabbed to death in her bed.
4.A fresh team of New Zealand firefighters is being sent to tackle the huge wildfires burning in Queensland. The team of 21 will leave this afternoon, replacing another group that arrived in Australia 10-days ago.
5. The heatwave fueling the fires is set to cross the Tasman this weekend. According to MetService the high temperatures today are in the South Island including a 26degrees in Dunedin are due to a strong northwesterly flow coming over the Alps.
6.Schools are preparing to test the boundaries of the Government’s school donations scheme which forbids the ones that opt in from seeking payment for anything other than optional activities in school camps. Principals says that could cost some schools hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and put at risk subject like outdoor education.
7.A new human rights organisation is setting up a register for Muslims to report threatening and abusive behaviour. The Foundation Against Islamophobia and Racism (FAIR) has been established by Muslims from throughout the country, its spokesperson Azad Khan says attacks happen everyday but are going unreported.
8.An 18-year-old man accused of possessing the video of the Christchurch mosque massacre will go on trial in late January. The man who has name suppression denies the charge of possessing objectionable material. A 19-year-old charged with the same offence will reappear in Court in March, both men are on bail.
9.A former US National Security advisor Fiona Hill says pressure was put on Ukraine to investigate Donald Trump’s opponents in what has been described as a domestic political errand.
10.An intense hailstorm in south and mid Canterbury this week has caused widespread damage to crops including vegetables both destined for both the domestic and international markets.
11.The Provincial Growth Fund is putting $3.16 million towards building two wind turbines on Rakiura / Stewart Island.It is estimated Stewart Islanders pay on average three times more than mainlanders for power.
12.Businesses on the central North Island’s Forgotten Highway say they are desperate for the road to reopen ahead of the busy tourism season.State Highway 43 has been closed since 15 October after a slip came down at Tunnel Hill, 23km west of Taumarunui, in September and subsequent land movement caused the road to move further.
13. A Nelson lawyer Anjela Sharma has taken legal action against Air New Zealand for banning her for a year after a Koru Lounge dispute spiraled.
14.Four million mobile phones are in line to pick up a loud emergency test alert this weekend as part of a nationwide test.The alert will be broadcast between 6pm and 7pm on Sunday.
15. Two men in Britain have been found guilty of stealing a hoard of viking treasure worth over $6 million which they found using metal detectors.
