National Radio Midday Bulletin

Maori Fisheries Allocation - Fisheries Reaction - Interest Rates Rise - Us Interest Rates - Legal Brain Drain - Telecom & Rural Networks - St Stephens Bullying - Un Peacekeepers Safe - Antibiotic Awareness - Erb Damage - Train Driver Plea - Los Alamos Fires

MAORI FISHERIES ALLOCATION: The delay in allocating fishing assets to Maori is costing a million dollars a month according to an independent report on the asset allocation released today. However Maori MP and Associate Minister of Maori Affairs John Tamihere says the delay is necessary to solve disputes between traditional Maori and urban iwi groups.

FISHERIES REACTION: The Chairman of the Treaty Of Waitangi commission Sir Tipene O’Reagan has lashed out at the decision not to allocate fisheries resources to Maori holding the money until the dispute between Urban Maori Iwi and traditional tribes is resolved.

INTEREST RATES RISE: The reserve bank Governor Don Brash has indicated that the rise in interest rates today is likely to repeat later in the year.

US INTEREST RATES: United States interests rates are also up, with the US Federal Reserve Board pushing up the rates by half a per cent.

LEGAL BRAIN DRAIN: It seems unlikely that the restraint of trade clauses negotiated into SOE employees to stop them being poached overseas will be effective says experts. The issue arose after allegations Airway’s corporation executives were “sold off” to private overseas interests.

TELECOM & RURAL NETWORKS: A major telecommunications group says it is time to be putting rural phone services up for tender for other companies. Telecom says it does not want to continue to absorb the costs of the rural networks which lose money.

ST STEPHENS BULLYING: A spokesperson for St Stephens school says the college says the anti-bullying message is getting through to students. Police have been called in to question a boy who attacked another with an iron bar.

UN PEACEKEEPERS SAFE: One hundred and forty United Nations Peace-keepers held hostage by rebels in Sierra Leone are on their way to safety.

ANTIBIOTIC AWARENESS: The independent practitioners association has said increased awareness among doctors about overuse of antibiotics has led doctors to proscribe less of the drugs.

ERB DAMAGE: The Business Roundtable says the new industrial legislation introduced into parliament will cause major damage to business confidence in the country. The group wants the Employment Relations Bill put on hold and studies of it’s probable effect commissioned.

TRAIN DRIVER PLEA: The train driver charged with manslaughter by police after a death of a fellow driver in the South Island has entered no plea today.

LOS ALAMOS FIRES: High winds forecast for the American West are expected to further whip up the disastrous Los Alamos fire which destroyed over 200 homes.

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