National Radio Midday Report

Sydney Airport – Closing Ceremony – Downpours – Nurses Pay Negotiations – Workplace Safety – Superannuation – Israel/Palestinian Ceasefire – Campbell Win – Olympiand Come Home – Murder-Suicide – Bodies Found – Racing Report – Backchat Canned – Murder Trial

- SYDNEY AIRPORT: Sydney airport faces the biggest test of its 80 year history, as more than 100,000 Olympic visitors prepare to leave Sydney today. 100 staff has been added and luggage is being processed off-site, particularly that of athletes. A spokesman said the airport would be dealing with more than a thousand aircraft movements.

- CLOSING CEREMONY: Yesterday’s Olympic closing ceremony featured icons of Aussie culture, with a theme of reconciliation. Rock band Midnight Oil wore sorry T-shirts, a pointed reference to Australian PM John Howard’s refusal to apologise to Aboriginals. Howard would not be drawn on the political messages of the ceremony. Meanwhile, reconciliation minister Philip Ruddock has sparked outrage for saying Aborigines have been disadvantaged partly because they came into contact with colonisers late, and were hunter gatherers who hadn’t even had the wheel before Europeans came.

- DOWNPOURS: Lower North Island downpours have fuelled fears of rivers bursting their banks. About 760mm of rain has fallen in the Tararua ranges since midday on Saturday. Further deluges today have compounded concerns, and had some residents calling for sandbags. Met service expects rain to ease to showers this afternoon, but the high rivers will continue on with a flow on effect from the mountains.

- NURSES PAY NEGOTIATIONS: The Employment Relations Act is already having an effect on the ongoing pay dispute between Capital Coast Health and its nursing and midwifery staff. The two parties will be some of the first to work through the new issues of the law.

- WORKPLACE SAFETY: Employment minister Margaret Wilson has launched a week long campaign focusing on workplace health and safety – Workplace Safety Week.

- SUPERANNUATION: National superannuation spokesman Bill English says the Government’s proposed fund to meet the cost of future pension demands will fail if it doesn’t get support from other parties in Parliament. He says any proposal would have to have the support of National if it is to be successful in the long term.

- ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN CEASEFIRE: Palestinian authorities have announced they will conditionally accept a cease-fire, and Israel also says it will stop firing in a move that may end clashes that have left around 30 people, mostly Palestinians, dead.

- CAMPBELL WIN: With questions being asked about New Zealand’s poor medal haul at the Olympics, golf is basking in big win by Michael Campbell. He’s collected around $NZ1million and he’s now fifth on the list of money winners for the European PGA tour for the season, a list he says he hopes to top. He says he hopes it goes some way towards restoring Kiwi sporting pride.

- OLYMPIANS COME HOME: The New Zealand Olympic team arrives at Auckland airport this afternoon.

- MURDER-SUICIDE: Stoke school is stunned at the death of two of it’s pupils in an apparent murder-suicide in the Nelson suburb, which saw a mother and three children found dead in their home.

- BODIES FOUND: Two bodies have been found by searchers looking for a dingy reported missing in Auckland last night.

- RACING REPORT: A report on the racing industry is calling for the industry to get a share of gaming machine profits, as betting at the race course continues to decline.

- BACKCHAT CANNED: B@ckchat, the country’s only local arts show has been axed by TVNZ.

- MURDER TRIAL: The trial of the man accused of murdering Terry King, whose body was found with a bullet in the head in the Tararua ranges, has begun in Wellington. The defendant has pleaded not guilty.

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