1Whopping hikes to ACC levies have been scaled back by the government but workers and road users will still be hit in the pocket. The Government has released the final decision for increases for next year, with the worker on the average wage paying an additional $3 a week.

2The Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard caught the markets off guard today by signalling he may hike the historically low Official Cash Rate sooner than expected.

3One person is dead and four others fallen ill after an outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease in Canterbury.

4Business News

5A new law is expected to make some of New Zealand's best-loved classic television shows available to the public.

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7An expert medical witness has told an inquest in Christchurch that overcrowding at the city's hospital was a major reason why a patient was misdiagnosed and sent home, where he died shortly afterwards. In 2007 25-year-old Dean Carroll was treated for back pain and then discharged.

8A study into the drug Tamiflu has raised questions about its effectiveness and led to accusations that the drug company Roche withheld vital information from researchers.

9Grey Power says it will fight tooth and nail to keep free ferry trips to Waiheke Island for all SuperGold Card holders. The New Zealand Transport Agency say trips to the island have cost 11-percent of the funds available to the transport scheme.

10About 500 angry investors have been grilling Hanover directors in Auckland, at a meeting to discuss a takeover deal by Allied Farmers.

11Pakistan's anti-corruption watchdog is accusing the nation's leader of collecting almost$2-billion worth of bribes when his assassinated wife, Benazir Bhutto, was Pakistan's Prime Minister.

12Waatea News

13The Australian government is being accused of censorship after six North Korean artists were denied visas to attend a contemporary Asia Pacific art show in Brisbane to discuss their work.

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15The Government has bowed to protests from angry bikies around the country and slashed the proposed massive hike in ACC levies. Minister for the ACC Nick Smith today announced cabinet's decisions on the ACC's proposals to bring in more money.

16The tiny Pacific Island of Tuvalu has provoked a split in the ranks of developing countries at the United Nations conference in Copenhagen, with its proposal for stronger measures to fight climate change.

17The New Zealand dollar has skyrocketed after the Reserve Bank brought forward its timetable for hikes in the Official Cash Rate.

18Controversial plans to open up Wellington's pedestrian-only Manners Mall to buses are just one step away from being approved.

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20Senior staff at Southland Hospital have written an open letter opposing the merger of the Otago and Southland District Health Boards. The letter says that a move to merge the two DHBs would compromise the quality of care offered in Southland.

21The New Zealand Qualifications Authority is being accused of undermining Te Reo Maori by delivering a language exam in English as well as Maori. Opponents say it is nonsensical to test fluency in Te Reo in a language other than Maori.

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23The number of young people dying on New Zealand roads is nearly double that of Australia, according to the latest statstics from the Ministry of Transport.

24Plans for a $28-million performing arts venue for Nelson have been dropped by the Nelson City Council because of a groundswell of public opposition.

25Waatea News