1The Government is being told to urgently get rid of the Canterbury Regional Council and replace it with a commission that can deal with the controversial and difficult job of allocating water to fiercely competing interests.

2The father of one of the students killed in the Mangatepopo canyoning tragedy says he's shocked by the litany of errors and incompetencies which have been detailed at the inquest into the deaths. An inquest is investigating the deaths of six Elam Christian College students and their teacher has been investigating.

3An Auckland taxi company with a fleet of about 200-cabs has finally been ordered off the road after a least a year of failing to meet safety standards. The AA Yellow Cab company was prosecuted twice last year and the New Zealand Transport Agency says it still repeatedly failed to fix numerous problems.

4Business News

5Telecom has traced the source of abusive text messages sent to customers to its own call-centre in the Philippines.

6Auckland's mayors have rejected plans for a $100-million cruise ship terminal on Queens Wharf. The monthly Leaders' Forum ended today with testy exchanges during a media conference involving Auckland City mayor John Banks and the chairman of the Auckland Regional Council, Mike Lee.

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8The judge in the Liberty Templeman murder trial has urged the jury to try to reach a verdict. The High Court in Whangarei began hearing the case 10-days ago against a 16-year-old boy accused of killing Miss Templeman in 2008.

9A High Court judge today told the convicted murderer Graham Burton his propensity to violence continues unabated as he sentenced the 39-year0old to preventive detention for the attempted murder of a fellow inmate. He stabbed Dwayne Marsh 33-times with a sharpened rod at Auckland Prison.

10Stories have emerged of office workers running for their lives in the moments before a small plane crashed into a building housing United States tax offices in Texas.

11The country's top Judges and lawyers, along with the Governor-General, gathered in Wellington today for the ceremonial first sitting at the new Supreme Court. The building of the new court and restoration of the old supreme court cost more than $80-million.

12Waatea News

13Mountain clubs are accusing the Government of making a major shift in conservation policy by stealth. The Department of Conservation has announced that it will become more business friendly, and will set up a new unit to develop commercial activities on public land.

14Clearer guidelines about the handling and management of dairy cows have come into force with the release of a new code of animal welfare.

15Two Christchurch men have pleaded guilty to killing taxi driver Abdul Rahman Iktiari, who was fatally stabbed just over a year ago. Shannon Boyes-Warren and Randall Brown gave the plea in the High Court in Christchurch today.

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17The Government is being told to urgently get rid of the Canterbury Regional Council and replace it with a commission that can deal with the controversial and difficult job of allocating water to fiercely competing interests.

18China's Foreign Ministry has condemed President Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama as a gross violation of international norms. It's the latest in a series of prickly issues between the two super powers, from the cyber-attacks against Google, to weapons sales to Taiwan.

19The jury in the Liberty Templeman murder trial in Whangarei has found the boy who caused her death guilty of murder. The High Court in Whangarei began hearing the case 10-days ago against a 16-year-old boy accused of killing Miss Templeman in 2008.

20The United Nations nuclear watchdog says Iran maybe developing a nuclear payload for a missile.

21India has been shaken by a series of violent attacks by Maoist rebels. A group of more than 100-rebels has 25-paramilitary officers in West Bengal.

22The Department of Labour says it will consider a nationwide investigation of all abseiling operations on commercial buildings.

23Business News

24The Hamilton Gardens will for the next two weeks come alive with the city's annual gardens arts festival.

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26Focus on Politics: In recent weeks the National and Maori Parties have been speaking at cross-purposes over some key policies. With an alternative to the Foreshore and Seabed Act under consideration, the rollout of Whanau Ora in the May budget and an upcoming consititutional review, there are testing times ahead. Political reporter Chris Bramwell takes a look at the relationship and whether it's strong enough to survive.

27Waatea News