Due to the live nature of Tonight, we apologise for the lack of captions for some items. The wintry blast gripping the south tracks north. We have the latest. A plea from a grieving father to patch up any differences with the kids. And Ridley Scott's journey to the beginning of us ` Weta Digital gives Prometheus a helping hand. It was a wild, wintry day as forecast. We're not quite out of the woods just get, and I'll have a few more warnings for you but also a much brighter forecast for tomorrow. The wintry blast gripping the South Island set to spread north overnight, with snowfall expected on the Desert Road and the Rimutaka Hill. In the South Island, thousands of people face a freezing night without power in Canterbury, even though the weather appears to be easing. Briar Wells reports. Winter's first real cold snap. The polar blast left a blanket of snow across parts of the South Island. Pretty cold. Pretty cold. We're feeling the cold! I love it because I'm from Texas. We don't get snow, so this is kinda nice! In Christchurch, the city was brought to a standstill. Dozens of schools and businesses closed their gates. They closed the campus on us. < Yeah? What did you do? Well, being North Islanders, we made the most of it. We never get to see this sort of thing, so we're getting amongst it. All flights in and out of Christchurch Airport were cancelled this evening, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. It'll also be a cold night for the 3000 homes still without power. Orion warned it's unlikely to be restored until morning. Out in the country, the snow nearly half a metre deep in some areas. It's our first snow, and I don't get to go to school much because going through Burkes Pass is pretty snowy. Oh, not too inconvenient. (CHUCKLES) Stops a few things ` the schools obviously. Also closing roads. The icy conditions proved too difficult for some drivers. Farmers were thankful they had plenty of time to prepare for the storm. We were all set up yesterday, ready to go this morning, so the cows are generally pretty happy. On the West Coast, rain was the problem. surface flooding threatened properties in Greymouth. With the snow now easing, there's concern it could turn to ice. The worst thing that could happen is if it freezes and sticks around for 10 days. Police advise motorists to be extra cautious overnight and tomorrow morning. Briar Wells, ONE News. Regrets from a father tonight, who was not on speaking terms with his son on the day he died. Colwyn Topi's son Shane was one of eight who drowned when the Easy Rider sank during a mutton-birding trip near Stewart Island in March. Max Bania was at the inquest in Invercargill. Shane Topi wasn't talking to his father when he left on the Easy Rider's ill-fated voyage in March. We're just both stubborn bastards. We were both hoping that either of us would give in first, but it never happened. Today it was confirmed the 29-year-old and seven others drowned in the freezing waters of Foveaux Strait. All I can say to anybody out there is if they're having arguments with their family, talk to them. Even though you don't like 'em, just talk to them. Shane's body and three others were found up to 16km from the wreck. None were wearing lifejackets. Four others were never found. Sole survivor Dallas Reedy clung to debris for 18 hours before the coastguard spotted him. They believe when he was uplifted he was in the final maybe 20 minutes of survivability mode. Dallas Reedy wasn't among the 20 or so family members in court. Some wept quietly as they heard evidence about their loved ones. The coroner invited them to ask questions; they remained silent. The inquest also heard the boat's life raft became wedged against a piece of metal and failed to deploy. The emergency locator beacon activated but went down inside the boat. The question must always remain whether had the authorities and the local community been aware of the sinking earlier that some other lives had been saved. A question families hope will be answered in two separate investigations due out later this year. Max Bania, ONE News. Scott Guy's father has described the moment he heard something bad had happened to his son. And it came from the man accused of murdering the Feilding farmer. Simon Bradwell with more from the trial. An emotionally charged moment for Bryan Guy as he recalled being comforted by a friend at the scene of his son's murder. He gave me a hug... and told me not to go to see Scotty, which was, of course, what I wanted ` just go and give him a hug. Moments before that, murder-accused Ewen Macdonald had told Bryan Guy his son had died. Earlier, Mr Macdonald had rung him at home, the first sign something was wrong. Almost incoherent. He said something along the lines that, 'Something's happened to Scott'. Ewen Macdonald's accused of killing Scott Guy with a shotgun at the gate of the farm they both worked on. I remember him saying the words 'his face', then he said, 'You'd better get out here.' A neighbour of Scott Guy, David Berry, had found him lying in a pool of blood. Recalling how he rang 111 and told police... My neighbour has had his bloody throat cut. Little reaction there, but in an exchange with Mr Macdonald's lawyer, David Berry says it was very different when the accused arrived at the murder scene. < He looked upset? Very upset, yes. David Berry says he had thought the murder was mistaken identity and he was the intended target because of an incident in his past. He also recalled how an unsavoury stranger reeking of alcohol and cigarettes once came to his house looking for Scott Guy. Yeah, I thought he was a little big funny, so I` I didn't really give him any information. The defence says there's no doubt that Scott Guy was murdered, but police have the wrong man. Simon Bradwell, ONE News. One of the jurors stood down today. The trial is continuing with 11. Veteran broadcaster Paul Holmes is recovering after open-heart surgery. His family has told ONE News the operation at Auckland City Hospital went as planned today. He's expected to be off work for some months. The Queen's described a huge display of affection for her 60-year reign as a humbling experience. After four days of celebrations, she had this to say in a televised address in Britain. I will continue to treasure and draw inspiration from the countless kindnesses shown to me in this country and throughout the Commonwealth. With more from the Jubilee, here's Europe correspondent Garth Bray. This was a day for royal celebration, religious devotion and one obvious regret. The Queen reviewed the crowds lining her route without the consort who's been beside her for all 60 years of her reign. TRUMPET FANFARE Last seen on the Thames on Sunday, Prince Philip was still in hospital with an infection to his urinary tract. CHOIR SINGS If the Queen was preoccupied with that bad news, she was giving no sign at St Paul's for a service she and her husband had worked on in detail. The Prime Minister and his wife were among the guests. John Key is keen to invite the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to visit. Kate's very much got a visit to NZ in her sights, so hopefully we'll be able to welcome the young royals down there at some point. The Prime Minister makes no secret of his admiration for the Queen, something shared by this multitude on the Mall. Support for the monarchy in Britain is running at over 80%, according to one poll. Hip, hip... ALL: Hooray! CROWD CHEERS After four days of celebration, though, it's back to work for Britain and its leaders. The bunting here at number 10 Downing St is dripping wet, and the jubilee party is well and truly over. Inside, Prime Minister John Key will be meeting with his Canadian and UK counterparts to discuss the real problems affecting this area. John Key and David Cameron clearly have a close relationship, but both countries have plenty on their plates ` massive debts to pay down and economic challenges ahead. They may be able to do little more than commiserate with each other over dinner. Garth Bray, ONE News, London. Just ahead, the government asks if child abusers should be allowed any more children. Also, all eyes to the sky. The last chance to see this solar spectacle in our lifetime. And Weta Workshop chips in to give a famous director his first full digital characters. 1 We have better rules to control animal abuse than child abuse, according to the Minister of Social Development. Paula Bennett's proposing new powers that could prevent serious child abusers from having any contact with children, but critics say that won't protect the vulnerable. Here's political reporter Michael Parkin. This mother's now serving a seven and a half year sentence for the torture and abuse of her two children, and Paula Bennett says that's a good enough reason for the Government to stop her and others like her from having any more. We should tell them, perhaps, that we will be removing all future children at birth; that they can't work with or be in a house with children. We do it with dogs. Paula Bennett's proposals would target both male and female child abusers. CYFS can already take children from mothers at birth if there is a serious risk and if there are no other options, but a judge should not be making future decisions about a woman and her body and her reproductive rights. But the Social Development Minister's ruling out forced sterilization. Not talking about sterilisation, which I've heard some of the extremes going on about. But we are saying that, actually, we've had enough and there needs to be some tougher sanctions. I'm not completely convinced by her denial. I'm sure that they have considered forced sterilization in the past, which is a very extreme policy. Last month Paula Bennett caused a stir by announcing a million-dollar programme to provide free contraception to beneficiaries and their teenage daughters. I think this is a slippery step on the road to eugenics. Where do you draw the lines and how do you implement it? If she's not talking about forced sterilization, what is she talking about? Forced abortion, perhaps? The Minister says more details on just who may lose the right to have kids will be in a discussion paper released later this year. Michael Parkin, ONE News. Prime Minister John Key said this evening from London that the government's having an 'important conversation' with NZers about how to improve terrible statistics in child abuse. The government already takes about 148 babies a year from mothers that are not considered fit to look after their children. The question is whether, you know, we push a little harder on that policy, and that's, you know, we've always said with the white paper ` you know, in the end, it will lead to quite a controversial discussion in NZ. I actually think we have to have that conversation if we are really serious about saying we want to see an elimination of the Kahui twins and those kinds of horrific beatings and murders of children, then, in my view, we have to step up and do more than we're currently doing. What that more looks like, well, that's for us all to debate in another day. China and Russia have made it clear they will not sanction foreign intervention China and Russia have made it clear they will not sanction foreign intervention to end the bloodshed in Syria. When they met in Beijing, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Hu Jintao urged world powers not to abandon the political process. TRANSLATOR: Both China and Russia are consistently opposed to external intervention in the Syrian situation and oppose regime change by force. Meanwhile, Syria has expelled the ambassadors of several western nations in a tit for tat response to the ousting of its diplomats. The weather was hardly cooperative when it came to viewing the much-anticipated transit of Venus. But the skies cleared in a few places for people with the right sort of gear to see a tiny shadow from the planet pass over the sun. Charlotte Whale with more. At the Auckland Stardome, all eyes were on the sky. It's been just such an incredibly cool experience to see this. It's extraordinary. During the brief pockets of sun... It's gone again. ...this is what they got to see. Looking just like a beauty spot on the face of the sun, Venus took around six hours to make its way across. Down south at Mt John Observatory, sky gazers braved the cold climates and were rewarded. Ah, yes, I can see. It'll be another 105 years until Venus does this again. It's a rare opportunity for astonomers, who are measuring small dips in the sun's brightness to map new planets beyond our solar system. We can now go and extrapolate that out to the stars that are in the night-time sky, and we can measure that tiny drop in brightness and infer that there are planets orbiting around those stars there now. Scientists have been studying the event for centuries. In 1769 dozens of explorers were sent across the globe to record it. It's described as the Apollo effort of its time. One of those explorers was James Cook. He was dispatched to Tahiti, and it was on that expedition that he first discovered NZ. Over on the east coast close to where Captain Cook landed, crowds in Tolaga Bay were left happy with a great view. But at quarter to 5, Venus neared the end of its crossing, and it was goodbye for another century. Charlotte Whale, ONE News. Wellington's Weta Digital has lent its expertise to another Hollywood movie, this time the much-anticipated sci-fi epic Prometheus. Ridley Scott, director of the classic thriller Alien, worked with a team from Sir Peter Jackson and Sir Richard Taylor's company, bringing his other-worldly creatures to 3-D life. Renee Graham with our preview. DRAMATIC MUSIC Bringing it down in three,... two,... one. Hollywood's latest science fiction offering is directed by Ridley Scott ` creator of this 1979 blockbuster Alien. Prometheus is the tale of a team of space explorers trying to figure out how humans were created. But what they find instead is a deadly alien life form. Is it`? Is it moving? What's that? Special effects and other-worldly creatures are brought to life by NZ's own Wellington production company Weta Digital. They shot this film in England in Pine Street Studios, and yet they come to the other side of the world because here we have such a world-class team that we can actually realise Ridley's vision. Before Prometheus, Ridley Scott had never used fully digital characters in his films. Weta's visual effects boss says the team created over 200 shots and helped design the look of the opening scenes. They also had a crew on the set throughout filming. Some of the creatures they actually built practically as well, and then we had to enhance them digitally and actually take them further. And in the end, quite often, we just replaced them with fully digital creatures. Ridley Scott says the movie's daring because it tackles the creation of mankind. There's also a reference to his original thriller, Alien. There's a moment that alludes back to John Hurt's chest-burster scene in the original Alien. Get it off me! Please! Sci-fi fans can transport themselves into this 3-D alien world this week. They're changing. Changing into what? Renee Graham, ONE News Just ahead, a training breakthrough for boxer Shane Cameron. Plus, who's helping out the new All Blacks' backs coach? And things are looking up. I'll be back with a brighter forecast for Thursday. Boxer Shane Cameron's got a big boost to his preparation for a bout against American Monte Barrett in four weeks. Cameron will now spar with former heavyweight champion David Haye, as build-up to the make-or-break fight. Here's Craig Stanaway. Heavyweight champion of the world... It sounds too good to be true. Less than a month away from Shane Cameron's fight with Monte Barrett, David Haye's camp has come calling, requesting the Kiwi jump a flight to England to help him to prepare for his upcoming grudge bout with Dereck Chisora. I can't get that sparring anywhere else. You know, that's some solid rounds. You know, it doesn't matter where you go. You can't even pay for that, you know. You couldn't even bring that guy down here. Instantly the biggest problem facing Cameron is solved. Until now he was relying on sparring locals. This changes everything. In Shane's career we've had a lot of bad luck, Craig, but it's nice to have some good luck for a change and, you know, this has been perfect timing. It's a little bit better. Ooh! Great left hook. What a shot. Barrett goes down! He fought Barrett. He knocked Barrett over five times and stopped him within seven rounds, I think it was. And there he goes with the left hook and inner right! And he's down again, Barrett! He knows how to beat Barrett. At the same time, it's a great opportunity for me to go and do some solid rounds with one of the best heavyweights in the world. Training with the big names is nothing new. Seven years ago he sparred Tyson. I took a lot of confidence out of that, and it's carried me through to where I am today. Obviously this is a major confidence boost. He leaves Friday. He'll return a week before the Barrett fight, undoubtedly a better boxer. Craig Stanaway, ONE News. In rugby ` a disastrous start to the international rugby season for Australia. They've been beaten by Scotland in a tryless game in driving rain at Newcastle. It was a disappointing game for the Wallabies, who had countless opportunities to break the 6-6 deadlock in the second half, but failed to score points. The home crowd then watched in horror as the Scots beat the Wallabies, thanks to an 82nd minute penalty. Laidlaw! Over it goes! WHISTLE BLOWS Boil-over. At Hunter's Stadium in Newcastle, Scotland have spoiled the party yet again. Incredible. Final score 9-6. It's Scotland's first win in Australia in 30 years. One man closer to home is about to enter the cauldron of international rugby coaching. And he's used a well-known sounding board to help prepare the All Blacks for the first Test of the year. Here's Andrew Saville. From slipping on his new black tracksuit to working with the best of the best ` it's all sinking in. To get the suit out this morning and put it on was... I must admit I had a look in the mirror. And the former Waikato first-five (47) has had to do that in the past. Many still point the finger at Foster for the Chiefs' lack of success during his eight-year reign as coach. There were times when I got a few scars on your back, so it certainly was good training, but that's coaching, in some ways. Foster reveals helping him this year through the initial challenges is former All Blacks backs coach Wayne Smith, ironically now with the Chiefs. Smithie's been outstanding in terms of being there as a sounding board and sharing what he's done with the backs in the past. So you've spoken to him quite a lot? Oh, at length, you know. And, you know, I think it's a` It's a mark of the man, really ` the way he's passed on information. The biggest test bringing through new starters like Aaron Smith and Julian Savea and using midfield ball runners. I think teams that are doing well have basically got big, strong ball carriers, mainly in the midfield, who get over that game line early, and, you know, it's something that I'm looking forward to in this team. The new coaches confirm their first starting 15 tomorrow morning. That's when the real heat steps up for all involved. Andrew Saville reporting there, and the All Blacks team for the first Test will be out on breakfast in the morning at 7.30. Weather time now with Renee. Conditions are easing, looking a lot better tomorrow. Still need to be extremely careful on the high country roads and passes. Some more snow for Lewis, Arthur's and Porters Pass tonight and tomorrow on the Milford Road. And the Desert Road could get 2cm to 5cm from early tomorrow morning. till around lunchtime. The Rimutaka Hill Road has been added to the list. Maybe up to 5cm falling. This whole messy trough of lows and fronts is moving east and should lie clear of us by midday tomorrow. Chilly southerly flow spreading up the country in its wake. This next front moves on to the far south at night. Cold winds behind it. For weather, see tvnz.co.nz That's your weather. See you tomorrow. That's it from us here on Tonight. And you can stay up to date by logging on to our website at tvnz.co.nz Thanks for watching. Goodnight. Captions by June Yeow and Diana Beeby. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2012