Due to the live nature of Tonight, we apologise for the lack of captions for some items. One of our most acclaimed writers, Margaret Mahy, has died. Taxpayers could pay millions in the battle to stub out smoking. Rising rivers close roads; high winds and heavy rain lash the North Island. Kia ora, good evening. Margaret Mahy, one of this country's finest and most colourful writers, has died. She was 76 and died after a short illness. Generations of Kiwi kids loved her books. She wrote more than 100 picture books, 40 novels, and countless short stories. Lisa Owen looks back on her life. 'That's how it is', said the lion. 'Some stories are true, and some aren't.' It's hard to find the words to describe a woman whose life was words. As colourful as her books, Margaret Mahy was one of our most successful and accomplished writers. I think I have been a very tradesmanly writer in a lot of ways. This is her very first book, authored at age 7. School journals printed some of Mahy's early works, but no NZ publishing house would take her on. It ate the standard ones and then the standard twos. It took an American editor to discover A Lion in the Meadow in 1969 and launch her international career. A Lion in the Meadow, I suppose, is still a very special book to me, because it was first book I ever saw in print. A solo mother of two, she worked as a librarian by day and wrote through the night. The children and I would read stories together, and they'd go to bed, and then I worked all night, drinking cup after cup of black coffee. It paid off. In her life, she published more than 200 titles; her books translated into more than a dozen languages. Her work also graced our screens. ...and sharp, sharkish teeth. But she believed there was nothing like the warm embrace of a book. Reading in the family is extremely important still, in spite of the fact that most of us have TVs or something similar in our houses, because, first of all, it enables parents to cuddle children while they read to them. Margaret Mahy often told her stories aloud while walking before committing them to paper. She said the thrill of being paid for writing never wore off. Sometimes I have felt rich, but I think I am pretty well to do, and that is quite an achievement for a writer. There've been numerous honours and awards,... CROWD SING 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' ...but the year she turned 70, Mahy was awarded perhaps the most prestigious ` the Hans Christian Andersen Award for children's literature. I felt absolutely thrilled. It somehow seems impossible to think of winning it. Recognised the world over, some feel Margaret Mahy was under-valued at home. There was definitely the idea that you wrote for children because you weren't smart enough to write for adults. And I don't think people feel that to the same extent nowadays. In her success, Mahy was keen to foster new talent, and perhaps the greatest story she told young fans was they too could be writers. Lisa Owen, ONE News. Taxpayers face forking out millions in legal bills if the Government goes ahead with plans to introduce plain cigarette packaging. The warning came on the first day of a ban on publically displaying tobacco products. Political reporter Michael Parkin has more. Those opposed to smoking say plain packaging for cigarettes makes sense. We do know that kids are very attracted to the packages, and so they see the package as their badge of, uh, masculinity or badge of femininity. Um, showing their rebelliousness. The Government says smoking kills around 5000 NZers each year. It wants the country smoke-free by 2025, and it's calling for public submissions on plans to introduce plain packaging. But Government officials warn there's a high risk such a move would provoke a costly legal battle. We're reviewing all of our options at the moment. Our preference would be not to have to go down the legal path, but we may be forced to. The Ministry of Health has warned the Government that defending a case at the World Trade Organisation could cost taxpayers between $1.5m and $2m. But it could be up to $6m if there's a challenge from one of NZ's trade-agreement partners. Compensation payments could also be lumped on top of that. Well, of course it is always a concern, but the arguments that they are using about trade and multilateral agreements, um, in fact, don't warrant here in NZ. There are lots of things that we need to consider. I wouldn't say it's a slam dunk, by any chane ` that plain packaging will take place. But nor would I rule it out. Australia will introduce plain packaging in December, and is already embroiled in legal action. And tobacco companies say they'd fight over the same issues here. It would have an impact on our business because it would be taking away our valuable intellectual property, and that's why we are so concerned about the minister's proposal. Submissions close in October, and Tariana Turia hopes plain packaging can be introduced next year. John Key's moved to try to reassure first-time investors thinking about buying shares in state assets like Mighty River Power. It follows concerns from experts about a lack of vital advice for investment newcomers. Political editor Corin Dann explains. For Corey Nicholas (21), getting $1000 worth of shares in Mighty River Power is a no-brainer. It's a pretty big commitment for me to go in. I don't really want to run in half-corked. When the share sale goes ahead, the likes of Corey Nicholas can expect to be bombarded with a massive Government-backed information campaign. However, the financial markets watchdog says people should get help. We think that, uh, it would be a good idea for NZers to go and seek competent and professional advice from somebody who understands the risks and features of investing in shares. But leading financial market players are concerned that, with hundreds of thousands of Kiwis potentially lining up for shares, there won't be enough advisors to go around. There is no way that financial advisors in the major firms in NZ can spend an hour, an hour and a half, with all those people to deal with the whole financial affairs and then to give them advice on whether they should invest in Mighty River Power or not. The Financial Markets Authority says there are 2000 registered advisors across the country, while ANZ National says it has 130 advisors ready to help with the Mighty River Power sale. The Prime Minister agrees people should get advice, but he remains keen to give as many Kiwis as possible a share of assets like Mighty River Power. There will plenty of brokers and the likes who will be very keen to provide financial advice in this area. The Greens worry that John Key's sales pitch will confuse some investors into thinking the investment's government-guaranteed. The fact that the Government keeps going on and on about it would suggest to people that it's government-guaranteed, but it is not. And Labour's worried the loyalty bonus shares offer is likely to cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. What's going to happen is that share,... uh, the people who buy shares are going to have a loyalty scheme which were paid for by taxpayers. For Corey Nicholas, though, Mighty River Power represents what he hopes will be the start of long and fruitful investment career. Corin Dann, ONE News. Wild weather continues to lash the North Island this evening. High winds and heavy rain have caused disruption for travellers going through Coromandel and Bay of Plenty. Rising river levels have closed the Karangahake Gorge and sections of State Highway 26. State Highway Two through Athenree Gorge has reopened to one lane after a slip with crews hoping to clear the road in the morning. An engineering expert says the CTV building didn't collapse in last February's earthquake because it was badly designed. But John Mander told the Royal Commission the building had been weakened by previous quakes and shouldn't have been occupied. Ali Pugh reports. Just how the CTV building failed is being scrutinised at the Royal Commission. Today it's been compared to the catastrophic collapse of the World Trade Centre 10 years earlier. When you go back and look at that, it's strikingly similar to, um, CTV. Professor John Mander, testifying at the inquiry, says the Twin Towers collapse was a classic failure and fell in the same way as the CTV building. And it typically comes down in a racheting time fashion; from top to bottom. There's very little spill out to the side, and that's clearly a gravity collapse. But that's where the similarities end. He says the CTV building was prone to failure, weakened by damage from on-going seismic movements before the February earthquake. He says the building should never have been occupied after the September 7.1 quake. With the level of observed, as well as hidden damage, the CTV building should have been red stickered. He says assessors had a false sense of security following the September event and didn't exercise enough caution. I believe we should work and operate under the adage that these buildings are guilty until proven innocent. He's also slammed a crucial report by the Department of Building and Housing. that claims the concrete columns failed, contributing to the collapse. This conclusion is so vague, it is neither helpful nor insightful. He says the building did comply with code, and the fact it withstood early earthquakes is proof of that. Ali Pugh, ONE News. The inquest into the death of a healthy newborn baby at Birth Care Auckland has put the spotlight on the dangers of sleeping with infants. A mother and baby, whose names are suppressed, came to the facility for post-natal care last January. After being breast-fed in her mother's bed overnight, the child was found pale and unresponsive. The mother had dozed off and a pathologist found her baby suffocated. If we can have a situation where mothers bed-share and do not go to sleep, then it's absolutely safe. But the problem is the reality, um, particularly at night, when mothers are tired. Studies have found 60% of Kiwi mums aren't aware of the risks of bed-sharing. A Christchurch mountain biker who found himself in court after a video was posted on YouTube of him assaulting another cyclist has been fined $750 for the attack. 45-year-old Aaron William Dalton was charged with the Port Hills assault in April and has since attended an anger management programme. The video was captured and uploaded to the internet by the victim, Jordan Brizzell. Bay of Plenty iwi are vowing to keep up the fight against deep sea exploration. The pledge was made during a protest at a fisherman's court appearance for his alleged role in a demonstration during the exploration of the Raukumara Basin by petrol giant Petrobras. Nicole Bremner was at the Tauranga District Court hearing. Greenpeace and local iwi joined forces to support local man Elvis Teddy at his summary hearing. No comment. The fishing boat skipper joined a protest flotilla to the Raukumara Basin last April. His vessel, The San Pietro, seen here almost under the bow of a large exploration vessel surveying the seabed for Brazilian oil company Petrobras. This recording from a crew member on Mr Teddy's boats. We wish to reiterate that this is not a protest. We are defending private waters and our rights from reckless government policies and the threat of deep-sea drilling. We believe that there is no safe deep-water drilling that can happen in NZ. It's just not worth the risk. In court, Mr Teddy faced one charge of operating his vessel unsafely and one of resisting arrest. The prosecution painting a black and white case. This case is about Elvis Teddy driving his ship in front of another ship. It's not about usurping any right to protest or the Rena, customary fishing rights or oil or Apanui. A police officer who has identity suppression told the court he set limits so the protest flotilla would keep a safe distance from the exploration ship. But its captain was forced to make repeated calls via marine radio to the flotilla, warning they'd breached the limits and were far too close. And whatever the judge decides about Elvis Teddy's actions, local iwi say he did the right thing for future generations. Nicole Bremner, ONE News. The Arts and Culture Minister's ruled out any possibility the NZ Symphony Orchestra could be closed down. The Ministry had outlined possible changes to the funding of classical orchestras. They included a suggestion there should be no government-funded national touring orchestra. But Chris Finlayson says that doesn't mean the orchestra would be canned. It's talking about the issue of whether it should be a Crown entity, a Crown-owned company, those sorts of issues. But the suggestion that there should not be an NZSO is nonsense. The Government is seeking public feedback on the future of classical orchestras after a decline in concert attendance figures. Just ahead ` A vigil and some words of comfort for the victims of the movie theatre massacre. And stopping breast cancer in its tracks ` a medical breakthrough gives new hope. 1 The grieving community of Aurora has turned out for a prayer vigil in memory of the 12 people killed in last week's cinema shooting. The emotional memorial coincided with a visit from President Obama, who offered some words of comfort. The ABC's Jane Cowan reports. Gone, but not forgotten. The people of Aurora poured out in memory of those who went to the movies and never came home. The oldest was 51; the youngest was Veronica Moser-Sullivan (6). She was just such a wonderful little girl, you know? So sad that she had life taken away from her. The grieving community has got its first look at the man accused of causing so much suffering. Hello. I'm James. The video shows an 18-year-old James Holmes making a presentation at a science camp. I've been working with a temporal illusion. It's an illusion that allows you to change the past. His goals are to become a researcher and to make scientific discoveries. It's a good start. It's emerged Holmes applied to join a gun club last month, but was rejected after the owner heard a strange message on his answering machine that he described as 'guttural and freakish'. Yeah, it... it put up a flag to me ` 'Who is this? What was he trying to accomplish with this?' But those who came face-to-face with the shooter are defiant. I beat you. I made it. You didn't take my life. You didn't take my friend's life either. But I pray and I feel so sorry for the other families. In the end, after he has felt the full force of our justice system, what will be remembered are the good people who were impacted by this tragedy. Tonight, James Holmes is behind bars in solitary confinement. Tomorrow he faces court for the first time. A wave of bomb atacks and shootings in and around the Iraqi capital has killed 89 people. Many of those were security forces, who appear to have been specifically targeted. One of the worst-hit places was a neighbourhood 20km north of Baghdad where at least 18 were killed. The latest attacks come after a string of bombings south of the capital that left 17 dead. The European Union is hoping its beefed-up embargo on arms sales to Syria will stop weapons from reaching both warring sides in the Syrian conflict. EU foreign ministers are expected to endorse a plan to allow member states to board ships and aircraft carrying suspicious cargo to the war-torn nation. They're also concerned the escalating bloodshed will spill over into neighbouring countries. The Chinese capital Beijing's been hit by its heaviest rain in over 60 years. Almost 40 people have been killed so far. and thousands have been evacuated from their homes. Roads became rivers, and more than 500 flights were cancelled or delayed. Also in the north-west of the country, the rains have killed at least four people. To health now. And although breast cancer survival rates are improving, there's a risk the disease will return and spread to other parts of the body. Now Australian scientists have discovered how that happens and how to stop it. Channel 9's Jessica Rich explains. Kathy Pillans was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. The mother of two is now in remission, but there's a high risk the disease will come back and silently spread to another part of her body. There's always that unknown factor that we live with ` the uncertainty. Mortality rates are higher for women whose cancer has spread from the breast to other places, such as the bones, the brain and the liver. Now new research out of Melbourne has uncovered how it happens. Scientists have discovered that breast cancer cells switch off the signal that tells the immune system to fight them. That allows the cells to then hide in the bloodstream and spread around the body. Allows us to predict which patients will develop breast cancer spread to bone. And it allows us to determine which patients would most likely benefit from therapies that switch the signals back on. Talks are now underway for clinical trials of a treatment that blocks the spread and growth of breast cancer cells. Even more exciting ` there are drugs already available that could be used to develop such a therapy. Just ahead, the Whangarei sister act gearing up for their shot at an Olympic dream. And I'll be back with more heavy rain for some. Now to the most-viewed stories on our website today. Tributes have been pouring in to the ONE News Facebook page in memory of children's author Margaret Mahy, who has died aged 76. Mt Tongariro is showing more signs of unrest, with volcanic gases detected at the site. Canterbury has extended its winning streak in NZ's best bacon awards. First it was the Evers-Swindell twin rowers; now it's the Harrisons. The Kiwi sisters, Sam and Charlotte, are competing together at the Olympics. The hockey stars are in London getting ready for their first game. Charlotte Whale met them before they left. They may look like glamour girls, but don't be fooled. These pink ladies pack a whole lot of punch. Charlotte (22) and her sister Sam (19) are part of the 16-strong women's hockey squad. It's the siblings' first Olympics, but what they lack in experience they make up for in fight. We are ranked sixth in the world, so we will be punching above our weight, and well have to play very very well to win a medal. But we've definitely got the belief there. They're both dedicated athletes. They take the mickey out of each other a lot on the field and off the field. They are pretty inseparable when we go away. The girls from Whangarei started playing together as kids. We used to play on the side of the road with our neighbours. We had a quiet street growing up. Now they're in the big league in a sport that's known for good-looking talent. How do they handle the attention? Oh just, kind of, brush it off. (LAUGHS) We just, sort of, put our shin pads on and go out to play hockey. And to get rarked up before a game, the sisters have a tried and true ritual. We'll get some portable speakers out and put an iPod in and start playing along. And sometimes Finally gets ripped out. # Finally it's happening to me. # Finally it is happening. With top teams like Germany and Argentina in their pool, it'll be tough. But they have the support of a very proud family. My mum and my little sister, particularly, she's really excited. She's probably gonna be in the crowd with her pompoms on. (LAUGHS) And, of course, a whole country cheering them on. Charlotte Whale, ONE News. Let's check in with Renee for the weather. Hi, everyone. We have a heavy rain warning in place for Gisborne, with heavy falls through to 3pm tomorrow. Not a great deal of movement tomorrow. The main low centre drifts eastwards, and another centre develops in Bay of Plenty. The associated frontal and trough activity are not doing much either ` only a gradual slumping southwards on to the upper South Island. That narrow ride reluctantly gives way. A frontal system moves out of the southern oceans tomorrow, arriving in the far south tomorrow night. For weather, see onenews.co.nz And that's your weather. Enjoy the rest of your evening. That's it from us here on Tonight. Thanks for watching. Goodnight. Captions by Sam Bradford and Richard Edmunds. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air.