IT'S MIDDAY ` THE LUNDY VERDICT ` WHY HIS FIGHT MIGHT NOT BE OVER YET. BAD NEWS FOR OUR DAIRY FARMERS AS GLOBAL DAIRY PRICES TAKE ANOTHER TUMBLE. AND A FITTING TRIBUTE FOR MARTIN CROWE AT THE CRICKET AWARDS. DUE TO THE LIVE NATURE OF MIDDAY, WE APOLOGISE FOR THE LACK OF CAPTIONS FOR SOME ITEMS. MARK LUNDY'S QUEST TO HAVE HIS CONVICTION OVERTURNED MAY NOT BE OVER, WITH LEGAL EXPERTS BELIEVING HIS TEAM MAY SEEK AN APPEAL. AFTER A SEVEN-WEEK RETRIAL, A JURY FOUND HIM GUILTY OF BLUDGEONING HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER TO DEATH. BRIAR WELLS REPORTS. MARK LUNDY IS BACK IN PRISON AFTER BEING FOUND GUILTY AGAIN AT HIS RETRIAL. AND THE REACTION IN PALMERSTON NORTH IS THE JURY GOT IT RIGHT. I THINK IT'S BRILLIANT THAT HE'S BEEN DONE. I THINK THAT HE'S GUILTY AS, RIGHT FROM DAY ONE RIGHT THROUGH TO NOW. A VERDICT THAT'S PROVIDED GREAT RELIEF FOR THOSE CLOSE TO HIS VICTIMS. I JUST THREW MY HANDS UP IN THE AIR AND SAID, 'YES!' AND THEN I PROCEEDED TO FALL APART. IT WAS A VERY EMOTIONAL TIME. THE JUDGE REIMPOSED A LIFE SENTENCE, WITH A 20-YEAR MINIMUM NON-PAROLE PERIOD, FOR THE MURDER OF HIS WIFE, CHRISTINE, AND DAUGHTER, AMBER. BUT THIS MAY NOT BE THE END OF THE ALREADY LENGTHY LEGAL SAGA. A LAW EXPERT SAYS HIS DEFENCE TEAM WILL BE PORING OVER THE CASE, LOOKING FOR POSSIBLE AVENUES OF APPEAL. THERE'S SOME REAL TWISTS AND TURNS IN THIS CASE THAT THEY'LL BE LOOKING AT VERY CAREFULLY, PROBABLY AT THE RULINGS MADE BY JUSTICE FRANCE AND THE SUMMING UP BY JUSTICE FRANCE. HE BELIEVES THEY'LL HONE IN ON EVIDENCE ABOUT STAINS FOUND ON LUNDY'S SHIRT, WHICH THE CROWN CLAIMED CONTAINED TRACES OF CHRISTINE'S BRAIN MATTER. NO HUSBAND SHOULD HAVE HIS WIFE'S BRAIN MATTER ON HIS SHIRT. DEFENCE EXPERT WITNESSES BELIEVED IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHETHER IT CAME FROM A HUMAN OR NOT. THE DEFENCE REALLY PULLED IN SOME BIG GUNS, AS FAR AS EXPERTS AROUND THE WORLD ARE CONCERNED, THAT REALLY CUT AT THE BASE OF THE RELIABILITY OF THE CROWN'S EVIDENCE AND CONTENTION THAT IT WAS BRAIN MATTER. THE APPEAL PROCESS IS A PATH CHRISTINE LUNDY'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS DON'T WANT TO GO DOWN. I KNOW MARK'S GOT EVERY RIGHT TO APPEAL, BUT LET'S HOPE IT DOESN'T COME TO THAT. I THINK ESPECIALLY THE FAMILY HAVE HAD ENOUGH. THE DEFENCE HAVE A MONTH TO DECIDE ON AN APPEAL. BRIAR WELLS, ONE NEWS. FONTERRA MILK PRICES HAVE DROPPED AGAIN, FALLING ALMOST 11% AT THE LATEST OVERNIGHT AUCTION. THE AVERAGE PRICE WENT DOWN TO $3682 NZ A TON, ALMOST BACK TO THE FIVE-YEAR LOWS REACHED IN MID-DECEMBER. WHOLE MILK POWDER, THE MOST CRUCIAL DAIRY EXPORT, DROPPED MORE THAN 13% TO $3404. AND ADDING TO KIWI FARMERS' WOES IS EUROPE'S DECISION TO AXE MILK QUOTAS THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. IN AN INDUSTRY FACING AN OVERSUPPLY PROBLEM, IT MEANS EVEN MORE COMPETITION, AS THE BBC'S CLAIRE MARSHALL EXPLAINS. DAIRY FARMERS ALL OVER EUROPE WILL NOW BE ABLE TO PRODUCE AND SELL AS MUCH MILK AS THEY WANT. SO WHAT WILL THE END OF QUOTAS MEAN? SOME PEOPLE WILL THINK THIS IS A FREE TICKET TO PRODUCE AS MUCH MILK AS WE LIKE. THAT IS... IF ANY FARMER THINKS LIKE THAT, I THINK THEY'RE BEING SILLY, SHORT-SIGHTED, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT GETTING THE MILK IN THE TANKER AND OFF FARM; IT'S ABOUT WHERE YOU'RE GONNA SELL IT AND WHO YOU'RE GONNA SELL IT TO. THE QUOTA SYSTEM WAS SET UP TO CONTROL THE HUGE OVERPRODUCTION WHICH HAD LED TO WHAT BECAME KNOWN AS MILK LAKES AND BUTTER MOUNTAINS. FROM 1984, MEMBER STATES WERE FINED HEAVILY IF THEY PRODUCED TOO MUCH MILK. NOW THE SITUATION IS EVOLVING. DEMAND IN ASIA AND AFRICA IS PREDICTED TO RISE. NOW, THIS IS A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN EU AGRICULTURAL POLICY. NOW, GLOBALLY, MORE MILK IS BEING PRODUCED THAN IS BEING CONSUMED. PRICES HAVE CRASHED. NO ONE KNOWS QUITE WHAT EFFECT THIS CHANGE WILL HAVE. THE NATIONAL FARMERS UNION BELIEVES THAT THERE COULD BE THREATS BUT ALSO REAL OPPORTUNITIES. WITHIN EUROPE, AS WE HAD A CEILING OF MILK THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY PRODUCE, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO ACTUALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE GROWING MARKETS. WHEREAS, ACTUALLY, NOW WE CAN ACTUALLY GROW ALONGSIDE NZ, AUSTRALIA AND THE STATES. TERMINALLY ILL CRICKET LEGEND MARTIN CROWE HAS DELIVERED A STUNNING TRIBUTE TO RETIRING BOWLER DANIEL VETTORI. HE FINISHED SPEAKING AT THE NZ CRICKET AWARDS WITH A MENTION OF HIS ENCOUNTER WITH VETTORI AFTER THE BLACKCAPS' LOSS TO AUSTRALIA ON SUNDAY. HE GAVE ME A HUGE HUG, AND I JUST SAID, 'WHAT A CAREER. WHAT AN INSPIRATION. 'YOU SET THE BENCHMARK FOR EVERYONE IN THIS TEAM. '18 YEARS OF CLASS, SKILL, DEVOTION.' CROWE SAID HE EXPECTED VETTORI WOULD ONE DAY BE INDUCTED INTO THE ICC HALL OF FAME. AFTER ALMOST 70 YEARS SERVING FOOD, SELLING GOODS AND FUNDING WELFARE PROJECTS ON DEFENCE FORCE BASES, IT'S BEEN REVEALED ARMED FORCES CANTEENS MAY BE PRIVATISED BY THE GOVERNMENT. LABOUR SAYS THE PROPOSAL COULD COST UP TO 80 JOBS. MICHAEL PARKIN HAS MORE. HOT SHOTS STORES, AS THEY'RE CURRENTLY KNOWN, HAVE BEEN SELLING EVERYTHING FROM MUFFINS TO LAWNMOWERS TO CARDS TO COUCHES TO THOSE ON DEFENCE FORCE BASES SINCE THEY WERE ESTABLISHED BY THE GOVERNMENT 67 YEARS AGO. WITH PART OF THEIR PROFITS GOING TOWARDS MILITARY WELFARE PROJECTS, BUT LABOUR SAYS THOSE FUNDS AND STAFF ARE NOW IN THE FIRING LINE WITH THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSING TO PRIVATISE THE STORES. THE DEFENCE FORCE PEOPLE ARE WORRIED. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE LOSING. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GONNA GET IN PLACE. THEY KNOW SOME OF THE SHOPS WILL BE CLOSED. THEY KNOW THERE WILL BE PRIVATISATION. THEY FEAR THAT THE WELFARE FUNDS THAT THEY GET FROM THE PROFITS WON'T GO BACK TO THE DEFENCE FORCE PERSONNEL. LAST YEAR THE NINE STORES TURNED A PROFIT WITH A SURPLUS OF $300,000. $182,000 OF WHICH WENT TO THE DEFENCE WELFARE FUNDS. LOOK, I THINK THERE ARE OTHER WAYS IN WHICH THAT WELFARE FUND MIGHT BE FILLED UP, BUT THERE ARE PART OF THE ISSUES, THE MATTERS THAT GET DEALT WITH IN THE REVIEW PROCESS. LABOUR SAYS THE GOVERNMENT DEMANDS FOR DEFENCE TO CUT COSTS ARE BEHIND THE POSSIBLE PRIVATISATION. IS IT COST CUTTING? NO, I THINK IT'S RECOGNISING THAT APPLIANCE SALES, AND THAT TYPE OF THING, ARE NO LONGER APPROPRIATE FOR THAT PARTICULAR OPERATION. THE CANTEEN'S 80 STAFF WERE TOLD OF THE POSSIBLE CHANGES TWO WEEKS AGO AND HAVE UNTIL APRIL 10 TO MAKE A SUBMISSION ON THE RESTRUCTURE. IT'S A BOMB SHELL DROPPED ON MEMBERS OF THE DEFENCE FORCE. NO CONSULTATION. THEY SAY, 'TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BEFORE APRIL 10TH.' THAT'S OVER EASTER. AT WHICH POINT HOT SHOTS SERVICE MAY COME TO AN END. MICHAEL PARKIN, ONE NEWS. POLICE WILL BE TARGETING SEATBELT WEARING AND DRINK DRIVING OVER EASTER. THE OFFICIAL HOLIDAY ROAD TOLL PERIOD STARTS AT 4 O'CLOCK TODAY AND ENDS AT 6 AM TUESDAY. POLICE WILL AGAIN BE ENFORCING A 4KM/H SPEED LIMIT, DESPITE CONCERNS THAT THE MESSAGE WAS CONFUSING OVER THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD. CHRISTCHURCH WILL SOON HAVE A PUBLIC BIKE SHARE SYSTEM. FROM JUNE, 35 BIKES WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR HIRE AT FIVE STATIONS LOCATED AROUND THE CENTRAL CITY. THE FIRST HALF HOUR IS FREE AND AFTER THAT IT'S $4 AN HOUR. YOU DON'T NEED ANYTHING. YOU CAN JUST COME UP TO THE BIKE, SCAN THE BIKE AND RELEASE THE LOCK AND HELMET, SO YOU CAN USE THAT LOCK AROUND TOWN WHILE YOU DO SOME SHOPPING AND THEN JUST RETURN IT TO AN OFFICIAL STATION WHEN YOU'RE DONE. THERE'S MORE THAN 600 BIKE SHARE SCHEMES OPERATING SUCCESSFULLY ON A GLOBAL SCALE INCLUDING IN LONDON, NEW YORK AND AUCKLAND. IN AUSTRALIA, A FATHER IS FACING MORE THAN A DECADE IN JAIL AFTER MARRYING OFF HIS 12-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER IN AN ISLAMIC CEREMONY. A JUDGE SAID THE MUSLIM CONVERT HAD ENCOURAGED THE YOUNG GIRL TO HAVE SEX WITH A 27-YEAR-OLD MAN. CHANNEL NINE'S KELLY FEDOR WITH THIS REPORT. HE SAID HE WAS PROTECTING HIS DAUGHTER FROM SIN, BUT HE WASN'T PROTECTING HER AT ALL. THE MAN, WHO CAN'T BE NAMED, TODAY FOUND GUILTY OF ARRANGING HER MARRIAGE AT THE AGE OF JUST 12. DO YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU DID WAS RIGHT? THE 27-YEAR-OLD HUSBAND TO LEBANESE STUDENT ASKED IF HE COULD MARRY THE GIRL AFTER CATCHING A GLIMPSE OF HER AT A MOSQUE IN NOVEMBER 2013. THE COURT HEARD THE FATHER WAS CONCERNED... AND SAID... SO HE ARRANGED A MEETING AND IN JANUARY 2014 ASKED SHEIK MUHAMMAD TASAWAR TO CONDUCT THE CEREMONY IN THE LOUNGE ROOM OF THEIR HOME. THE JUDGE FOUND HE'D... THE FATHER CONVERTED TO ISLAM ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO AND HAS STRICT BELIEFS. IN A BIZARRE ENCOUNTER TODAY, HE SOUGHT ME OUT TO SAY WOMAN SHOULD ONLY MARRY CIRCUMCISED MEN TO AVOID OVARIAN AND CERVICAL CANCER. DURING THE TRIAL HE DENIED DOING ANYTHING WRONG. SHE JUST WANTS TO BE WITH HER HUSBAND, LOVES HIM VERY MUCH. WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN? THE HUSBAND WAS SENTENCED EARLIER THIS YEAR TO AT LEAST SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS JAIL. THE FATHER FACES A MAXIMUM OF 14 YEARS. THE FATE OF THE TWO AUSTRALIANS ON DEATH ROW IN INDONESIA WILL BE DECIDED BY A COURT IN JAKARTA NEXT MONDAY. A PANEL OF THREE JUDGES WILL HAND DOWN THEIR VERDICT ON AN APPEAL BY ANDREW CHAN AND MYRAN SUKUMARAN. THE TWO CONVICTED DRUGS SMUGGLERS ARE ATTEMPTING TO CHALLENGE THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO REFUSE THEM CLEMENCY. A HUGE UNDERGROUND FIRE HAS SEEN THOUSANDS OF WORKERS EVACUATED IN CENTRAL LONDON. THE ELECTRICAL FIRE SENT PLUMES OF SMOKE BILLOWING INTO NEARBY BUILDINGS IN HOLBORN, WITH MORE THAN 70 FIRE FIGHTERS BATTLING TO CONTROL THE BLAZE. 5000 PEOPLE WERE EVACUATED AND SEVERAL WEST END SHOWS CANCELLED. FOUR PEOPLE HAVE DIED AND 16 WERE INJURED AFTER A BALL OF FLAMES ENGULFED AN OIL PLATFORM IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. FIREFIGHTING BOATS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO EXTINGUISH THE BLAZE WHICH FORCED THE EVACUATION OF 300 PEOPLE. MEXICO'S STATE-OWNED OIL COMPANY, PEMEX, SAYS THERE NO EVIDENCE YET OF A MAJOR OIL SPILL FOLLOWING THE BLAST. TURKISH POLICE HAVE KILLED AN ARMED WOMAN AND WOUNDED A GUNMAN WHO OPENED FIRE OUTSIDE ISTANBUL'S POLICE HEADQUARTERS. THE WOMAN IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN CARRYING A BOMB, BUT NO ONE HAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ATTACK. THE INCIDENT FOLLOWS A FATAL HOSTAGE SITUATION EARLIER IN THE WEEK, WHEN A PROSECUTOR AND TWO GUNMEN DIED IN A SHOOTOUT IN AN ISTANBUL COURTHOUSE. THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT'S CLAIMING VICTORY OVER ISLAMIC STATE IN THE NORTHERN CITY OF TIKRIT, SAYING ONLY SMALL POCKETS OF RESISTANCE REMAIN. SOLDIERS FOUND VEHICLES LADEN WITH EXPLOSIVES AND BUILDINGS THAT MIGHT BE BOOBY-TRAPPED. MILITANTS CAPTURED THE CITY NINE MONTHS AGO AND THE ARMY HAS TRIED AND FAILED TO RECAPTURE IT MANY TIMES BEFORE. THE BATTLE WAS SUPPORTED BY SHI'ITE MILITIA MEN AND US-LED AIR STRIKES. LEGENDARY SINGER JONI MITCHELL'S IN INTENSIVE CARE AFTER BEING FOUND UNCONSCIOUS AT HER HOME. MITCHELL (71) WAS RUSHED TO HOSPITAL BUT APPARENTLY REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE WAY TO A LOS ANGELES HOSPITAL. SHE'S UNDERGOING TESTS AND IS REPORTEDLY NOW AWAKE AND IN GOOD SPIRITS. MITCHELL FIRST SHOT TO FAME IN THE LATE '60S WITH TRACKS LIKE 'BIG YELLOW TAXI' AND 'WOODSTOCK'. AND CYNTHIA LENNON, THE FIRST WIFE OF BEATLE JOHN LENNON, HAS DIED OF CANCER AT HER HOME IN SPAIN. SHE MET JOHN LENNON AT ART SCHOOL, AND THE PAIR MARRIED JUST BEFORE THE BEATLES SHOT TO FAME. CYNTHIA LENNON WAS THE MOTHER OF MUSICIAN JULIAN LENNON. SHE WAS 75. A GAZA MAN SAYS HE WAS DUPED INTO SELLING AN ORIGINAL WORK BY THE BRITISH GRAFFITI ARTIST BANKSY FOR LESS THAN $200. BANKSY'S BELIEVED TO HAVE SNUCK INTO GAZA IN FEBRUARY, LEAVING BEHIND FOUR MURALS, INCLUDING THIS ONE. THE PAINTING, TITLED 'BOMB DAMAGE', WAS DRAWN ON THE ONLY REMAINING PART OF A TWO-STOREY HOUSE. MANY OF BANKSY'S WORKS ARE WORTH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. STILL TO COME ON MIDDAY ` THE WAY OF THE FUTURE ` HYDROGEN CARS, BUT WHERE WILL YOU FILL UP? AND IN SPORT, THE NASCAR EQUIVALENT OF DEFLATE GATE SEES A TEAM HIT WITH A NEAR-RECORD PENALTY. THERE'S MOUNTING EVIDENCE THAT THE WIDELY USED PAINKILLER PARACETAMOL COULD BE DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD FOR THOSE WITH BACK PAIN OR OSTEOARTHRITIS. NEW AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH HAS CALLED FOR AN URGENT REVIEW OF CURRENT GUIDELINES. CHANNEL NINE'S GABRIELLA ROGERS REPORTS. PARACETAMOL IS THE FIRST-LINE TREATMENT FOR LOW-BACK PAIN AND OSTEOARTHRITIS, TWO CONDITIONS THAT HAVE CAUSED YARIE NICKOLIC CONSIDERABLE PAIN. AT TIMES WHEN YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING, AND YOU KNOW YOUR BACK IS GOING TO BE... YOU'RE GOING TO FEEL IT AND YOU'RE GOING TO FEEL BAD, WELL, THEN YOU THINK, 'WELL, WHAT THE HELL, I'LL TAKE A COUPLE AND BE DONE WITH IT.' IN AUSTRALIA, WE SPEND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR ON TREATMENT FOR BACK PAIN. TAPPING INTO A GLOBAL DATABASE OF THE BEST EVIDENCE, THE REVIEW FOUND THAT PARACETAMOL WAS INEFFECTIVE FOR LOW-BACK PAIN. THE BENEFITS FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS AT THE HIP AND KNEE WERE CONSIDERED TOO SMALL TO BE WORTHWHILE. THERE'S ALSO THE RISK OF LIVER TOXICITY. PATIENTS WERE NEARLY FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY TO HAVE TO HAVE ABNORMAL LIVER FUNCTION TESTS. WHEN YOU BALANCE UP THE CONTEXT THAT THERE'S VERY LITTLE IF ANY BENEFIT AND THE POTENTIAL FOR HARMS, THEN THERE'S VERY LITTLE INCENTIVE TO ENCOURAGE PATIENTS TO CONTINUE TO TAKE THIS ON A REGULAR BASIS FOR THEIR OSTEOARTHRITIS PAIN. OTHER POTENTIAL HARMS INCLUDE INCREASED RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND, IN RARE CASES, DEATH. THERE ARE BETTER, SAFER AND MORE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS THAN PARACETAMOL. YARIE NICKOLIC TURNED TO A PHYSIOTHERAPIST FOR ADVICE, AND A TAILOR-MADE EXERCISE PROGRAMME HAS HELPED HER RECOVERY. IT'S MADE A LOT OF DIFFERENCE, COS WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE PAIN, OR HAVE LITTLE PAIN, YOU'RE ALSO HAPPIER. YARIE HAS AVOIDED HAVING A DOUBLE KNEE REPLACEMENT, AND STAYING ACTIVE HAS BEEN THE PERFECT REMEDY. IMAGINE THE IDEA OF FREE FUEL FOREVER. WELL THE FIRST HYDROGEN-POWERED CAR'S BEEN UNVEILED WITH THE PROMISE OF JUST THAT, BUT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FOR ITS DRIVER WILL BE WHERE TO FILL UP. CHANNEL NINE'S ROSS GREENWOOD REPORTS. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T CALL THIS CAR A BOMB. WELL, ALL FUELS ARE DANGEROUS. PETROL'S DANGEROUS. ELECTRICITY'S DANGEROUS IF YOU HANDLE IT THE WRONG WAY. I FEEL TOTALLY SAFE IN THE CAR. HYDROGEN HAS PLENTY OF ADVANTAGES. IT'S CHEAP ` THE MOST ABUNDANT ELEMENT ON EARTH. AND THAT'S NOT ALL. THE HYUNDAI I35 FUEL CELL IS THE FIRST HERE. TOYOTA AND HONDA ALSO HAVE HYDROGEN CARS, AND COMPETITION IS BRINGING DOWN THE PRICE. IN THE US AN I35 LEASE COSTS $2000 UP FRONT, AND $499 A MONTH. THE HYDROGEN FUEL, FOR NOW, IS FREE OF CHARGE. NO ONE IS GONNA MAKE MONEY UNTIL WE GET CRITICAL MASS, AND THAT COULD BE FIVE TO TEN YEARS AWAY. THE CAR HAS A RANGE OF JUST UNDER 600KM, AND A TOP SPEED OF 160KM/H. THE EASIEST THING ABOUT THE HYDROGEN CAR IS THAT I DON'T HAVE TO PLUG IT IN EVERY NIGHT. IT DOESN'T TAKE EIGHT HOURS TO REFUEL. TIM BUSH IS A STATE FARM INSURANCE AGENT BASED IN NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA. HE'S HAD THE CAR FOR SIX MONTHS. IT RESPONDS QUICKER TO THE GAS PEDAL. AND IT'S TOTALLY QUIET, WHICH IS KINDA NEAT AS WELL. THERE'S NO DOUBT THIS CAR IS REVOLUTIONARY, AND ALSO THE OFFER TO GIVE FREE FUEL TO MOTORISTS IN NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE TO ENTICE THEM TO GET INTO THE VEHICLE IS A GREAT IDEA. THE PROBLEM IS TRYING TO CONVINCE THE BIG OIL COMPANIES TO THEMSELVES GET ON BOARD, AND HAVE THE BOWSERS AT THEIR PETROL STATIONS, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW FOR HYDROGEN FUEL TO WORK, YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE MORE FUEL STATIONS. WHAT'S NEEDED IS A HYDROGEN HIGHWAY. THE GOVERNMENT'S INTERESTED BUT NOT COMMITTED. CHARLES PIUTAU IS HOPING THAT HE HASN'T RUINED HIS FUTURE ALL BLACK OPPORTUNTIIES BY SIGNING WITH IRISH SIDE ULSTER. HIS TWO-YEAR CONTRACT WAS CONFIRMED OVERNIGHT, WITH PIUATAU MAKING THE SHIFT IN JULY NEXT YEAR. IT HAD BEEN THOUGHT THE 14-MATCH ALL BLACK WAS GOING TO RE-SIGN WITH THE NZRU. HOWEVER, HIS SURPRISE DECISION HAS STUNNED MANY, INCLUDING THE ALL BLACK COACH STEVE HANSEN. PIUATAU STILL HAS ASPIRATIONS OF BEING PART OF THIS YEAR'S WORLD CUP SQUAD. NO, IT'S FAIR FOR COACHES IN NZRU TO HAVE THEIR FEELINGS. FOR ME I HAVE TO BE COMFORTABLE IN MY DECISION. AND HOPEFULLY BE PART OF THAT TEAM. PIUATAU ADMITS THE OPPORTUNITY WAS TOO GOOD TO TURN DOWN, WITH IT THOUGHT HE WILL EARN CLOSE TO $1M A SEASON. THE BLACKCAPS WRAPPED UP A STELLAR SUMMER WITH THE ANNUAL CRICKET AWARDS IN AUCKLAND LAST NIGHT. SKIPPER BRENDON MCCULLUM WAS AWARDED THE SIR RICHARD HADLEE MEDAL FOR CRICKETER OF THE YEAR. HE WAS DESCRIBED AS INSPIRATIONAL IN THE WORLD CUP CAMPAIGN, WHERE THE BLACKCAPS MADE THE FINAL FOR THE FIRST TIME. YEAH, WE'RE REALLY LUCKY THAT WE'VE GOT GOOD PEOPLE AS WELL AS GOOD CRICKETERS, AND I THINK WHAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS IS JUST TESTAMENT TO A TEAM WHICH IS PREPARED TO REPRESENT THEIR COUNTRY AND LEAVE NOTHING OUT THERE AND TRY AND BE GOOD PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME, AND I THINK THAT'S ENDEARED OURSELVES TO THE PUBLIC, NOT JUST IN NZ, BUT AROUND THE WORLD. KANE WILLIAMSON TOOK HOME A HAUL OF TROPHIES, NAMED BEST BATSMAN AND PLAYER OF THE YEAR ACROSS ALL THREE FORMATS. IT'S NICE TO RECEIVE THE ODD AWARD, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE WAY MIKE AND BRENDON HAVE LED THE TEAM AND CREATED A REALLY` I CALL IT A GIVING CULTURE, WHICH TO ME ALLOWS US TO CALL OURSELVES TEAM. EVERYONE GIVING TO A COMMON CAUSE IS WHAT, SORT OF, BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE. TRENT BOULT WAS NAMED BOWLER OF THE YEAR, THE PACEMAN THE JOINT LEADING WICKET TAKER AT THE WORLD CUP WITH 22. THE WARRIORS HEAD TO MELBOURNE TO FACE THE STORM THIS WEEKEND, LOOKING TO PUT SOME CONSISTENCY INTO THEIR NRL CAMPAIGN. FOR ONE WARRIOR, IT WILL BE AN UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCE ` OFF-SEASON SIGNING RYAN HOFFMAN. HE LINES UP FOR THE WARRIORS AGAINST HIS FORMER SIDE FOR THE FIRST TIME TO BRING UP AN IMPRESSIVE MILESTONE, IN WHAT WILL BE HIS 250TH NRL MATCH. SOMEONE IN THE NRL HAS A SENSE OF HUMOUR, SO, LOOK, IT'S SOMETHING SPECIAL. I MEAN YOU DON'T SET OUT TO PLAY A CERTAIN NUMBER OF GAMES, BUT TO PLAY 250 IS SOMETHING I'M VERY PROUD OF, BUT I'LL BE MORE PROUD OF A GOOD EFFORT FROM THE TEAM AND HOPEFULLY GETTING TWO POINTS. THE WARRIORS CURRENTLY SIT NINTH ON THE TABLE WITH TWO WINS FROM FOUR GAMES. A TOP NASCAR RACING DRIVER HAS BEEN HIT WITH A NEAR-RECORD PENALTY IN WHAT'S BEEN CALLED THE SPORT'S 'DEFLATE-GATE' ` CHEATING BY LETTING AIR OUT OF TYRES. THE ABC'S RYAN SMITH EXPLAINS. RYAN NEWMAN IS GONNA GET IN WITH THAT MOVE. THIS MORNING, NASCAR FLAGGING ONE OF IT'S TOP RACING TEAMS FOR CHEATING. THE RACING ASSOCIATION, TUESDAY, DOCKING DRIVER RYAN 'ROCKETMAN' NEWMAN 75 CRUCIAL SPRINT CUP POINTS, FINING HIS CREW CHIEF $125,000 AND SUSPENDING THREE MEMBERS OF HIS CREW FOR DEFLATING HIS TYRES IN THIS RACE LAST MONTH, WHERE HE FINISHED 5TH. THE PENALTY DROPPING NEWMAN 6TH TO 26TH IN THE RACE FOR NASCAR'S BIGGEST PRIZE ` THE SPRINT CUP. OVERNIGHT NEWMAN'S TEAM TELLING ABC NEWS... ...ADDING THEY'VE BEEN OUTSPOKEN AGAINST TYRE BLEEDING AND VOWING TO CONDUCT AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION. ALL SEASON NASCAR HAS BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT TYRE BLEEDING ` POKING MINISCULE HOLES IN TYRES TO SLOWLY RELEASE AIR, IMPROVING TYRE DURABILITY AND HELPING DRIVERS ACHIEVE THAT IDEAL GRIP ON THE TRACK. IT'S A CONCERN THAT SUPER STAR JEFF GORDON RAISED ON FRIDAY. I'VE HEARD ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS WITH VALVE CAPS AND POKING HOLES IN TYRES FOR YEARS. NASCAR SEIZED TYRES FROM EIGHT OF ITS TRACK LEADERS DURING A TWO WEEK PERIOD THIS MONTH. AT THE TIME, NASCAR OFFICIALS TOLD ABC NEWS TYRE INSPECTIONS ARE FREQUENT AND NOT UNUSUAL. NOW THOSE RACER'S TYRES HAVE COME BACK CLEAN, EXCEPT FOR NEWMAN'S. STILL TO COME ON MIDDAY ` I'LL BE BACK WITH THE AFTERNOON WEATHER. YOUR WEATHER'S NEXT, BUT FIRST LET'S LOOK AT OUR TOP STORIES ` MARK LUNDY'S QUEST TO HAVE HIS CONVICTION OVERTURNED MAY NOT BE OVER WITH LEGAL EXPERTS BELIEVING HIS TEAM MAY SEEK AN APPEAL AFTER YESTERDAY'S GUILTY DOUBLE-MURDER VERDICT. FONTERRA MILK PRICES HAVE FALLEN ALMOST 11%. THIS COMES AS EUROPE ABOLISHES ITS MILK QUOTAS, INCREASING COMPETITION GLOBALLY. NOW TO THE WEATHER. FOR WEATHER, SEE ONENEWS.CO.NZ THANKS FOR JOINING US. THE ONE NEWS HOUR WILL BE HERE AT 6. GOOD AFTERNOON. CAPTIONS BY ANTONY VLUG AND ASHLEE SCHOLEFIELD. CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR. COPYRIGHT ABLE 2015