IT'S MIDDAY, TUESDAY THE 18TH OF OCTOBER. OUR GROWING PRISON POPULATION FORCES THE GOVERNMENT TO INVEST IN 1800 NEW BEDS. HOW IT'LL BE ACHIEVED AND AT WHAT COST. HOSPITALS UNDER PRESSURE AROUND THE COUNTRY AS 3000 JUNIOR DOCTORS BEGIN THEIR PLANNED TWO-DAY STRIKE. PLUS ` THE BATTLE FOR MOSUL. IRAQI FORCES, BACKED BY THE US AND BRITAIN, BEGIN A FIERCE BATTLE TO DRIVE ISIS OUT OF ITS STRONGHOLD. DUE TO THE LIVE NATURE OF MIDDAY, WE APOLOGISE FOR THE LACK OF CAPTIONS FOR SOME ITEMS. BUT FIRST, AS WE GO TO AIR, BUT FIRST, AS WE GO TO AIR, A CORDON IS IN PLACE AROUND THE WHANGAREI AMBULANCE STATION AFTER A MAN DIED AFTER BEING DROPPED THERE THIS MORNING. WILL HINE JOINS US FROM OUR AUCKLAND NEWSROOM WITH MORE DETAILS. WILL, POLICE ARE TREATING HIS DEATH AS SUSPICIOUS? That is right. Details are still scared. Police were called the ambulance station at about 20 to 7. They'll be looking into the cause of death and the identity of the person. Friends and family of the man seemed to have gathered at the scene. They are openly grieving. We have been told that there is a silver Mercedes in behind the police cordon. A post-mortem will take place tomorrow on this man. We will have more details on the incident as they come to hand today on our website. THANKS, WILL. A BILLION DOLLARS IS GOING TO BE SPENT ON NEARLY 2000 MORE PRISON BEDS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE CORRECTIONS MINISTER'S CONFIRMED THE PLAN IS WAY HIGHER THAN WAS BUDGETED FOR THIS YEAR. POLITICAL REPORTER ANDREA VANCE NOTED EARLIER THIS YEAR THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE TO BOOST PRISON CAPACITY. SHE'S WITH US NOW AT PARLIAMENT. ANDREA, WHY'S THE GOVERNMENT SUDDENLY ANNOUNCING PRISON EXPANSION THAT'S MORE THAN FIVE TIMES ITS ORIGINAL PLAN? The prison population has been going up and up. They had actually said it was going down. The government has started mothballing some of those older prisons and units. They are talking about increasing double bunking and building new units and potentially a new prison. The government has been having a crackdown on law and order over recent years. Prisoners are serving more the sentences in prison. Here is what Judith Collins had to say. WE EITHER TAKE FAMILY VIOLENCE AND METHAMPHETAMINE SERIOUSLY, OR WE THINK IT'S JUST TOO HARD, AND WE'VE DECIDED AS A GOVERNMENT TO TAKE IT REALLY SERIOUSLY. SO THE MESSAGE IS THERE. DON'T THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET A GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH BEDS, BECAUSE WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH BEDS. AND, ANDREA, JUDITH COLLINS WAS QUESTIONED ABOUT FALLING WELL SHORT OF THE GOVERNMENT'S TARGET TO REDUCE REPEAT OFFENDING. TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT. This was a very ambitious target. The government set this early on in its first administration. The idea was to cut reoffending by 20% by 2017. It was 14%. More recently it has gone to 7%. It is hard to see how they will achieve that target by next year. THE MAN CONVICTED OF MURDERING TWO WOMEN AT ASHBURTON'S WORK AND INCOME OFFICE HAS BEEN GRANTED AN APPEAL HEARING. RUSSELL JOHN TULLY WAS SENTENCED IN MAY TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT WITH A NON-PAROLE PERIOD OF 27 YEARS FOR THE KILLING OF WINZ WORKERS PEGGY NOBLE AND SUSAN CLEVELAND. THE COURT OF APPEAL HAS SCHEDULED TULLY'S HEARING FOR MARCH NEXT YEAR. NEW FIGURES ON SUICIDE JUST OUT AT MIDDAY SHOW NZERS ARE TAKING THEIR LIVES IN GREATER NUMBERS THAN EVER. THE CHIEF CORONER'S PROVISIONAL FIGURES SHOW THE SUICIDE TOLL'S RISEN TO 579 OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS. THAT'S 15 MORE THAN LAST YEAR. THE BIGGEST JUMP IS IN FEMALE SUICIDES, UP 34 ON THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS. 47 MAORI WOMEN TOOK THEIR OWN LIVES IN THE LAST YEAR. THAT'S THE HIGHEST NUMBER ON RECORD. A LONG-PLANNED TWO-DAY STRIKE INVOLVING AROUND 3000 JUNIOR DOCTORS IS NOW UNDERWAY AFTER DISTRICT HEALTH BOARDS REFUSED TO GIVE IN TO DEMANDS AROUND WORKING CONDITIONS. ZAC FLEMING JOINS US NOW LIVE FROM OUTSIDE AUCKLAND HOSPITAL. ZAC, DOES IT APPEAR TO BE BUSINESS AS USUAL? Kind of. Inside the hospital here they are struggling a bit with what is likely to be a skeleton staff. But in other places you would have no idea there was a major strike on. It was a small protest outside Christchurch Hospital this morning. They were saying things like tired doctors make mistakes. They said this is a last resort for them. They didn't want the strike to go ahead. The strike has 43 hours to go. They are saying they're prepared for more strikes if the DHB's don't give in to the demands of better working conditions. As soon as the strike is over, both sides say they are prepared to get back to the table. THE LAST MAJOR IRAQI STRONGHOLD CONTROLLED BY ISIS IS UNDER ATTACK FROM THOUSANDS OF IRAQI AND KURDISH FORCES. THE COUNTRY'S PRIME MINISTER SAYS THE 'HOUR OF VICTORY' HAS ARRIVED. TROOPS ARE ADVANCING ON MOSUL, BUT THERE ARE CONCERNS FOR THE THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS STILL TRAPPED THERE. THE BBC'S ORLA GUERIN HAS MORE. AT FIRST LIGHT, THE ADVANCE ON SO-CALLED ISLAMIC STATE. ZERO HOUR HAS FINALLY COME, BRINGING AN OFFENSIVE THAT COULD DECIDE THE FATE OF THE EXTREMISTS AND ULTIMATELY OF IRAQ ITSELF. WELL, THE OFFENSIVE IS NOW WELL UNDERWAY. THE KURDISH FORCES HAVE BEEN MOVING FORWARD STEADILY, AND WE'VE BEEN ADVANCING WITH THEM. WE'RE NOW AT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 300M FROM THE NEAREST IS POSITIONS. BUT THIS IS REALLY JUST THE FIRST STAGE OF WHAT IS EXPECTED TO BE A LONG BATTLE. FIRST THEY HAVE TO BE FLUSHED OUT OF THE VILLAGES AHEAD. HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN ONE ATTACKER APPROACHED WITH A SUSPECTED CAR BOMB. YELLING, GUNFIRE BOOM! BEFORE HE COULD REACH THEM, HIS VEHICLE EXPLODED. IS ATTEMPTED AT LEAST THREE MORE SUICIDE AND TRUCK BOMB ATTACKS, BUT THE KURDS PRESSEDS ON WITH HELP FROM AIR STRIKES BY THE US-LED COALITION. 'WE HAVE A POWERFUL ENEMY. 'THEY ARE NOT JUST FIGHITNG THE KURDS OR THE SHIA,' SAYS THIS COLONEL. 'THEY ARE FIGHTING THE WHOLE WORLD. 'WE WANT TO DEFEAT THEM FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE.' AND THIS IS THE TERRITORY THEY TOOK FROM THE ENEMY TODAY ` ABOUT 80 SQUARE MILES. ANY CIVILIANS WERE ALREADY LONG GONE. THERE WAS LITTLE ENOUGH RESISTANCE HERE, BUT IT WILL BE A VERY DIFFERENT PICTURE INSIDE MOSUL. THE KURDS ARE SUPPOSED TO CLEAR A PATH TO THE CITY, NOT GO INSIDE IT. BUT AS THEY DRIVE OUT IS, THEY'VE BEEN ADDING TO THEIR TERRITORY, AND WHAT THEY HAVE CAPTURED, THEY INTEND TO KEEP. JUST ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH THE BATTLE FOR MOSUL COULD SPELL THE END OF IRAQ. AND LATER IN THE BULLETIN WE'LL LOOK AT WHY MOSUL IS SO IMPORTANT TO ISIS AND WHAT A DEFEAT THERE COULD MEAN FOR THE GROUP AND THE REST OF THE MIDDLE EAST. THE US STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS RUSSIA'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF A HUMANITARIAN PAUSE IN ITS BOMBING OF ALEPPO IS 'TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE'. MOSCOW SAYS IT'LL HALT OPERATIONS IN ALEPPO LATER THIS WEEK FOR EIGHT HOURS, WITH BOTH RUSSIAN AND SYRIAN FORCES STOPPING AIR STRIKES DURING THAT TIME. THE ANNOUNCEMENT COMES ON THE DAY 14 MEMBERS OF A SINGLE FAMILY WERE KILLED IN AN AIR STRIKE IN THE CITY. THE JURY IN THE TINDER DATE MURDER TRIAL IS SET TO RESUME DELIBERATIONS IN A COUPLE OF HOURS. IT'S DECIDING WHETHER GABLE TOSTEE IS GUILTY OF MURDERING NZER WARRIENA WRIGHT ON THE GOLD COAST TWO YEARS AGO. THE JURY BEGAN DELIBERATING YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, AND BEFORE FINISHING FOR THE DAY PUT A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS TO THE JUDGE, INCLUDING WHETHER SHOULD CONSIDER MS WRIGHT'S STATE OF MIND AND LEVEL OF INTOXICATION AT THE TIME SHE FELL. AN AUSTRALIAN FAMILY OF FOUR, INCLUDING TWO CHILDREN, HAVE BEEN FOUND DEAD INSIDE THEIR SYDNEY HOME. THE YOUNG GIRL AND HER LITTLE BROTHER HAD SEVERE DISABILITIES. THE ALARM WAS RAISED WHEN THEIR MOTHER DIDN'T TURN UP FOR WORK. CHANNEL NINE'S SIMON BOUDA REPORTS. IT WAS AN HORRIFIC DISCOVERY ` A MOTHER, FATHER, THEIR TWO CHILDREN, DEAD. SHAKILY: YOU'D SEE THE FAMILY AND KIDS IN THE AREA AND TO COME HOME TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND WHAT I'M SUSPECTING'S HAPPENED REALLY HITS HOME. THE BODIES WERE FOUND BY A WORRIED FRIEND. THE FAMILY DOG HAD ALSO BEEN KILLED. IT'S A HORRIFIC THING THAT'S HAPPENED IN THIS SUBURB. POLICE AND PARAMEDICS CONVERGED ON THE FAMILY HOME IN SIR THOMAS MITCHELL DRIVE. THE FAMILY HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS FERNANDO MANRIQUE, MARIA LUTZ, ELISA (11) AND MARTIN (10). NEIGHBOURS IN THE LEAFY SUBURB WOULD OFTEN SEE THE CHILDREN PLAYING. IT'S UNDERSTOOD BOTH WERE AUTISTIC. I CAN CONFIRM THAT BOTH CHILDREN SUFFER A SIGNIFICANT DISABILITY. PARENTS AND TEACHERS AT THE SCHOOL WERE TODAY DEVASTATED BY THE NEWS. THIS IS AN EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY. THEY'VE BEEN AT THE SCHOOL HERE FOR SIX YEARS. TWO BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, AND MUM WAS ALMOST A CORNERSTONE OF THE SCHOOL IN MANY WAYS. MARIA RAN THE SCHOOL CANTEEN. IT WAS WHEN SHE DIDN'T TURN UP FOR WORK TODAY THAT A FRIEND WENT TO INVESTIGATE. 9 NEWS HAS BEEN TOLD THERE HAD BEEN DOMESTIC TROUBLE AT THE HOUSE BEFORE, AND THE DEATHS APPEAR TO BE PEACEFUL. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS. TWO YOUNG CHILDREN HAVE DIED, TWO ADULTS HAVE DIED. I JUST WANT TO KEEP THIS INVESTIGATION NICE AND CRISP AND UNTAINTED. THE HOMICIDE SQUAD AND LOCAL DETECTIVES ARE NOW PIECING TOGETHER EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. THE SPECIALISED UNDERSEA CABLE SHIP 'ILE DE RE' HAS DOCKED IN AUCKLAND HARBOUR TODAY, GETTING READY TO LAY THE FINAL SECTIONS OF THE TASMAN GLOBAL ACCESS CABLE. THE PROJECT, WHICH STRETCHES OVER 2000KM FROM RAGLAN TO NARRABEEN BEACH IN AUSTRALIA, IS EXPECTED TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE NZ'S INTERNATIONAL BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY. TELCO GIANTS SPARK AND VODAFONE WITH TELSTRA ARE INVESTING AROUND A $100M IN THE CABLE. STILL TO COME ON MIDDAY ` LOVE AND DESPERATION. THE AUSSIE MUM BREAKS HER SILENCE ON THE BOTCHED 60 MINUTES ABDUCTION IN LEBANON. DAN CARTER'S CLEARED OF DOPING FOLLOWING A PROBE BY THE FRENCH RUGBY FEDERATION, ACCORDING TO REPORTS IN FRANCE. THE WOMAN AT THE CENTRE OF THE FAILED 60 MINUTES CHILD ABDUCTION HAS REVEALED NEW DETAILS ON THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO IT. SPEAKING TO AN AUSTRALIAN CURRENT AFFAIRS SHOW, SALLY FAULKNER CLAIMS HER ESTRANGED HUSBAND HAD TAKEN ONE OF HER CHILDREN FROM HER BEFORE. THE ABC'S JENNIFER HUXLEY REPORTS. SALLY FAULKNER MADE HEADLINES IN APRIL WHEN A BOTCHED CHILD RECOVERY ATTEMPT LANDED HERSELF, A CHANNEL NINE CREW AND HIRED OPERATIVES IN A LEBANESE JAIL. SHE AND THE CREW SPENT TWO WEEKS BEHIND BARS. THE BRISBANE MUM HAS REVEALED THE WHEELS WERE SET IN MOTION FIVE YEARS AGO. THERE WAS AN INCIDENT INVOLVING A PAINTER THAT WAS AT THE HOUSE DURING RENOVATIONS. I HANDED HIM A WATER. HE LOOKED OUT AT ME AND SMILED, AND THAT WAS IT. BUT TO HER HUSBAND AND HIS FAMILY, IT WAS INAPPROPRIATE, FLIRTATIOUS. MS FAULKNER SINGLES OUT THAT MOMENT AS THE TURNING POINT IN HER MARRIAGE TO NOW-ESTRANGED HUSBAND, ALI AL-AMIN. THAT SAME VISIT, HE ASKED FOR THEIR THEN 10-MONTH-OLD DAUGHTER TO BE GIVEN TO HIS MOTHER. SOBS: I HANDED HER OVER. SHE TOOK HER. SHE TOOK HER AND WALKED OUT OF THE HOUSE. AND HE SAID, 'LAHELA'S STAYING HERE.' MS FAULKNER RETURNED TO AUSTRALIA. THREE MONTHS LATER, HE TURNED UP WITH THE LITTLE GIRL. THEY LATER HAD A SON, NOAH. MR AL-AMIN TAKING BOTH CHILDREN WITH THEIR MOTHER'S CONSENT TO LEBANON FOR A HOLIDAY IN MAY LAST YEAR. HI, MUMMY. I COULD JUST SEE HIS FACE. AND I SAID TO HIM, 'WHAT'S WRONG?' AND HE LOOKED AT ME AND HE SAID, 'PLANS HAVE CHANGED, SO OUR KIDS AREN'T COMING HOME.' THE TWO CHILDREN REMAIN IN LEBANON WITH THEIR FATHER. RETURNING NOW TO THE ASSAULT ON MOSUL, THE IRAQI CITY ISIS OVERRAN IN JUNE 2014. IT BECAME A SYMBOL OF THE TERROR GROUP'S GROWING POWER IN THE REGION. ITS LEADER CHOSE THE CITY TO PROCLAIM A CALIPHATE. AS THE BBC'S JOHN SIMPSON REPORTS, LIBERATING THE CITY WOULD HAVE HUGE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE MIDDLE EAST. BACK IN JUNE 2014, THEY SEEMED UNSTOPPABLE, DRIVING A FAR BIGGER FORCE OF IRAQI SOLDIERS OUT OF MOSUL. ABU BAKR AL-BAGHDADI, THEIR LEADER, ANNOUNCED HE WAS SETTING UP A MUSLIM CALIPHATE, COVERING UP LARGE PARTS OF IRAQ AND SYRIA. BUT THEIR EXTREMISM QUICKLY ALIENATED PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE PUBLIC BRUTALITY OF THE CONSTANT EXECUTIONS THEY CARRIED OUT, OFTEN FOR TRIVIAL OFFENCES. HOW SERIOUS IS THIS FOR SO-CALLED ISLAMIC STATE? WELL, THIS WAS THE AREA IS CONTROLLED AT THE START OF LAST YEAR. NOW 21 MONTHS LATER, IT'S IN RETREAT ALMOST EVERYWHERE. BUT BECAUSE MOSUL IS SUNNI-DOMINATED, THE OPERATION WILL BE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE. KURDISH TROOPS MAKE UP A SIZABLE PROPORTION OF THE ATTACKING FORCE. THE IRAQI ARMY HAS A SHEER MAJORITY, AND THERE'S BEEN A HISTORY OF BITTER HOSTILITY BETWEEN THEM AND THE SUNNIS IN THE REGION. THE FORCE IS BEING BACKED BY WESTERN AIRSTRIKES AGAINST IS POSITIONS. BUT THE DEFENDERS HAVE HAD TIME TO PREPARE. THEY'VE DUG NETWORKS OF TUNNELS. THEY'LL HAVE PLANTED PLENTY OF BOOBY TRAP BOMBS. THEY MAY HAVE CHEMICAL WEAPONS. THE REAL DANGER IS THAT THE ATTACK ON MOSUL COULD RESULT IN A HUMANITARIAN DISASTER. A MILLION INHABITANTS MAY NEED FOOD AND SHELTER AND BE USED AS HUMAN SHIELDS. IF THINGS GO WRONG, MOSUL COULD TURN INTO AN IRAQI VERSION OF ALEPPO, AND RUSSIA WOULD THEN CLAIM THAT ITS FEROCIOUS TACTICS THERE ARE ENTIRELY JUSTIFIED. THE HOUSE WHERE HITLER WAS BORN IN AUSTRIA IS TO BE TORN DOWN TO PREVENT IT BECOMING A PILGRIMAGE SITE FOR NEO-NAZIS. THE AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT HAD ALREADY ORDERED THE HOUSE TO BE BOUGHT, BUT NOW A COMMITTEE INCLUDING HISTORIANS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND THE COUNTRY'S MAIN JEWISH ORGANISATION HAVE RECOMMENDED IT BE DESTROYED. THERE ARE REPORTS A NEW BUILDING WILL BE ERECTED ON THE SITE FOR THE COMMUNITY OR CHARITY. AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED AND ANOTHER SIX ARE MISSING AFTER AN EXPLOSION AND FIRE AT A GERMAN CHEMICAL COMPANY. FIRES BROKE OUT AFTER THE BLAST AND THERE ARE REPORTS SOME RESIDENTS CLOSE BY HAVE BEEN HAVING BREATHING DIFFICULTIES. POLICE HAVE RULED OUT TERRORISM. TO SPORT, AND THE SEASON'S OVER FOR AUSTRALIAN TENNIS STAR NICK KYRGIOS. THE 21-YEAR-OLD RECEIVED A BAN OF UP TO EIGHT WEEKS BY THE ATP AND WAS FINED OVER $50,000 AFTER HIS SHOCKING DISPLAY OF SPORTSMANSHIP AT THE SHANGHAI MASTERS. THE WORLD NUMBER 14 HAD A COMPLETE MELTDOWN, APPEARING TO GIVE UP WHILE PLAYING AND VERBALLY ABUSING A SPECTATOR. KYRGIOS RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING HE'S SORRY AND THAT HIS BODY GAVE OUT PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY. THE BLACKCAPS ARE DESPERATE TO GET THAT WINNING FEELING BACK IN WHAT'S BEEN A JOYLESS CRICKET TOUR OF INDIA SO FAR. THE TEAM'S ARRIVED IN NEW DELHI FOR THEIR SECOND ONE-DAYER, FRESH OFF THEIR SIX-WICKET LOSS IN DHARAMSALA. AFTER A FEW LOSSES, YOUR DETERMINATION DEFINITELY DOES GET A BIT STRONGER, AND YOU SORTA JUST WANNA GET ONE WIN JUST TO GET THAT FEELING BACK. BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT ALSO NOT TO TRY AND SEARCH FOR IT TOO MUCH. THE BLACKCAPS CURRENTLY TRAIL 1-0 IN THE FIVE-MATCH SERIES, THE SECOND ODI IS ON THURSDAY. THERE'S CONFUSION AROUND FRENCH MEDIA REPORTS CLAIMING FORMER ALL BLACKS DAN CARTER AND JOE ROKOCOKO HAVE BEEN CLEARED OF DOPING OFFENCES. FRENCH NEWSPAPER L'EQUIPE IS REPORTING CARTER WAS GIVEN THE ALL CLEAR FOLLOWING AN INVESTIGATION BY THE FRENCH RUGBY FEDERATION. CARTER, ALONG WITH TEAMMATES ROKOCOKO AND JUAN IMHOFF, TESTED POSITIVE FOR CORTICOSTEROIDS BUT HAD THERAPEUTIC USE EXEMPTIONS. CARTER'S TOLD 1 NEWS HE'S YET TO LEARN OF THE RESULT. HIS RACING 92 CLUB SAYS THE SAME THING TOO. 12 MONTHS AFTER HIS FAILED RUGBY WORLD CUP ATTEMPT, ENGLAND'S SAM BURGESS IS SET TO LEAD HIS COUNTRY IN THE UPCOMING FOUR NATIONS RUGBY LEAGUE TOURNAMENT. THE BLOCK-BUSTING FORWARD, WHO FAMOUSLY GUIDED SOUTH SYDNEY TO THE 2014 NRL GRAND FINAL WITH A BROKEN JAW, BEFORE DEFLECTING TO RUGBY UNION, HAS TODAY BEEN ANNOUNCED AS THE CAPTAIN OF THE ENGLAND RUGBY LEAGUE SIDE. HIS FIRST ASSIGNMENT WILL BE AGAINST NZ ON NOVEMBER 5. STILL TO COME ON MIDDAY ` I'LL BE BACK WITH THE AFTERNOON WEATHER. PLUS ` THE BOAT THAT ROCKED THE INTERNET. BOATY MCBOATFACE IS RENAMED IN HONOUR OF A LEGENDARY NATURALIST. YOUR WEATHER'S NEXT, BUT FIRST LET'S LOOK AT OUR TOP STORIES. CORDONS REMAIN IN PLACE AT THE WHANGEREI AMBULANCE STATION AS POLICE INVESTIGATE THE SUSPCIOUS DEATH OF A MAN WHO WAS DROPPED OFF THERE THIS MORNING. THE CORRECTION MINISTER'S CONFIRMED A BILLION DOLLARS IS GOING TO BE SPENT ON 1800 NEW PRISON BEDS DUE TO THE GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLE BEHIND BARS. NOW TO THE WEATHER. MAINLY CLEAR SKIES OVER THE TOP HALF OF THE NORTH ISLAND. BRIGHT HIGH CLOUD SOUTH AND OVER EASTERN PARTS OF THE SOUTH ISLAND. FOR WEATHER, SEE TVNZ.CO.NZ JUST BEFORE WE GO, YOU MAY REMEMBER THE ICONIC BOATY MCBOATFACE, A COMMISSIONED RESEARCH SHIP NAMED BY PUBLIC VOTE IN THE UK. WELL, SADLY, PUBLIC OPINION HASN'T WON OUT THIS TIME ` IT'S BEEN RENAMED. BUT AS THE BBC'S VICTORIA GILL REPORTS, ITS NEW NAME IS PERHAPS EVEN BETTER. JUST REACHING THE ANTARCTIC IS TOUGH, BUT AT A TIME OF RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, CARRYING OUT SCIENCE HERE IS VITAL. SO IN A BIRKENHEAD SHIPYARD THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM THAT ICY OCEAN, A POLAR RESEARCH VESSEL IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. NEWS OF �200M UK INVESTMENT IN POLAR SCIENCE WAS ALMOST ECLIPSED BY THE ONLINE VOTE TO NAME THE SHIP, WITH THE PUBLIC OVERWHELMINGLY VOTING FOR THE NAME 'BOATY MCBOATFACE'. DESPITE THAT, THE VESSEL HAS BEEN NAMED SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, IN HONOUR OF BRITAIN'S MOST FAMOUS LIVING NATURALIST. IT'S VERY HUMBLING, ACTUALLY. IF YOU HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION OR ARCTIC EXPLORATION OR THE NAVY, YOU CAN THINK OF SOME VERY VERY DISTINGUISHED NAMES THAT HAVE BEEN CARRIED BY SHIPS. AND THAT MY NAME SHOULD BE AMONG THEM NOW IS A VERY HUMBLING REALISATION. ALL: THREE, TWO, ONE! BOAT HORN BLARES SIR DAVID TOOK PART IN A CEREMONY TODAY TO BEGIN THE SHIP'S CONSTRUCTION, WINCHING A HUGE SECTION OF HIS KEEL INTO PLACE. BUT BOATY MCBOATFACE LIVES ON. THIS IS BOATY. IT'S A ROBOTIC SUBMERSIBLE THAT WILL BE DEPLOYED FROM THE DECK OF THE VESSEL, CARRYING OUT UNDERWATER INVESTIGATIONS IN PLACES THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE INACCESSIBLE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. WITH THE FIRST POLAR MISSION SCHEDULED FOR 2019, SIR DAVID AND BOATY WILL SET OUT TO EXPLORE EARTH'S FROZEN WILDERNESSES TOGETHER. THANKS FOR JOINING US. THE 1 NEWS HOUR WILL BE HERE AT 6. GOOD AFTERNOON. CAPTIONS BY ASHLEE SCHOLEFIELD AND JAKE EBDALE. CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR.