Coming up on Te Karere... A report says our prisons are failing, and calls for change. A Northland iwi targets a bank which it accuses of investing in a mining company that's active in its region. And it felt like the whole town was there when the NZ Warriors came to Kaitaia. 07 December 2016 Due to the live nature of Te Karere, some segments will not be subtitled. Tena koutou katoa, and welcome to Te Karere. A bus load of Northland hapu Ngati Hau arrived in Auckland today to further protest against the mineral mining at Puhipuhi mountain near Whangarei. Today they took their message to the office of what they claim is one of the big investors of mining company, Evolution. Irena Smith has the story. We're unable to provide subtitles. Irena Smith, Te Karere. Tauranga MP Simon Bridges has announced his bid to be deputy prime minister. The cabinet minister who is of Ngati Manaipoto descent added that he's backing Bill English for the top job. Another contender for the deputy prime minister's role is Paula Bennett who is yet to signal her intentions. Solid Energy's penned an open letter defending its plan to permanently seal the Pike River mine reiterating it won't change its stance. The company's directors maintain it's not safe to re-enter the mine, and say anyone who disagrees is being 'reckless'. But families of the 29 men who died in the in the 2010 explosions are protesting near the site and say Solid Energy is ignoring 'expert research' that shows the mine can safely be re-entered. The mine is expected to be permanently sealed by February. An international study has found the aptitude of NZ's 15-year-olds in science, reading and maths scores have dropped to their lowest point since testing began 16 years ago. But New Zealand's overall rankings compared to the other 72 nations measured have improved because other countries' scores declined even more. New Zealand was 10th in reading, 12th in science and 21st in maths. Education Minister Hekia Parata says the result is positive. The PISA report, conducted every three years, found New Zealand has a bigger difference in achievement depending on socio-economic status compared to the OECD average. The Rotorua economy is set to be boosted by tens of millions of dollars as the international mountain bike festival - Crankworx confirms a new 10 year deal. The weeklong event this year landed more than $8 million for the local economy. Event Director Takurua Mutu says the confirmation is a significant win for Rotorua and NZ as the event has more to it than just mountain biking. Rotorua is the first stop on the Crankworx World Tour. And it'll be so annually for the next 10 years. Takurua Mutu of Ngati Pikiao and Ngati Whakaue has been the event director for the past two events. 6.1 million viewers tuned into Crankworx Rotorua earlier this year. Yesterday the new 10-year deal Yesterday the new 10-year deal was signed by the events company's Canadian owners and Rotorua's Mountain Bike Events Ltd. The Rotorua Lakes District Council, Skyline Rotorua and Takurua Mutu are all part of the joint venture to host the event. Crankworx Rotorua's will start next year at the end of March for the third time. Roihana Nuri, Te Karere. Moana New Zealand's blue abalone farm at Bream Bay in Northland is the first aquaculture business in New Zealand to achieve a gold standard for responsible aquaculture through a Stewardship Council certification; it recognises their best farming practise and environmental responsibility. The iwi owned seafood company Moana says it puts it in a good position for exporting internationally and helps fulfil its core values of whakatipuranga and kaitiakitanga. The factory south of Whangarei runs a precise breeding programme, traces the blue abalone through the full life cycle from spawning to spat, After the break, A Salvation Army report calling for the government to rethink its criminal justice policy is being endorsed by a former prisoner and a best-selling author on the prison system. The reports focuses on the high rates of re-offending, spiralling costs of prisons, and how Maori make up 51% of the prison population which has now reached 10,000. Eruera Rerekura reports. For this ex-prisoner there are a lot of recommendations in the report that is food for thought for the government. He's worried about the government's big focus on building new prisons. He says people such as Ngapari Nui are the best people to help rehabilitate prisoners and he accuses the Corrections Department for making the wrong decision. According to statistics from the Department of Corrections 10,000 people are incarcerated. More than 50% of those people are Maori. She also says that iwi and hapu should be leading reintegration programmes. This expert on the prison system says Corrections needs to change the way they do things to rehabilitate inmates. Eruera Rerekura, Te Karere. Now to Economics and Finance. Earlier I asked Brook Grant We're unable to provide subtitles. After the break, And we have the weather. Get your child covered for free with NIB Health Insurance. If you're a parent, get NIB's top private hospital plus by December 31 and we'll cover one of your little whippersnappers for free. Hurry - offer ends 31 December. So buy online or call us on 0800 123 NIB. To the weather now. For weather, see tvnz.co.nz. Kaitaia has been in the news a lot this year and most of the headlines have been negative. Murders, drug busts, and other serious crimes paint the picture of a community in crisis. But today will be remembered as a positive day. It was the day the NZ Warriors came to the Northland town to give the place a lift. And as Te Okiwa McLean reports, hundreds of children turned up for the spectacle. The Kaitaia community is buzzing with excitement. As these children meet and greet with the Warriors at Arnold Rae Park. The Warriors team has responded to a call from the Far North community to kick off a year-long project aimed at supporting the very public struggle the town's facing. And to kick start that project, fun filled activities is on the agenda. 26 children who were unable to participate due to disability or illness will take to the sky in a DC3 in the company of sports stars. Locals say this is just the pick me up Kaitaia needs. The team plan is to continue to support the youth through 2017 by encouraging kids to play sport, stay healthy and have good attitudes. Te Okiwa McLean, Te Karere. That's all we have for today. Turou Hawaiki. Captions were made possible with funding from Te Mangai Paho.