TONIGHT ` $16 BILLION WILL BE INVESTED IN OUR TRANSPORT. BUT WILL THE PLANNED ROADING AND RAIL PROJECTS BENEFIT YOUR REGION? PACKED FULL OF CAFFEINE AND SUGAR, ENGLAND'S LOOKING TO RESTRICT THE AGE OF THOSE WHO CAN BUY ENERGY DRINKS, LIKE IT DOES ALCOHOL. AND IT'S BEING DUBBED THE 'MAYBOT', THE 'BREXIT SHUFFLE'. NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE, THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER WOWS US WITH HER MOVES. SHE'S BECOME AN INTERNET SENSATION. CAPTIONS BY ELIZABETH WELSH AND AMELIA RUSHBROOK. CAPTIONS WERE MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF NZ ON AIR. COPYRIGHT ABLE 2018 KIA ORA, GOOD EVENING. A RECORD $16BIL WILL BE SPENT ON TRANSPORT OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS. THE GOVERNMENT'S LATEST FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT INDICATES A THIRD OF THE MONEY WILL BE GOING TO AUCKLAND, BUT THAT'LL BE MATCHED BY INVESTMENT IN REGIONAL ROADS. THERE'S A FOCUS ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT, LIKE WELLINGTON'S RAIL IMPROVEMENTS. AND THERE'S NEARLY $6BIL FOR STATE HIGHWAYS, INCLUDING THE MANAWATU GORGE AND THE PUHOI TO WARKWORTH 'HOLIDAY HIGHWAY'. BUT SOME ROADING PROJECTS HAVE MISSED OUT, AS SAM KELWAY REPORTS. IN THE PAST SIX YEARS, AT LEAST 26 PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES ON THIS ROAD, AND MORE THAN 60 HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED. I'M SICK OF GETTING TO THESE ACCIDENTS AND HEARING PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, IN PAIN AND SEEING THE SIGHTS. AND SOMETIMES MY KIDS GET UP HERE FIRST. HE'S ONE OF MANY WHO WANTED A FOUR-LANE HIGHWAY BETWEEN KATIKATI AND TAURANGA. IF WE WERE TO HAND-PICK A FEW PLACES AND THROW BILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO THEM TO BUILD DUAL CARRIAGE EXPRESSWAYS, THEN THERE WILL BE NO MONEY LEFT TO MAKE ALL OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT THE REST OF THE TRANSPORT SYSTEM NEEDS. BUT THERE WILL BE IMPROVEMENTS TO THIS ROAD AS PART OF $4B OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS TO MAKE ROADS ACROSS THE COUNTRY SAFER. THERE'S ALSO MUCH-NEEDED FUNDING TO REPLACE THE MANAWATU GORGE. LARGE HIGHWAY PROJECTS ANNOUNCED BY THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE, SUCH AS TRANSMISSION GULLY AND THE SO-CALLED 'HOLIDAY HIGHWAY' NORTH OF AUCKLAND. PUBLIC TRANSPORT GETS A BILLION DOLLAR BOOST, INCLUDING INVESTIGATING A NEW COMMUTER FERRY SERVICE IN QUEENSTOWN. THIS STRETCH OF ROAD BETWEEN WHAKAMARAMA AND TAURANGA IS NOTORIOUSLY DANGEROUS. 12 DAYS AGO, A 61-YEAR-OLD WAS KILLED JUST BEHIND ME. AND THIS MORNING, TWO CRASHES AT TWO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. THIS IS NOW ONE OF 12 ROADING PROJECTS NZTA IS REASSESSING OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. IN ITS PLACE ARE A SERIES OF SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AND ROUNDABOUTS. LOOK, THAT'S FINE, BUT IT WON'T DELIVER THE FOUR-LANE HIGHWAY, THE PRODUCTIVITY, THE EFFICIENCY THAT MOTORISTS AND TRUCKS HAVE BEEN CRYING OUT FOR. THE BULK OF THE MONEY COMES FROM FUEL TAXES AND ROAD-USER CHARGES FROM MOTORISTS. IT IS THE BIGGEST SPEND OVER THREE YEARS. BUT OF COURSE, WE'RE PAYING THE MOST TAX THAT WE'VE EVER PAID. WE'RE GOING TO PAY ANOTHER 3.5C AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. THE GOVERNMENT SAYS IT'S ABOUT GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT FOR THE TRANSPORT PROJECTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SAM KELWAY, 1 NEWS. POLICE HAVE ARRESTED A STAR STUDENT TURNED UNIVERSITY STAFFER, CHARGING HIM WITH TERRORISM OFFENCES. THE 25 YEAR OLD SRI LANKAN MAN HAS ALLEGED LINKS TO ISLAMIC STATE AND IS ACCUSED OF CREATING A TERROR HIT LIST OF NAMES AND SYDNEY LANDMARKS. CHANNEL NINE'S HANNAH SINCLAIR HAS MORE. MOHAMED NIZAMDEEN IS DESCRIBED BY HIS UNIVERSITY AS A HERO, FEATURED HERE DOING WORK EXPERIENCE WITH THE STATE GOVERNMENT... ...AND PICTURED HERE BRUSHING SHOULDERS WITH POLICE AFTER HELPING TO DEVELOP A CYBER SAFETY APP. BUT NOW, THE UNIVERSITY STAFFER (25) IS AN ACCUSED TERRORIST. ARRESTED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES YESTERDAY, AFTER A NOTEBOOK ALLEGEDLY CONTAINING A HIT LIST OF NAMES AND PLACES WAS FOUND ON THE GROUNDS. AT THIS STAGE, THERE IS A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS NAMED IN THAT DOCUMENT WHO ARE POTENTIAL TARGETS. THEY ARE SYMBOLIC LOCATIONS WITHIN SYDNEY. PEOPLE WHO KNOW THE IT CONTRACTOR CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I WAS VERY SHOCKED. IT REALLY TOOK ME BY SURPRISE. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT THE CHARGES HE'S FACING? NO COMMENT. POLICE SAY HE WAS ACTING AS A LONE WOLF, BUT IS AN ALLEGED AFFILIATE OF ISLAMIC STATE. HE'S BEEN IN AUSTRALIA FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND HAS TRAVELLED A NUMBER OF TIMES RECENTLY. HE'S TRAVELLED BOTH BACK TO SRI LANKA AND TO OTHER AREAS. POLICE RAIDED MR NIZAMDEEN'S HOME HERE IN ZETLAND AT ABOUT 2 O'CLOCK THIS MORNING AS PART OF THE COUNTER-TERRORISM INVESTIGATION. WHILE THEY WERE HERE, THEY SEIZED A NUMBER OF ELECTRONIC ITEMS. THE SRI LANKAN NATIONAL HAS BEEN ON A STUDENT VISA IN AUSTRALIA, WHICH IS DUE TO EXPIRE NEXT MONTH. I NEVER REALLY GOT AN INDICATION THAT,... YEAH. THAT HE COULD BE UP TO TROUBLE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. HE JUST SEEMED LIKE A HARD-WORKING STUDENT, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. NOT BUILDING FAST ENOUGH. THE GOVERNMENT'S SET TO IGNORE PARTS OF AUCKLAND'S TWO-YEAR-OLD UNITARY PLAN BECAUSE IT SAYS IT DOESN'T GO FAR ENOUGH TO BUILD THE NUMBER OF HOUSES NEEDED. IT'S ESTABLISHING AN URBAN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY THAT'LL CONTROL MORE THAN A DOZEN HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS WITH ITS OWN SET OF RULES. SO IT'S NOT A SILVER BULLET. IT'S NOT GOING TO FIX ALL THE PROBLEMS IN THE HOUSING CRISIS, BUT IT WILL ENABLE US TO BUILD LARGE-SCALE, WHOLE NEW COMMUNITIES ` I'M TALKING ABOUT 5,000 NEW HOMES, 10,000 NEW HOMES. THE NEW URBAN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY WILL NEED A LAW CHANGE. THE AIM IS TO HAVE IT UP AND RUNNING BY 2020. RACING COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE GRAPPLING WITH THE POTENTIAL LOSS OF THEIR RACECOURSES. THE RACING MINISTER HOPES TO QUICKLY IMPLEMENT MANY OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE IN THE MESSARA REPORT INTO THE $1.6B INDUSTRY, AND THAT MEANS BIG CHANGES. KATIE BRADFORD HAS THE STORY. WORLD FAMOUS IN TIMARU. TIMARU ` THE HOME OF PHAR LAP. AUSTRALIANS STOLE PHAR LAP. NOW THEY'RE TRYING TO STEAL OUR LOCAL RACEWAY, SO I'M NOT TOO IMPRESSED AT ALL. NOW THE SOUTH CANTERBURY TOWN IS ONE OF 20 AROUND THE COUNTRY FACING THE POTENTIAL LOSS OF RACE DAYS. A REPORT BY AUSTRALIAN RACING GURU JOHN MESSARA RECOMMENDS CANCELLING RACING LICENSES AT SMALL CLUBS, INCLUDING DARGAVILLE, THAMES, HOKITIKA, AND WINTON ` SOME AS EARLY AS NEXT YEAR. THAT'S AMONG THE 17 RECOMMENDATIONS TO GOVERNMENT AIMED AT TURNING AROUND THE FLAILING INDUSTRY. ECONOMIC IMPACT ON OUR DISTRICT, BUT ALSO IT'S A MAJOR EVENTS CENTRE FOR OTHER ACTIVITIES. IT'S A WEE BIT DISAPPOINTING, YOU KNOW. WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT OUR FUTURE. I THINK IT'S APPALLING. IT'S JUST ANOTHER NAIL IN THE COFFIN INTO OUR LITTLE COMMUNITIES. THE RACING MINISTER SAYS CHANGES HAVE TO BE MADE TO INCREASE PRIZE MONEY. I'VE GOT NO INTEREST IN BEING THE MINISTER OF RACING, PRESIDING OVER A DEAD HORSE. AVONDALE JOCKEY CLUB IS ALSO SET TO LOSE ITS LICENSE BY 2021. THE MESSARA REPORT SAYS THE INFRASTRUCTURE HERE IS POOR, IT'S ONLY HAD 11 RACE DAYS IN THE LAST YEAR, AND WITH REZONING, THE LAND COULD BE WORTH UP TO $200M. IT'S A BIT OF A BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE, ACTUALLY. THERE'S BEEN RUMOURS THAT THE JOCKEY CLUB WOULD CLOSE FOR THE LAST 20 OR 30 YEARS, BUT IT'S NEVER HAPPENED, SO WE'VE ALWAYS CONSIDERED IT NEVER WILL. SOME OF THE LAND HAS ALREADY BEEN SOLD OFF FOR INTENSIVE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS, AND THERE'S FEARS THAT'LL HAPPEN AGAIN. DUNCAN MACDONALD HOPES THE JOCKEY CLUB WILL DIVERSIFY ` INCLUDING IMPROVING THE POPULAR AVONDALE MARKETS. MAYBE THEY WANT TO PUT A GOLF COURSE IN THERE. MAYBE THEY WANT TO MAKE SOMETHING ELSE RECREATIONAL. MAYBE WE COULD PUT A SWIMMING POOL ON THE LAND. WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR 20 YEARS FOR THAT. AVONDALE JOCKEY CLUB WOULDN'T COMMENT TODAY, BUT THEY OWN THE LAND. THE RACING MINISTER DENIES SELLING OFF RACECOURSES WILL HURT LOCAL COMMUNITIES. IT'LL BE A THRIVING INDUSTRY WHERE A WHOLE LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE EMPLOYMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE MINISTER SAYS HE'LL CONTINUE TALKING TO THOSE AFFECTED, BUT WANTS CHANGES WITHIN A YEAR. KATIE BRADFORD, 1 NEWS. AMERICAN WHISTLE BLOWER CHELSEA MANNING WILL BE ALLOWED INTO NZ DESPITE REPORTEDLY BEING DENIED A VISA INTO AUSTRALIA. EARLIER THIS WEEK, THE NATIONAL PARTY CALLED FOR HER TO BE BARRED BECAUSE OF HER CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS FOR LEAKING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS. BUT TODAY IMMIGRATION NEW ZEALAND GAVE MS MANNING A SPECIAL WAIVER, SAYING THE CHANCES OF HER RE-OFFENDING WHILE IN NZ WERE LOW. PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN SAYS WE'RE A NATION THAT ALLOWS FREE SPEECH. I THINK THERE'S INTEREST IN WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY, AND WE SHOULD ALLOW NEW ZEALANDERS TO HEAR THAT. CHELSEA MANNING WILL HOLD SPEAKING EVENTS IN WELLINGTON AND AUCKLAND NEXT WEEKEND. THE FATHER OF A YOUNG MAN WHO DIED WHILE USING SYNTHETIC DRUGS IS CALLING FOR TOUGHER PENALITIES FOR SUPPLIERS AND MANUFACTURERS. IT'S BEEN A MONTH SINCE THE GOVERNMENT LAUNCHED A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT TO FIND WAYS TO REDUCE THE USE AND SUPPLY OF THE DEADLY DRUGS, BUT THERE ARE NO SOLUTIONS YET. PAUL HOBBS REPORTS. A YEAR ON FROM HIS SON CALUM'S DEATH, LEWIS JONES STILL HOLDS HIS SON CLOSE TO HIS HEART. HE JUST SAID TO ME, 'DAD, I CAN'T STOP.' 22-YEAR-OLD CALUM JONES WAS HOOKED ON SYNTHETIC DRUGS. IT WAS HIS ESCAPE FROM MENTAL ILLNESS. AND I SEEN HIM JUST GO DOWN AND FURTHER GO DOWN. HE DIED AT HOME AFTER WHAT WOULD BE HIS FINAL HIT. CALUM IS ONE OF AT LEAST 46 PEOPLE BELIEVED TO HAVE DIED FROM SYNTHETIC DRUGS IN THE PAST YEAR. LAST MONTH, THE THEN-ACTING PRIME MINISTER SAID IT HAD TO STOP. WE'RE GONNA PUT THE BEST RESOURCES AND THE BEST MULTI-FACETED TEAM ACROSS A NUMBER OF OUR PORTFOLIOS ON TO THIS CASE. TODAY, JACINDA ARDERN DIDN'T APPEAR TO BE ANY CLOSER TO OFFERING A WAY FORWARD. IT'S AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH NOT VERY MANY OBVIOUS SOLUTIONS, GIVEN THAT WE HAVE ALREADY BANNED ITS USE IN NZ. HEALTH MINISTER DAVID CLARK TOLD 1 NEWS ONE OPTION WOULD BE TO RE-CLASSIFY THE SUBSTANCES, BRINGING THEM UNDER THE MISUSE OF DRUGS ACT, GIVING POLICE WIDER POWERS TO DEAL WITH THOSE PRODUCING AND SELLING THEM. NATIONAL'S SIMEON BROWN SAYS HIS BILL, CURRENTLY BEFORE A SELECT COMMITTEE, IS STARING THE GOVERNMENT IN THE FACE. I'VE GOT A SOLUTION TO INCREASE THE PENALTIES FOR THOSE FOUND GUILTY OF SUPPLYING SYNTHETIC DRUGS. THEY CAN ADOPT IT, AND THEN WE CAN GET ON AND DO IT. LEWIS JONES ALSO SUPPORTS STIFFER PENALTIES. WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THE COURT PROCESS, AND I'VE SEEN THE BOY WHO SUPPLIED THE LETHAL DOSE THAT KILLED HIM WALK AWAY WITH A SIX-MONTH ANKLE BRACELET ON. THE GOVERNMENT SAYS IT'S EXPECTING WIDE-RANGING RECOMMENDATIONS MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION, DUE TO REPORT BACK AT THE END OF OCTOBER. PAUL HOBBS, 1 NEWS. ENGLAND'S CONSIDERING BANNING ENERGY DRINKS FOR UNDER-18 YEAR OLDS. THEY'RE PACKED WITH HIGH LEVELS OF SUGAR AND CAFFEINE AND HAVE BEEN LINKED TO A RANGE OF HEALTH ISSUES, INCLUDING ANXIETY, INSOMNIA AND BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS. THE BBC'S DAN JOHNSON REPORTS. HIGH ENERGY, PACKED WITH SUGAR AND LOADED WITH CAFFEINE. THERE'S CONCERN ABOUT OBESITY AND TOOTH DECAY, HYPERACTIVITY AND SLEEPING PROBLEMS. AND THEY RECKON TWO-THIRDS OF 10- TO 17-YEAR-OLDS ARE DRINKING THEM. IF YOU TAKE RED BULL, EVERY 100ML HAS 32MG OF CAFFEINE AND 11G OF SUGAR. THE LEVELS IN MONSTER ARE AROUND THE SAME. THAT'S THREE TIMES THE AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE IN COCA COLA AND A SIMILAR DOSE OF SUGAR. SO ONE LARGE ENERGY DRINK GIVES A CHILD THEIR DAILY ALLOWANCE OF CAFFEINE. AND THIS LOCAL GP HAS SEEN AN 11-YEAR-OLD WHO WAS DRINKING EIGHT CANS A DAY. LARGE AMOUNTS OF CAFFEINE LEAD TO THINGS LIKE PALPITATIONS, RAPID HEART BEAT, HEADACHES, CHEST PAIN AND BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN. AND SUGAR LEADS TO OBESITY AND THINGS LIKE DIABETES. THE PEOPLE BEHIND THESE BRANDS SAY THEY'RE NOT MARKETED AT CHILDREN. AND THEY'VE POINTED OUT MOST OF THESE ENERGY DRINKS CONTAIN THE SAME LEVEL OF CAFFEINE AS A CUP OF COFFEE. BUT THE GOVERNMENT'S ASKING HOW A BAN SHOULD WORK AND WHETHER 16 OR 18 IS THE RIGHT AGE. FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN, IT'S WORSE. I THINK 16, 17, 18 IS NOT REALLY AN ISSUE. PEOPLE WILL STILL BE ABLE TO GET HOLD OF THEM. THE SAME WAY YOU GET KIDS SMOKING STUFF ` THEY GET HOLD OF IT. SO IT MIGHT REDUCE IT A BIT, BUT I DON'T KNOW BY HOW MUCH. THIS PRIMARY SCHOOL HEAD TEACHER'S ALREADY GONE FURTHER AND BANNED ALL FIZZY, SUGARY DRINKS BECAUSE OF THEIR IMPACT ON KIDS' HEALTH AND BEHAVIOUR. INATTENTIVENESS, INABILITY TO SIT STILL, LOW-LEVEL DISRUPTION, CALLING OUT, ROCKING ON CHAIRS. THERE ARE ENOUGH ISSUES THAT CREATE A HYPERACTIVITY TENDENCIES WITHIN CHILDREN, LET ALONE THEM TAKING ON CAFFEINATED DRINKS IN THE MORNING. THEY'RE EYE-CATCHING, TASTY AND CHEAP, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE ENERGY DRINKS ARE ABOUT TO HAVE THEIR WINGS CLIPPED. CUTE AND CUDDLY AND NOW LIFE SAVERS. HOW THESE PUPPIES HELPED MAKE A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH IN THE TREATMENT OF A DEADLY GENETIC DISORDER. PLUS ` FANCY THE FEELING OF SKY DIVING WITHOUT HAVING TO JUMP OUT OF A PLANE? THIS NEW TOURISM VENTURE COULD BE THE THING FOR YOU. AWARD-WINNING FRENCH ACTOR GERARD DEPARDIEU IS UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER A 22-YEAR-OLD WOMAN ACCUSED HIM OF RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT. DEPARDIEU'S LAWYER SAYS THE FILM STAR (69) ABSOLUTELY DENIES THE ALLEGATIONS. FRENCH MEDIA REPORT THE WOMAN, WHO IS AN ACTOR AND COMEDIAN ALLEGED DEPARDIEU ASSAULTED HER ON TWO OCCASIONS EARLIER THIS MONTH. THE TWO MET WHEN DEPARDIEU LED A MASTER CLASS AT HER SCHOOL. THE WARRIORS HELD ON FOR A HARD-EARNED WIN TONIGHT OVER THE RAIDERS IN SIMON MANNERING'S 300TH GAME. THE NRL CLASH AT MOUNT SMART STADIUM ENDED 20-16 TO THE HOME SIDE AFTER THE CANBERRA RAIDERS CAME CLOSE TO SCORING A TRY IN THE LAST 10 MINUTES. KNOCKED THE BALL INTO BLAKE AUSTIN'S HANDS, SAVING A CERTAIN FOUR POINTS. IT COULD BE THE LAST HOME GAME FOR TEAM STALWART SIMON MANNERING, WHO'S SET TO CLOSE THE CHAPTER ON HIS CAREER. HE WAS RECOGNISED TONIGHT FOR BECOMING THE FIRST WARRIORS PLAYER TO REACH 300 GAMES, AND SAYS HE'S SHED A FEW TEARS. YEAH, IT'S A BIG PART OF MY LIFE, I GUESS, RUNNING OUT HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND NOW IT'S A FAIR TIME LATER. I NEVER WOULD HAVE` NEVER COULD HAVE THOUGHT THIS WAS POSSIBLE. THE WARRIORS FACE AN ANXIOUS WAIT TO SEE WHERE THEY'LL PLAY THEIR FIRST MATCH OF THIS YEAR'S FINALS, TEMPORARILY MOVING TO FIFTH ON THE COMPETITION LADDER. IF JUMPING OUT OF A PLANE AT 15,000 DOESN'T SPIN YOUR WHEELS, PERHAPS YOU WOULDN'T MIND QUEENSTOWN'S LATEST OFFERING. IT'S THE HOME OF NEW ZEALAND'S FIRST INDOOR SKYDIVING FACILITY, WHICH OPENED ITS DOORS THIS MORNING. JOHN MCKENZIE CHECKED IT OUT. IF YOU GOOGLE THE WORD 'FUN', AND THERE'S A VERY REAL CHANCE IT'LL LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS. IT'S CALLED 'IFLY' ` SKYDIVING, MINUS THE AEROPLANE. IN ALL HONESTY, IF YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES INSIDE THE TUNNEL WHILE IT'S GOING, YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE. THE TUNNEL'S THE LATEST PIECE OF ADVENTURE TOURISM TO HIT QUEENSTOWN ` A MARKET WHICH CONTINUES TO GROW, WITH CLOSE TO A MILLION VISITORS TRIALLING SOME SORT OF ADRENALINE RUSH IN THE REGION EVERY YEAR. IT'S AN ABSOLUTE NO-BRAINER TO PUT THIS IN QUEENSTOWN. QUEENSTOWN HAS SO MANY FANTASTIC OPERATORS WHO ARE DOING SOME AMAZING SOFT ADVENTURE AND HARD-CORE ADVENTURE TOURISM ATTRACTIONS. THIS IS CLASSIFIED AS SOFT ADVENTURE, ALTHOUGH JUDGING BY SOME OF THE TRICKS AUSTRALIAN SARAH YATES WAS DOING, IT TAKES A WHILE TO GET USED TO. I UNDERSTAND THIS ISN'T YOUR FIRST TIME IN ONE OF THESE? NO. I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR ABOUT TWO AND A HALF YEARS NOW. IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS, HOW MAY TIMES HAVE YOU FLOWN? I'VE DONE ABOUT 95 HOURS IN THE TUNNEL. SO HOW MUCH LIKE THE REAL THING IS IT? LET'S GO FIND OUT. (UPBEAT MUSIC) WHEN YOU GO UP STRAIGHT AWAY ` ARGH! (LAUGHS) HOW'D YOU JUDGE MY EFFORT? YOU WENT ACTUALLY PRETTY WELL. YOUR BODY POSITION WAS PRETTY GOOD. NOT ONLY IS IT A BIT OF FUN, IT'S ACTUALLY RECOGNISED AS A SPORT IN ITS OWN RIGHT. IT'S BECOMING A THING, AND WITH A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK, WE MIGHT EVEN BE IN WITH A SHOW FOR THE OLYMPICS. BUT DON'T WORRY ` IT'S ALSO FOR BEGINNERS. YOU'RE NOT MUCH OF A DAREDEVIL USUALLY? (BLEEP) NO. (LAUGHS) ANOTHER ADVENTURE ALREADY IN FULL FLIGHT DOWN SOUTH. JOHN MCKENZIE, 1 NEWS. DOGS SUFFERING FROM A GENETIC MUSCLE-WASTING DISORDER HAVE HAD THEIR FAULTY DNA REPAIRED IN A LIFE-CHANGING PROCEDURE. SCIENTISTS SAY IT'S A MAJOR STEP FORWARD IN ONE DAY HELPING THOSE SUFFERING FROM DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY, WHICH IS FATAL IN HUMANS. THE BBC'S FERGUS WALSH EXPLAINS. THESE YOUNG DOGS ALL HAVE DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY. THE CONDITION MOSTLY AFFECTS MALES IN BOTH DOGS AND HUMANS, AND IT GETS PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AS THEY AGE. NOW LOOK AT THE CONTRAST WITH THESE FEMALES, WHO CARRY THE FAULTY GENE, BUT ARE UNAFFECTED. THE DOGS ARE PART OF A GROUND-BREAKING PROJECT PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL 'SCIENCE' INVOLVING THE ROYAL VETERINARY COLLEGE AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. THIS RESEARCH INVOLVED EDITING THE DOGS' GENOME, THE RECIPE BOOK FOR LIFE. A FAULTY GENE IN THE DNA CAUSES THEIR DISEASE ` DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY. THE GENE-EDITING SYSTEM KNOWN AS CRISPER WAS INJECTED INTO THE DOGS. IT SCANNED THE GENOME, MAKING A SINGLE CUT AT A PRECISE POINT. THIS PROMPTED A NATURAL REPAIR AND ENABLED THE DOGS TO PRODUCE THE DYSTROPHIN PROTEIN, WHICH IS CRUCIAL FOR MUSCLE STRENGTH. BY MODIFYING THE DNA IN THEIR MUSCLE CELLS, IN THEIR HEART, WE'VE GONE FROM, EFFECTIVELY, ZERO TO UP TO 92% LEVELS OF DYSTROPHIN PROTEIN. AND THAT IS WIDELY PREDICTED TO BE LIFE-CHANGING IN HUMAN BEINGS IF WE CAN GET TO THAT AMOUNT. YOU HAVE TO PRESS THAT. AND THAT REALLY COULD BE LIFE-CHANGING FOR FELIX. HE'S 6, AND HIS MUSCLES ARE ALREADY BEGINNING TO WEAKEN. THE PROGNOSIS FOR THE DUCHENNE KIDS IS VERY, VERY BAD. YOU KNOW, DETERIORATE VERY QUICKLY FROM THE AGE OF 7 AND 8. NORMALLY, LOSE THE ABILITY TO WALK BY THE TIME THEY'RE 10, 11, 12. AND THEN IT'S A VERY RAPID DECLINE FROM THEN. THESE ANIMALS ARE ALL DESCENDED FROM ONE DOG, WHOSE OWNERS BROUGHT IT TO THE VET WITH THE MUSCLE-WASTING CONDITION. AND SCIENTISTS FOUND IT HAD THE SAME GENE DEFECT AS IN HUMANS. THESE DOGS ARE PLAYING A KEY ROLE IN THE SEARCH FOR AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ` A DEVASTATING ILLNESS. BUT LONGER-TERM STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO SHOW WHETHER IT ACTUALLY IMPROVES MUSCLE STRENGTH AND IS SAFE. ONLY THEN WOULD IT BE TESTED ON HUMANS. IT IS EARLY DAYS, BUT THIS RESEARCH COULD ULTIMATELY BENEFIT BOTH HUMANS AND DOGS. JUST AHEAD, YOUR WEEKEND WEATHER. PLUS, THIS IS THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER. THERESA MAY BUSTS OUT THE DANCE MOVES, AGAIN. IT SEEMS AFRICA HAS BROUGHT OUT ANOTHER SIDE OF BRITISH PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY. TWICE DURING HER TRIP TO THE REGION THIS WEEK, WE'VE SEEN HER GET HER GROOVE ON. AND AS LAURA TWYMAN REPORTS, THE VIDEOS HAVE GONE VIRAL. IT'S BEEN CALLED THE BREXIT SHUFFLE, THE MAY-BOT OR ROBO-MAY. DURING A THREE DAY TRADE TOUR IN AFRICA, THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER'S GIVEN US A TASTE OF WHAT SHE CAN DELIVER ON THE DANCE FLOOR, FIRST WHILE VISITING A SCHOOL IN SOUTH AFRICA. (CHILDREN SING) VIDEOS HAVE THRIVED ONLINE, EVEN EARNING A MASH-UP. (UPBEAT MUSIC) BUT THERESA MAY'S SHRUGGED OFF THE MOCKERY. TWO DAYS ON, WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY AROSE TO BOOGIE AGAIN, SHE COULDN'T TURN IT DOWN. SEEN HERE WITH A GROUP OF SCOUTS IN NAIROBI, KENYA. ALSO TRYING HER HAND AT SOME FOOTBALL. THE PRIME MINISTER JOINS A LONG LIST OF POLITICIANS WHO'VE FOUND THEIR DANCING FEET IN PUBLIC. NATIONAL PARTY LEADER SIMON BRIDGES TOOK TO THE STAGE AT PASIFIKA EARLIER THIS YEAR. I THINK IT'S 'A' FOR EFFORT. AND FORMER PRIME MINISTER JOHN KEY'S HAD HIS FAIR SHARE OF PUBLIC JIVES. (DANCE MUSIC) IN 2007, GEORGE W BUSH JOINED IN WITH AN AFRICAN DANCE COMPANY VISITING THE WHITE HOUSE. OBAMA, TOO, NOT AFRAID OF BUSTING OUT SOME MOVES, THOUGH HE SEEMED TO HAVE FAR MORE RHYTHM THAN HIS PREDECESSOR. BUT IT'S THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER WHO'S THE DANCER OF THE DAY. # TO THE RIGHT, TO THE RIGHT, TO THE RIGHT # WITH MANY TAKING A JAB THAT THIS BREXIT SHUFFLE IS MOVING MORE THAN HER PLANNED SPLIT FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION. # IT'S THE LADY # LAURA TWYMAN, 1 NEWS. NOW TO TOMORROW'S WEATHER. (BEN RECTOR'S 'BRAND NEW') FOR WEATHER, SEE TVNZ.CO.NZ THAT'S IT FROM US HERE ON TONIGHT. THANKS FOR WATCHING. GOODNIGHT.