The man in charge of the construction of the Canterbury Television Building is continuing to refuse to give evidence at the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission
The Prime Minister, John Key, says it is now up to the police to decide whether criminal charges will be laid over the collapse of the CTV building in the Christchurch earthquake in February last year.
Topic 1: The Minister for Earthquake Recovery, Gerry Brownlee, was quick to apologise to the Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker for calling him a clown. Topic 2: The Electoral Commission says John Key's hour-long pre-election radio show gave him the chance to raise his personal profile unchallenged.
Christchurch Hospital has just celebrated its 150th anniversary. The major medical facility is in the heart of the city, beside Hagley Park, and played a key role in the February earthquake, treating the many who were seriously injured. Christchurch correspondent Katy Gosset discovers the hospital faces its own quake-related challenges as it plans for the future.
In this edition: The report into the collapse of the CTV building in the Christchurch earthquake a year ago is released, the Maori Council lodges claims with the Waitangi tribunal that could throw a spanner in the works of the Government's asset sales programme, the Earthquake Recovery Minister nearing the end of his tether with the Christchurch City Council, more from the Pike River Royal Commission, Radio Live could face a potential one hundred thousand dollar fine under the electoral act over John Key's hour long radio show in the run up to the 2011 election, banks lift their collective profits for the second half of 2011 by 25 percent and the winners are announced at the 2012 Halberg Awards.
SHANE ARDERN to the Minister of Finance: What reports has he received on the economy? DAVID SHEARER to the Prime Minister: Does he expect all his Ministers to comply with the responsibilities set out in the Cabinet Manual? JONATHAN YOUNG to the Minister of Justice: What steps is the Government taking to improve public services in law and order? GRANT ROBERTSON to the Minister of Local Government: Will he take the same approach to compliance with the Cabinet Manual as Minister for Local Government as he did as Minister for ACC? DENIS O'ROURKE to the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery: Does he stand by all his recent statements? EUGENIE SAGE to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement, “I am not going to do something silly with the Department of Conservation estate”? Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister for Economic Development: What, if any, are the capital costs, write-downs and redundancy costs expected from the merger of the Ministry of Economic Development with the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Department of Labour and Department of Building and Housing? Dr PAUL HUTCHISON to the Minister of Health: What progress is being made in relation to the Government’s key result of increasing infant immunisation rates and reducing the incidence of rheumatic fever? Hon MARYAN STREET to the Minister of Health: Does he support Pharmac’s provisional decision to engage Auckland company, Pharmaco, to be the sole supplier of new diabetic meters? PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA to the Minister for Social Development: Has she received any reports on the Future Focus welfare changes in 2010? Hon PHIL GOFF to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Have New Zealand heads of mission overseas been recalled to a meeting in Wellington on 2 April, and if so what is the cost of holding this meeting? Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Is he concerned by a recent report of an international team of scientists that, even with a two degree celsius rise in average global temperature, future generations could face sea levels of up to 12 to 22 metres higher than at present?