1A South Auckland fork lift driver is lucky to be alive today after hitting high voltage lines that took out power to more than a quarter of a million households and businesses north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

2Power was out for more than a quarter of a million households and businesses in Auckland today. Transpower says a forklift carrying a container hit the Otahuhu to Henderson line while the only alternative line was out for maintenance.

3The leader of the ACT Party and Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide is defending the $25-thousand tab taxpayers will pick up for his girlfriend who travelled with him on an overseas trip.

4Business News

5The green light's been given to build the controversial Central Plains Irrigation scheme. The $135-million irrigation scheme will feed Canterbury's arid land.

6The Labour MP Trevor Mallard says he's still shaky after having a run in with the occupants of a car while cycling earlier this week. They are now laying charges against him.

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8A 39-year-old man has been charged with murder following an attack on a Christchurch taxi driver that took place in Sydney 15-years ago.

9A taskforce has backed a bill that could see taxpayers being forced to pay millions in compensation to business. Supporters say the Regulatory Responsibility Act would make law making more transparent and weed-out costly and ineffective legislation.

10Aged residential care providers are labelling as nonsense a move that could see rest home residents having to leave the facility to have blood tests done at community collection centres.

11Waatea News

12A key witness has told the High Court in Wellington that three people left for a road trip through the central North Island, but only two of them completed the journey. 39-year-old Stephen Hudson is charged with murdering Palmerston North drug dealer Nicolas Pike in 2002.

136:00pm News

14Communities hit by a major outage in the upper North Island which left more than a quarter of a million customers without electricity say it shows just how vulnerable the national grid is. A South Auckland fork lift driver is lucky to be alive today after hitting high voltage lines that took out power to more than a quarter of a million households and businesses north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

15Aged residential care providers are labelling as nonsense a move that could see rest home residents having to leave the facility to have blood tests done at community collection centres.

16More than one anti-drugs group is casting serious doubt at how effective new measures to combat drug driving will be. From Sunday police will be able to enforce compulsory impairment tests for drivers they suspect are driving under the influence of drugs.

17Business News

18In the United States the recession has ended - on paper at least. After four consecutive quarters of decline, American GDP grew in the third quarter by 3.5-percent.

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20Focus on Politics: Protest and civil liberty groups fear the Search and Surveillance Bill will extend the powers of police and other agencies to monitor and search people and their homes.

21Waatea News

22The media in Iran is accusing the government of demanding changes to a United Nations drafted nuclear fuel deal.

23It may be a year away but the launch for the 19th Commonwealth Games has kicked off in London with the baton relay.