Coming up on Te Karere... The Police believe she may have drowned. But what really happened to Iraena Asher? An inquest into her disappearance is underway. Who will gain the remains of James Takamore - his partner or his people? And what will Temepara George do following the loss of her team in the ANZ netball championships? Due to the live nature of Te Karere, some segments will not be subtitled. Tena koutou katoa, and welcome to Te Karere. After eight years the disappearance of Iraena Asher in 2004 still remains a mystery. The circumstances surrounding the case also caused a major shakeup of police protocols. Today an inquest began in Auckland's District Court. Rapaera Tawhai was there and he joins us live from our Auckland newsroom. Rapaera. Today would have been Iraena Asher's 33rd birthday, but she's now believed to be dead. Police have been considering three scenarios to her disappearance they say she could have drowned at Piha, disappeared into the forest, or met with foul play. 25 year-old Iraena Asher was a university student and an aspiring model. She went missing in October 2004 and it's believed she drowned. As a result search parties were set up to look for her. Over 700 homes were searched by Police but to no avail. The night of her disappearance she rung police to help her. Their response was sending a taxi which never arrived at the right destination. Julia and Henry Woodhouse were one of the last to see her. They helped and looked after her for a short while after finding her, but then she ran away again. Police say they could have done better. She was last seen on the road to Piha beach. She suffered from Bipolar for a long time. The court heard how she acted bizarrely before she disappeared. Her ex-boyfriend says she missed taking her pills too, which led the coroner to think maybe she committed suicide. The case is expected to run for three days. Tomorrow her father Michael Asher and sister will take the witness stand. Scotty. Thank you Rapaera, that was Rapaera Tawhai from our Auckland newsroom. The long running family row between the widow of a Christchurch man and his extended family in the Bay of Plenty was at the Supreme Court today. After James Takamore died in 2007, his wider family took his body north for burial at a Marae near Whakatane. His widow has been fighting through the courts since then to get his body returned to Christchurch. Tini Molyneux joins us now from our Wellington office. Tini. This case has been before the courts for five years. Today this issue has been brought before the Supreme Court where James Takamore's Sister will fight for her brother's body. With the full support of her family, Josephine and her husband Henare Heremia made this comment earlier. I hope that our brother who is the eldest in our family lies at rest beside our father. That's all. For them to be together forever and be left alone. Leave well alone. The main thing is that his body is at home. But today's case is about our Maori protocols. Do the judges have any concerns? Chief Justice, Dame Sian Elias, pointed out that in this case tikanga has not worked because the case has made it to the Supreme Court. She said it's disappointing that the family has come to this stage. What happens tomorrow? The hearing will continue tomorrow until the decision is made. Maori will need to seriously consider this issue if the law over rides traditional customs or whether it will stand. Thank you Tini, that was Tini Molyneux from our Wellington office. An investigation is underway into what caused a blaze at the Waihi mine this morning. A fire broke out in Newmont gold's trio mine around five this morning and 28 underground workers had to seek refuge in rescue chambers. The miners have all exited the mine safely. We cross live to Potaka Maipi who is standing by at the mine in Waihi. Potaka - what is the latest? We're unable to provide subtitles. After the break, The Prime Minister is standing by his comment that Maori don't own water but a Rotorua tribe has successfully defended its water rights in the Environment court. The Prime Minister is standing by his comments on water ownership and state asset sales ahead of his meeting with the Maori Party tomorrow. The face-to-face meeting was called by the Maori Party co-leaders after John Key said the Government could ignore the Waitangi Tribunal's decision on Maori rights to water. Mr Key says Maori may have interests in water, but they don't own it. He says the Government will strongly defend its position against any legal action. The Prime Minister says the Maori Council doesn't represent Maori in general and its claim is opportunistic. We will talk to Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell shortly. Ngati Rangiwewehi is a tribe that has had to become an owner rather than kaitiaki (guardian) of water, to prevent the Rotorua District Council taking water from its sacred spring, Te Puna o Pekehaua. As Ngahuia Wade reports, the case reflects the issues currently under scrutiny by the Waitangi Tribunal. The taniwha Pekehaua is the taniwha of this spring and Kaitiaki of Ngati Rangiwewehi. Eight years ago Ngati Rangiwewehi challenged the local council's application to increase the water it took from the spring. The case went to the Environment Court. Ngati Rangiwewehi suceeded in cuttling the Council's plans and maintaining its rights over the spring. Now the Council is more informed, it consults Ngati Rangiwewehi about Pekehaua's Spring. Ngahuia Wade, Te Karere The Anglican General Synod did not agree to Whatarangi Winiata's proposal to grant the $115million towards the funding of the Anglican Maori boarding schools. The proposal was presented to the Synod at the annual gathering that was held in Fiji. The Church will now consider what will become of the schools' buildings. It's been suggested that the board of Te Aute combine efforts It's been suggested that the board of Te Aute combine efforts with the board of St Stephens and Queen Victoria to decide how best to move forward. It will be brought back to the board and its committees to decide the way forward for Te Aute. A Whanganui man has appeared in the Whanganui District Court charged with the murder of two-month-old baby, Hinekawa Topia. Hinekawa was driven to Whanganui hospital by her parents when she was found unresponsive. Post mortem results showed the 2-month-old had suffered a head injury. Hinekawa was one of triplets. The remaining two babies are in the care of CYFs. The 29-year-old is in custody and has not applied for bail. He has been remanded to reappear on the 13th September. After the break, What's in store for Mystics' captain, Temepara George? And the weather. MP for Te Waiariki, Te Ururoa Flavell is from Ngati Rangiwewehi and he joins me now. Tena koe Te Ururoa, let's go to this issue about Te Puna o Pekehaua first. We're unable to provide subtitles. Te Ururoa Flavell, thank you for joining us. Temepara George is paving a new pathway for herself following her last game for the Mystics last night. She says Sky TV has approached her about commentating with them for international games and the ANZ Championship next year. She was once again a stand out for the Mystics last night and her family was there to bid her a fitting farewell. She also hopes to give back by taking on a coaching role at the level just below professional level. To the weather now. For weather, see tvnz.co.NZ. That's all we have for today. Turou Hawaiki. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ on Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2012.