Howdy, everybody. Fine weather is pushing on to the country, but being a winter high comes with a few sniffles. Showers in one corner; rain in another; frost and sunny bits in between. But halfway through the weekend, sniffles become a runny nose as the rains come. Stand by for details. Right now, it's 6 o'clock. Due to the live nature of ONE News we apologise for the lack of captions for some items. This is ONE News, with Wendy Petrie, Peter Williams and, live from London, Simon Dallow. Tonight ` are people in power poised to embrace same-sex marriage? Why the gay community's got more to celebrate. John Banks and those Dotcom donations ` a police development triggers new controversy. It's party time. CHEERING The fanfare for our netballers with the Magic touch. And excitement's building here in London ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony. So who'll carry the flag for NZ? Why victorious Val's not such a sure shot. Gay people are tonight a step closer to saying 'I do' and being legally married. It'll give them the same rights as heterosexual couples and opens the door to adoption. But it's set to trigger fiery debate in Parliament, like the civil union legislation eight years ago. Shortly, we've more on that from political editor Corin Dann. But first Arrun Soma with the move being applauded in the gay community. Des Smith and John Joliff made history when they became NZ's first gay couple to celebrate a civil union. And this is what NZ should be about is cherishing equality. The Marriage Amendment Bill is, they say, another step forward. The bill recognises marriage of same-sex, transgender and intersex couples, giving them the same rights at heterosexuals, and that would then pave the way for joint adoption by those couples. It's going to be much easier for young gay people, those who realise they are gay early in life, that they are equal, that they are not marginalised. The bill was drawn up by Labour MP Louisa Wall. I feel like a champion for ordinary NZers who love each other, who want to marry. A June ONE News Colmar Brunton poll revealed nearly two-thirds of people support same-sex marriage. Others feel it undermines society as we know it. Marriage and family is under tremendous strain today, and when you get the whole thing more and more blurred, as this will be a blurring, I think it actually does weaken marriage for society. Conservative organisation Family First also opposes this bill. It says it'll lobby politicians to vote against it, and is happy to debate this issue, saying, quote 'bring it on'. Des and John say bring on another wedding. We have jokingly said that we will have a wonderful civil union divorce party, and then followed by that, we'd have the most wonderful wedding. (LAUGHS) Perhaps pioneers once again. Their next ceremony, though, is in the hands of the country's lawmakers. Arrun Soma, ONE News. So what's the likelihood of gay marriage making it into law? Political editor Corin Dann joins us now with some analysis. Corin. THE CHANCES OF THIS GETTING THROUGH ARE BY NO MENAS CERAIN BUT IT'S LIKELY TO GET THROUGH THE FIRST VOTE ONCE AT SELECT COMMITTEE, IT CNA HAVE PUBLIC SU THIS IS A CONSCIENCE VOTE THE VOTE COULD BE AS EARLY AS SEPT I'll let it go through the select committee, and it's important for Nzers to have an opportunity to have an input into that bill through the select committee process, and in due course, I'll give it some consideration about whether I would ultimately finally vote for that as law. It just effectively just puts in place what's already in existence. I'll vote for it. All 14 Green MPs will be voting for it. The time has come. Our community's in the right space for it. THIS ISN'T THE ONLY LABOUR PARTY BILL TO BE DEBATED IN PARLIAMENT. AND THE DEBATE ON EXTENDING PAID PARENTAL LEAVE HAS JUST GOT PERSONAL AFTER PASSING THE FIRST STAGE BY ONE VOTE. POLITICAL REPORTER JESSICA MUTCH HAS DEVELOPMENTS. 26 babies gathering at Parliament today, representing the 26 weeks of paid parental leave that Labour's fighting for. But the debate got personal, with National's Maggie Barry yelling out during Jacinda Ardern's speech. The microphone picks up what she says. And that is key to our vis` our vision. She goes on to ask if Jacinda Ardern is qualified to comment, considering the 32-year-old MP doesn't have children. I didn't think it was a necessary comment to make. I mean, constantly in the House, MPs are talking about issues that we haven't had direct experience of, um, but we're elected, uh, to do that job. We went to the minister of women's affairs. I-I believe, i-in the spirit of debate, comments get made and, um, if you really want to ask Maggie about her intentions, you should talk to Maggie. We tried to talk to Maggie Barry, but she refused to front up, saying she's moving on. I think they were really insulting. I'd say to, uh, everybody in the House to harden up. Similar comments were made about Helen Clark in 2001. Labelled me as a childless woman and continued personal attacks has been pretty grubby. Regardless of this stoush, the bill has passed its first stage by one vote, but it's unlikely to become law because the Government is vowing to veto the bill, saying the country just can't afford it. Some mums are calling for the Government to change its mind. Life's really hard, so just let it pass for the parents' sake, the babies, the kids, our future. The bill will now be scrutinised by a parliamentary committee. The bill's sponsor says she's willing to compromise, and anything extra would be a bonus. Jessica Mutch, ONE News. Police won't prosecute John Banks over anonymous donations to his Auckland mayoralty campaign, but there's a vow tonight that we haven't heard the end of it. Opponents say the ACT leader's got off on a technicality. This from political reporter Michael Parkin. It was John Banks' mantra throughout the anonymous donations saga. I have nothing to fear and nothing to hide. Except the ACT leader seemed to be hiding today ` not in Parliament and not at his Epsom electorate office, even though police say they don't have enough evidence to prosecute him over Auckland mayoralty campaign donations. Labour says Mr Banks got off on a technicality, as police found that during his campaign he received a sealed envelope containing a $15,000 cheque from the SkyCity CEO. He made a personal request for help from a donor that led to $15,000 for radio advertising. And police say he personally solicited a donation from Kim Dotcom, resulting in two $25,000 cheques. All were recorded as anonymous donations. Did you know that Kim Dotcom was making a donation to your mayoral campaign? No, I didn't know. And police couldn't establish that Mr Banks knew his staff were recording the donations as anonymous. Also, police can't prosecute because the complaint wasn't made within six months of Mr Banks' submitting his electoral return. The police can't prove it, but everybody in NZ knows what's gone on here, and John Key knows as well, and he should stand him down. His ethical standards, I think, are in tatters. But the support of the lone ACT MP ensures John Key's one-seat majority here at Parliament, so there is little chance he will stand John Banks down now there's no chance of a prosecution. What we've seen today is the result of a very politically motivated complaint by the Labour Party, and the minister's been proved to be correct. So police and the Prime Minister may be off John Banks' case, but the Opposition certainly won't be when he comes back to work. Michael Parkin, ONE News. A fisherman's off the hook after a judge threw out charges against him over an oil protest off East Cape. But while Elvis Teddy and Greenpeace are celebrating, a top maritime lawyer says the ruling sets a dangerous precedent. Amy Kelley has the details. We've got to savour this moment. Scenes of jubilation outside court as fisherman Elvis Teddy walks free. I'm going back to work. I got a crayfishing job to do. ALL LAUGH Teddy faced charges of operating his vessel unsafely and resisting arrest during a flotilla protest against Petrobras oil drilling in the Raukumara Basin. This video showing his boat riding dangerously close to the oil giant's. Teddy's lawyer argued the courts had no jurisdiction because it happened outside NZ's 12 nautical mile zone. And today the judge agreed. Mr Teddy, uh, you are now free to go. Thank you, Judge. In statements to ONE News, Greenpeace Te Whanau-a-Apanui say the decision proves navy and police had no right to curb the protest and were acting as private security for Petrobras. A leading maritime lawyer disagrees and says throwing out this case sets a dangerous precedent. It does leave a bolt-hole for unscrupulous operators to, um, take advantage of a gap in the legislation. You may find that the same defence will be raised by, um, people outside 12 nautical miles. Peter Dawson fears it could lead to more scenes like this ` the collision between the Ady Gill and a whaling ship two years ago. It would encourage protestors to take risks which they shouldn't ordinarily be taking. Even Elvis Teddy's signalled he may be out fighting Petrobras again. I'm not ruling it out. We never rule out anything. Amy Kelley, ONE News There's been an embarrassing hiccup for Olympic organisers right at the start of competition. With more on this and other news from the Games, Simon joins us from London. Yes, you could call this an own goal. The action at these games kicked off with football. But one match was delayed by more than an hour. The North Korean women walked off in protest after the flag of their enemy, South Korea, was mistakenly displayed. Red-faced organisers apologised, and the North Koreans went on to beat Colombia 2-0, One goal more than team Great Britain managed. And there's your first moment from London 2012. In defeating our Football Ferns in the tournament opener. And it doesn't get any easier for the Football Ferns. We'll wrap up the action later in sport. At the most-watched moment of the Games, no one is trying to go faster, higher or stronger. The teams are all moving at a gentle pace behind one person at the opening ceremony. And just as in Beijing, or at any previous Games, as people watch in their billions around the globe for a glimpse of their national flag, there'll be one NZer carrying themselves just a little taller than the rest. The flag bearer has to have the respect of the team. Someone that is, uh, deeply respected for their sporting prowess, but also for their personal qualities and their leadership. It's a closely guarded secret divulged to athletes sworn to secrecy hours before the rest of us find out. Everyone does it just a little differently. Now, the athletes of Great Britain living right there behind me there, they got to vote for who would carry the Union flag into the stadium in front of them. But, at Team NZ, it's more of an enlightened dictatorship. Chef de Mission Dave Currie, uh, it's actually his choice. Uh, and he obviously consults with some of his team, but yeah, let's just see` let the excitement build. Now, any one of these athletes may have the ear of the decider, so we put it back on them. Um, jeez, I haven't really thought about it. Um... Good question. Who do we think? Who do we think? One clear favourite emerges in our unscientific sample. Valerie. Valerie. Quick answer ` probably Valerie Adams. Except the champion shot putter isn't expected here until next week. So who else could have the running? I reckon Nick Willis. I was with a few guys, you know, you do talk about in amongst your team. I think he'd be pretty good luck, yeah. He's an Olympic medallist. Um, he's also, you know, I think, probably got a good chance of doing really well here in what's a very tough competition, and I think he's a, yeah, he's a really good role model. Fresh from a record breaking run in Monaco last week, the 1500m silver medallist should still have the legs to carry the flag if he's given the honour. Garth Bray, ONE News, London. And I'll have the flag bearer announcement live on Breakfast tomorrow. That's here on ONE from 6 o'clock. Fencing double-Olympic champion Mariel Zagunis is the powerful Americans' flag-bearer. A more obvious choice ` the man with the most gold medals in Games history ` ruled himself out. Michael Phelps won't even be at the ceremony, saying it's too tough for swimmers standing around till midnight and competing the next morning. For our team at the pool, London's a golden opportunity to repair their battered reputations. Olympics reporter Craig Stanaway explains. They are the public face of an organisation described as dysfunctional. Swimming is one of High Performance NZ's targeted sport, receiving $1.65m to prepare for the Games. But in the last four years, there have been three taxpayer-funded reports into why they're underachieving after no one won a gold medal at the last Commonwealth Games. In London they have to perform. Our coach has been pretty good, keeping us out of that situation, you know. We were always going to be involved in that. That's inevitable, really. So, you know, I think it's how much you take in and how much you want it to affect you. Here's the encouraging thing ` it hasn't affected them. NZ's achieved more top-10 ranked performances this year than ever before. Snyders is ranked sixth in the world in the 100 free. Lauren Boyle is ranked 10th in the 800 free. Matt Stanley ninth in the 400 free. Then there's the dark horse ` Wellington's Gareth Kean, ranked sixth in the world in the 100 backstroke and coached by 1978 Halberg Award winner Gary Hurring. Hurring was favourite for gold in 1980 before NZ boycotted Moscow. With limited preparation and past his peak, he finished fourth in LA. He knows I don't have to completely smash myself day in, day out, whereas it's all about the quality and how I train, not all the quantity. Kean has put on a staggering 15 kilos of muscle since winning silver in the 200 at Delhi. Swimming NZ desperately needs some good news. Gareth Kean of NZ. He's going fast enough to sneak a medal. Craig Stanaway, ONE News, London. And Craig's got another perspective on life in the fast lane in London these days. You can read his blog and check out the pictures on onenews.co.nz/olympics. And I'll be back with the Kiwi home away from home later in the news hour. Back here, a NZ team that's already shot to glory has been the toast of two cities in the past few hours. Trans-Tasman netball champions the Magic spent time with fans in Tauranga and Hamilton. Ruth Wynn-Williams with the celebrations. Four days after the win, the team's still riding high. And on the streets of Tauranga, so are the fans. ALL: We love the Magic! Shouldn't you guys be in school? > ALL: Noooooooo! Today's lesson quite simple. What does it spell? ALL: Magic! When they see these stars, hopefully it'll inspire them as well. So cool. It reminds me of when I was a child. But a great following, and today's about them and celebrating and celebrating with the fans. # Ehara taku toa... # Today's probably one of the days I've realised we've done it and we've ticked the box. The Magic is the first NZ team to win in the five-year history of the competition, and it's brought Tauranga to a halt today ` a win that can only be described as... ALL: Magic! It's a huge sport for us, obviously, but also for women in both regions. In Hamilton, the celebration continued. Each one of you is a champion, and we are just so, so proud of you. Congratulation, well done. CHEERING Back on the street, though, these kids reckon they know at least some of the Magic recipe for success. Because they've got Casey Williams. What's so good about Casey Williams? > She's a good defender. And as for defending that title... There's plenty more to come. (LAUGHS) It's under control, totally under control. But for now, it's all about basking in the glory. Ruth Wynn-Williams, ONE News. Still to come on ONE News ` insurance companies are told to get cracking in Christchurch at the end of a huge project to check quake damage. Jumping from the edge of space ` we take you on a wild ride of human endurance. And bought by Chinese goldminers in the 1870s ` Then at 7 ` our fastest and strongest are their nearest and dearest. We recognise the hard work of our Olympic team's mums and dads. ONE MAN HAS DIED IN A TRUCK CRASH IN CHRISTCHURCH ANOTHER MAN HAS BEEN TAKEN TO HOSPITAL Insurance companies are being told to step up and take responsibility for their part in the rebuilding of Christchurch. The pressure's coming as a report's released assessing the extent of quake damage. Ali Pugh reports. EQC's just released the largest land-damage mapping exercise ever undertaken. A team of 400 engineers went house to house to about 80,000 properties to record damage. With the findings now in the hands of insurers, the recovery minister says there's no excuse for insurance companies to use land reports as a way to buy time. As of today, that information is all there in front of them. But I think it would be wrong to say, uh, that they haven't had a big lot of the information on the way through. With drilling for TC3 ` or blue-green ` sections also underway, both the minister and EQC say it's insurers slowing down the settlement of claims. I've, uh, lost my patience for understanding their difficulty. 20,000 Canterbury homes have now had substantial repairs complete by the EQC costing around $500m dollars, but it's stated confidently today its money is not about to run dry. With $3b sitting in its bank account, there's another $4b it can draw on from reinsurance funds, and an additional $1b available from the Crown guarantee. EQC is far from broke. That bank balance is little consolation to those still awaiting answers. They're planning a protest to compete with the unveiling of CERA's history-making blueprint for the new business district on Monday. Ali Pugh, ONE News. A delegation from the Japanese city of Toyama is in Christchurch, paying respect at the site of the CTV building. 13 students from Toyama were among those who died in the February earthquake. The group briefly attended the Royal Commission of Inquiry. It's very open to the public. They were posted in the media instantly, and also, they were recorded and the minute any people can see the result of that, uh, you know, public hearings, and we thought it was very open and frank. Very impressed. The visitors met Christchurch mayor Bob Parker and will visit host families of the victims this evening. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has married, ending weeks of speculation about the mystery woman who's suddenly appeared by his side. His bride is Ri Sol-Ju, but no more details have emerged about her background or the wedding. The fact state-run television's broadcast pictures of her, though, is a major shift for North Korea. Previous first ladies have been kept out of the public eye. And there's talk from Hollywood about a romance between Kiwi actor Martin Henderson and actress Demi Moore. These photos were snapped as the pair spent time together in Connecticut. Apparently, they've been hiking, grocery shopping and barbecuing together. Martin Henderson is 12 years younger than Demi Moore, whose last younger man was Ashton Kutcher. Imagine leaping from the edge of space before plunging back to Earth at the speed of an airliner. Austrian extreme skydiver Felix Baumgartner's done just that, jumping nearly 30km from a balloon above New Mexico. ABC's Josh Elliott explains. Preparations begin on Earth for a leap from the stratosphere. The balloon gently fills with helium, a vessel made of material as thin as a dry-cleaning bag that will lift Felix Baumgartner more than 90,000ft above the Earth. with the wind at bay, the capsule lifts off. MAN: We've got 6300ft. 90 minutes later, it reaches an altitude of 18 miles ` or 96,640ft, to be precise. On his way 18 miles above the Earth, Baumgartner would have passed migrating birds and then aeroplanes, and then even the highest clouds in the sky. And he wouldn't have even been halfway there yet. Baumgartner pushing the limits on what we know about endurance. Without his high-tech pressurised suit, the slightest air would mean he wouldn't be able to breathe and the water in his body would actually boil and then vaporise. It's almost overwhelming. When you're standing there in a pressure suit, the only thing that you hear is yourself breathing. You can see the curve of the Earth. You can see the sky is totally black. Only then is Baumgartner ready to jump. That one step forward, you know, is an important step, because you know you're coming home. During his descent, Baumgartner goes from zero to 536mph in just 25 seconds. 14 minutes later, he makes a delicately perfect landing in the New Mexico desert. And Felix has landed safely back to Earth. APPLAUSE, CHEERING And that was just a practice leap for a 38km jump next month. It's hoped that will break the sound barrier. Staying with matters atmospheric. What's happening in the sky above us, then? Big high docking, but dirty around those sou'west, nor'east corners with rain showers. Wellington farewelled the showers this morning with a bow in the sky Colourful patchwork sky. For weather, see onenews.co.nz Up next on ONE News ` who's the wealthiest of them all? Some newcomers on the annual rich list. And they toiled on the goldfields and disappeared, so who owns the land left behind? Tonight on Close Up ` it's legal to buy and lethal to breathe. So how do we keep it out of our children's hands? Why would a 12-year-old want butane? And it's like turning a light switch off. Plus - could the bride soon be kissing the bride? How close are we to legalising gay marriage. Close Up at 7, TV ONE. 1 The man who governs banking in this country is on notice from exporters that he needs to do more than hold the official cash rate at 2.5%. Allan Bollard's decision not to change the OCR is good news for borrowers. But those trading overseas say it's not enough to fire up the economy. Political editor Corin Dann reports. For the last 12 months, farmers have been in a sweet spot. Grass growth, thanks to a wet summer, has been the best in years, while world prices for agricultural goods have been riding high. However, in an ominous sign for the economy, prices are dropping and the golden run looks to be ending. We've had this huge lift, which was much needed, and then suddenly we've been dropped down, and unfortunately, it's been a very short spike that we've had. Earlier this week, a Federated Farmers survey showed a big drop in farmer confidence. High on the list of concerns was the prospect of a meltdown in the eurozone and a high Kiwi dollar, which is clipping farmgate returns. We've always said that the dollar follows the produce prices, but it hasn't come down yet. When we've seen the prices drop, I mean, we're still hovering around the 80c. The Finance Minister accepts the Kiwi dollar's strength against the US is a problem. If the dollar stays around 80c, that's still pretty tough for farmers and other exporters. The Reserve Bank governor is saying the same thing. However, some exporters say talk is no longer good enough, and Allan Bollard should have cut the OCR today to bring down the dollar. The currency is overvalued, and most commentators agree with that, and yet we see no action from the Reserve Bank, largely because they are concerned about triggering another asset bubble. On a positive note, Dr Bollard stressed that the economy is expected to grow modestly over the next few years. That means NZ should at least escape the fate of the British economy, which was today confirmed to be stuck in a double-dip recession. Corin Dann, ONE News. A Russian minerals magnate is top of this year's rich list, even though he only visits here a few times a year. Alexander Abramov is said to be worth $7b and is building a $40m house in Northland. Packaging entrepreneur Graham Hart remains the wealthiest NZer. He's worth $5b. Other foreigners, like American philanthropist Julian Robertson and Canadian film director James Cameron, are included for the first time, because they have many assets here. If you're related to Chinese goldminers who came to NZ in the 1870s, you could be the owner of some land they left behind. Several sections are up for grabs in the historic Otago township of Cardrona. Max Bania has more. If this prime Cardrona land belongs to you, it's time to stake your claim. Uh, a stunning area that most people would be happy to own land here. Trouble is the owners aren't around to enjoy the view. They're five Chinese gold miners who pitched up here 140 years ago. It seems that, after the gold rush, these people have disappeared off the face of the Earth. The miners were treated as second-class citizens. They arrived in Cardrona without their families and left virtually without trace more than a century ago. Now Tanya Surrey and the Public Trust are trying to track down their descendants. We have researched through the museums and genealogical records. We have approached, um, the Chinese Friendship Society, the Chinese embassy. The sections are valued at up to $170,000. Smattered around the historic Cardrona Hotel, they range in size from 500m2 to 3000m2. Locals have their own ideas about their future. The community here in general would like to see something settled. We're looking for, um, some reserve areas that we know are going to be here in perpetuity, so maybe they provide an option for that. Now, if you think all this could be yours, you'll have to be prepared to prove it. That means having birth certificates, marriage certificates, any legal documentation linking you link to the original owner. If no one comes forward, the sections will go up for public sale, perhaps sparking a gold rush of a different kind. Max Bania, ONE News. Looking at our top stories tonight ` the gay community's applauding a bill which would give them the same marriage rights as hetrosexual couples, including adoption. The private member's bill will head to a select committee and is likely to be subject to a conscience vote in Parliament. And a hiccup for Olympic organisers here in London. They've had to apologise to the North Korean women's football team after the flag of their enemy, South Korea, was displayed by mistake. And track and field medallist Nick Willis is one of the top contenders to carry the NZ flag at the opening ceremony. A look now at what's being called the London Kiwi House. NZ Olympic officials have set up a base where visitors can watch our athletes on TV and enjoy the familiar trappings of Kiwi hospitality. Olympics reporter Paul Hobbs has been along. (CALLS OUT IN MAORI) London's Maori community issued the welcome; Ngati Ranana inviting the first wave of Kiwis into their Olympic home away from home. The Olympic team kaumatua blessing the venue, followed by the first of what will surely be many Kiwi-style celebrations. Obviously, there are many thousands of, uh, NZers living here in London, and they'll be keen to be part of the Games even if they aren't able to get into the venues themselves. Kiwi House offering the best of NZ beverages and food; a Peter Gordon-styled menu with, naturally, a BBQ at its core. If London's weather continues to play ball, this Kiwi backyard is sure to be a winner, complete with native flora and this rustic volunteer-assembled furniture. By day, um, yeah, it's a back garden BBQ and then it can turn into almost a pub if it needs to in the evening. So we've got a lot of DJs and, you know, NZ music and a celebration of NZ culture. And, of course, NZ sport ` live coverage of NZ's competitors at the Games. Here, all eyes were on the Football Ferns. Olympic medalists are expected to share their successes back here with friends and family. We had something similar in Melbourne ` um, a sort of hangout place where you could meet your supporters and things like that, and it was awesome fun. The opening ceremony party the first big night planned. Paul Hobbs, ONE News, London. Yes, not long now till the night our athletes parade on the world stage. So what's the make-up of the team, and how has it changed over the years? 185 athletes have been selected to represent NZ in London. They will compete in 16 different sports and will be accompanied by 135 support staff and coaches. That's the same number of athletes we sent to Beijing four years ago. But that wasn't the case in 1948, when we sent just seven athletes, who had to travel to the London Games by ship. What has changed is the gender make-up. This team has more females than ever before ` 47% of our athletes are women. A 132 of the Kiwi competitors were born in the North Island, 27 in the south, and 26 were born overseas. The most medals NZ has ever won was in Seoul in 1988, when we took home 13. But the NZ Olympic Committee regards the 1984 Games in Los Angeles as our most successful ever. NZ won eight golds there. That's it from London for now. Another scorching day on the way, forecasting up to a high of 31. But in true British style, by Sunday it's expected to be cold and wet again. Peter and Wendy. Andrew's here with sport, and we have lift-off in London. Frustrating times as well for our Olympic debutants. Also tonight ` the first expulsions are handed down in London. Plus ` mixed emotions for the Blackcaps in the first test in Antigua, What's the unwanted tag the Chiefs are trying to shake? And the Warriors' new leader fronts over his elevation. Our Olympic campaign is underway and the women's Football Ferns are contemplating what might've been. They've lost 1-0 to Great Britain on the team's biggest stage, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Olympics reporter Heather du Plessis-Allan was at the game. Hopes were so high. ALL: Come on, Kiwis! Whoo! But the Football Ferns failed to cause the upset fans turned out for. For 63 minutes the Ferns held out against the favourites. Hits the post. They realised how lucky they were. But then their luck ran out. Bindon must be alert. Over they go. Drived in and scored. A wonderful flick over the wall. And they threw away a perfect chance to equalise. Oh, chance now. NZ are through. Gregorius. Oh! Gregorius has blown a great opportunity. For the host nation's supporters, it was a perfect Olympic opener. Yes, come on, Great Britain. Well done, girls. But for the Football Ferns' fans, it was a disappointing start to our Olympic campaign. I think they'll be terribly disappointed. But, you know, that's the nature of the sport. You get up, and you go on. I don't know. I think we were robbed. The Ferns played admirably for a squad ranked only 23rd in the world The players seem really disappointed after the game. I think that's because their expectations for the themselves are pretty high for this tournament. It's a game we though could've won, and I guess, when you look back on the game, we could've taken something from the game. At least a draw. Not quite as deflated, our athletics team who turned spectator for the match. They're determined the Olympics campaign won't continue as it's started. The opening ceremony hasn't even... hasn't even happened yet, so there's plenty more Olympics still to come. We'll have better results than that. The Football Ferns face an even tougher match next, squaring off against the fifth-ranked Brazil on Sunday. Heather du Plessis-Allan, ONE News, Cardiff. Nine track and field athletes have been handed lengthy bans in a drugs crackdown before the Games. Six of the athletes, including Moroccan long-distance runner Abderrahim Goumri, were caught by the biological passport blood-testing programme being used for the first time at an Olympics. The other athletes were from Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and Greece. Triple-jumper Voula Papachristou has been expelled from the Greek Olympic team for making racist comments on Twitter. The Olympian's tweet, mocking African immigrants and expressing support for a far right party, quickly went viral. The Olympic Committee is urging athletes to be careful about what they post on social media sites. After a dismal time in both the T20s and one-dayers, the Blackcaps have showed glimmers of hope in the first cricket Test against the West Indies in Antigua. The top order fronted, but it was a day of extremes for opener Martin Guptill. Toni Street explains. This is the way it ended for Martin Guptill. He's gutted. He's disappointed. He's trying to console himself a little bit before he walks off. After seeing him so distraught, it's hard to believe he was the reason the Blackcaps might have a chance in this Test. Nice shot from Guptill. Guptill had an opening wicket stand of 97 with Daniel Flynn. And now Daniel Flynn follow's Guptill with a nice boundary square of the wicket. Flynn was first to fall for 45. Catch it, and taken. The very next ball Guptill faced signalled he was there to stay, bringing up his half-century with purpose. He held firm as Brendon McCullum went for 25. And caught. When Ross Taylor played on, five runs shy of his half-century, Guptill was honing in on his third Test century, with only 20 minutes to play before stumps. After batting with patience all day, he let himself down on 97. Oh, that is disappointing. That is disappointing, if it's taken... and it is taken. Another wicket for Narine, but that's why I said if Guptill could finish the job today. He can't. The two new batsman, Williamson and Wagner, will now have a big job to reinstate the innings on day two. The Blackcaps are 232/4. Toni Street, ONE News. The top four batsmen all got starts, but never really collared the bowling. Spinner Sunil Narine was again the danger man with three wickets. In just over 24 hours, NZ rugby bragging rights and a spot in the 2012 Super final will go on the line. Close to 25,000 fans will wedge themselves into Waikato Stadium to see the Chiefs take on the Crusaders. The Chiefs are eager to make sure they repay the faith and tighten up one area in particular. The stairway to football heaven ` but will the Chiefs trip themselves up before reaching the top? We probably give away a few too many ourselves. We're quite high up on the list, I think, so we've talked about that a little bit. Clarke's referring to the Chiefs' habit of conceding penalties. In fact, they gave away an average of 11 per game in the regular season. Out of 16 games, the Chiefs ended up on the wrong side of the penalty count 13 times. They're smart infringers though ` just a third of those conceded ended up costing them on the scoreboard. Disciplines going to be key and just making sure we back our systems and not give away silly penalties at the other end of the field. Field position will be key. If the Chiefs test South African ref Craig Joubert, a certain points record-holder is sure to make them pay. Right down the centre it goes. I would've loved it to have been the final, a couple of NZ teams, but, you know, we're meeting in the semi, and it's always a challenge up there in Hamilton. Away from penalties, the Chiefs will be hoping the much talked-about television match official is on their side tomorrow. They've had two tight decisions go against them in their last two round-robin matches. Hopefully we won't have to bring the TMO into the equation this week, and just go out there put a solid performance together. We won't leave it to the officials to make a big decision. Both teams will be trying make sure destiny is in their own hands tomorrow. One of the Chiefs might be playing for more than just a grand final spot. The NZRU has confirmed tonight Sonny Bill Williams is still eligible for the All Blacks, and if the selectors want to use him next month in the Bledisloe Cup Tests, they can, before he heads to Japan. Williams remains an option in the midfield, given Conrad Smith's injury. Despite his renowned physical style on defence, the Hurricanes medical team is confident Smith, after a full recovery, won't be hampered by the eye problem again. He certainly puts himself in harm's way, which is for the good of all of us in the bigger sense, so you can never say never it won't happen again, but we are cautiously optimistic that he'll get through this and bounce back. Smith now has a six-week stand-down, meaning he'll miss at least the two opening Bledisloe Cup Tests against the Wallabies, starting on August 18th. After close to 150 matches, Warriors cult figure Manu Vatuvei admits he's humbled to be handed the captaincy against Manly on Saturday. Vatuvei, who scored a double as the Warriors lost their season opener to Manly, will have plenty of lieutenants. We've got a few leaders in the middle and on the outside of the edges, so they're the ones that are gonna help me out, and hopefully things go smoothly. Manu will be there to inspire his teammates and flip to coin to say which way we're going to go. And hopefully they go better than on their two previous trips to Perth, where they lost to the Reds in 1996 and '97. Thanks, Andrew. After the break ` Jim's talking fine weather, but it all goes a bit wobbly into the weekend. Next on Close Up ` easy to buy and easy to die. Why are we allowing butane to be sold to schoolchildren? Plus ` out of the ballot box and down the aisle. Is legalising same-sex marriage just around the corner? And our fastest and strongest are their nearest and dearest. We recognise the hard work of our Olympic team's mums and dads. Close Up's here next, TV ONE. ENGINE RATTLES SONIC CRACKLING, ZAPPING Debt comes in all shapes and sizes. SONIC CRACKLING, ZAPPING Sometimes borrowing is a smart thing to do,... SONIC ZAPPING INTENSIFIES ...and sometimes it isn't. SONIC ZAPPING SOARS Shrink your dumb debt. It's all part of being sorted. # Rendezvous. # Make any moment magic with an enchanting boost of fragrance. Hello again. From tonight we'll be putting up London's weather for the duration of the Olympic Games. For weather, see onenews.co.nz And good one to Max Ireland ` double rainbow. And that's ONE News this Thursday.