The Front Page podcast: Officer accused of sex attack on fellow cop, airfare wars heat up

The 28-year-old accused appeared this afternoon in the Auckland District Court before Judge David Burns. Photo / Doug Sherring

Each weekday The Front Page keeps you up to date with the biggest news in New Zealand. Today, a police officer heads to court charged with indecently assaulting a fellow cop, a dramatic day on Auckland's harbour after a seaplane crashed into the water, the airfare war heats up and Wellington prepares for Eminem's sole NZ show. Hosted by Juliette Sivertsen.

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A police officer has been charged with indecently assaulting a fellow cop.

The 28-year-old accused appeared this afternoon in the Auckland District Court before Judge David Burns.

The policeman was arrested this morning, and charged with indecent assault and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.

He pleaded not guilty to both charges.

The alleged offences occurred on February 5 in Northland, according to court documents viewed by the Herald.

The man's lawyer, Paul Borich QC, sought interim name suppression for his client.

Further details about the case were also suppressed.

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An Auckland school is defending it's strict internet policy making in compulsory for students to have a spyware app on their devices used in school.

Birkenhead College says parents must install the monitoring app Family Zone on their kids' phones if they want their children to access the school's wifi network.

The app emails parents reports on what their children have been looking at ...

It also sends alerts when kids try to access high-risk content like pornography.

The school says it has a responsibility to protect its students from inappropriate content.

Principal Craig Waller says students are being fully consulted on how the app is rolled out.

But Council for Civil Liberties spokesman, Thomas Beagle, believes it's too intrusive on young people's lives.

He says controlling internet access outside the school should surely be between the child and the parent.

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Incredible scenes today on Auckland's harbour as a seaplane nose-dived and crashed into the water.

One person was on board but made it out safely.

The aircraft involved belongs to Auckland Seaplanes, based at the Sealink Base North Wharf in Freemans Bay.

The company told the Herald they were reviewing the incident and were not prepared to make a statement at this stage.

Police said as far as they knew, there was no fuel leaking into the harbour.

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Lime scooters are making a comeback in Auckland, with a lengthy list of conditions.

Auckland Council had placed a temporary ban on the e-scooters last week amid growing safety concerns after a number of people were injured while using them.

A number of incidents occurred in which people were injured when the front wheel of the scooter they were riding unexpectedly locked.

But it looks like they'll be back on the streets from tomorrow, with the suspension being lifted, on the basis the company will operate within new guidelines set by the council.

Lime will be required to report "serious safety incidents" anywhere in the world to officials within 48 hours.

Every scooter will also have to undergo a mechanical inspection at least once a week.

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Jetstar has struck back at Air New Zealand's pricing shake-up by slashing its own fares - offering 75,000 domestic flights for just $25.

The airline is offering a range of cheap fares to destinations around the country.

This promotion comes in the same week that Air New Zealand announced its biggest pricing shake-up in a decade.

Earlier this week, the national carrier confirmed that it would offer 750,000 seats a year for less than $50 each.

Jetstar's response today set the stage for an all-out price war between the two airlines - with customers the big winners.

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Hawke's Bay Airport's expansion has hit a roadblock, with the collapse of the company contracted to build the multimillion-dollar upgrade.

Arrow International has gone into voluntary administration after a contractual dispute left it without its needed cashflow.

Hawke's Bay Airport CEO Stuart Ainslie says delays in the project would be inevitable, but these would be minor.

He remained confident the deadline of finishing the project in the third quarter of 2020 was achievable.

He described the situation as "regrettable" but given the fragile nature of the construction industry the risk was not unforeseen.

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A breakthrough in breast cancer research could change the way patients are treated.

A New Zealand-led study's found a cancer-related protein can be used to work out whether hormone or chemotherapy is the best treatment option for each patient.

Work at AUT, as well as in the UK, Singapore and China, has centred on a protein called SHON, which is related to some types of breast cancer.

Kath McPherson, who's the CEO of the Health Research Centre, which helped fund the study says this is an important discovery and a game changer.

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The Real Slim Shady's arrived in the capital for one of the biggest weekend's Wellington's ever seen.

There'll be a crowd of 45,000 at Eminem's sold-out concert at Westpac Stadium tomorrow night.

It's the rapper's only New Zealand show.

Thousands have flown in to Wellington Airport today, with airlines operating around 9000 additional seats and 70 more flights over the weekend.

Eminem's private jet landed in Wellington last night.

For more on this story, tune in to Newstalk ZB

That's the Front Page for today, Friday, March 1, making sure you're across the biggest news of the day. For more on these stories, check out The New Zealand Herald, or tune in to Newstalk ZB.

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple podcasts here, iHeartRadio here, and Stitcher here.

If you like to stay up to date on social media, you can find host Juliette Sivertsen on Twitter.