Morning Report

Samoa shuts down so hundreds of government workers can help with measles immunisation, a gynaecologist demands junior doctors stop examining unconscious patients without prior consent, and the government watchdog says the Hepatitis Foundation made mistakes but shouldn't be shamed over extravagant spending.

Researchers from Britain and New Zealand have built artificial neurons that could help people with conditions like Alzheimer's, certain types of heart failure, and other degenerative diseases.

The neurons are built on silicon chips and can mimic the electrical responses of real, biological neurons, and could possibly help to reconnect damaged parts of the neuro-system.

Auckland University Professor Julian Paton is a co-author of the research.

He speaks to Kim Hill.

Small island countries in the Pacific are demanding greater commitments at this week's Madrid climate talks, saying what's been done so far is far from enough.

The demand comes as the World Meteorological Organisation released the latest in a run of dire scientific predictions for the fate of the world.

Jamie Tahana reports from Madrid.

A man who admitted shooting dead a young south Auckland father-to-be has pleaded for forgiveness from his victim's family in court.

Yesterday, Semi Pilitati was jailed for at least 10 years after earlier pleading guilty to murdering 26-year-old Arthur Brown in Mangere in March.

Before his sentence was handed down, the 21-year-old stood in the dock and turned to address Mr Brown's family members who had packed the public gallery.

RNZ reporter Sarah Robson was in the High Court in Auckland.

The Otago Daily Times is being told to make a substantial donation to the Red Cross in Samoa after being slammed for a cartoon considered racist, heartless and insensitive.

The paper has been forced to apologise for publishing a cartoon that jokes about the Samoa measles outbreak which has claimed 55 lives - most of them young children.

The cartoon sparked an immediate backlash online.

Hamish Cardwell has more.

The death toll in Samoa's measles epidemic has risen to at least 55, with children making up almost all of the dead.

As the Samoan government ramps up its mass immunisation campaign, it estimates that 67 percent of infants aged six months to four years old are now vaccinated, and 81 percent of children aged five to 19 years old.

Most branches of government , except for water and electricity services, will close on Thursday and Friday so that public servants can be devoted to the immunisation effort.

Kim Hill speaks to Dr Alan Wright, who is the New Zealand Medical Assistance team leader in Samoa.

A brief update on the movements in the financial sector.

It's been called the "Reefer-endum" - and as of Thursday the draft cnnabis legislation bill has been made public.

It proposes allowing people to buy up to 14 grams of the drug a day, making edibles legal, and allowing up to four of the plants to be grown for personal use.

You'll still have to be 20 to buy it though - and won't be able to smoke it in public nor drive under the influence.

The Drug Foundation's director Ross Bell says it ticks all the boxes.

It's back to the drawing board for the country's biggest iwi with the Government announcing what it calls a "new opportunity" for Ngāpuhi to negotiate its Treaty claims.

For the past decade Maori in the region have been tied up in court and before the Waitangi Tribunal arguing with the Crown over who should represent them in settlement negotiations.

The Crown has finally accepted that the group Tuhoronuku no longer has the mandate to speak for Ngāpuhi and the Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little says hapu now have a chance to build a new framework.

Mr Little says he's also seeking proposals from takiwa or area groups within the tribe about how more localised claims can be dealt with.

RNZ's Māori News Director Māni Dunlop speaks to Corin Dann.

Ports of Auckland says shifting the port to Northland will add up to $630 million a year to the cost of imports, according to a study from NZIER.

It also says extra CO2 emissions from freighting goods to Auckland will be equivalent to flying to London up to 70,000 times.

NZIER chief executive Laurence Kubiak speaks to Corin Dann.