DEANS: Watching Robbie Deans stroll around in Wallabies team issue gear, it seems he’s having the time of his life. He labels this Saturday as the biggest day of his coaching career, guiding the Wallabies against his former team, but if there’s any kind of pressure you wouldn’t know it. It’s been the Dingo Deans show in Sydney this Bledisloe Cup week, with the All Blacks conspicuously absent and Deans giving everyone a piece of his time. He’s quickly learned... more>

BRAID: It must be an Auckland loose forward thing. Daniel Braid will equal the record for an All Blacks drought between test appearances when he plays against Australia in Sydney on Saturday. A total of 57 tests have been played since openside flanker Braid last pulled on the black jersey, against Tonga at the 2003 World Cup. It matches the number of tests that former Auckland and Blues teammate Xavier Rush missed between his debut against Australia in 1998 and his recall at No 8 against... more>

TRI-NATIONS: The All Blacks will extend their current Bledisloe Cup tenure to the second best in its 78-year rugby history if they can win this year’s giant series against Australia. New Zealand are chasing a fifth successive defence, an achievement only bettered by the All Blacks side who owned the famous piece of trans-Tasman silverware from 1951 to 1978. That mammoth tenure featured 11 defences. They were also holders from 1936 to 1948 but only had to defend three times because... more>

OLYMPICS: A selection of New Zealand’s elite athletes will need a greater grasp of time management next year when a controversial new process governing drug testing comes into force. The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has asked its New Zealand affiliate, Drug Free Sport NZ, to ensure sportspeople included in their registration pool for testing can be found at a precise time of day, 365 days of the year. The measure is intended to guarantee athletes realise the threat of random... more>

$5000 dollar reward is being offered to any Auckland University student who can make a successful citizen’s arrest of United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her visit to the country this weekend. Auckland University Student Association (AUSA) president David Do said the arrest would be for her role in "overseeing the illegal invasion and continued occupation" of Iraq. "It is hard enough living as a student in Auckland these days without having a war criminal coming... more>

MUSIC: Brighton indie-rockers The Kooks are the international headliners to open Gisborne’s Rhythm & Vines festival this year, alongside an international and home-grown line up including Carl Cox, Digitalism and Shihad. Releasing the first wave of acts for the three-day New Year festival, R&V organisers said even bigger acts were yet to come, including "one of the most iconic indie rock bands of all time". R&V marketing director Toby Burrows said the new three-day format... more>

BROTHEL: Resource consent has been granted for a contentious brothel in Dannevirke’s former Public Trust building. The Promiscuous Girlz brothel’s resource consent hearing drew more than 50 protesters to Tararua District Council chambers yesterday. The protesters, who spilled out into the hallway, carried anti-brothel signs saying "What legacy will this council leave?" and "We want a brothel -- yeah right", the Manawatu Standard reported. Tribunal and hearings committee... more>

EMPLOYMENT: More than 150 years after a carpenter in Petone famously insisted on working an eight-hour day, one in three full-time workers are clocking up more than 50 hours a week. Those most likely to be working more than 50 hours are men and they are those with both high qualifications and no qualifications at all. That is according to an analysis of 2006 Census data, commissioned by the Families Commission and the Department of Labour, which says it is now targeting the employers and... more>

A Family Court judge has ordered a girl be put in court guardianship so her name -- Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii -- can be changed. Family Court Judge Rob Murfitt said he had concerns over the girl’s name -- and others with equally strange names -- creating a social hurdle for them as they grew up. The custody case judgment was made in February but was brought to light today. Judge Murfitt made written findings on the issue public after discovering some New Zealand children had... more>

PIES: The traditional kiwi meat pie may not top the list of healthy food choices, but it leads the way in baking competitions. Today 30 judges from throughout the country will taste, inspect and dissect more than 3000 pies as part of New Zealand’s biggest baking contest. The New Zealand Supreme Pie Awards has attracted pies from bakeries throughout the country. They were entered in 11 categories -- mince and gravy; chicken and vegetables; gourmet meat; bacon and egg; gourmet fruit;... more>