Oh, you're so going to love this.

Instead of MetaMod, use Chameleon. Even the Lite (free) version will work. (Note: Joomla 1.5 only - see http://www.metamodpro.com/forums/topic?id=1387#p6275 for a Joomla 2.5+ version)

Install it.
Create a new rule and give it a title.
Find the box in the right column in the "SUCCEED Actions" section, called "Run PHP"
Copy and paste in the following PHP code.
Make sure you find the menu id (Itemid) of the menu that you want to change the name of, and edit the first line of the PHP code to use that id number.
Save the rule.
Enjoy.

$menuid = XXX; // replace XXX with the id of the menu item to change



$udduserid = $user->id;

$uddsql="SELECT count(a.id) FROM #_" . "_uddeim AS a WHERE `a`.`delayed`=0 AND a.totrash=0 AND a.toread=0 AND a.toid=".(int)$udduserid;



$db->setQuery($uddsql);

$uddresult=(int)$db->loadResult();

$message = "Private Messages";

if ($uddresult > 0) $message .= " ($uddresult new)";

$menu =& JSite::getMenu();

$menu->_items[$menuid]->name = $message;

Freshly baked cookies are great but might not be so fresh by the time they get to New Zealand. Purchasing the full version of Chameleon would be a great second option

Best regards,
Stephen

hey by all means spread the word - thanks!

And...

"If you use Chameleon, please post a rating and a review at the Joomla! Extensions Directory"