HEADLINES
The Start Of Sludge
Extraordinary Cigs Tax Hike
Scoop Is In The House
Getting Dr Don To Ease Off On The Brakes
Scoop Is In The House
Waitara Police Officer Not Named
NZ Moves On Climate Change Treaty
PM's Post Cabinet Press Conference
Scoop World: US Forces In Sierra Leone?
Scoop World: IRA Concession Gets Peace Back On Track
Party Political Funding
E-commerce Timeline
More On The Employment Relations Bill
Tariff Bill Will Hit Consumers
Toking & Driving
Christchurch Poverty
No Bulk Funding Means Less Funding?
The Super Fund Slinks Off?
A Way For Regional Development
Retail Sales Slipping
School Leaver Quals
“New Zealanders at their best: principled and practical”
Auckland Roading Debate
The Coolness Of Moderation
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TOP SCOOPS
The Start Of Sludge
- Scoop is launching a new free emailer today The Sludge Report by C.D. Sludge. See... Sludge Report #1 -Is The Love Bug The Real Thing [1] in the Headlines wire.
Extraordinary Cigs Tax Hike
– The Government has moved into extraordinary urgency in order to raise the price of a packet of cigarettes by more
than $1 - from tonight. The Green Party is supporting the tax hike– which Green MP Sue Bradford has just described as
“dangerously close to a tax on the poor” and which looks like it is designed to pay for the West Coast settlement – on
the basis of an assurance provided that there will be money in the budget for cessation programmes for low income NZers.
See... Newsflash: Get Your Cigs Quick! [1] and Green Support For Cig Tax Hike Conditional [2] in the Headlines wire. See also. UNITED NZ - Labour Tears Up The Pledge Card [3] and ANNOUNCEMENT - Increase In Excise On Tobacco Products [4] in the Parliament wire.
Scoop Is In The House
- Today’s questions of the day concerned: Urgency – Brierley’s Fish –Waitara Shooting – Regional Development – Maori
Spectrum – Waitara Shooting Comments From PM – PM On Rimu Contracts – Waitara Shooting – Kyoto Protocol – Brian Edwards
Media Training ... See... SCP HOUSE: Questions Of The Day [1] in the wire.
Getting Dr Don To Ease Off On The Brakes
– This morning Finance Minister Dr Michael Cullen announced the terms of reference for a review of monetary policy.
“The aim of the monetary policy review is to investigate ways of enhancing the Reserve Bank's ability to implement the
PTA with minimal disruption to the economy,” he said. See... Announcement of terms of monetary policy review [1] . See also... Michael Cullen Speech On Monetary Policy Review [2] in the Parliament wire. REACTION - UNITED NZ - Reserve Bank Review A Claytons Effort Says Dunne [3] - ACT - Clayton’s Monetary Policy Review a “Costly Sop” [4]
Scoop Is In The House
The answers to todays questions for oral answer will be published shortly after 3pm. See... Questions For Oral Answer - Tuesday May 9 2000 [1] in the Parliament wire.
Waitara Police Officer Not Named
– An interim order suppressing the name of the police officer involved in the Waitara shooting expired at midnight last
night. Today however the media, including the New Zealand Herald, are holding to a voluntary suppression regime. In its
editorial the New Zealand Herald justifies why it went to court to reveal the man’s name and now is not publishing it.
See... Link: Editoral: Some facts worth our fighting for [1] in the General wire. . The Aotearoa Peace Movement has set up a fund to aid Mr Wallace’s family in the investigation of Steven
Wallace’s death See... The Shooting Of Steven Wallace [2] in the Politics wire. Yesterday the issue came up at the Prime Minister’s Press Conference. See... PM's Presser- The Waitara Shooting [3] .
NZ Moves On Climate Change Treaty
- Prime Minister Helen Clark today announced the government 's commitment to pass legislation to enable New Zealand to
ratify the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by mid-2002. See... NZ aims to ratify Kyoto Protocol by mid-2002 [1] in the Parliament wire. REACTION - GREEN - Transport reform crucial to Kyoto target - Greens [2] - ECO -. Climate Change Policy Cautiously Welcomed [3] - ECOLOGIC - . Govt Congratulated On Climate Change Decisions [4]
PM's Post Cabinet Press Conference
Matters raised at the post Cabinet press conference included: Brierley’s Sealord Stake - Kyoto Agreement - New Zealand
Peacekeeper Missing - Activist Court Ruling. See... PM’s Presser (Other Matters) [1] in the Headlines wire.
Scoop World: US Forces In Sierra Leone?
- UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said on Monday the United States was looking at ways
it could provide logistical support to help deal with the crisis in Sierra Leone, where a U.N. peacekeeping operation is
in disarray. See... Link: Albright Says U.S. Working on Logistics to Aid UN [1] . In the early hours of January 6, l999, rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) launched an offensive
against the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, capturing it from government troops and the soldiers of the Nigerian-led
peacekeeping force. For background on the violence see... Human Rights Watch Summary -Sierra Leone Violence [2] both in the International wire.
Scoop World: IRA Concession Gets Peace Back On Track
- The following is the full text of the IRA's statement issued over the Weekend which has led to an easing of tensions
in the province. See... IRA Statement On Putting Arms Beyond Use [1] in the International wire. See also President Clinton (1) [2] , President Clinton (2) [3] and Tony Blair’s Spokesman [4] .
MORE SCOOPS
Party Political Funding
- Winston Peters Leader of New Zealand First, today said that the disclosure of political donations by TV 3 and INL to
the National and Labour Parties has reduced those news organisations to being lap dogs instead of watch dogs. See... The Watchdogs Have Become Lap Dogs - Peters [1] Meanwhile the Alliance leader wants to see laws relating to the disclosure of donations to political parties
overhauled. See... Alliance calls for party donation overhaul [2] both in the Parliament wire.
E-commerce Timeline
- The Acting Minister of Information Technology has announced the timeline for the government's e-commerce strategy.
See... Government Wants E-Commerce Strategy By Year End [1] in the Parliament wire.
More On The Employment Relations Bill
- “The Labour Minister is being called on to delay the implementation of the Employment Relations Bill by two months to
give New Zealanders a fair say on the Bill,” Opposition Industrial Relations spokesperson Max Bradford said today.
See... ERB - A 9 Minute Wonder For Submissioners [1] . Also see... Wilson admits mistakes - changes to ERB on the way [2] both in the Parliament wire.
Tariff Bill Will Hit Consumers
- The minority Alliance/Labour Government's introduction of the Tariff (Zero Duty Removal) Amendment Bill is another
example of this Government's unfair approach to low income New Zealanders while it seeks to help narrow sectional
interests, says National. See... Tariff Bill - Unfair To Low Income Nzers [1] in the Parliament wire.
Toking & Driving
- A recently released study from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has clearly
demonstrated the negative effect that marijuana has on driving performance both individually and in combination with
alcohol. See... Marijuana Impairs Driving [1] in the wire.
Christchurch Poverty
- A Christchurch City Council Taskforce on Poverty has been asked to focus on the provision of a better service by
Government agencies in Christchurch. See... Poverty Taskforce Ready [1] in the General wire.
No Bulk Funding Means Less Funding?
- ACT Education spokesperson Donna Awatere Huata MP today told Hamilton Principals she’s concerned the Minister of
Education won’t give schools an assurance he will continue their present funding levels when he abolishes bulk funding.
See... No Guarantee Of Funding Levels For Schools [1] in the Parliament wire.
The Super Fund Slinks Off?
- It is obvious from his inability to answer any questions on it that Michael Cullen's superannuation fund has come off
the tracks and that no details will be included in next month's Budget, Opposition Finance spokesperson Bill English
said today. See... Cullen's super fund scheme slipping away [1] in the Parliament wire.
A Way For Regional Development
- This year more than 1,000 businesspeople in New Zealand gave their free time to help over 2,800 small businesses.
Sarah Trotman, CEO of the not-for-profit Business in the Community would like to expand the scheme to help over 10,000
business. She says the Government could help. See... 1,000 Businesspeople Helped 2,860 Small Businesses [1] in the Business wire.
Retail Sales Slipping
- Retail sales figures for the March 2000 quarter show growth is easing after the strong September and December
quarters according to Statistics New Zealand. Seasonally adjusted sales were $10,639 million, an increase of 1.0 per
cent compared to the previous quarter. See... Retail Spending Eases in the March Quarter [1] . For Deutsch Bank’s analysis see... Q1 Retail Sales and Monetary Policy Review [2] both in the Business wire.
School Leaver Quals
- No young person will leave school without options in education, training or employment within three years, Associate
Education Minister Steve Maharey said today. See... Young people in education and training until 18 [1] . For Mr Maharey’s speech on the matter see See... The transition from school to work - Speech [2] both in the Parliament wire.
“New Zealanders at their best: principled and practical”
- “I cannot speak highly enough of New Zealand Corrections Officers in East Timor says Corrections Minister Matt
Robson. See... NZ praised by UN in East Timor [1] in the wire.
Auckland Roading Debate
- Auckland's transport crisis will not be resolved until the roading network, as envisaged in the DeLeuw Cather report
over 35 years ago, is completed, ACT Leader Richard Prebble said today. See... Complete Roading Network, ACT Tells Auckland [1] in the Parliament wire.
The Coolness Of Moderation
- More teenagers need to get the message that it's not cool to get drunk, says Opposition Youth Affairs Spokesman Simon
Power in response to the latest ALAC survey of the drinking habits of teenagers. See... Moderation 'cooler' than drunk [1] in the Parliament wire.