Transtasman Political Letter – 23 March Digest
Transtasman is a subscriber newsletter published weekly and read widely in New Zealand and abroad. The following is a
summary of this week's edition. To subscribe and read the full newsletter see.. http://Transtasman.co.nz
This issue - 23rd March 2006
Labour’s bright star David Parker plummets to earth
... The Govt scrambles to retrieve its reputation as a clever political manager
... And is Cullen turning into Dr Sullen?
... NZ to host Tony Blair and China’s Premier
... Govt looks to debt financing to plug funding gap for roads
... Should Telecom be sweating?
...And what is the significance for NZ of a new security bloc involving Aust, the US and Japan?
Parker Quits, Govt Scrapes More Egg Off Its Face
The Clark Govt survived another Ministerial fiasco this week, but even as it was scraping egg off its face, its
stability appeared unshaken.
Govt Looks Untidy As It Scrambles To Retrieve Reputation
PM Helen Clark, in reallocating the Transport and Climate Change portfolios back to Pete Hodgson, and Energy back to
Trevor Mallard, has indicated it may be for the short-term.
Debt Financing For Big Roading Projects
The Govt is expected to opt for debt financing to overcome the gap in funding for major roading projects.
Budget Signed Off
The Govt has virtually signed off on this year’s budget, and though the word from the Finance Minister’s office is it
will be another “boring” document the health and education votes will contain significant increases in spending.
CAPITAL TALK
Winston Peters may not have made much of a splash on the international stage as Foreign Minister, in fact the NZ Herald
in an editorial this week described him as “Our Man On The Sidelines.”
Play of the Week - She’s A Hard Road Finding The Perfect MP, Boy
In, say a year’s time... won’t David Parker be looking good? The decent chap who owned up to a mistake and graciously
and honourably, with a minimum of fuss, stood down.
Transtasman is a subscriber newsletter published weekly and read widely in New Zealand and abroad. The above is a
summary of this week's edition. To subscribe and read the full newsletter see.. http://Transtasman.co.nz