Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
Scoop Report: Maori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu Dies After Long Illness
Media/Politics: Cullen Accuses Herald Of Spinning Story About Spin
Corrections: Government Releases Policy On Parole, Sentencing and Rehabilitation
Media: PM Expresses Concerns For Captured Kiwi Cameraman
Crime: Police Make Arrest In Rose Garden Rape Cold Case
Parliament: PM Faces The Press - This Week Phillip Field Revisited
Food Safety: Get Unfrozen Chooks Off The Shelf
Business: Mike Pero Memo To Origin Re Interest In Air Freight
MORE HEADLINES
United Nations: Annan Optimistic Over Israel/Hezbollah Ceasefire
Australia: Defector Forces Howard To Abandon Asylum Ammendment
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

SCOOP COLUMNS:
David Swanson Says Just Impeach The Man Already
Karl Ferguson Reviews The Mazda 6 MPS
MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
Tourism: Domestic Tourism In New Zealand Slows
Liberty: Last Chance To Protest Before Police Trial Taser Stun-Gun
Housing: Welcome Home Scheme Available To More People
Employment: Mapp Fights Unsuccessfully To Protect Minimum Wage Earners
Defence: Ohakea Overhaul Plan Signed Off
Economy: CTU Lambasts Aussie Bank Economist's Desire to Chuck Kiwis On the Dole
Politics: National Pays Back MPs' Bad Spend - See The Cheque!

Scoop Report: Maori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu Dies After Long Illness

- The Maori Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu died at Turangawaiwai near Ngaruawahia in the Waikato yesterday (Tuesday August 15 2006), aged 75 years, after a long illness. Elders from the Tainui Iwi (tribe) announced the news this evening. She had struggled with ill-health, particularly over the last 12 months, and had been receiving daily dialysis treatment for her failing kidneys. See... Breaking News: Maori Queen Dies At Turangawaiwai [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00141.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00250.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00258.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00251.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00257.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00253.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00261.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00262.htm

Media/Politics: Cullen Accuses Herald Of Spinning Story About Spin

- The New Zealand Herald has dismissed legitimate concerns of most parliamentary parties about the scope of the draft Auditor-General's report based on National party spin which claims that nothing that happened before 2003 was relevant, Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen said today "This is not the case. The 2003 determination reiterated the longstanding principle that that parliamentary services funding is intended for Parliamentary purposes. This is not in dispute." See... Be careful whose spin you believe [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00249.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00260.htm

Corrections: Government Releases Policy On Parole, Sentencing and Rehabilitation

- Prime Minister Helen Clark, Justice Minister Mark Burton, and Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor today released details of changes to the criminal justice system to improve the current sentencing regime, introduce new sentencing options, and provide more treatment services for prisoners. Helen Clark said the Effective Intervention package contains measures which are significant and far-reaching. See... Effective Interventions package launched [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00237.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00236.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00238.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00239.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00242.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00245.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00241.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00240.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00244.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00163.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00170.htm
[12] - http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/0608/lawcom.pdf
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00158.htm
[14] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00173.htm
[15] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00167.htm

Media: PM Expresses Concerns For Captured Kiwi Cameraman

Prime Minister Helen Clark today said the government is very concerned for the safety of New Zealand camerman Olaf Wiig. Mr Wiig, a television cameraman, and a US citizen have been taken captive. At this stage information is sketchy about the circumstances. It is not clear who is responsible for their capture and where in Gaza the incident took place. Image from olafwiig.com [1] See... PM Re Captured New Zealand Cameraman [2] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.olafwiig.com
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00231.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0608/S00052.htm

Crime: Police Make Arrest In Rose Garden Rape Cold Case

- The newly formed Auckland City Police Adult Sexual Assault Team arrested a 33 year-old man today for the alleged rape of a young woman in the Parnell Rose Gardens in the early hours of August 26, 2001. Today's arrest is the second in two weeks for the team that was set up last month exclusively to investigate and manage the district's adult sexual assault complaints. See... Arrest in Historic Rape Case [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00162.htm

Parliament: PM Faces The Press - This Week Phillip Field Revisited

- Scoop Audio: Kevin List reports from the Beehive - If you are a citizen who wants to find out just what the Prime Minister's reply was to further questions regarding Mr Taito Philip Field then perhaps you could be a dweller in the hypothetical land of 'beltway'. Once sated by your regular Taito Philip Field fix you may then need to know some more news about a draft Auditor-General's report and the way political parties spend taxpayer's money promoting themselves. See... PM Ponders Issues 'Within the Beltway' [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00137.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00231.htm

Food Safety: Get Unfrozen Chooks Off The Shelf

- The Public Health Association (PHA) is supporting calls from University of Otago public health researchers for New Zealand to seriously consider banning the sale of fresh chicken for human consumption, and switch to frozen chicken instead. See... Consider Removing Fresh Chicken From Sale [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0608/S00056.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0608/S00055.htm

Business: Mike Pero Memo To Origin Re Interest In Air Freight

- Gentlemen... As I understand the airfreight part of the business (if isolated) is profitable. I write to express my interest in purchasing this part of the business while it still has some value. From today the value of this division will diminish on a daily basis UNLESS something is done immediately to assure customers otherwise. See... Mike Pero re Origin Pacific [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0608/S00252.htm

MORE HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00161.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00227.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00226.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0608/S00141.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0608/S00055.htm

United Nations: Annan Optimistic Over Israel/Hezbollah Ceasefire

- Expressing relief that the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and northern Israel "appears to be generally holding" since it began earlier today, Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on all sides in the recent conflict in the region to act quickly to consolidate progress and then convert it into a durable ceasefire. See... Cessation Of Hostilities Seems To Be Holding [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0608/S00211.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0608/S00210.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00055.htm

Australia: Defector Forces Howard To Abandon Asylum Ammendment

- "The fact that the Prime Minister has conceded defeat over his Migration Amendment Bill 2006 constitutes a win for human rights, for decency and for the democratic process," WA Rights group Project SafeCom said on the breaking news. "The defeat is also a win for what remains one of Australia's most powerful lobby groups that has operated since the Tampa standoff off Christmas Island," Mr Smit said. See... Migration Bill defeat a win for democracy, rights [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0608/S00209.htm

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0608/S00187.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0608/S00176.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0608/S00173.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0608/S00172.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0608/S00167.htm

David Swanson Says Just Impeach The Man Already

Last December, when Congressman John Conyers released a huge report documenting the evidence that Bush and Cheney had lied us into a war, he also introduced a bill (H. Res. 635) to start a preliminary investigation of the matter and make recommendations on impeachment. This showed far more courage, not to mention long hours of work, than any other member of Congress had mustered at that time or since. But it was disingenuous. Impeachment is itself an investigation; a preliminary investigation is redundant. And any investigation is unnecessary when the impeachable offenses are part of the public record. See... Bush Versus the Constitution [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00111.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00114.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0608/S00113.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00116.htm

Karl Ferguson Reviews The Mazda 6 MPS

- Want to build yourself a Q car? Simply take your standard sedan, add a modest body kit and some more performance oriented options like upgraded engine and brakes, and presto, you're done. Jaw dropping expressions from big Holden and Ford drivers when you leave them at the lights comes at no extra cost. Well, that's the theory anyway. See... MOTORNET: Q car, Mazda style [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00115.htm

MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00110.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00112.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00109.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00107.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00102.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00101.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0608/S00100.htm

Tourism: Domestic Tourism In New Zealand Slows

- Research just released by the Ministry of Tourism shows that spending by domestic travelers within New Zealand, in the year to December 2005, decreased by 5.4% to $6.8 billion. "These results come as no surprise," says Bruce Bassett, Research Manager, Ministry of Tourism. "The weakness of domestic travel activity has been a phenomenon we've been seeing for some time." See... Domestic visitor spend softens [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0608/S00232.htm

Liberty: Last Chance To Protest Before Police Trial Taser Stun-Gun

- The last march before the threat of police tasers has been planned to stop their introduction into policing practice in New Zealand. The police plan to arm themselves with tasers - initially in Auckland and Wellington - from next month. See... Sat August 19: Last March Before Threat of Tasers? [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00144.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00131.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00119.htm

Housing: Welcome Home Scheme Available To More People

- The scope of the government's Welcome Home Loan scheme is to be widened to increase the number of people able to use it to buy homes, Housing Minister Chris Carter announced today. "Cabinet has agreed to new criteria for the Welcome Home Loan, doubling the proportion of the national housing market accessible to people without a deposit under the scheme," Mr Carter said. See... Government home ownership scheme widened [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00200.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00202.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00210.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00230.htm

Employment: Mapp Fights Unsuccessfully To Protect Minimum Wage Earners -

Your letter of 26 July (hand delivered) asserts that the Ingram Report "raises serious questions as to whether or not there has been a breach of New Zealand's Minimum Wage Act 1983", and goes on to submit that the Department is "put on notice that it must investigate whether or not the employment law has been complied with. While we had already looked at the Report from this perspective, the Department has again considered the issues you raise. We have concluded that there is no basis for a Department of Labour investigation. See... DOL Letter To Dr Mapp Re Ingram Report [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00139.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00206.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00164.htm

Defence: Ohakea Overhaul Plan Signed Off

- Defence Minister Phil Goff announced today that a contract has been signed for the creation of a master plan for the redevelopment of the Royal New Zealand Air Force base at Ohakea. "The Chief of the Defence Force and representatives of engineering consultancy Beca Carter Hollings and Ferner Limited signed a contract to become principal consultants for the redevelopment of Ohakea", Mr Goff said. See... First Contract Signed for Ohakea Re-Development [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00190.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00130.htm

Economy: CTU Lambasts Aussie Bank Economist's Desire to Chuck Kiwis On the Dole -

"If Cameron Bagrie's wishes come true I hope he himself is one of the workers that he wants to put out of a job and join the unemployment queue," CTU president Ross Wilson said today. ANZ Chief Economist Cameron Bagrie was reported on Radio NZ this morning as saying that in order to curb inflation, it may be better if unemployment rises. See... CTU: Bagrie Should Join Dole Queue Himself [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0608/S00127.htm

Politics: National Pays Back MPs' Bad Spend - See The Cheque!

- The National Party has used its own money to pay back $10,588.17 identified by the Auditor-General as being used outside the parliamentary rules for which it was given, says National Party Leader Don Brash. "A cheque for that amount has been delivered today to the Parliamentary Service general manager on behalf of the seven MPs concerned. See... National pays back money - Labour should too [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00165.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0608/S00171.htm

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