and loads more besides...
Sex And APEC - Student Loans - NZ World Pece Capital? - Full Coverage Of Questions - South Auckland Health Outrage -
Poll Worries and Bill and Winston slug it out...
and more besides...
Today's Scoops
Auckland Police Target Sex Workers, Homeless Before APEC
- Police are cracking down on Auckland's homeless, street-kids, and sex workers in the run up to the APEC leader's
summit meetings next month. Scoop’s Selwyn Manning reports. See… Police Say On Your Way To Sex Workers [1] in the Auckland wire.
Changes To Loan Scheme Poorly Understood
- Government changes to the student loan scheme announced in November last year - and then again last week - are
perhaps one of the most poorly communicated government announcements in recent times. Scoop's Jonathan Hill reports.
See… Student Loan Changes Widely Misunderstood [1] in the Headlines wire.
New Zealand – World Peace Capital
- If Sino - US diplomatic efforts are successful, next month's APEC conference in Auckland could see New Zealand become
the new peace capital of the world, establishing an entirely new industry in the process. John Howard reports. See… New Zealand - World Peace Capital [1] in the Headlines wire.
Questions Of The Day – Government Faces Down Timberlands Criticism
– Timberlands and Secrets and Lies as expected dominated Question time in Parliament today with two questions to the PM
and one to SOE Minister Tony Ryall. The government announced that logging would proceed immediately prior to the
question session adding fuel to the fire. Ryall challenged the Labour Leader to come to the Coast with him and argue her
anti-logging policies there while the PM effectively stonewalled Labour’s Michael Cullen on a question on her integrity.
Also in question time today - a fascinating exchange between Revenue Minister Sir William Birch and Winston Peters
brought out a new aspect of the Winebox saga and Treasurer Bill English had a few positive remarks about New Zealand’s
comparitive economic performance. For South Auckland Health - Timberlands - Winebox - Winebox see... Questions Of The Day (1-4) [1] , Timberlands - ACC - Knowledge Economy - Immunisation Database see Questions of the Day (5-8) [2] and for Ryall on Timberlands - INCIS - Economic Growth - Tau Henare's Behaviour see… Questions of the Day (9-12) [3] all in the Headlines wire.
Poll Shows Nats Losing Ground to Labour, NZ First, Greens
- A TV3/CM Research poll of 1000 people shows National continuing to lose support to the benefit of Labour, the Green
Party and New Zealand First. See… Nats Losing Support to Labour, NZ First, Greens [1] in the Headlines wire.
The Buck Stops With You PM
– Scoop’s Selwyn Manning writes that Prime Minister Jenny Shipley's frustration at evidence of a worsening health
status for south Auckland children is a mere red herring, a smoke-screen designed to cloud the Government's role in this
order of social shame. See… No Prime Minister: The Buck Stops With You [1] in the Auckland wire.
New Mental Health Facility For Tauranga
- Minister of Health Wyatt Creech today announced the go ahead for a new 22 bed mental health facility at Tauranga
Hospital. See… New Mental Health Facility In Tauranga [1] in the Parliament wire.
Faster, Faster…
- In a new report business leaders from around the APEC region say individual member economies are not moving fast
enough to achieve their deadlines for free and open trade and investment. See… Business Challenges APEC to Speed Up [1] in the Business wire. While we’re on APEC, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley today launched a publication which she says shows New
Zealanders are better off as a result of a more open and competitive economy. See… Kiwis Better Off After 10 Years Of APEC - PM [2] in the Parliament wire.
Timberlands Given Green Light For Native Beech Logging – Conservationists Outraged
- Conservationists have today condemned the Government's decision to begin a major beech logging programme in 100,000
hectares of publicly owned West Coast lowland rainforest. See… Bleak Day For Rainforest Conservation [1] in the Politics wire. The Green Party has slammed the National Government's decision to proceed with the scheme. See… Beech Scheme Think Big Disaster Of New Millennium [2] in the Parliament wire. See the government's announcement as well as a question and answer sheet on the scheme. See... Green Light For Sustainable Beech [3] in the Parliament wire.
Same Sex Rights
– The government has published a discussion document on the rights of same sex couples. It does not include a
government position and the public are invited to make submissions on the document which looks at areas such as same sex
marriage, the rights of same sex couples to adopt children and property rights. Unsurprisingly Graeme Capill is dismayed
at the “lack of moral leadership”. See… Capill Dismayed At Same Sex Marriage Idea [1] in the Politics wire.
Watson Trial
- Evidence is being given in the Scott Watson murder trial under an interim injunction. Scoop will update when
information comes to hand.
HFA Support National Child Cancer Service
- The Health Funding Authority (HFA) is supporting a recommendation that New Zealand establish a single national
children's cancer service. See… National Children's Cancer Service Favoured [1] in the General wire.
Mike Moore On APEC
– “It's a pleasure to join hands with you today and to speak, not only about New Zealand's interests and regional
interests, but the global imperatives necessary so we can raise living standards and build a better trading system
that's more balanced, fairer ...” See… APEC 10 years & beyond - Mike Moore Speech [1] in the Parliament wire.
Y2K Packs Coming To You Soon
- Advice on how people should prepare for possible interruptions to essential services due to Y2K will be mailed out to
all New Zealand households this week. See… Y2K Checklist Arriving In Your Letterbox This Week [1] in the General wire.
The Week Ahead: Secrets, Lies, Liquor and Producer Boards
- Scoop is anticipating a big week in Parliament this week with mounting pressure on the government and particularly
the Prime Minister, as the opposition mounts an offensive on the Secrets and Lies revelations made by Nicky Hager last
week. See… The Week Ahead: Secrets, Lies, Liquor, Prod Boards [1] in the Headlines wire.
Peters and Birch Slug It Out
- New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters yesterday said that, "Revenue Minister Sir William Birch either does not
understand the law or he has contempt for the law. Either way he is not fit to be Minister of Revenue." See… Birch Not Fit To Be Revenue Minister - Peters [1] in the Parliament wire. See Winston’s speech on the Winebox lower down this page. However yesterday Bill Birch struck back, saying making
headlines at the taxpayer's expense was Winton Peters' primary interest in the wine box affair. See… Peters' Aim 'Headlines at the Taxpayers' Expense [2] in the Parliament wire. Birch also rubbished Peters’ claims that the government is giving North Korea $4 million to
build nuclear reactors. See… Peters' nuclear "sell-out" claim inaccurate [3] .
Labour Playing Games With Hospital – Prebble
- Wellington Central MP Richard Prebble says Labour's health spokesperson, less than three months from an election,
cannot rewrite history. See… Labour Playing Games Over Wellington Hospital [1] in the Parliament wire.
Prebble, Bunkle and Now King Clash Over Hospital
- Responding to media requests for his answer to Alliance MP Phillida Bunkle's claim that National would site the new
main hospital at Newtown because of his campaign as MP for Wellington Central, ACT MP Richard Prebble said that there
was some truth in her claims. See… Prebble Only Wgtn. MP To Support Newtown Hospital [1] in the Parliament wire. However Phillida Bunkle says the Alliance's Hospital Plan ensures Wellington Hospital will not be downsized, will
not be 150 beds short, will be full sized and it will have full tertiary services. Above all, it will also be fully
publicly financed and owned and based in Newtown. See… Prebble admits using Hospital as election Football [2] in the Parliament wire. Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King has also taken issue with Prebble's comments, saying he has lost the
plot on who has done what on Wellington Hospital. See… Prebble - a problem with the truth [3] in the Parliament wire.
Vote Environment Charter Launched
- The most pressing environmental issues needing Government action were identified today by a national coalition of
environmental and recreational groups. See… Vote For The Environment Charter Launched [1] in the Politics wire.
Green Party Fortress Mentality
- “The Green Party's 'fortress New Zealand mentality', distortion of the truth and ignorance of commercial reality
should be a warning to the public," Defence Minister Max Bradford said yesterday. See… Green Contract Claims 'Arrant Nonsense' [1] in the Parliament wire. Max Bradford was responding to Green claims that the government planned to axe its Defence Clothing Agency and
give the work to an Australian firm. See… Jobs lost to Australia [2] . Yesterday the Green Party rejected Bradford's response over the letting of the Defence clothing contract to an
Australian firm Yakka. See… Green's Reject Bradford's Reply On Defence Yakka [3] in the Politics wire. Yesterday the Green Party rejected Bradford's response over the letting of the Defence clothing contract to an
Australian firm Yakka. See… Green's Reject Bradford's Reply On Defence Yakka [4] in the Politics wire.