Incis Inquiry – Dental Fees – No Investigation – Snail Mail – A Post Election – ACC Report – Contact Taupo –HFA
Resignation – Digital March – Road Toll – Murder Charge – Dunedin Weather
INCIS INQUIRY: A $7 million dollar price tag has forced the government to scale down the inquiry into the police INCIS
computer system. They may opt for a cheaper ministerial inquiry.
DENTAL FEES: Prime Minister Helen Clark says high fees for dental students are responsible for shortages of dental staff
in hospitals by encouraging them to leave overseas and attracting them into private practices.
NO INVESTIGATION: The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says he will not investigate the government
stopping state-owned-enterprise Timberlands from beech harvesting.
SNAIL MAIL: Locals have dubbed New Zealand Post’s new trial mail sorting system in the far north “snail mail”. The new
service has been causing problems at Kaitaia hospital with people missing their appointments because of delayed mail.
A POST ELECTION: NZ Post says it would welcome the chance to host the next election after the Prime Minister said she
may consider giving it to them after last years election-night counting problems.
ACC REPORT: The ACC Minister Michael Cullen has dismissed as flawed and biased an NZER report saying ACC had a poor
track record before it became deregulated.
CONTACT TAUPO: A group of Taupo people opposed to Contact Energy establishing a 15 mega-watt geothermal station in the
area, are worried that energy draw off from the field will have a serious impact on tourist ventures.
HFA RESIGNATION: Another senior executive has resigned from the Health Funding Authority, after the previous board was
replaced by a new government appointed panel.
DIGITAL MARCH: The march towards digital television is set to continue despite the Prime Minister's decision not to
enter into a joint venture with the state broadcaster. TVNZ has announced it is making moves to incorporate digital
bandwidth into broadcasting.
ROAD TOLL: Only 29 people died over the January road toll, one of the lowest holiday figures ever. A transport expert
says the figure is likely due to an improvement in road design and driver behaviour.
MURDER CHARGE: A man has been charged with murder in the Otahuhu District Court in Auckland in a gang related incident.
DUNEDIN WEATHER: Dunedin had a record amount of rain fall, 174 millimetres of rain this summer compared with the
previous record of 150 millitmetres. La Ninia has been blamed for the weather.