Maori Lease Land Tax Bill – Greymouth Tornado – Easter Shopping – Monteith’s – Israel – Arab Summit – Dover Samuels –
Spouse House Stoush – Train Crash
MAORI LEASE LAND TAX BILL: The Minister of Finance says the government wants more time to sort out a tax problem on
Maori Lease land compensation. The government has introduced legislation to collect $15 million in tax. A lessee
spokesman says he would be happy for compensation hearings to be delayed to sort out the problem.
GREYMOUTH TORNADO: A tornado has swept through Greymouth pulling roofs off and smashing glass houses and garages.
Residents say the swathe of destruction is 300m wide.
EASTER SHOPPING: The Government is to introduce legislation today to allow garden centres to open on Easter Sunday. Some
MPs are disappointed that other shops are not included.
MONTEITH’S: Redundant workers from the Monteith’s brewery in Greymouth are hopeful that their brewery will be expanded.
DB and workers are meeting tomorrow.
ISRAEL: Two bomb blasts have rocked Jerusalem killing a suicide bomber and injuring many. A suicide attack took place in
a former Palestinian part of the city. The Israeli Government insists that the Palestinian Authority must be held
responsible, but says it plans to exercise its “policy of restraint”.
ARAB SUMMIT: The violence coincides with an Arab summit in Amman Jordan. Meanwhile an 11-year-old Palestinian boy has
been killed on the West Bank.
DOVER SAMUELS: There is elation in Northland over Labour MP Dover Samuels’ new job as Undersecretary for Economic
Development to Jim Anderton.
SPOUSE HOUSE STOUSH: The Speaker will hold a meeting his morning calling a truce in the spouse house stoush. The speaker
says standing orders are due for review this year, but says it would be hard to write a rule about families.
TRAIN CRASH: At least 8 have been killed and dozens injured in a Belgium train crash.