6 April 2004

Mayor throws lifeline to school holiday programmes

Council funding will be restored for school holiday programmes this financial year, meaning concerned families and community centre organisers won’t have to worry about finding money for the forthcoming Easter school holidays, Auckland City Mayor Hon John Banks said today.

Following the lead of other councils around the country, Auckland City last month voted to reduce its $144,484 support of 24 holiday programmes across the region for the next financial year. This decision, currently out for public consultation via the draft annual plan process, was made on the basis that central government is now committed to largely resourcing the programmes.

Auckland City would continue to provide funding to the tune of $50,000 each year for alternative holiday programmes,” said Mr Banks.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>