JUST POLITICS
Keep Air NZ Kiwi Owned
Fire Agreement Welcomed
Medical Specialists Score King’s Performance In the House
Appalling Crime Stats Behind Goff’s Soothing Words
Investigation Finds Depleted Uranium Danger Negligible
Immigration Dept Bullies Need To Be Reigned In
What Happened To The Community Services Card Review?
Improvements For Dementia Care

POLITICS FROM TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
Hard News Is Here!
Its Now Or Never For Dairy Merger
Bunkle Seeks Law Change After ‘Patient A’ Disappointment
Foot And Mouth False Alarm
Leave Your Heaters On, There’s No Power Crisis – Yet
Kiwi Tucker Is Killing Us
NCEA Gradings Could Become A Popularity Contest

JUST POLITICS

Keep Air NZ Kiwi Owned

- “New Zealanders do not want foreigners to own our airline, nor do we want higher travel costs, and we certainly do not want to see the demise of Air New Zealand,” Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First said in Hamilton today. See... BIL Should Sell Air NZ Shares: To New Zealanders [1] . Meanwhile ACT’s commerce spokesman Stephen Franks says any New Zealand Government money given to Air New Zealand would bail out the shareholders and not be a rescue for the company. See... Air New Zealand Bail Out Proposal A Con [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00211.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00220.htm

Fire Agreement Welcomed

- The Minister of Internal Affairs, George Hawkins, has welcomed today's announcement that the Fire Service and the Firefighters' Union have reached agreement on contract negotiations. See... Fire Service Contract Progress [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00212.htm

Medical Specialists Score King’s Performance In the House

- “Health Minister Annette King was both right and wrong today in answering questions from opposition MPs in Parliament today,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. See... Health Minister Both Right And Wrong [1] . See also... King Must Stop Censoring - And Start Fixing [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0106/S00059.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00215.htm

Appalling Crime Stats Behind Goff’s Soothing Words

- Today’s release of appalling results on a crime recidivism study confirms the brilliance of Justice Minister Phil Goff’s political management says ACT Justice spokesman Stephen Franks. See... Crime Study Release Brilliant Political Management [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00218.htm

Investigation Finds Depleted Uranium Danger Negligible

- Defence Minister Mark Burton today released details of an investigation into the possible risk to New Zealand defence personnel from exposure to expended depleted uranium munitions (DU). See... NZ Investigation Into DU Completed [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00217.htm

Immigration Dept Bullies Need To Be Reigned In

- The Minister of Immigration must pull her department into line after two recent examples of heavy-handed behaviour, National's Immigration spokesperson Marie Hasler said today. See... Dawn Raid To Deport Helen Clark's Husband [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00216.htm

What Happened To The Community Services Card Review?

- It's been seven weeks since Health Minister Annette King announced the Community Services Card review but nothing has yet been done to advance just what the future of the card will be, National's Health spokesman Roger Sowry said today. See... King's Promised Card Review Only Talk So Far [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00208.htm

Improvements For Dementia Care

- Better staff levels, improved training opportunities, and a new working group to monitor dementia services will help address concerns about the quality of these services for older people, Associate Health Minister Ruth Dyson said today. See... Better Staff Levels And Training For Dementia Care [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00207.htm

TOP SCOOPS

Hard News Is Here!

- GOOD DAY MEDIAPHILES ... we used to have a very good rugby team in Auckland. Often as not, they would win even when they played quite poorly. They'd often go down a try or two early, but you could comfortably bet that by the time they were sucking the half-time orange they'd be ahead. See... HARD NEWS: Sucking on the Half-Time Orange [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0106/S00088.htm

Its Now Or Never For Dairy Merger

- The Government is unlikely to be prepared to work with the dairy industry on a new merger proposal should the current proposal fail, John Roadley, Chairman of Global Dairy Company, told farmers at the National Agricultural Fieldays at Mystery Creek today. See... No Second Chance For Merger [1] and The Dairy Industry: Inventing Our Own Future [2] MORE: - Farmers For A Better Dairy deal - Global Co Won’t Deliver [3] - Unwary Farmers To Receive Monopoly Money [4] - ACT - Final Chance For Dairy Farmers [5] - Dairy Farmers Of NZ - Biggest Decision Ever for Dairy Farmers [6] - Sir Dryden Spring - Dairy Mega-Merger [7]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0106/S00140.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0106/S00139.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0106/S00136.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0106/S00137.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00214.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0106/S00134.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0106/S00121.htm

Bunkle Seeks Law Change After ‘Patient A’ Disappointment

- Phillida Bunkle Alliance MP today announced she will seek to introduce a Member’s Bill to change the legal criteria for exemplary damages following the Court of Appeal decision on Patient A. See... Bunkle to seek members bill on exemplary damages [1] and King Sympathises With Gisborne Women [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00206.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00198.htm

Foot And Mouth False Alarm

- New Zealand's exotic disease response system was implemented today after the report of a potential disease outbreak in King Country. See... Exotic disease response [1] and Foot And Mouth Scare Shows How Much NZ Has To Lose [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00205.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00213.htm

Leave Your Heaters On, There’s No Power Crisis – Yet

- Energy Minister Pete Hodgson says New Zealanders should be wary of over-reacting to exaggerated statements and reports about electricity prices. See... Electricity price claims exaggerated [1] . See also... Wind Power Offers Price Stability [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00204.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0106/S00123.htm

Kiwi Tucker Is Killing Us

- An updated report on New Zealanders’ nutritional status, released today by Agencies for Nutrition Action, shows that more than 1000 New Zealanders die each year from obesity – more than double the annual road toll. See... Kiwis Dying For Dinner [1] and Obesity Link To Cancer [2] . See also... Reducing Rising Obesity - Restrict Ads To Kids - Greens [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/GE0106/S00033.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/GE0106/S00032.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00209.htm

NCEA Gradings Could Become A Popularity Contest

- National's Education spokesman Gerry Brownlee has revealed an NZQA audit which proves once and for all that the grades given to students under the Government's NCEA proposal will be unreliable. See... NCEA Marking System Will Be A Shambles [1] and NCEA Will Shackle Our Poorest Kids - ACT [2] . See also... School Cert. Internal Assessment Survey Good News [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00197.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00210.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/ED0106/S00012.htm

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

CONTACT ALASTAIR THOMPSON

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