Scoop Today

Tax Cut Details This Weekend – In a speech this morning Treasurer Bill English signalled that he will be unveiling details of his proposals for tax cuts this coming weekend. See.. Treasurer Speech - Tax Cuts in the Parliament wire.

Riot Police Move In On Paraparaumu Maori Land Protestors - Tu Wyllie Proves Prophetic – On June 24, as the “I made it up” saga was beginning MP for Te Tai Tonga, Tutekawa Wyllie warned there would be another “Bastion Point” at Paraparaumu Airport because of the blatant land rip-off. See.. Paraparaumu Airport - Another Bastion Point. Yesterday evening a large police contingent in riot gear moved onto the land in question to remove around 100 protestors. 27 were arrested and 60 were evicted from the protest camp. This morning the protestors will appear in court. The protestors are objecting to the sale of the land which they say was taken under the Public Works Act and which should have been offered back to its original Maori owners. Answering a ministerial question on the subject recently Transport Minister Maurice Williamson said the background to the sale had been thoroughly investigated by several government agencies. For a news backgrounder of the issue see...Riot Police Move In On Paraparaumu Land Protestors in the Headlines wire.

Liquor Law Report Back - The select committee report back on proposed changes to the liquor laws is out. The report takes the form of a debate guide for MPs who will mainly have a conscience vote on the issue. The punters around Parliament are picking a no vote to reducing the drinking age, yes to Sunday trading and too close to call on open slather sales in supermarkets.

Looking Back At APEC - Last week's APEC Trade Ministers meeting was a highly successful "successful dry run' for the APEC Ministerial and Leaders' meetings in September, Foreign Affairs Minister Don McKinnon said yesterday. See the Parliament wire

No Transport Reform This Year - The Government has indicated that it will not have time to complete consultation and pass legislation reforming the management of the country's roads before election time. Labour welcomes the "abandonment" of the policy in the Parliament wire.

Optimistic Geologists Conoco's announcement that no commercial shows of hydrocarbons have been found at its exploration well should not detract from offshore Northland's potential as a commercially producing area, the Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences Limited says in the science wire.

Wintertime - Queenstown tourism operators say that the heavy snowfalls in the area are a big bonus for the Queenstown Festival. Meanwhile some cold people are looking at a fourth night without power in isolated parts of central Otago. See the general wire.

Toy Trouble - In the general wire, there is a look at Soft Air Guns are they toys or trouble.

Weather To Blame - The Energy Minister says heavy snow is to blame for power supply delays, not the reforms. See the Parliament wire.

More Thinking - Richard Prebble mulls over recent political events and their implications in the politics wire.

Retail Bubble Bursts? - Statistics New Zealand's retail trade figures for May 1999 show that after a period of steady growth in the second half of 1998, the trend in sales has flattened. Once seasonal influences are removed sales decreased 2.1 per cent during May. See Retail sales trend flattens in the business wire.

ECA Survey - The Employers Federation says a survey shows that Kiwis say keep the ECA. See the business wire. Labour says it just silliness from the Employers Federation. See the Parliament wire.

© Scoop Media