Hobbs and Bunkle Cleared – Marie Jamieson – Monteiths Moves – Foot and Mouth – National Vs Labour – Paraglider Crash

HOBBS AND BUNKLE CLEARED: Marian Hobbs and Phillida Bunkle were entitled to everything they claimed according to the Auditor General. Neither woman has vacated her ministerial office yet but no news yet on whether she will get her old job back. Phillida Bunkle is pleased with the findings. Bunkle is still waiting to be cleared by the Registra of Electors. The Auditor General found that Hobbs sought advice when her circumstances changed, and she followed it. Bunkle also frequently sought advice from Parliamentary Services. Richard Prebble is scathing about the findings. The PM says she will have a chat to Jim Anderton before she reinstates anyone. JANE YOUNG: Helen Clark seems to have moved quite a distance. Natural Justice means she probably ought to give Hobbs her job back. This has exposed short-comings in Parliamentary Services systems.

MARIE JAMIESON MURDER: Anonymous tip-offs have provided strong clues to police searching for the killer of Auckland woman Marie Jamieson. Police say they are confident of solving this crime shortly. Two tip-offs to the police appear to have come from people with an intimate knowledge of the murder.

MONTEITHS MOVES: Production of Monteiths Beer is moving to Auckland. Staff are shocked that they have been locked out. 14 of 20 workers at the Greymouth Plant have lost their livelihood. Production of Monteiths has increased 250% in six years. A DB manager says Monteiths’ workers are victims of their own success. Locals in Greymouth were enjoying a final taste today of their local brew.

FOOT AND MOUTH: The Netherlands is the latest country to record an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease. Today MAF sent out hundreds of thousands of letters to rural households in NZ warning them about the disease. Federated Farmers say that the key to preventing an outbreak spreading is early notification. Movement is being restricted in the Netherlands near the site of the outbreak. A meat works executive is alarmed that the NZ Immigration Service Arrival card does not allow people to report multiple countries they may have visited. Meanwhile more cases of the disease were reported in the UK today.

NATIONAL Vs LABOUR: The political slanging match between National and Labour went on tour today. Helen Clark says she thinks that allegations about Annette King’s car having cannabis found in it came from the National Party. Jenny Shipley denies the allegations. The story surfaced yesterday in the Evening Post. Annette King is in Australia.

PARAGLIDER CRASH: A paraglider pilot stuck high up a pine tree had a long wait for a helicopter rescue today. The paraglider pilot, a woman, was shy of the TV camera.

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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.

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