ELECTION 1999: Payment Scandal - Jenny Shipley - Election 1999 Live Cross - Campaign Wrap - Student Loans - OTHER NEWS: Scott Watson - Vicious Attack - Plane Crash

PAYMENT SCANDAL: Helen Clark holds a press conference armed with details of more govt payout scandals. $2 million payment to former Contact Energy boss. And another payment row involving Christine Rankin. Labour says it has known about the case for four months. Labour promises to review Winz in the first 100 days. But not making any judgments yet. Rankin decides not to say anything. National says the information drop is politically motivated and that Crown Law approved the payment to the Winz employee.

JENNY SHIPLEY: Jenny Shipley is upstaged at a café luncheon in downtown Wellington. Students and protestors with megaphones shout at her. She calls one "honey" and remains calm. Across town Richard Prebble is firing shots at Labour saying the Greens are really Reds. Instead of having a press conference in the street the PM retreats . Later the PM says she is flattered by the attention from the students. Reporter says it is not a good look however.

ELECTION 1999: Steven Parker and Jane Young live: Parker: I was surprised there was only one public engagement. The PM had the rest of her time off today to prepare for the leaders debates. Young: I asked Helen Clark about these debates and she said they were very important. Q: What's mood in National camp? Parker: Shipley retained her composure under pressure - but if it carries on like this she is narrowing her opportunity to regain the ground she needs. Q: How about Labour? Young: One thing that can be said is that Shipley was out there today. Labour is confident. I have been surprised that Labour has claimed victory so quickly.

CAMPAIGN WRAP: The ACC has cleared a NZ First Candidate of any wrong-doing over an allegation of double-dipping. Winston Peters is threatening legal action against a newspaper. Winston says - again - that he is the only party that can keep Labour honest. Alliance estimates that households can save $100 a year through regulated telecommunications. The Green party has launched policies to make cities more environmentally friendly.

STUDENT LOANS: A study has found having a student loan can stop you getting other bank loans. 47% of bank managers surveyed by a student group said they had refused loan applications in part because of student loans.

SCOTT WATSON: Scott Watson has admitted damaging a police cell, assaulting a policeman and stealing a dinghy and has had two months added to his life sentence for the murders of Olivia Hope and Ben Smart. Court heard that Watson head-butted and hurt a police officer. His lawyer said Watson had been boiling angry.

VICIOUS ATTACK: Video camera catches a vicious attack in Christchurch on a youth in the street by other youths. The victim is lucky to be alive say police.

PLANE CRASH: Families of missing Japanese pilots begin to arrive in Christchurch where the search is underway for the missing single engine plane. A sonar boat has been searching the area for 24 hours. So far not a lot has been found.

© 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.

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