Stabbing - Government Handover - Timberlands - Clark On Dynhoven - Dynhoven's Supporters - WestpacTrust Strike - Russian Tensions - Carol Moseley-Braun - Auckland - Ritalin - Social Worker Investigated Over Rape Case - Baycorp Boom - Transport - GE Trial - Organised Crime

THREE KILLED IN STABBING: Three people are dead following a stabbing in Northland. An injured person alerted neighbours. Two children killed, baby and preschooler. Two adults in serious condition.

GOVERNMENT HANDOVER: Jenny Shipley will leave Parliament in an hour to Govt House to handover power to the Labour/Alliance coalition. She has a stack of constitutional papers with her. Governor General will summon Helen Clark who will be sworn in with her cabinet at 2pm. Clark will have to wait till early in the New Year to move into Premiere House.

TIMBERLANDS: New ministers once sworn in at 2pm will direct Timberlands West Coast to withdraw its application for a beech logging scheme under the RMA. Timberlands is resigned but says the cancellation of the scheme will impact on jobs on the coast.

CLARK ON DYNHOVEN: Helen Clark says she can understand the frustration of Labour MP Harry Dynhoven at missing out on a Cabinet position. She says she didn't promise Harry transport.

NEW PLYMOUTH: Supporters of Harry Dynhoven point out that he has worked hard and has the largest majority in the country.

WESTPACTRUST: WestpacTrust staff have gone on strike in 16 of 17 major centres. Striking workers have been offered a pay rise of 3%.

CLINTON ON RUSSIA: US President Clinton has responded to Russian allegations of pressure saying he is not applying pressure. President Boris Yeltsin speaking in Peking said the US should back off and pointed out that Russia had a full Nuclear arsenal. Clinton said the comments were not the first belligerent remarks from Yeltsin.

CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN: Carol Moseley Braun is about to be sworn in as the US Ambassador to NZ.

AUCKLAND: Auckland Regional Council's Phil Warren says it would be a backward step to abolish Infrastructure Auckland. New Minister helping on Auckland Judith Tizard says Infrastructure Auckland will have to justify its existence. Warren says Auckland could do with a "bit of piece and quiet".

RITALIN: Auckland health study finds that ADHD treatment with Ritalin does not help education. A psychologist says teachers need to learn teaching styles that fit children who find it hard to sit still. He says the drug is used too much.

SOCIAL WORKER INVESTIGATED: Child Youth and Family Services has already apologised to the victim of a rape by a boy placed in an inappropriate position. Now they are investigating the Social Worker who made the placement. They say they will not disclose the outcome of the investigation.

BAYCORP: Baycorp says applications for credit checks are up 25%, pointing to a spending boom.

TRANSPORT: Mark Gosche will target the new licensing system in his new role as Transport Minister. He wants to know why it has gone so wrong.

GE TRIAL APPROVED: Carter Holt Harvey have had a plan to inject marker genes into pine trees approved by ERMA. But the Greens and others want an immediate moratorium.

ORGANISED CRIME: Two kilograms of methamphetamines picked up but no arrests made.

© 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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