Phillida Bunkle says she stepped down from her Ministerial duties because sustained pressure on her and her family make it difficult to concentrate on her Ministerial duties.

"This week I received a letter from the Registrar of Electors requesting further information about my enrolment.

"I am co-operating fully with all inquiries. However, this is the first time there has been any official uncertainty expressed about my position. For that reason I wrote to Jim Anderton as my party leader offering to stand down until all processes are complete.

"I am confident that the inquiries will find that I have always complied with the rules in circumstances that have at times been quite difficult."

Phillida Bunkle will not make further comment on the issue.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>