Summary Sheet Of New Funding (On Top Of The Biodiversity Funding Announced Last Year)

Conservation

$4.7m 01/02, $5.9m 02/03, $5.3m 03/04 and 04/05

Key features include:

- Second phase of post-Cave Creek upgrading of visitor facilities, viz. DOC huts, shelters, etc $2.5m 01/02, 02/03, 03/04

- Conservation public awareness initiative extended from one-off last year to permanent feature of department’s work programme

- Underia (kelp) control programme, $275,000 for one year only

- New national park (to be announced)

Envionment

$6m 01/02, and $8m each year for the next three years

Key features include:

- HASNO funding/ERMA

Ag and Forestry

$3.2m 01/02, $3m 02/03, $2.9m 03/04, $2.3m 04/05

Key features include:

- Establishing national minimum standards for organic production

- A small growers organic development programme

- Improving the collection of agriculture and horticultural statistics

- Dairy industry structural changes

Biosecurity

Bovine Tb control (already announced) $24.7m 01/02, $25.1m 02/03, $25.5m 03/04 and 04/05

Response to foot and mouth (new) $4.5m 01/02, $4.6m 02/03, $4.7m 03/04 and 04/05

Other key features include:

- South Island survey for freshwater pest fish

- Management of Undaria (Asian Kelp)

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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>>