Waimakariri Member of Parliament Clayton Cosgrove has welcomed the Government's decision that it will not proceed with building a youth justice facility at Mandeville in North Canterbury.

"I am pleased that as the local Member of Parliament I was able to successfully represent the views of the people of Mandeville and Waimakariri. The local community clearly did not want the facility. However, I also recognise that we need to get on quickly with finding an alternative site.”

“As the Member of Parliament for Waimakariri, my job and duty has always been to represent my constituents. This I have done.”

"I welcome the proposal by Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey to establish a working group of community leaders to draw up a list of possible sites. It is important that we in Christchurch work together to develop a new youth justice facility, given the need for current operations to move from Kingslea as quickly as possible," Mr Cosgrove said.

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>>