It is a disgrace that hundreds of West Coasters have to travel to Wellington today to have their voices heard, a trip made necessary because the Government won't front in person on the West Coast, says National's Environment spokesperson Nick Smith.

"The Prime Minister has not once fronted to the people of the West Coast and the birthplace of Labour since she was elected 20 months ago. Other Ministers have also avoided fronting up for the decisions to stop mining and sustainable forestry.

"It is a sad day when ordinary New Zealanders are forced, at huge expense, to have to come to Parliament to have their voices heard.

"The decision by Sandra Lee is eco-fundamentalism at its worst. To lock up 0.14% of the least used Forest Park on the West Coast, land that had been previously mined and logged, and deny New Zealand of $500 million in exports and hundreds of jobs is a gross imbalance.

"Coasters are right to demand that the decision be overturned," Dr Smith said.

Ends

© Scoop Media

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>>