The proposed changes to the Taranaki-King Country electorate boundaries make an already difficult situation almost impossible, former candidate and ACT Rural Affairs Spokesman MP Owen Jennings said today.

"Quality representation is impossible," Mr Jennings said.

"The proposals put forward by the Commission effectively dividing Taranaki in two are quite ludicrous and will result in south Taranaki losing effective representation.

"The Taranaki-King Country seat has been a nightmare, extending from the outskirts of Hawera to Te Awamutu in the north. But more importantly there are three separate constituencies with different needs. Cutting off part of the South Taranaki area exacerbates an already difficult situation.

"The people of the region need to get behind sitting member National Party MP Shane Ardern in obtaining something more rational and democratic," Mr Jennings 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>>