Needs Based, Race Based Or Political Opportunism?

New Zealand First has asked Don Brash to explain why he introduced scholarships for Maori and Pacific Island graduates while he was Governor of the Reserve Bank.

In a Parliamentary Question today, Mr Brown, Deputy Leader, asked the Prime Minister whether the Reserve Bank scholarship scheme for Maori and Pacific Islanders was a needs based or race based scheme.

The scheme was introduced in 1994 by the Reserve Bank when Don Brash was the Governor and the National Party the Government

“The Prime Minister responded by saying it was needs based to address racial advancement. I am not sure that will convince many New Zealanders. Maybe Don Brash should answer the question as he was there and he introduced the scheme, in later years enhancing it.

“The question Don Brash should specifically address is, was the Reserve Bank Maori Pacific Island scheme needs based or race based?”

“I have to say, I suspect his concerns now are based more on political opportunism. Surely it cannot be hypocrisy,” concluded Mr Brown.

© 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>>