Media Statement
For immediate release
Wednesday, 3 March, 2004

Dunne salutes Govt for taking up UF's dollar-for-dollar deal

Peter Dunne today welcomed the Government's decision to agree to United Future's proposal of matching flood relief charity donations dollar-for-dollar - "it's a Kiwi thing to do".

"As we've seen demonstrated yet again in recent days, New Zealanders are a generous bunch, and it's good to see the Government adopt the proposal we put to it last week, to do this on top of its other flood relief programmes," Mr Dunne said.

The scheme sees donations to mayoral funds, the Holmes Show fund, Red Cross, Caritas, the Salvation Army, World Vision and the Tear Fund and others, each matched with a dollar from the Government for every dollar donated by the public. The actual method of allocation is still being finalised.

"Many New Zealanders have been hit hard, and other Kiwis have responded ... it's appropriate that the Government recognise this in a meaningful way, and we congratulate them for doing so," he 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>>