Media Release
16 June 2004

Councils Should Determine Standing Orders

New Zealand First says that individual councils ought to have the ability in their Standing Orders to adopt casting votes, not only at council meetings but also in relevant committees of the councils.

“Comments made by Local Government New Zealand regarding the Local Government Law Reform Bill No 3 indicate buy-in to the Bill by local government and councils. However, they have serious misgivings about this aspect of the Bill,” said local government spokesman Jim Peters.

“The Local Government and Environment Select Committee’s recommendations in regard to casting votes is not satisfactory and New Zealand First will be lodging a Supplementary Order Paper which will leave casting votes to the discretion of individual councils.”

“I call on all parties to support this move,” said Mr Peters.

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>>