Local Level Involvement In Easter Trading Denied

New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters says he’s bitterly disappointed that Parliament has once again denied local councils and their communities the power to make decisions about Easter Sunday trading.

The Shop Trading Hours (Easter Trading Local Exemption) Bill was debated in Parliament yesterday. By a narrow majority and an individual MP conscience vote the Bill has been rejected and will proceed no further.

“Margaret Wilson has promised to solve this problem for four Easter’s now, but she has chosen to reject the opportunity this Bill provides to fix the situation,” said Mr Peters.

“Central Government should not be involved in this issue. It should be the choice of the local communities and the council that serves them.

"This is a major disappointment for Tauranga and for other centres around the country wanting to open shops on Easter Sunday at the ratepayers request.

"Once again central government is choosing to make decisions that rightly belong with local communities in Tauranga and around New Zealand," concluded Mr Peters.

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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>>