UF slams ‘Treaty nonsense’ in Housing NZ

United Future leader, Peter Dunne, today called on Housing Minister Steve Maharey to instruct immediately his Housing New Zealand officials to put an end to the ‘Treaty nonsense’ that surrounds the appointment of middle managers at the State agency.

:”People who are desperately seeking decent State housing for their families will not pause to consider how well their Housing NZ manager understands the Treaty of Waitangi,” he said.

“Nor will they regard him/her any better if they become aware the manager has completed a voluntary ’30 days of affirmations and meditation’ on the meaning of the Treaty.

“I note that Housing NZ itself says job applicants who don't score highly on Treaty awareness are not thereby ruled out of contention. So what’s the point?

“Mr Maharey should step in immediately and tell his department to get on with its real job of providing decent homes for New Zealanders and not waste their time meditating and affirming,” said Mr Dunne.

© 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>>