04 November 2004

Pesticide Contamination Tests A Necessity

New Zealand first housing spokesperson Brent Catchpole is calling on the Housing Minister to ensure testing is carried out in the areas where potentially contaminated land may pose a threat to residents in Auckland.

This follows reports that the Auckland Council have identified 4,872 Auckland homes in Panmure, Glen Innes and Avondale which could be sitting on potentially contaminated land.

“A lot of residents in the areas identified have been alarmed to discover that their properties may be affected by higher than acceptable levels of pesticide residues.

“In order to ease their concern, testing must be carried out to determine whether or not these contamination reports pose a health threat and should be taken seriously,” Mr Catchpole 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>>