Hon Murray McCully
Minister of Foreign Affairs
12 December 2012 Media Statement

NZ Condemns North Korea Missile Launch

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today condemned North Korea’s launch of a satellite using long-range ballistic missile technology.

“Once again North Korea has blatantly defied United Nations Security Council resolutions and ignored international appeals not to proceed with the launch. This action can only aggravate tensions on the Korean peninsula and set back efforts to build peace and stability in the region,” Mr McCully says.

“New Zealand urges North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and missile programmes, focus its resources on improving the lives of its people, and engage constructively with the international community.”

In April this year, North Korea’s failed attempt to launch a satellite with a long-range missile was met with widespread condemnation, including from New Zealand.

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>