Press Release
9 July 1999

The Green Party has decided to stand two candidates in the vast West Coast-Tasman electorate.

"We believe the largest general electorate in the country deserves two candidates, both because of its size and because we want to thoroughly communicate our policies to West Coasters," said Green Party Co-Leader Rod Donald.

The Party announced its constituency candidate earlier this year. He is Richard Davies of Takaka who contested the seat at the last election, polling 10 percent of the electorate vote.

Pat McNamara of Westport has now been confirmed as the Party's second candidate. He will stand on the party list only.

Mr McNamara is married with two children. He is secretary of the Buller Conservation Group, treasurer of Westport Harriers, a member of the Buller Urban Design Committee, is involved in Buller Green Dollars and is a Native Forest Action activist. He stood for the West Coast Regional Council in 1995 and 1998.

Rod Donald says Pat McNamara epitomises Green values: "He is a committed environmentalist who has been at the forefront of conservation debates during the 18 years he has lived in Deniston and Westport.

"Pat is a high-profile opponent of Timberland's desecration of the Buller rainforests, featuring as the daring tree-squatter in Native Forest Action's "E tu, E Tane" (Stand up for the Forest) poster. He is also an avid cyclist although he admits to owning a ¼ share of a car!"

Pat McNamara says the West Coast has a bright future if the local economy can wean itself off resource depletion and move to a truly sustainable footing.

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>>