The Green Party has congratulated Labour on its indigenous forests policy announced today.

"We are delighted Labour has decided to stop National's beech scheme," said Green Party Co-Leader Rod Donald.

"Labour's commitment to halt all logging of Crown owned indigenous forests, which includes the Buller overcut and North Okarito, as soon as existing supply contracts are completed, is also to be applauded.

"Their position on indigenous forests is now virtually identical to the Green Party's policy.

"The Green Party has also been concerned to see that economic opportunities are created for West Coasters through a forward-looking regional development strategy based on conserving the environment, not destroying it.

"Labour is taking a positive step in this direction by proposing a West Coast economic development trust to manage the Coast's exotic forests.

"We are confident more jobs will be created by leaving the last of New Zealand's pristine lowland forests standing than by chopping them down.

"Despite ridiculous claims from politicians like National MP David Carter that the policy will 'destroy the West Coast', Timberlands beech scheme was never going to create significant jobs. Timberlands processes most of its timber off the Coast.

"Finally, the Green Party would like to welcome MP Pete Hodgson as Labour's new forestry spokesperson and look forward to working closely with him on developing the detail of this policy in the new government," Mr Donald said.

ENDS

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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>>