Tomorrow’s hand over of Te Puia Hospital on the East Coast to Ngati Porou Hauora Maori is yet another example of the National Governments philosophy of ensuring that communities have a say in their future. Contrast this to the Labour party who have promised to introduce 72 new boards, committees and directorates to ensure that centralised control of the health system is re-built!

“Te Puia Hospital is an outstanding example of a hospital shaping its service delivery to the precise needs of its community,” said National’s candidate for Ikaroa Rawhiti, Dale Stephens.

“This clearly demonstrates that the National government has confidence in Maori communities and their ability to develop solutions to their specific needs” said Dale.

“Not only do the Labour party wish to remove this community influence in health care provision, but their own alternative budget, released last week, shows that they have backed down on their “credit card” pledge on health spending. Next year Labour will only spend an extra $5m on health, whereas National is already spending an average of $353m extra for each of the four years between 1997 and 2001!”

“How ironic that the Labour party have their key election promises on a credit card. Labour seems to believe in credit and National believes in only paying for what you can afford. We all know what happens when you blow the spending limit on a card and can’t afford the repayments!”

Dale Aotea Stephens
Candidate.

For further information contact: Chris Hornsby on 04-4980538 or Dale Stephens as per the attached contact details.

© 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>>