Scoop Today - Just Politics

Wednesday, 7 June 2000, 5:50 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

HEADLINES

Keeping Pot In Select Committees
Building Stronger Communities
Tanzcos On Drug Rehab
Pride In The South
Police Funding
Ballet And Burglary
Timberlands Decision - More Trees At Risk
Families Start In Hastings
Getting Doctors For Hospitals
No Tax Breaks For R&D
Forest & Bird To Target Landowners
Green's Expansion Plans

JUST POLITICS

Keeping Pot In Select Committees

- Green Party justice spokesperson Nandor Tanczos agreed today with the Health Minister that a Select Committee inquiry would be a good way to investigate the options for cannabis law reform, but said it was crucial that the issue be debated in the appropriate forum. See... Justice Select Committee place for cannabis debate [1] . Meanwhile, National Leader Jenny Shipley has rejected the Minister's call for National to participate in a select committee review of the drug. - JENNY SHIPLEY - Cannabis select committee rejected [2] . - ACT - ACT Says No To Another Review Of Cannabis [3] . - ACT - Will Organic Dope Be OK For Our Kids? [4] all in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00092.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00064.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00079.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00089.htm

Building Stronger Communities

- $1.6 million has been set aside in the Budget for a pilot scheme in 2000/01 giving local communities greater control over the way social services operate in their area, Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey announced today. See... Building strong communities [1] . Also see the Minister’s speech... Maharey Address to Napier social service providers [2] both in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00110.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00109.htm

Tanzcos On Drug Rehab

- Green Party justice spokesperson Nandor Tanczos today congratulated Corrections Minister Matt Robson on the opening of a new drug and alcohol rehabilitation unit at Rolleston Prison. See... Greens Pleased At Drug Rehabilitation Unit [1] . “If rehabilitation and restorative justice are to succeed, we must take drugs out of our prisons,” Minister of Corrections Matt Robson at the opening. See... Minister calls for tough stance on drugs [2] both in the Parliament wire. .

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00111.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00104.htm

Pride In The South

- “The fact the South Island has been virtually ignored in the Budget process is yet another indication of the Government's supreme arrogance,” says National MP Katherine Rich. See... Helen Clark's Auckland Arrogance Rides Again [1] in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00108.htm

Police Funding

- Burglary is the focus of a major new law and order strategy announced by Justice Minister Phil Goff and Minister of Police George Hawkins. See... Budget 2000 – Budget Delivers Burglary Crackdown [1] and Budget 2000 – Background to Burglary Package [2] . Later Minister of Police George Hawkins said National's police spokesperson, Brian Neeson, had not checked the water before he dived in the shallow end of the pool. See... Neeson Dives In Shallow End Of Pool [3] in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00106.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00105.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00097.htm

Ballet And Burglary

- The Government's pre-budget burglary announcement is a slap over the wrist with a damp pledge card for burglars, says Opposition Police spokesman Brian Neeson. See... Govt Cares More About Ballet Than Burglary [1] . Justice Minister Phil Goff and Police Minister George Hawkins will today detail a Government Burglary Package including advance details of Budget fiscal support and will also focus on non-fiscal elements. See... Pre-Budget Burglary Package Announcement [2] in the Parliament wire..

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00088.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00072.htm

Timberlands Decision - More Trees At Risk

- New figures released to the Greens by the Government predict that another 3,523 native trees will be logged by Timberlands after the Government's decision to continue logging until March 2002. See... Rimu Decision Means 3,500 More Trees Get Chopped [1] in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00087.htm

Families Start In Hastings

- The Minister of Social Services and Employment, Steve Maharey, opened a new $3.1 million Family Start programme in Hastings this morning. See... Maharey opens Hastings Family Start [1] . For Mr Maharey’s speech see... Maharey Speech: Investing in families [2] both in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00095.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00096.htm

Getting Doctors For Hospitals

- Matt Robson welcomes the adoption of his private members bill for action to get skilled overseas doctors into New Zealand hospitals. See... Robson's Bill On Doctor Recruiting [1] in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00093.htm

No Tax Breaks For R&D

- Science Minister Pete Hodgson's outburst rejecting our request that Government honour its pre election pledge to allow the full tax deductibility of r& d costs was extraordinary, says Employers and Manufacturers Association, chief executive Alasdair Thompson. See... Hodgson's Negative Outburst Extraordinary [1] in the Politics wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0006/S00016.htm

Forest & Bird To Target Landowners

- Now that Forest and Bird has State native forests locked up against sustainable forest management, Maori and private forests are next. Action on other private land uses will follow, according to Eugenie Sage, concluding a talk she gave on Friday 2nd. See... Forest and Bird sends landowners a Wake-Up call [1] in the Politics wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0006/S00015.htm

Green's Expansion Plans

- Over the long weekend the Green Party held their annual conference at Turangi. In their keynote addresses the two co-leaders both spoke optimistically about NZ's newest Parliamentary party's future. See... The Greens are Growing - Rod Donald Speech [1] in the Parliament wire.

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0006/S00083.htm

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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