Scoop: Just Politics

Tuesday, 5 June 2001, 3:01 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

JUST POLITICS
NZ Troops To Stick Around In East Timor
Jackson Usurps Lee's Mana Motuhake Leadership
Phil Goff In Tibet
Dyson Returns To Cabinet Today
ANZFA Row: Keeping A Say On Our Food
The Straight Dope From The Green Co-Leaders
Queen’s Birthday Honours List
Wasting Possums For Conservation On Arbor Day
NZ Can’t Afford To Relax About Foot And Mouth
Reassessment Options Under The NCEA

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
SUPER CRISIS: C.D. Sludge On The Growing Super Crisis
SUPER CRISIS: Greens Spark Rethink
SUPER CRISIS: Dunne Lends His Vote
Dairy Farmers Speak Out Against Merger
Guest Opinion: Molesworth Mafia Stubbing Out Business

JUST POLITICS

NZ Troops To Stick Around In East Timor

- The Government is offering to maintain a significant military presence in East Timor until November 2002, the Defence Minister Mark Burton announced today. See... NZ to extend NZDF presence in East Timor [1] and East Timor decision appropriate - Nats [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00031.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00032.htm

Jackson Usurps Lee's Mana Motuhake Leadership

- Cabinet Minister Sandra Lee has confirmed that Willie Jackson MP has been elected today as leader of Mana Motuhake after he contested the leadership. See... Leadership change for Mana Motuhake [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00029.htm

Phil Goff In Tibet

- Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff has completed his four-day visit to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) having raise long-standing concerns held by New Zealand and much of the international community regarding human rights issues. See... Image: Goff Raises Human Rights Concerns in Tibet [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00023.htm

Dyson Returns To Cabinet Today

- Prime Minister Helen Clark today announced that Ruth Dyson will be formally reappointed as a minister on Tuesday, 5 June. See... Ruth Dyson to be reappointed as Minister [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00010.htm

ANZFA Row: Keeping A Say On Our Food

- "The New Zealand Government should take a strong stand and refuse to accept any changes to our food standards system, that have been voted by the Australian Senate, until our own parliament has debated and voted on the proposed amendments," Green MP and Safe Food Spokesperson Sue Kedgley said today. See... NZ must keep sovereignty over food standards [1] and ANZFA Row - Symptom Of Deteriorating Relationship [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00040.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00042.htm

The Straight Dope From The Green Co-Leaders

- We have just passed the mid-point of this parliamentary term, and it's close to mid-winter. Both are appropriate times for reflection - looking back and looking forward, both on a government with a new agenda after years of right wing ideology, and on the first green group holding the balance of power. See... Fitzsimmons: Greening Government - The Scorecard [1] and Rod Donald: The Time Is Green! [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00036.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00035.htm

Queen’s Birthday Honours List

- The Queen has been pleased, on the occasion of the New Zealand celebration of Her Majesty's Birthday, to approve the following appointments to The New Zealand Order of Merit. See... The New Zealand Queen's Birthday Honours 2001 [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00037.htm

Wasting Possums For Conservation On Arbor Day

- Conservation Minister Sandra Lee is marking Arbor Day today (Tuesday 5 June) by joining a possum hunt on Waiheke Island, while also announcing new funding to wage war on possums and other animal pests, and weeds. See... Minister goes possum hunting to mark Arbor Day [1] and Marion Hobbs Arbor Day Speech [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00033.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00041.htm

NZ Can’t Afford To Relax About Foot And Mouth

- The damage to the British economy should be a salient lesson to New Zealand not to relax for a moment in its vigil against foot and mouth disease entering this country said ACT Rural Affairs Spokesman Owen Jennings. See... Damage to UK Economy Is A Warning For New Zealand [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00039.htm

Reassessment Options Under The NCEA

- Schools will be able to offer students one reassessment opportunity for each internally assessed achievement standard under the National Certificate of Educational Achievement. See... Reassessment Options For NCEA [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00038.htm

TOP SCOOPS

SUPER CRISIS: C.D. Sludge On The Growing Super Crisis

-This morning’s multiparty debate (excluding the Government) on Superannuation on Radio New Zealand’s Kim Hill show is probably the closest thing New Zealand has had to multi-party, free and frank discussions on the super issue since the days of the failed super-accord. Also in this edition: Sludge Meets Industry Captains - So Many Ears To Bend, So Little Time. See... Sludge Report #80 – Super Crisis!!! [1] . See also earlier Scoop commentary on this issue... Eco-Economy: Super Scheme is Political Suicide [2] and Sludge Report #73 – Borrowing And Saving [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0106/S00021.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0106/S00006.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0105/S00166.htm

SUPER CRISIS: Greens Spark Rethink

- The Green caucus firmly supports universal provision of superannuation at the current levels but does not believe the Government’s pre-funding proposal is the best way to achieve that commitment. See... Greens back universal super; will vote against fund [1] - GOVERNMENT REACTION - Happy to make super an election issue - Cullen [2] REACTION - New Zealand First – “Responding to media requests on superannuation, New Zealand First Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters today said that New Zealanders would be disappointed if New Zealand Politicians choose to continue to play silly politics on this issue.” See... No Time to Play Silly Politics [3] - Alliance - Partial pre-funding best way to make Super secure [4] - ACT Big Hole in Govt Finances [5] and ACT Calls for All-Party Talks on Super [6] - National - National shares Greens' concerns over super fund [7]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00016.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00017.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00022.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00021.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00020.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00019.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00018.htm

SUPER CRISIS: Dunne Lends His Vote

- United Future leader, Hon Peter Dunne, says the Greens have got it wrong in deciding to oppose the Government's plans to pre-fund a portion of future superannuation costs. See... Why The Greens Are Wrong On Superannuation [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0106/S00034.htm

Dairy Farmers Speak Out Against Merger

- For many farmers, there is a sense that “the die is caste. Like it or not, we’ve got Global Co - there’s no other choice”. I don’t believe that’s true. There are better practical options. See... A Better Dairy Deal - Farmers Hand Book [1] - A Better Dairy Deal - McKinseys REPORT 1999 [2] - A Better Dairy Deal - Characteristics Of Industry [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0106/S00021.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0106/S00022.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0106/S00023.htm

Guest Opinion: Molesworth Mafia Stubbing Out Business

- This Smoke-Free legislation is just another nail in the coffin of private property rights, it is just a smoke screen for an invasion of power-hungry leviathan statists. See... Guest Opinion: Anti-Smoking Hysteria [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0106/S00020.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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