14 August 2001 Media Statement

Self-drive car for driving

"The use of the ministerial self-drive car by my wife in Christchurch presents no problems, breaks no rules and is not a misuse," said Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton.

"The self-drive car is exactly what it says, a car to drive ourselves around in at our discretion. I drive and will be driving this car around my electorate now as well as during the next election campaign.

"I have checked with Ministerial services and this is certainly allowed.

"The attack on this comes from someone calling himself Alec Neill, who purports to be the National MP for Wigram. This is odd because I am the MP for Wigram. This clearly shows this is a political attack and part of the wind up to the local body elections.

"Voters will need to get used to more such political attacks in the wind up to the elections," said Jim Anderton.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On The Erebus Memorial In Parnell

Social media can be a wonderful tool for bringing people together in a common cause. It can also be a seedbed and spreader of mis-information on a community-wide scale. To which category do the protests against the siting of an Erebus memorial (to the 257 New Zealanders who died in that tragedy) in a secluded corner of a Parnell park happen to belong? IMO, it is clearly the latter, and the reasons for thinking so are explained below... More>>