Collecting NGO Client Data: Gordon Campbell On The MSD’s Privacy Problems

This fiasco has been a perfect example of a bad policy, terribly executed – on a rushed timetable that appears to have been driven by an MSD desire to cut costs in the contracts due for renewal, mid year. More>>

ALSO:

• Office of the Privacy Commissioner - Collection of client data "excessive and disproportionate"
• Labour - Data-for-funding move hits Privacy roadblock
• Greens - Forced data collection must stop
• Comvoices - Disappointment in the Minister’s Response to Privacy Report - Report Welcomed by Social Service Organisations
• National Beneficiary Advocacy Consultancy Group - Big Brother disregards Privacy Rights
• Earlier - Data Platform Privcacy Breach NZ Govt - New IT platform for individual client level data system

Resource Management Action: Eight-Year RMA Reform Saga Enters Home Straight

The National Party's long-stalled second round of Resource Managment Act reforms returned to Parliament this afternoon, revealing the detail of a final concession to the Maori Party to allow local authorities to declare their regions free of genetically modified organisms. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - RMA reform Bill committee stage being debated
• NZ First - If RMA Bill Passed, NZ First Will Repeal It - Peters Writes to All National MPs Over RMA Reforms
• ACT - RMA reform gets worse… again! - Free Press: ACT’s regular bulletin
• Employers And Manufacturers Federation - Case for change to build New Zealand’s prosperity
• Environmental Defence Society - Fish & Game and EDS welcome court decision
• Federated Farmers - More RMA stress & cost for farmers in Horizons region
• Waikato Regional Council - Judicial review of Healthy Rivers/Wai Ora
• NZ Planning Institute - RMA reforms, urban development and natural hazards

Little In Court: Hagaman Says All Andrew Little Had To Do Was Apologise

Lani Hagaman continued to assert that all she initially wanted from Labour Party leader Andrew Little was an apology on the second day of defamation proceedings brought against Little by Hagaman and her husband Earl. More>>

Earlier:

• Labour - Statement re Earl Hagaman
• Lani Hagaman - Hagaman Response: Apology Was Due More than a Year Ago

Crown Accounts: Surplus Smashes Forecast

The operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) was a surplus of $1,410 million, compared to a forecast surplus of $498 million. This favourable variance of $912 million was largely due to higher than forecast core Crown tax revenue and lower than forecast core Crown expenses. More>>

ALSO:

• BusinessDesk - NZ company profits continue to bolster tax take
• NZ Govt - $1.4b surplus in Crown Accounts to February

Myrtle Rust: Serious Fungal Plant Disease Reaches Kermadecs

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and the Department of Conservation (DOC) are working together to address a confirmed find of the fungal plant disease myrtle rust on Kermadec pohutukawa trees on Raoul Island. More>>

ALSO:

• Science Media Centre - Myrtle Rust on Raoul Island - Expert Reaction
• Forest And Bird - Native forests threatened by myrtle rust
• Biological Heritage National Science Challenge - Māori scientists lead effort to combat plant pathogen - Biological Heritage Science Challenge funding results

Horizons: Court Rules For Changes To Plan Implimentation

In summary the key findings are: To have regard to a resolution of council in issuing resource consents is unlawful; There are minimum standards that apply to decisions on non-notified consent applications...; Consent applications must include an assessment of environmental effects including cumulative effects. More>>

ALSO:

• Horizons Regional Council - Horizons' One Plan decision to be considered
• Federated Farmers - More RMA stress & cost for farmers in Horizons region

Wellington needs a transport champion

The need for local leadership to solve Wellington’s traffic congestion problems was identified last year by then Finance Minister Bill English in a speech to business leaders in Porirua. He criticised Wellington’s lack of a ‘progressive attitude’ to transport solutions. Commenting on the drawn-out debate... More>>

Dave gets it right, again

Wellington.Scoop Dave Armstrong got it right on Monday. He wrote about the moving choke point that’s causing peak-time frustration on the new Kapiti Expressway: It seems that as more daily commuters whizzed down the spacious and efficient expressway on their way to Wellington, the “chokepoint” simply... More>>

Just get on with it!

Congratulations to the mayor for again expressing an intent to strengthen the Town Hall. The new Council should support the strengthening and just get on with it so that the Town Hall can be reopened at last. But it is not scheduled to open till 2021 – which will be 12 years after it was declared... More>>

Gordon Campbell: On War Crimes And The Afghan Insurgency

Mapp’s attempted defence of the SAS on RNZ this morning unintentionally indicated that collective punishment was baked into the planning exercise for the raid, and also into how the raid proceeded on the ground. More>>

ALSO:

• Liana Pantaleo - PM's Press Conference 03/04/17: No Hit and Run inquiry
• Gordon Campbell - On Shifty Bill’s Last Stand - On the Labour/Greens Deal (and the NZDF - On the Hit and Run book
• Scoop Review of Books - Why Are We in Afghanistan?
• Nicky Hager & Jon Stephenson - Location confusion must not detract from civilian casualties - Hit and Run authors reply to NZDF: The cover up continues - Hit and Run authors say latest NZDF denials incorrect - Hager-Stephenson book on tragic SAS actions in Afghanistan
• Nicky Hager - Hit and Run author responds to inquiry decision - Complaint on story published by the Herald and NewstalkZB - Hit and Run author responds to inquiry decision
• McLeod and Associates - Further information on “Operation Burnham” - Letter to Ministers on behalf of Afghanistan villagers
• NZ Defence Force - NZDF Statement on Hager/Stephenson Book - NZDF Response To Book
• The Spinoff Out-Links - Hit & Run author Jon Stephenson responds to ‘wrong village’ claim from NZ Defence Force - Hit and Run: What are crucial differences in authors’ vs Defence Force version of events?
• TVNZ - Q+A: ActionStation National Director Marianne Elliott
• The Nation - Lisa Owen interviews Deborah Manning
• NZ Govt - Hercules deployment to Middle East confirmed
• Labour - Time for English to take action on SAS raid - Need for independent inquiry still remains
• Greens - Case remains for inquiry into NZDF allegations - National must investigate NZDF allegations
• NZ First - SAS Claims: Inquiry Needed
• United Future - The excruciating search for truth after Hit and Run - Afghanistan Inquiry Now Inevitable - Dunne
• Amnesty International - Government can’t rely on ISAF report into civilian casulties - Amnesty International responds to ‘Hit & Run’ release
• Campaign Against Foreign Control Of Aotearoa - CAFCA Launches Aotearoa Independence Movement
• Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - NZ Women’s Peace Organisation Supports Call for SAS Inquiry
• Transparency International NZ - Transparency needed to support integrity of Defence Force
• Adrian Leason - Vigil for the victims of the Tirgiran Valley Raid
• Auckland Peace Action - Demands for inquiry stepped up - SAS Base locked in
• 2011 NZ Defence Force - NZ Defence Force Operations In Bamyan Province - August 22
• 2011 TVNZ - Q+A’s Guyon Espiner interviews Dr Wayne Mapp
• 2010 Gordon Campbell - Gordon Campbell on our first combat death in Afghanistan
• Out-Link - Former defence minister rejects Afghan war crimes claim | Radio New Zealand News
• NZ Govt - Foreign Minister to Counter-ISIL Foreign Ministers’ meeting - Minister returns to Baghdad and Camp Taji
• Out-Link - Wayne Mapp does not deny 'Hit and Run' Afghan raid claims | Newshub
• Audio Out-Link - Hager/Stephenson media stand up - Hit and Run - felixmarwick
• Book launch live tweets - Felix Geiringer on Twitter
• Out-Link - Felix Geiringer: Hit and Run is not ‘war as usual’ | The Spinoff
• Out-Link - Hit & Run: A depressingly credible account of blunder, bloodshed and cover-up | The Spinoff
• Out-Link - The long road to Hit and Run • Hard News • Public Address
• Out-Link - Fatima was three. Was she killed in our name? | Andrew Geddis
• Out-Link - Could New Zealand Face the International Criminal Court for War Crimes in Afghanistan? - VICE
• Out-Link - Wayne Mapp on Operation Burnham | Pundit
• Out-Link - Paul Buchanan: An inquiry into the Hit and Run claims is now essential. And there is an obvious person to lead it | The Spinoff

Panel/Party: Scoop ‘Opening The Election’ Forum Event Friday 7/4

We invite you to a Scoop crowdfunding campaign event with Speakers and Panel Discussion on innovative ideas and solutions for our future. More>>

ALSO:

• Opening The Election - Help sprad the word, be in to win a copy of 'A Constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand' Book
• Out-Link - Help Scoop 'Open the Election' : The Open News Project | PledgeMe

Alastair Thompson: An Appeal To All Friends Of Scoop - This Is Not A Drill

We know that those of you who have supported Scoop these past two years didn't do so lightly. We understand many of you will have questions... More>>

ALSO:

• Opening The Election - Help sprad the word, be in to win a copy of 'A Constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand' Book
• Out-Link - Help Scoop 'Open the Election' : The Open News Project | PledgeMe

Westminster: NZ PM Condemns London Attack

“London is a place many thousands of New Zealanders have visited and called home, and where many more have friends and family based, so this attack feels very close to home,” Mr English says. More>>

ALSO:

• Out-Link - Guardian Updates - London terror attack
• Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at NZ - Statement following attack in Westminster, London
• British High Commission - Condolence book to open
• US Out-Link - Attacker in Midtown stabbing admits he wanted to kill black men - NY Daily News

Amnesty: Campaign Mass Hangings And Extermination At Syrian Prison

A chilling new report by Amnesty International exposes the Syrian government’s calculated campaign of extrajudicial executions by mass hangings at Saydnaya Prison. Between 2011 and 2015, every week and often twice a week, groups of up to 50 people ... More>>

Russian Hack Job?: White House - Actions In Response To Russian Malicious Cyber Activity & Harassment

President Obama authorized a number of actions in response to the Russian government’s aggressive harassment of U.S. officials and cyber operations aimed at the U.S. election in 2016. More>>

Howard Davis: Rodger Fox Gets Out The Funk

By now a living New Zealand legend, band leader and trombonist Rodger Fox has performed with some of the biggest names in the jazz business, including Louie Bellson, Bill Reichenbach, Chuck Findley, Randy Crawford, Bobby Shew, Lanny Morgan, Bruce Paulson, Diane Schuur, Arturo Sandoval, David Clayton-Thomas, and Joe Williams, to name only a few. More>>

Te Papa: Sir Peter Snell To Make Golden Donation To The Nation

Sporting legend Sir Peter Snell has confirmed he will donate 14 items from his personal collection to Te Papa, including two Olympic gold medals... The most unusual item being gifted by Sir Peter is a shoe he wore while winning gold at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. More>>

Max Rashbrooke: Review - The NZSO And Nature

This was a lovely, varied concert with an obvious theme based on the natural world. It kicked off with Mendelssohn's sparkling Hebrides Overture, which had a wonderfully taut spring right from the start, and great colour from the woodwinds, especially the clarinets. More>>