SCOOP.CO.NZ archive pages provide PLAIN FULL TEXT search access to the Scoop archives devided into CATEGORIES. The database indexes approximately 4 months of Scoop items and is updated each night. You can search Scoop's complete 8 years of data at Knowledge Basket.
The appalling uptake for Labour’s ludicrously-named ’20 hours free’ scheme can hardly come as a surprise given the chorus of criticism of the policy from the early childhood sector, says National’s Early Childhood spokeswoman, Paula Bennett. More >>
All New Zealand troops who served in Bosnia can be rightfully proud of the difference they have made to the peacekeeping effort there, says National’s Defence spokesman, Wayne Mapp. More >>
National Party Housing spokesman Phil Heatley is calling for Housing Minister Chris Carter to release full details of all corporation charge-card spending by Housing New Zealand employees for the past five years. More >>
National Party Leader John Key is congratulating the four New Zealand soldiers today honoured for bravery, including the recipient of the Victoria Cross, Corporal Bill Apiata. More >>
Putting Trades and Industry back into our schools; Labour's bracket creep; 20 hours free - for a fee More >>
National's Auckland Issues spokesman, Dr Wayne Mapp is welcoming the redevelopment of the city's Tank Farm. More >>
National Party Housing spokesman Phil Heatley says blaming his department is the default setting for Chris Carter going by his performance the last time he was caught out misleading the public on an HNZ scandal. More >>
National Party Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins says David Benson-Pope must explain why he’s saying a ‘new’ health programme for people on sickness and invalids’ benefits is an extension of the PATHS programme. More >>
Last night, I held a public meeting on education at Takapuna Grammar School. We heard speeches from Simon Lamb, Principal of Takapuna Grammar; David Hodge, Principal of Rangitoto College; and Katherine Rich, National's Education Spokeswoman. More >>
Slipping further behind Australia; Rail links to Auckland Airport; The latest on Law ’n Order More >>
The release of the report into abuses at state-run psychiatric institutions is a timely reminder that the Government has still not delivered justice for claimants in the Lake Alice Inquiry, says National Party Associate Health spokesman (Mental ... More >>
If you are looking for eradication or even control of Didymo, then don't look to the Biosecurity Minister for help, says National's Biosecurity spokesman, Shane Ardern. More >>
The Immigration Minister needs to front up and explain why his policies on immigration identity fraud are failing, says National's Immigration spokesman, Dr Lockwood Smith. "David Cunliffe keeps harping back to the 1990's and disregarding the significant ... More >>
The Government must decide what it wants - prison beds or public safety, says National's Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
"Ruth Dyson's been forced into an embarrassing admission that she has not yet seen a report from a 2006 investigation into the CYFS-funded Wairaka Kökiri Trust," says National's Associate Welfare spokeswoman (CYFS), Anne Tolley. More >>
National Party Housing spokesman Phil Heatley is seeking new assurances from Housing Minister Chris Carter that a year-old allegation of corruption within his department has been ‘checked out’. More >>
National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall has released a second leaked district health board document outlining a “degree of recruitment panic” over the shortage of junior doctors in our hospitals. The documents say ‘there is an estimated demand ... More >>
Moves to finally ban BZP are being welcomed by National MP Jacqui Dean. “Though I’m pleased to see the Labour Government has finally decided to ban the drug, the whole process has taken far too long. More >>
The crowing by the Courts Minister and Attorney-General over the independence of the new coronial system is laughable, given Labour’s treatment of Wellington’s outspoken coroner, says National’s Shadow Attorney-General, Christopher Finlayson. More >>
National Party Associate Welfare (CYFS) spokeswoman Anne Tolley is praising Cannons Creek residents for speaking out about a CYFS-supervised sexual predator reported to be escaping custody and playing with neighbourhood children. More >>
The Labour Government’s experiment with electronic bail is dangerous and must not be used on dangerous offenders, says National’s Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
National Party Housing spokesman Phil Heatley is alarmed that even as late as this morning Housing Minister Chris Carter still appeared not to have read documents alleging corruption within his Department. More >>
The Immigration Minister is diving for cover instead of answering serious questions about New Zealand's border security, says National's Immigration spokesman Dr Lockwood Smith. More >>
Clear signals that the Government's 'Diabetes Get Checked' programme was struggling from the start were simply ignored, says National's Associate Health spokeswoman, Dr Jackie Blue. More >>
National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall says a leaked district health board document shows growing alarm about a crisis in the number of junior doctors staffing our hospitals. More >>
Winz beneficiaries are the latest to cry foul over Labour's '20 hours free' scheme, says National's Early Childhood spokeswoman, Paula Bennett. More >>
National Party Housing spokesman Phil Heatley says there are serious unanswered questions about a blatant sub-letting rort uncovered in the past year. More >>
It's Ministerial negligence that the 20 free hours policy goes live on Monday and the Education Minister still does not know the answers to simple questions about his own policy, says National's Education spokeswoman, Katherine Rich. More >>
National Party Labour and Industrial Relations spokeswoman Kate Wilkinson says the Government was warned in 2002 that there were serious gaps in the way it collected data on workplace deaths, but did nothing. More >>
Labour’s tinkering with The Correspondence School has led to a slide in its performance, which has been highlighted in the latest Education Review Office (ERO) report, says National’s Associate Education spokesman, Colin King. More >>
A critical report on immigration identity fraud shows the Department of Labour is failing to get even the basics right, says National’s Immigration spokesman, Dr Lockwood Smith. “The Auditor-General’s report makes 15 recommendations to the ... More >>
Less than one-third of the extra sworn police promised by the Labour-NZ First Government are ‘frontline’ staff, according to information obtained by National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows. More >>
National Party Justice & Corrections spokesman Simon Power is questioning how the Government can justify $1.7 million in bonuses for Corrections staff. More >>
Police Minister Annette King must urgently get involved in concerns over the standard of police recruits and not sit meekly on the sideline, says National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows. More >>
National Party Associate Welfare spokeswoman (CYFS) Anne Tolley says the Ruatoki-based trust at the centre of a police drama this week has been in trouble before. More >>
New research showing an incredibly high turnover of nurses in public hospitals demonstrates the desperate need to re-engage health professionals in the running of the health system, says National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall. More >>
“CYF systems are failing troubled youth,” says National’s Associate Welfare Spokeswoman (CYF), Anne Tolley. More >>
“More and more patients languish on trolleys in hospital corridors, because New Zealand's major hospital emergency departments are still failing to see emergency patients soon enough,” says National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall. More >>
National Party Police spokesman Chester Borrows says Annette King can’t duck for cover on a report that poses serious questions about the quality of new police recruits. More >>
Balancing environmental protection with the need for better economic performance will be a major consideration for a National-led government, says National Party Leader John Key. More >>
From your President, Peter Maddison, to your executive members, council members, branch leaders, and all the other volunteers that give life to the Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand. More >>
There is something wrong with the Corrections Department’s priorities when it has a national standard for prisoners’ meals but not for their transport, says National’s Justice and Corrections spokesman Simon Power. More >>
A draft report prepared for the New Zealand Defence Force shows that Veterans' Affairs (VANZ) has lost the confidence of its major stakeholders, says National’s Veteran Affairs spokeswoman, Judith Collins. More >>
Jim Anderton is singing two different tunes when it comes to compensation for farmers at the centre of last years GM corn debacle, says National's Associate Agriculture spokesman Nathan Guy. More >>
Nearly one-quarter of staff at Corrections’ head office have chucked in their jobs in the past year according to figures obtained by National Party Justice and Corrections spokesman Simon Power. More >>
The Labour Government is trucking ahead with its attempts to drive farmers out of the South Island high country, says National’s Agriculture spokesman, David Carter. “At 10 o’clock yesterday morning David Parker told the Primary Production select ... More >>
On the heels of the book by James Bartholomew about the failure of the welfare state comes a new book The Outcomes of Income Transfers which assesses the benefits of state redistribution. Economist Mark Harrison examines not only the financial cost ... More >>
National Party Industrial Relations spokeswoman Kate Wilkinson says Labour’s pattern of providing taxpayer-funded incentives for people to join unions appears to breach the spirit of employment law. More >>
National Party Associate Health spokeswoman Jo Goodhew says Health Minister Pete Hodgson should be up front with Labour's efforts to quietly distance themselves from cuts to hospital chaplaincy. More >>
Plans to monitor Labour’s so-called ’20-free hours’ policy are a joke and the Education Ministry knows it, says National Party Education spokeswoman Katherine Rich. More >>
The Minister of Treaty Negotiations and the Prime Minister must show real commitment and leadership to stop the settlement process from going off the rails, says National's Treaty Negotiations spokesman, Christopher Finlayson. More >>
“Another chapter’s been added to the book on the bumbling roll-out of stab-resistant vests to our frontline police,” says National Party Police spokesman Chester Borrows. More >>
National Party Finance spokesman Bill English says Michael Cullen has deceived homeowners about his intentions on taxation around property investment. More >>
National Party Associate Labour and Industrial Relations spokeswoman Paula Bennett says the Department of Labour has confirmed that it flouted the rules on five contracts worth more than $500,000. More >>
National Party Finance spokesman Bill English is surprised that Trevor Mallard has chosen Australia as the venue to announce that there'll be tax cuts in New Zealand during next year's Budget. More >>
National Party Finance spokesman Bill English says an international comparison of house prices and the tax treatment of housing in different countries shows there is no single answer to cool the property market. More >>
National Party Commerce spokesman Simon Power says the Government should move to reassure borrowers that they will not end up paying for the sweeping new regulation targeting loan sharks. More >>
National Party Leader John Key is due to meet Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and United States Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte when he visits North America next week. More >>
Pharmac has ditched its Ritalin subsidy and Kiwi kids are being left to suffer the consequences, says National's Associate Health spokesman, Jonathan Coleman. More >>
National Party Housing spokesman Phil Heatley says the public should be deeply suspicious about future announcements from Labour on its shared equity programme for housing. More >>
There are grave fears that the recently introduced Education (Tertiary Reforms) Amendment Bill will allow the Labour Government to control all university activities, says National’s Tertiary Education spokesman, Dr Paul Hutchison. More >>
National Party Finance spokesman Bill English says Michael Cullen's interpretation of the tax laws around housing is wrong. More >>
National Party Leader John Key says a National-led Government will change the smacking law if the spirit of the compromise thrashed out with Labour is broken. More >>
The Government is struggling to get even the basics right in its ‘Diabetes Get Checked’ programme, says National’s Health spokesman Tony Ryall. The annual check-up for people with diabetes has been severely criticised in an Auditor General's report ... More >>
While the Education Minister continues to pretend there has been no shift in Labour's policy on class sizes for new entrants, official information documents released by National clearly show the opposite, says National's Education spokeswoman, Katherine ... More >>
"Visiting UK experts on welfare have gone home and described practices at Work and Income as 'dangerous'," says National Party Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins. More >>
Maori will be among the big winners from National's trades training policy, says National Party Maori Affairs spokesman, Tau Henare. More >>
There is no excuse for yet another botched Treaty of Waitangi settlement process by the Crown, says National’s Treaty Negotiations Minister, Christopher Finlayson. More >>
National’s Leader John Key has announced his Party’s commitment to putting trades and industry training back into the heart of New Zealand’s school system, during a speech to the Employers and Manufacturers Association. More >>
Thank you for this opportunity to speak to you today. My particular thanks go to the Employers and Manufacturers Association Northern which has made this event happen. It’s great to be here. I’d like to acknowledge my parliamentary colleagues, National’s ... More >>
The Police would find it easier to reach their recruitment targets if they knew exactly why, apart from retirements, nearly 4% of police left each year, says National's Police spokesman, Chester Borrows. More >>
The Reserve Bank's analysis of the tax treatment of housing directly contradicts IRD advice given to a Parliamentary select committee last week, says National's Finance spokesman, Bill English. More >>
"The National Party wishes to congratulate all the finalists of the MIT Pacific Business awards held last night", says National Pacific Island Affairs spokeswoman, Judith Collins. More >>
The largest private provider of early childhood education (ECE) in New Zealand is the latest to announce a hike in fees to cover Labour's ludicrously named '20 hours free' scheme, says National's Paula Bennett. More >>
The government should be playing its part to lower inflation by spending carefully and sensibly where it has the most benefit, rather than where it can buy the most votes. More >>
The coup in Fiji continues to cause problems, which is not surprising. Let's be clear; the current regime in Fiji is not a legitimate interim government, it is a military dictatorship. More >>
The fact that police are scrambling to buy new shirts for officers because they overheat in the new stab-resistant vests is another indictment on how poorly the project has been managed, says National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows. More >>
The number of ACC cases landing in my in-box and on my table is growing at an alarming rate. A recent discussion I had with a person affected by ACC's flip-flop attitude provided me with plenty of food for thought about how the corporation works. More >>
“Mark Burton and the Office of Treaty Settlements have to shoulder much of the blame for the turmoil resulting from what the Waitangi Tribunal has called the most flawed settlement negotiation process it has ever seen,” says National Party Treaty ... More >>
Corrections Minister Damien O’Connor must assure taxpayers that the "shonky" collaborative working arrangement process won’t be used to redevelop Mt Eden Prison, says National Party Justice & Corrections spokesman Simon Power More >>
The invisible hand; Casino Royale; America’s Cup; Political Quote of the Week More >>
Each year, immediately following the reading of the Budget by the Minister of Finance, Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Select Committee meets to deal with the Estimates. These are a department by department and line by line breakdown of the proposed expenditure ... More >>
"Treasury figures show Labour has so much cash sloshing around that it can't spend $700 million set aside in the 2006 Budget for spending before 30 June this year," says National Party Finance spokesman Bill English. More >>
Labour’s so called ‘reforms’ in aquaculture have done nothing to accelerate the industry’s growth and have, in fact, stalled progress, says National’s Fisheries spokesman, Phil Heatley. More >>
The Corrections Department was told three times in the space of three months of serious concerns about the safety of prisoner transport, but did nothing, says National's Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
Who’s running the shop? That’s the question the National Party is asking after Parekura Horomia’s woeful display before the Maori Affairs Select Committee yesterday. More >>
David Benson-Pope has put himself at odds with former Minister Steve Maharey about the reliability of Household Labour Force Survey statistics, says National Party Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins. More >>
National Party MPs walked out of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee meeting this morning in protest at being expected to conduct hearings before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had answered the committee's written questions. More >>
The National Party is calling on the Government to make a "resolute response" to any action against the New Zealand High Commissioner in Fiji. More >>
"Pete Hodgson promised to listen to the advice of cancer specialists on Herceptin. He isn't," says National Party Associate Health spokeswoman Jackie Blue. More >>
"Parents will be appalled that it'll be at least another six years before we start seeing improvements in the oral health of Kiwi kids," says National Party Associate Health spokeswoman Jo Goodhew. "In opposition Helen Clark said child oral health ... More >>
“Pete Hodgson’s been caught short on the same day he has offered assurances about access to mental health services for young Kiwis,” says National Party Associate Health spokesman Jonathan Coleman. More >>
The culture of denial in Corrections has reached such a point that the Minister is even trying to blame the Ombudsmen for failings over prisoner transport, says National’s Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
Six years after abandoning the Closing the Gaps policy it has become obvious that Labour is continuing to hide its failure to help Maori realise their potential, says National Party Maori Affairs spokeswoman Georgina te Heuheu. More >>
National is holding Corrections Minister Damien O’Connor to his statement today that all Corrections staff are on notice, says Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. “Damien O’Connor told the Law & Order Select Committee that ... More >>
Veterans' Affairs has today admitted that it doesn't know how many veterans live in New Zealand. More >>
Attorney-General Michael Cullen has been forced by his colleagues into a U-turn over the future of Wellington Coroner Garry Evans, says National's Shadow Attorney-General, Christopher Finlayson. More >>
Labour’s '20 Hours Free' ECE has turned into a $20-a-day extra charge for parents, and wage cuts for educators, says National’s Associate Education spokeswoman, Paula Bennett. More >>
The chorus of criticism is becoming deafening over Labour's lack of action on aquaculture space, says National's Fisheries spokesman, Phil Heatley. More >>
Rural communities and families are at the core of National’s Rural Issues discussion paper launched today, says National Party Leader John Key. More >>
National Party Finance spokesman Bill English says Michael Cullen needs to start helping, rather than hindering, Allan Bollard’s efforts to do something about the high dollar. More >>
Pharmac's refusal to fund a crucial nutritional supplement Neocate Advance for a 5-year-old boy who has multiple food allergies is a case of the "lunatics running the asylum," says National Party Associate Health spokeswoman (Pharmacare) Dr Jackie ... More >>
National Party Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins says the Social Development Minister has been forced into an embarrassing admission that he has been deliberately blocking the flow of public information. More >>
The Education Minister is sending seriously conflicting messages to school boards about how to implement new National Administration Guidelines relating to the provision of food in canteens and tuck shops, says National's Education spokeswoman, Katherine ... More >>
The Corrections Department's tragic incompetence is laid bare in the report by the Ombudsmen into prisoner transport, says National's Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
Will the New Zealand Navy have enough key personnel to operate its seven new Project Protector ships, the first of which is being commissioned today? More >>
Attorney-General Michael Cullen should explain why he vetoed the reappointment of popular Wellington Coroner Garry Evans, says National's Shadow Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson. More >>
National Party Maori Affairs spokeswoman Georgina te Heuheu says she is saddened at the passing of a leading Te Arawa kuia, and one of New Zealand’s pioneering film actresses, Witarina Te Miriarangi Parewhaika Harris. More >>
National Party Finance spokesman Bill English says Helen Clark is again refusing to back Michael Cullen in his role as Finance Minister. More >>
"Labour's move to ban certain foods from school canteens and tuck shops is a typically bureaucratic answer to childhood obesity," says National Party Education spokeswoman Katherine Rich. More >>
The Labour Government has allowed community sentences to become largely ineffective when 40% of offenders are convicted for breaching their sentences, says National’s Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
New Zealand’s health system may be lurching toward another crisis as the malignant spread of bureaucracy drives senior doctors to the edge of industrial action, says National’s Health spokesman, Tony Ryall. More >>
More and more men are electing to have prostate cancer surgery with private specialists, says National’s Associate Health spokeswoman, Dr Jackie Blue More >>
National Party Local Government spokesman John Carter is questioning labour’s “regulate first ask questions later” approach to local government building regulations. More >>
“New Zealand’s most expensive job website is to be dumped - at the cost of $1 million to the taxpayer,” says National Party ACC spokeswoman Pansy Wong. More >>
Nearly one fifth of officers recruited from the United Kingdom who have served in the New Zealand Police have left, says National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows. More >>
National Party Housing spokesman Phil Heatley says Housing New Zealand must start collecting data about the number of its homes found to be used as bases for criminal activity. More >>
"Less than 24 hours after Clayton Cosgrove was promising improved cancer treatment times, Wellington cancer patients have been warned of delays because of bureaucratic 'heel-dragging'," says National's Health spokesman, Tony Ryall. More >>
The Corrections Department's culture of denial and its inability to follow its own procedures will have to change if the Ombudsman's investigation into prisoner transportation is to make any difference, says National's Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon ... More >>
Yesterday's Reserve Bank announcement to increase the Official Cash Rate to 8.0% will worry all homeowners with mortgages and businesses requiring credit. New Zealand has the highest interest rates in the developed world and it surely affects our economic ... More >>
The circumstances behind the early departure of Secretary of Labour, Dr James Bewildered may have escaped the scrutiny of the nation’s media. But regular readers of this journal will be aware that the Bewildered Era at the Department of Labour was brought ... More >>
National Party Foreign Affairs spokesman Murray McCully is endorsing the call by Foreign Minister Winston Peters for Fiji's interim government to respond positively to the report of the Joint Working Group released today. More >>
National Party Finance spokesman Bill English is surprised that Michael Cullen is refusing to show any compassion or empathy towards the homeowners and exporters hurting after today’s interest rate rise. More >>
It is hypocritical of the Prime Minister to be launching Aquaculture NZ in Nelson today when her Government's policies have frozen growth in the industry, says National's Fisheries spokesman, Phil Heatley. More >>
The Reserve Bank Governor has given his strongest warning yet that Labour's increased spending will keep interest rates higher for longer says National Party Finance spokesman Bill English. More >>
“Michael Cullen must restore confidence in the judicial appointment process by declaring who he consulted before deciding to sack long-serving Wellington coroner Garry Evans,” says National’s Shadow Attorney-General Chris Finlayson. More >>
The Education Minister’s latest outpourings on NCEA are a pinnacle of desperation, says National’s Education spokeswoman, Katherine Rich. Steve Maharey has called on educationalists to help ‘build confidence in our national qualification’ which ... More >>
National Party Leader John Key has congratulated Team New Zealand on winning the right to challenge for the America’s Cup after winning the Louis Vuitton Cup final today. More >>
The Labour Government is finally taking steps to clean up its bungled Active Investor Migration policy, says National’s Immigration spokesman, Dr Lockwood Smith. More >>
Counties Manukau residents can expect insufficient Police staff even after 5,503 petitioners sought an increase in Police numbers to bring them in line with the national average. In July 2006, I presented my petition, requesting that the numbers of full-time ... More >>
The sale of dozens of New Zealand Qualifications Authority computers on Trade Me, allegedly by an NZQA employee, could pose serious confidentiality issues, says National's Education spokeswoman, Katherine Rich. More >>
Labour has a precedent for giving New Zealand-born war hero Nancy Wake the honour that she deserves, says National Party Veterans Affairs spokeswoman Judith Collins. More >>
New Zealand must reverse the record rates of deforestation to control climate change emissions and to prevent erosion, says National’s Environment and Climate Change Spokesman, Nick Smith. More >>
NZQA has launched an investigation into serious allegations that a staff member has been selling approximately 30 ex-NZQA computers on Trade Me, says National's Education spokeswoman Katherine Rich. More >>
National Party State-Owned Enterprises spokesman Gerry Brownlee says Labour shouldn’t be rushing regulation about power disconnection and should make considered changes if necessary. “Helen Clark herself has said that Mercury Energy was in breach of ... More >>
The public is completely sick of never-ending industrial disputes in the country's hospitals, says National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall. More >>
In the same year Parliament let women fight on the frontline with their male colleagues, Helen Clark's Labour Government has yet again failed to formally honour war hero Nancy Wake, says National Party Veterans Affairs spokeswoman Judith Collins. More >>
The Labour Government could have avoided the crisis which has resulted in 150 prisoners being held in police cells had the new Otago Regional Prison had been built on time, says National’s Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
National Party Associate Agriculture Spokesman Nathan Guy says Biosecurity Minister Jim Anderton is hanging out to dry a group of farmers caught up in last year’s GM corn debacle. More >>
News of the pending lockout of 2000 public hospital cleaners, orderlies and kitchen staff shows the level of industrial disarray in the health sector, says National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall. More >>
Racist remark undermines police efforts with Asians Racist comments by a senior detective do nothing to encourage Asians to come forward to report crime, and undermine police efforts to engage with the Asian community, says National’s Ethnic Affairs spokeswoman, ... More >>
At the start of the year, I spoke up about the growing underclass in New Zealand, and how living with crime is a reality for far too many Kiwis. It seems that just about every week we get a reminder of this. More >>
New Zealand’s Relationship With Our Pacific Neighbours This week I was part of a Parliamentary delegation to Canberra to discuss the situation in the Pacific. One of the major jobs of the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Select Committee this ... More >>
The Education Minister has finally conceded that Labour's Budget announcement of a maximum of 18 children for junior primary school classes was a major shift from what was originally promised says National's Education spokeswoman, Katherine Rich. More >>
The facts surrounding the death of Folole Muliaga remain in serious dispute. Even the extent to which the disconnection of the electricity supply contributed to her death is uncertain. More >>
The Labour Government has taken nearly eight years to do anything about the corruption and contraband problem in prisons, says National’s Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
“Labour is spending a record amount on locum doctors to fill the huge gaps that are emerging in the health workforce,” says National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall “You can’t run a health system on temporary staff. Yet the Government is ... More >>
Minister, your ship is sinking! Fact: More Kiwis than ever are heading across to live in Australia Fact: We are losing people who were born, and migrated, here Labour’s Immigration Minister needs to rethink his opinion that our current immigration situation ... More >>
Labour is failing dismally to control the number of outstanding fines and then to collect them, says National's Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
What recommendations on banning BZP, if any, has Jim Anderton taken to Cabinet? That’s the question being asked by National MP Jacqui Dean. “First the Associate Health Minister was going to take his recommendations to Cabinet by March and then it was ... More >>
The police officer who suffered a punctured lung three weeks ago after being stabbed was only weeks from getting his stab-resistant vest after earlier being incorrectly measured, says National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows. More >>
National Party Horticulture spokesman Craig Foss says the latest campaign in the UK against New Zealand produce is a very serious threat to our exports. “The risk to our economy of such anti-New Zealand trade campaigns is massive. We have made ... More >>
National Party State-Owned Enterprises spokesman Gerry Brownlee says Trevor Mallard must answer to the public of New Zealand about the death of an Auckland woman after a state-owned energy retailer turned off her power. More >>
National Party Finance spokesman Bill English is surprised Michael Cullen signalled no change at all to the Reserve Bank’s Policy Targets Agreement when he re-appointed Allan Bollard as Governor today. More >>
ACC is undertaking yet another review, this time into its fraud unit, but isn’t telling us why, says National Party ACC spokeswoman Pansy Wong. “I understand ACC is conducting an under the radar review of the fraud unit, supposedly because the ... More >>
The Labour Government is pushing compulsory unionism on aged care workers at the expense of older New Zealanders, says National’s Associate health spokeswoman, Jo Goodhew. She is commenting on DHBs demanding aged care employers to promote collective ... More >>
The protection of consumers and avoiding extra costs for home buyers must be the main thrust of any changes to legislation regarding the real estate industry, says National's Justice spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
The public’s verdict is in – they don’t like the budget! After 13 years of continuous surpluses, people want a cut in their taxes. The last tax cut was in 1996, 11 long years ago. Labour’s only change in this year’s budget was to actually ... More >>
The Education Minister’s changes to NCEA are nothing but a cynical and calculated move to dampen criticism of the qualification and get it off the political agenda, says National’s Education spokeswoman Katherine Rich. “For six years Labour has ... More >>
Labour is moving at a snail’s pace to fix training standards around the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers registration exams, says National’s Associate Education spokesman Colin King. More >>
This week is the perfect time for New Zealanders to put aside the negative and celebrate the positive side of our young people, says National's Youth Affairs spokeswoman, Nicky Wagner. More >>
ACC Minister Ruth Dyson must move to clear up confusion over the $2 million worth of contracts her department has spent on hiring private investigators over the past two years, says National’s ACC spokeswoman, Pansy Wong. More >>
The police are likely to face problems with attrition in the future as the growing number of older officers retire, warns National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows. More >>
Corrections must not sit back and wait for people to come forward over claims that guards have been accepting money from prisoners to write positive reports to the Parole Board, says National’s Justice and Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
Immigration Minister David Cunliffe should do his homework before making half-baked statements about National's use of immigration numbers, says National's Immigration spokesman, Lockwood Smith. More >>
Taxpayers need to be reassured that their money is not being used to infiltrate protest groups, as has been claimed today, says National’s State-Owned Enterprises spokesman, Gerry Brownlee. More >>
It's a real pleasure to be addressing the Central North Island Regional Conference as Leader of the National Party. More >>
There urgently needs to be greater consumer awareness around the dangers of illegally purchasing online medicines says National’s Associate Health spokeswoman, Dr Jackie Blue. More >>
A record 13,000 hectares of deforestation last year, amounting to the felling of over 3 million trees is an environmental disaster, says National's Climate Change spokesperson Dr Nick Smith. More >>
"The recommendation in the 'Next Steps In The Land Transport Sector Review' released today, to merge Land Transport New Zealand and Transit New Zealand is just plain nonsense," says National Party Transport spokesman Maurice Williamson. More >>
Many words in the media and many speeches in the debating chamber of Parliament later have seen the legislation to implement the budget enacted. The Government sees its work as a triumph; the National Party does not. More >>
A substantial increase in overseas aid was supposed to have been one of the key announcements in last week’s Budget. A special slot was identified in one of Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ increasingly brief visits to New Zealand to make a formal announcement. More >>
Kiwis are continuing to leaving New Zealand in droves, says National’s Immigration spokesman, Dr Lockwood Smith. The Labour Department’s quarterly migration update shows 32,200 New Zealanders left permanently for Australia in the year to March 2007. More >>
Jim Anderton needs to explain why he tried to hoodwink Labour's Maori caucus over the Fisheries Act 1996 Amendment Bill, says National MP David Carter. More >>
“TVNZ’s CEO and his political masters are now officially at odds over what constitutes a ‘charter’ programme,” says National Broadcasting spokesman Jonathan Coleman. “It’s the surest sign yet that Labour’s broadcasting policy is in tatters.” More >>
Labour has been told that more than a quarter of taxpayers money intended to keep GPs in rural areas can't be accounted for, and yet it’s doing nothing about it, says National’s Associate Health spokeswoman, Jo Goodhew. More >>
National Party Leader John Key says the Opposition has been vindicated for demanding further inquiries into the activities of Taito Phillip Field despite Helen Clark’s protestations. More >>
The National Party says Labour needs to state whether it believes TVNZ is delivering on the Government-imposed charter. More >>
Labour’s mismanagement of science funding has left New Zealand’s top scientists out in the cold, says National’s Science spokesman, Dr Paul Hutchison. “The fact that scientists are missing out on millions of dollars of funding is a huge indictment ... More >>
Corruption in prisons is clearly much more widespread than the Corrections Minister and his department have been telling the public, says National’s Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
The Labour Government is letting more and more drivers get away with dangerous behaviour, says National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows. More >>
The Labour Government has done nothing to improve the lot of young women wanting to take up a trade apprenticeship, says National's Associate Education spokesman, Colin King. More >>
The Auditor-General’s report showing ITP Quality reports on 19 of 20 polytechnics were presented to the NZQA board but not reported on, is indicative of the failings in the system, says National’s Tertiary Education spokesman, Dr Paul Hutchison. More >>
The Government's refusal to state whether trees planted this winter will gain carbon credits is environmental and economic madness, says National's Environment Minister, Nick Smith. More >>
"David Benson-Pope is unable to explain why the single core benefit still hasn't been implemented, despite repeated promises by Labour stretching back two decades," says National Party Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins. More >>
Michael Cullen has shot down his own argument against tax cuts, says National Party Finance spokesman Bill English. More >>
Fewer people are getting appointments with hospital specialists despite billions of dollars of extra health spending, says National's Health spokesman, Tony Ryall. More >>
Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor must clarify his department's attitude to prison guards bribing prisoners with food to do private work for them, says National's Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
Labour is finally listening after National raised concerns about the number of exemptions being granted to students to leave school before they turn 16, says National’s Education spokeswoman, Katherine Rich. More >>
Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor must assure the public that victims of crime are not being threatened from prison, says National's Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
The Labour Government should come clean about whether or not it's planning to build more prisons, says National's Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
A secretive organisation that works for the country’s 21 district health boards is a step closer to becoming accountable to the public that funds it, says National’s Associate Health spokeswoman, Dr Jackie Blue. More >>
John Key: Party Leader National's Agenda Speech to the Canterbury-Westland Regional Conference, Hamner Springs More >>
Despite the Labour NZ-First Government’s pledge to hire 1,000 more frontline police, the number of people making inquiries about joining is declining, according to information obtained by National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows. More >>
“The epidemic of sickness and injury gripping New Zealand is forecast to continue under this Labour Government,” says National Party Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins. More >>
Corruption in our prisons has sunk to a new low when guards use prisoners to work at their homes or on their pet projects, says National’s Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power. More >>
The proposed Trans-Tasman regulation of natural health products will be bad for New Zealand consumers and business, National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall told a rally of 250 people in Tauranga this morning. More >>
It's a real pleasure to be addressing the Canterbury-Westland Regional Conference as Leader of the National Party. More >>
Shocking new figures showing a high level of early and frequent sexual encounters among young women should be a wake up call for all New Zealanders, says National’s Youth Affairs spokeswoman, Nicky Wagner. More >>
Consecutive Labour Ministers of Education have turned the Correspondence School into the ‘school of last resort’ for children not able to learn in main stream education, says National’s Associate Education spokesman, Colin King. More >>
News Alerts
RSS
News Alerts
