Hodgson to Bonn for climate talks
Pete Hodgson, Convenor of the Ministerial Group on Climate Change, travelled to Germany this week to represent New Zealand at a world conference on climate change. The conference is the resumed Sixth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The session began at The Hague in November last year but was suspended when negotiations ended without result. Ministers and officials at the conference will attempt to finalise rules for implementing the Kyoto Protocol. New Zealand's intention remains to ratify the protocol next year.
Govt sells HMNZS Charles Upham
Defence Minister Mark Burton said this week that the HMNZS Charles Upham has been sold for $8.7 million. The ship was purchased in 1994 for $14 million. Another $7 million was spent on modifications and the vessel was commissioned into the Royal New Zealand Navy as the HMNZS Charles Upham in October 1995. Mark Burton said the vessel had never carried out the sealift role for which it was originally acquired by the former government. In sea trials the ship broke down in heavy weather and rolled alarmingly. As a result the vessel was tied up awaiting a decision on its future. The Sealift Review commissioned by this government estimated the cost of the necessary modifications to enable the vessel to possibly fulfil its intended sealift role at $35-40 million. This was not considered to be a prudent or responsible use of defence resources.
NZ aid for Solomons election
Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff announced this week that New Zealand will give a further $750,000 to helping fund the election in the Solomon Islands, in addition to an earlier contribution of $350,000. New Zealand is joining with Australia and other nations to ensure adequate funding is available to enable free and fair elections to be held in the Solomons. The money will be drawn from the existing Official Development Assistance budget. Phil Goff says given the devastation to the Solomon Islands economy, holding elections would not be possible without outside assistance. He said it was important that a lack of funding was not used as a pretext for deferring democratic elections.
Submissions on tax charities can take longer
The deadline for submissions on the Tax and Charities discussion document has been extended by one month, from 31 July to 31 August. Revenue Minister Michael Cullen said this week the government was acknowledging the high level of interest in the subject, and the importance of getting the framework right. He said the government places a high value on the role of the charitable sector in our society. Charities make an invaluable contribution, and in recognition are given support through the tax system. Most of that support comes in the form of an income tax exemption for charities and a tax rebate or deduction for charitable donations.
Government assistance to Pacific announced
Details of the New Zealand Government official development assistance programmes in the Pacific, totalling over $106 million over the next year, were outlined this week by Associate Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Matt Robson. The funding includes backing for training and scholarships, support for education services such as teacher training and curriculum development, help for small business enterprise centres and support for Pacific countries' economic and parliamentary management. Funding will also be used to support non-government and other voluntary organisations in community development work, funding for better health care and assistance with the protection of fragile ecosystems. Areas that have suffered recent conflict - such as Solomon Islands and Bougainville - come in for special attention. Funds have been set aside for humanitarian assistance, particularly to reduce the effects of the conflict on the most vulnerable groups, often women and children, and to support the peace processes including disarmament. Assistance to individual Pacific countries includes: Cook Islands ($6.2 million), Niue ($6.25 million), Tokelau ($7.5 million), Fiji ($3 million), Kiribati ($3.1 million), Papua New Guinea including Bougainville ($10 million), Samoa ($7.7 million), Solomon Islands ($8 million), Tonga ($5.6 million) Tuvalu ($2.05 million) and Vanuatu ($5.25 million). Individual programmes include $11 million to fund NZODA Pacific regional programmes, particularly in the areas of education, the environment, health, law and justice; $14. 6 million for Aotearoa Scholarships to enable Pacific Island students to study in New Zealand; and $12 million to support regional institutions such as the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat, Pacific Community, Regional Environment Programme and the University of the South Pacific.
Law Commission report on battered defendants
Justice Minister Phil Goff this week tabled a report and recommendations of the Law Commission examining criminal defences available for murder and other offences with a particular focus on battered defendants. Goff said that the key challenge in reforming the law is how to ensure that mitigating circumstances can properly be taken into account when a defendant such as a battered person faces serious criminal charges. The strongest theme emerging from the Law Commission's recommendations, and the submissions made to it, is the need for change to the mandatory life sentence for murder. The Law Commission recommends that there should be flexibility by the Judge to take mitigating factors into account when sentencing for murder in these cases. Goff said the government is generally supportive of the Law Commission's recommendations. A limited discretion for imposing sentences of less than life for murder where there are strongly mitigating circumstances will be introduced as part of the Sentencing Bill which comes before Parliament next month. The other recommendations will be referred to the Ministry of Justice for further work and are likely to be incorporated into future criminal law reform legislation. For more details on the report, see www.lawcom.govt.nz.
