PM beamed into Altanta
Prime Minister Helen Clark addressed the 12th annual CNN World Report conference by satellite in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The conference in Atlanta, Georgia, is being attended by more than 300 journalists and television executives and runs all week. The topic for the session, The Nuclear Threat in the 21st Century, was nominated by CNN founder Ted Turner. Guest speakers at recent World Report conferences have included former American presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Korean President Kim Dae-jung, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and King Abdullah II of Jordan.
Govt offer on Te Arawa claim
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Margaret Wilson and Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia this week issued a government offer which is hoped to settle Te Arawa's claims on 14 lakes in the Rotorua area. Te Arawa will be given ownership of the lake beds but existing public access rights to the lakes will be preserved. The settlement offer also includes a ``financial redress'' package for any historical claims relating to the lakes and a buy-out of annuity which the Te Arawa Maori Trust Board currently receives $18,000 a year for from the Crown.
Response to monetary policy review
Finance Minister Michael Cullen has dismissed a suggestion that monetary policy be overseen by a monetary policy committee. The minister this week issued his response to a review of the operation of monetary policy by Professor Lars Svensson, who proposed a committee of five. Michael Cullen said however that he wanted more external advice made available during the policy-making process, especially from those with a practical knowledge of financial markets. He said he was now seeking feedback from the other political parties to achieve the highest level of cross-party consensus on the review. The government response is available on the government website, www.executive.govt.nz
Decisions on human rights agencies
Associate Justice Minister Margaret Wilson this week announced government proposals on the organisation of human rights agencies. The Human Rights Commission will keep the same name, but will include a new post of Race Relations Commissioner who will take up the tasks previously performed by the Race Relations Conciliator. Margaret Wilson said the Government had agreed ``in principle'' to a new organisation. The next stage is to bring draft legislation to Parliament. The minister said it was important the new law be in place by the end of the year because the government's exemption under the Human Rights Act expires on 31 December.
Protection for forests
The government this week announced the transfer of all West Coast indigenous forests currently managed by Timberlands West Coast to conservation lands to be managed by the Department of Conservation. Prime Minister Helen Clark said the transfer of the forests is the consequence of an election promise to end logging of Crown-managed indigenous forests. She described it as an historic conservation gain for the West Coast and for all New Zealanders. The forests include some of the very best surviving remnants of the magnificent lowland native forest that once carpeted New Zealand.
Changes to court fees
Courts Minister Matt Robson announced this week that fees for Disputes Tribunal hearings will fall and District Court, High Court and Appeal Court fees will rise. Matt Robson said use of the Disputes Tribunal had dropped 12 per cent since the previous government increased the fees in 1998. The Disputes Tribunal is the element of the civil justice system that New Zealanders come into contact with more than any other. At the other end of the scale the taxpayer has been heavily subsidising litigants such as giant telecommunications corporations. Sometimes these companies used the court process simply to delay the entry of competition into the market. Court of Appeal application fees go up from $155 to $900, with a sliding scale after that for further proceedings. New fees take effect from 1 July.
Goff Tibetan visit a first
Phil Goff became the first New Zealand Foreign Minister to visit Tibet when he arrived in the region this week. The visit is at the invitation of the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Tang as a result of Phil Goff raising human rights concerns about Tibet. Tibet has been the focus of human rights concerns about the right of the Tibetan people to manage their own affairs and to promote their language, culture and religion. Groups such as Amnesty International have also raised concerns about freedom of speech and prisoners of conscience.
Hospital waiting lists shrink
Health Minister Annette King says the Elective Services Second Quarterly Report for 2000/2001 shows New Zealanders are spending less time waiting for care. The Ministry of Health released the report on Thursday. Mrs King said the report showed continuing progress, with 81 percent of patients seeing hospital specialists within six months of referral, and the number of people waiting longer than six months down from 17,165 to 14,834 so far this year.
