NEW ZEALAND LEAD:
Video: Auckland Protest Kicks Of Int. Opposion To Iraq Occupation - AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Global Peace and Justice Auckland organised a protest on Saturday as part of an International Day of Action calling for all foreign troops to be withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan. The international day of action marked the 4th anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Scoop Video: International Day Of Action Begins In NZ
Scoop Satire: Mr Field Goes To Wellington - Plot Outline: An idealistic man joins the New Zealand Parliament filled with a selfless desire to make the world a better place for his constituents, and for many people from places quite removed from his constituency. However, he rapidly discovers that the administration has been corrupted by the powerful and ruthless children's lobby. See... Lyndon Hood: Mr Field Goes To Wellington
ALSO: Scoop Full Coverage - Scoop Full Coverage of Anti-Smacking Bill
RECOMMENDED AUDIO:
KiwiFM Audio: KiwiFM's Wammo discusses with Paul Buchanan the upcoming state visit to the White House by Prime Minister Helen Clark confirms the view that US-New Zealand relations are warming up. But should Helen Clark front-foot a NZ want-list?
Justice: McCully Accuses Parole Board Of Neglect And Incompetence - National MP Murray Mcully writes - 'The review of the actions of the Parole Board, conducted by Chief District Court Judge RJ Johnson and Professor JRP Ogloff, is a thinly veiled white-wash. But if readers ignore the shameful attempt to minimise the incompetent and outrageous actions of the Board, the facts exposed in the report are truly chilling.' See... www.mccully.co.nz - 16 March 2007
Pacific Affairs: Pacific Leaders Prepare To Find Fiji Solution - Fiji will be the focus when Foreign Minister Winston Peters attends a meeting of Pacific Islands Forum foreign ministers in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on Friday. “This is a particularly important meeting for the future of Fiji and the region. Rarely has the Forum had to deal with such a complex and disturbing situation as has arisen in Fiji as a consequence of the December 5 coup," Mr Peters said. See... Peters to attend Forum meeting on Fiji
ALSO: Leaked Eminent Persons Group Report on Fiji (pdf)
NEWS HEADLINES: New Zealand ratifies protocol against torture IHC's reiterates position on repeal of the DPEPA Lower Hutt Police Continue Crackdown On Boy Racers Tax season underway NZ Comedian Scores Break On U.K. Radio
Charity: Actors Give Up The Script For 40 Hour Famine - This weekend: A 24 hour non-stop spectacle of Improvised Comedy in aid of the 2007 World Vision 40 Hour Famine. For the first time in New Zealand, the finest improvisors in the country gather on one stage. This time the comedy has a cause. Every single dollar raised will help support World Vision projects in more than 12 countries around the world including Vanuatu, Honduras and Niger. See... 24 Hr Improv-a-thon. Comedy With a Cause
ALSO: Scoop Link - 24 Hr Improv-a-thon homepage World Vision New Zealand - 40 Hour Famine events in Wellington Bats Theatre - Save me some daylight
Art/Medical: Art For Art's Sake Gets Money For Patients Sake - Around $40,000 was raised last night (Thursday) to buy art for Bay of Plenty District Health Board hospitals in Tauranga and Whakatane. The money was raised during an auction of artwork donated by 18 Bay of Plenty artists. Guest of honour was prime minister Helen Clark. See... Art auction raises money for hospital art
Foreign Affairs: What Is To Gain From A Cosy NZ/US Relationship?Paul G. Buchanan writes that the upcoming state visit to the White House by Prime Minister Helen Clark confirms the view that US-New Zealand relations are warming up. After a cooling of relations during the first term of George W. Bush, notable for the intemperate remarks by US envoys about the obstacles New Zealand’s anti-nuclear policy and refusal to send combat troops (at least publicly) to Iraq pose for the achievement of a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries, recent statements by US diplomatic and congressional officials point towards a softening of the US stance. Scoop Image of Paul Buchanan by Jason Dorday. See... Paul G. Buchanan: When Beggars can be Choosy
Human Rights: Unique Film Festival On The Way - The Human Rights Network of Aotearoa is proud to present the third annual New Zealand Human Rights Film Festival. This years Festival showcases stories of activists and survivors through the eyes of courageous filmmakers, putting a human face on threats to individual freedom and giving voice to those who might otherwise be silenced. See... Human Rights Film Festival Opens in May
RECOMMENDED AUDIO:
Scoop Audio: Scoop's Selwyn Manning & Radio Adelaide's Peter Godfrey discuss: How a rest home owner kept patients alive on paper so as to claim subsidies. Also, a bill before Parliament will see armed air marshals on Air New Zealand flights.
KiwiFM Audio - Iraq! Scoop's Selwyn Manning and KiwiFM's Wallace Chapman discuss a top-level summit meeting that has taken place in Iraq between the Iraqi Prime Minister, Iran, Syria and the five permanent members of the UN security council, including the USA. What does this mean for the war-torn-region?
SCOOP REPORTS:
Scoop Satire: The Week InJustice - Lyndon Hood writes: A report into the parole of Graeme Burton, written for Graeme Burton by Graeme Burton and published in the Dominion Post, has found that Graeme Burton was not at fault in the tragic failure of Graeme Burton's parole. Last week reports on the Parole Board's and Corrections Department's actions found all procedures that would have made any difference were followed... See... Lyndon Hood: Law and Order Briefs
MORE SCOOP REPORTS:
Scoop Transcript - National's Statements On Iraq 2003 and 2007 Kevin List - Taser Trial Puts Green MP In A Tizz Karim Sahai - Te Matatini Kapa Kaha Festival Photos Karim Sahai - Images Of the Cuba Street Carnival Parade Lyndon Hood - Hood: Ode in Apology to Helen Clark Scoop Full Coverage - Fringe 07
The amount of subscribers to broadband in New Zealand have increased 30%, which also results in New Zealand jumping from 22 place to 19 in the OECD rankings, and having a total of 1.4 million Internet subscribers.

In a six-monthly survey by Statistics New Zealand, Internet Service Provider Survey, covering the six months prior to September 30, 2006, the amount of non-analog broadband subscribers reached 28.6%, more than the previous survey conducted the previous year, reaching a total of 611,600. There are currently 14.7 broadband subscribers per 100 people in New Zealand, previously nine.

Because of the increase in broadband subscribers, dial-up subscribers have dropped 5.1% since the start of April, 2006. Chief executive of ihug, an Internet service provider, Mark Rushworth said that dial-up will always have its place.

Out of all the broadband subscribers, 97.6% have a data cap, which limits the amount of monthly downloading that can occur, usually measured in multiples of gigabytes. 66.6% of all those who do have a data cap, have a limit of up to 5 gigabytes. Which the Internet Society of New Zealand's (InternetNZ) executive director, Keith Davidson, said was disappointing.

The increase in broadband subscribers rose the position of New Zealand from 22 to 19 on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rankings for broadband uptake, dated June, 2006.

InternetNZ, has said that they welcome the survey saying that it is a good improvement, but "...with 60 percent of DSL subscribers having download speeds of less than 256Kbps and 90 percent having upload speeds of less than 256Kbps, we have a long way to go before New Zealanders are able to experience the full potential of broadband." InternetNZ also says that it will be hard for New Zealand to reach the targets set out by the Government's "Digital Strategy".

Mr Davidson said that the main reason for the uptake in broadband is the better plans and pricing for the plans.

In the 18-months leading up to the end of September, 2006, 34% of ISP's had reported that the regulatory environment had been restricting their growth.