Agriculture Minister, David Carter, has approved the purchase of a farm by the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre in Masterton.

Green Party Co-Leader Russel Norman - speaking from a protest at Whangarei Harbour today - is calling for urgent action on the northland city's pollution crisis.

12 December 2008 - Labour Leader Phil Goff says legislation being rushed through Parliament under urgency, including the Bail Amendment Bill, the Sentencing Amendment Bill and the Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill, amount to nothing more than window-dressing.

12 December 2008 - Environment Minister Nick Smith and Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley have announced that rules governing aquaculture will be overhauled alongside the Government's wider review of the Resource Management Act (RMA).

12 December 2008 - The next Labour Government will repeal National's short-sighted and ill-considered fire-at-will legislation, Labour spokesperson Trevor Mallard confirmed today.

He criticised both the substance of the Bill and the process used to pass it.

12 December 2008 - Labour law and order spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove says the National Government is rushing through bail law changes that amount to "nothing more than smoke and mirrors."

12 December 2008 - Mr President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

12 December 2008 - The Government today introduced to Parliament a bill designed to make it harder to get bail. The Bail Amendment Bill is the first step in the Government's Action Plan on Violent Crime, which is to be introduced in the first 100 days of government.

12 December 2008 - The Minister of Fisheries, Phil Heatley, today released the Briefing for Incoming Ministers (BIM) from the Ministry of Fisheries.

12 December 2008 - The Government's 'get tough' and 'more measurement' approach to education is ill-conceived and will have destructive effects, the Green Party says.