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Dr Nick Smith is the new Minister of ACC |
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Monday, 17 November 2008 |
 Dr Nick Smith ranked 6'th in the National Party has been appointed as the new Minister of ACC. He takes up his cabinet responsabilities on Wednesday. His additional portfolios include being Minister for the Environment and Minister for Climate Change Issues.
Nationals stated ACC policy.
National supports a comprehensive, 24/7, no-fault accident insurance scheme that delivers certainty of coverage for all New Zealanders.
The existing scheme, provided through a single state insurer, is capable of improvement:
• Workplace accident rates are high by international standards. OECD data to the end of 2003 showed New Zealand’s non-fatal injury rate rising when everybody else’s, except Luxembourg’s, was falling. ACC data shows the number of work-related injury claims increased each year from 2002 to 2005, only declining in 2006. Either way, we can do better.
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Sawmill workers in line for help |
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Tuesday, 28 October 2008 |
By James Ihaka - Herald
A group of former sawmill workers look to have won a long battle to have their health concerns recognised after many were exposed to a toxic timber treatment more than 20 years ago.
Joe Harawira, a spokesman for Sawmill Workers Against Poisons, said more than 100 workers at the former Whakatane sawmill had long-term exposure to the wood preservative pentachlorophenol (PCP).
PCP was often contaminated by some types of dioxin during manufacture and was banned in 1988 for its toxic effects on people.
Mr Harawira said since the mill closed 20 years ago, several of his colleagues had died of cancer-related illnesses. Others had long complained of heart problems, diabetes, headaches, asthma, a loss of libido, lethargy and scabies.
Mr Harawira said that 22 workers had state-funded blood tests three years ago, which showed their dioxin contamination levels were two to three times higher than for residents and workers exposed to dioxin at the Paritutu chemicals factory in New Plymouth. |
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