Clark says that if the government is going to spend that kind of money on NZ'ers, it will spend it in NZ and not in Australia. Steve Maharey reports there are 24,048 fewer unemployed registered with Winz compared to 18 months ago. Responding to the same Winz figures, Muriel Newman highlights the increase in the number of long term unemployed. Currently, over half of the registered unemployed have been without a job for more than one year. Staff shortages at Auckland hospital's radiation therapy department means that one of the five machines is sitting idle while patients are waiting up to 20 weeks to be treated.
Radiation therapists are in short supply throughout the world.
All Central Institute of Technology staff are being made redundant. The Upper Hutt campus is to be closed mid-year with teaching programmes incorporated into the Hutt Valley Polytechnic, which will be renamed the Wellington Institute of Technology. While about 120 positions will be created at WIT, a net of 90 full-time equivalent positions will be lost. Christine Rankin files suit against the State Services Commission alleging political interference in the commission's decision not to reappoint her as CEO of Winz once her contract expires in July. State Services Minister Trevor Mallard announces the merging of Winz and the Ministry of Social Policy into a new Ministry of Social Development.