Wellington, July 22 NZPA - A Government U-turn on mining will not have an impact on economic growth, Finance Minister Bill English told Parliament today.

By Chris Ormond and Maggie Tait of NZPA Wellington, July 20 NZPA - Environmental groups are celebrating the Government's decision to abandon plans to open protected conservation land to mineral prospecting, but remain concerned about future mining on Crown land.

By Chris Ormond of NZPA Wellington, July 20 NZPA - Environmental groups are celebrating the Government's decision to abandon plans to open protected conservation land to mineral prospecting, but remain concerned about future mining on Crown land.

By Chris Ormond of NZPA Wellington, July 20 NZPA - National's U-turn on mining is a forced and humiliating back-down rather than a case of the party listening to the people, Labour leader Phil Goff says.

By Peter Wilson and Kate Chapman of NZPA Wellington, July 19 NZPA - The Government has scrapped plans to mine conservation land in the face of furious public protest, NZPA has confirmed.

Wellington, July 19 NZPA - The Government is expected to tomorrow announce a back-down on mining in conservation land, in the wake of furious protests.

By Kate Chapman of NZPA Wellington, July 19 NZPA - The Government has decided which areas of New Zealand to open up to mining but the public will have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

By Maggie Tait of NZPA Wellington, July 19 NZPA - Employees should not be worried about getting a medical certificate if they are genuinely unwell, Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson says. "It shouldn't worry any employee who is not trying to pull a sickie," she told NZPA.

by Maggie Tait of NZPA Wellington, June 30 NZPA - A former smoker bought his diseased heart to Parliament for MPs to look at today, just minutes before tobacco company Philip Morris' representatives fronted to defend their company.

Wellington, June 23 NZPA - Nearly 50,000 people have signed a Green Party-organised petition opposing opening up protected conservation land for mining.