Conservation

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The environmental open letter to political party leaders

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 3rd, 2017 - 91 comments

Climate, water, conservation. Whoever forms government now has a citizenry with high expectations for the environment.

Mike Joy honoured and Ecan occupied

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, September 15th, 2017 - 15 comments

The inaugural Critic and Conscience of Society Award is given to Dr Mike Joy, and protestors take their protest to Environment Canterbury .

Plant trees, love NZ: the Greens’ bold Climate Protection Plan

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 11th, 2017 - 68 comments

The Greens have a comprehensive, detailed plan for NZ on what to do about climate change that works through transforming the economy, ending poverty, and protecting the environment.

The Green Party plans to protect marine mammals and ecosystems

Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, August 31st, 2017 - 25 comments

In Government the the Greens will create a blue whale sanctuary and a local ecotourism industry – to replace seabed mining and oil and gas.

Labour’s water policy – Clean rivers for future generations

Written By: - Date published: 11:23 am, August 9th, 2017 - 76 comments

Labour has announced its water policy.  Details include higher swimming water quality standards, a work task force to get young people off the dole replanting riperian margins and charges for commercial consumers with the royalties being paid to regional councils.

ACT wants to subdivide the Waitakere Ranges (or at least the foothills)

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 8th, 2017 - 22 comments

Act has announced a policy that would undermine current protection given to the Waitakere Ranges.  If it gets a chance …

The Catholic Church is urging its parishoners to vote

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, July 21st, 2017 - 29 comments

The catholic bishops of Aotearoa have released a pamphlet urging parishoners to vote. And apart from conservative positions on euthenasia and drug liberalisation the policies they support have a decidedly progressive bent.

Waimea a good dam?

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, July 14th, 2017 - 54 comments

The proposed Waimea Dam in Nelson is attracting opposition from the Green Party but support from the Labour Party.  Is there such a thing as a good dam project?

National’s plans for mining and development of conservation land

Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, July 12th, 2017 - 52 comments

Forest and Bird: ““The Government is seeking to give themselves the powers to push through controversial and damaging projects that would otherwise fail because they breach environmental limits.”

The Rainbow Warrior was sunk 32 years ago today

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, July 10th, 2017 - 19 comments

Thirty two years ago today the French Government committed an act of Terrorism on New Zealand soil on a peaceful organisation dedicated to protecting our environment.

The Government is misrepresenting the effect of the Ruataniwha Dam decision

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, July 9th, 2017 - 21 comments

The Government has responded to the Supreme Court decision which puts a halt on the Ruataniwha Dam by claiming wrongly that the protected land was of low quality and by stating that a law change, possibly retrospective, will occur.

A proposal for a Remarkables National Park

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, June 25th, 2017 - 9 comments

Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand and supported by Forest and Bird have proposed that a new National Park including the Remarkables be created.

Green perspectives on the Point England land appropriation

Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, June 13th, 2017 - 64 comments

Modern Day Land Grab or Treaty Settlement?

The Freshwater Rescue Plan

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, June 10th, 2017 - 12 comments

Seven steps to reclaiming our lakes, rivers, streams and aquifers.

Book review: Eaarth

Written By: - Date published: 9:59 am, May 28th, 2017 - 3 comments

Last Sunday I recycled an old book review. Here’s another one from the vaults, “Eaarth”, by Bill McKibben (of 350.org). It doesn’t pull any punches.

Stunning nature

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 27th, 2017 - 31 comments

Drilling for oil we shouldn’t use, in a place that should remain untouched. Is this really what NZ wants?

No one owns water, apart from corporations who sell it …

Written By: - Date published: 12:43 pm, May 22nd, 2017 - 27 comments

The Herald has reported that ordinary New Zealanders are paying 500 times as much for water as corporations who export it.

Won’t the Government think about the kiwis?

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, April 13th, 2017 - 55 comments

The Government has granted Alpine Pure the right to construct a pipeline through a breeding area for a critically endangered Kiwi so that it can extract water from a Unesco World Heritage site for free.

Another reason for water pricing

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, March 28th, 2017 - 19 comments

The Government will be embarassed by another example of a corporation planning to extract ten billion litres of fresh water a year essentially at no cost which has arisen.

Oil prospecting on the shores of Lake Te Anau?

Written By: - Date published: 3:10 pm, March 22nd, 2017 - 22 comments

The Nats are buying another fight with NZ’s nature lovers. Last time they tried something like this 50,000 marched in Auckland and they were forced to back down.

National’s water problem

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, March 21st, 2017 - 48 comments

The Government’s timid backdown on water charging is placing it in a very uncomfortable position.

The Nats’ new ‘swimmable’ rivers aren’t

Written By: - Date published: 3:08 pm, February 28th, 2017 - 15 comments

Under the new standards we have up to a 1 in 6 risk of serious infection at the times that we actually swim in rivers, and Smith is trying to hide this fact by fudging around with year-long averages. David Parker’s analysis yesterday was bang on.

You can’t afford a house because of – plants!

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, February 27th, 2017 - 58 comments

I’m used to hearing some pretty pathetic excuses out of the National government. But this will really take some beating.

Nick Smith becomes Minister of Government Information

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, February 24th, 2017 - 62 comments

The Government intends to change the definitions of various indicators in an effort to solve some of the country’s most serious problems.

Forest and Bird takes it the Government in the Supreme Court

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, February 24th, 2017 - 25 comments

The Crown is seeking to overturn the Court of Appeal decision obtained by Forest and Bird which is preventing Conservation land in the Hawkes Bay from being used for the controversial Ruataniwha dam.

Kia Kaha Canterbury

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, February 16th, 2017 - 35 comments

It seems almost inevitable that the recent fires in Canterbury and the Hawkes Bay are the result of climate change and the harbingers of things to come.

Conservation matters

Written By: - Date published: 8:29 am, February 10th, 2017 - 21 comments

The government is stealing from us again so Forest and Bird are stepping up.

Auckland’s shit beaches

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, January 23rd, 2017 - 31 comments

Not meant as a general criticism. Auckland has lovely beaches. When they aren’t drowning in shit that is.

Predator free NZ – how are we doing?

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, January 20th, 2017 - 30 comments

It has been 6 months since the announcement that New Zealand would be predator free by 2050. But is sounds like nothing concrete has happened yet.

100% Pure takes another hit

Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, December 18th, 2016 - 85 comments

Stuff this morning: “Lord of the Rings actor says NZ tourists shocked by polluted ‘sewer’ Middle-earth”

Marine reserves and marine disasters

Written By: - Date published: 10:13 am, October 29th, 2016 - 6 comments

Credit where it is due for the success of the Ross Sea marine reserve. Now how about action where it is needed in our own waters?

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