Conservation

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Love DOC Day

Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, April 11th, 2013 - 3 comments

Today is Love DOC Day, where lots of people are organising to visit a DOC office and give them cakes and messages of support etc. Organised by by Forest & Bird, and supported by the PSA, The Greens and Labour’s Environment Sector, today is your chance to show your disgust for National’s cuts to our Environmental protectors in a positive way. Get involved!

NRT: The PCE on RMA “reform”

Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, April 4th, 2013 - 8 comments

I/S at No Right Turn on the undermining of the Resource Management Act

Democracy for sale

Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, April 2nd, 2013 - 43 comments

The Nats have sold favours to Hollywood, to Sky City, to Rio Tinto (work in progress), and now with the “Petrobras law” it looks very much like they’re selling us out on our right to protest too.

How austerity is destroying Britain… coming soon near you

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, April 1st, 2013 - 79 comments

A raft of Tory policies have been dismantling the British welfare state: bedroom tax, privatising the NHS: NZ’s NAct government is following the same pattern of slyly changing small things, adding up to major changes that are ultimately socially & economically destructive.

The Sexing of Politics

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, March 30th, 2013 - 59 comments

Today, Fran O’Sullivan  argues that Key has lost his edge & his ministers are using dubious tactics in dealing with Rio Tinto over Tiwai Point. O’Sulllivan implies that sharp, savvy and successful deal-making & leadership are masculine qualities.

Mining & the sly dismantling of conservation protections

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, March 28th, 2013 - 32 comments

Cuts to DOC, the Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill [3rd reading today], permits allowing the exploration for minerals on Schedule 4 land: here is the stealthy NAct MO in action, to undermine the strong public protests against Schedule 4 mining. [Update: the Bill is #6 on today’s Final Order Paper]

ImperatorFish: DOC sheds 140 jobs, but new owner remains committed

Written By: - Date published: 12:50 pm, March 27th, 2013 - 9 comments

DOC’s new owners, Warner Bros, are reportedly concerned that too much emphasis has been placed on preserving uninteresting animals, like native parrots and snails. The restructure will see a renewed focus on wolf-breeding, resurrecting Haast’s Eagles and fire-breathing dragons.

Pacific Renewables

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, March 25th, 2013 - 21 comments

There is a summit on renewable energy in the Pacific happening in Auckland.  McCully acknowledges climate change, the PM focuses on investment opportunities, the EU hopes for clean energy to aid poverty reduction. What’s best for Pacific island communities?

Akl Unitary Plan: the good, the bad & the debatable

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, March 17th, 2013 - 39 comments

The Draft Auckland Unitary Plan has much to commend it.  It focuses on resource management, responds to the reality of climate change & aims for a more dense but ‘liveable’ city.  It has weaknesses, embraces destructive “growth” and raises questions: e.g. about affordable housing & environmental management.

The Stealth Dismantling of Environmental Protection

Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, March 6th, 2013 - 27 comments

To a first approximation the protection of the environment in this country is managed by two distinct entities; inside the Conservation estate it falls to DoC and outside of that it falls onto the Regional Councils. Under this government both are being slowly dismantled. Over the last month I’ve had the opportunity to talk extensively with DoC […]

Join the Kereru Count

Written By: - Date published: 5:48 pm, February 14th, 2013 - 9 comments

Forest and Bird need you to get out and count Kereru.

Thank you activists

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, February 8th, 2013 - 32 comments

Yesterday the New Plymouth District court sentenced eight Greenpeace activists for their actions last year, in a protest against Arctic oil exploration. I think we all owe these activists a vote of thanks (and I think the Court’s judgement was pretty reasonable on this occasion).

Green Party “I’m in – for the future”

Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, January 27th, 2013 - 109 comments

For once lately, I agree with Matt McCarten on the Green Party being Centre Stage this week: a housing policy for renters and buyers on low incomes, including state housing.  Memorable speech at Ratana by Turei.  Today: Picnic for the Planet, State of the Planet speech & the launch of a new “I’m in – for the future” initiative.

Bugger the environment

Written By: - Date published: 6:42 am, January 22nd, 2013 - 41 comments

The Greens have learned (via OIA) that National ignored its own official advice in canceling the standard five-yearly State of the Environment Report.

A plea to deaf ears

Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, January 19th, 2013 - 12 comments

The Antarctic Ocean Alliance is hoping that Key’s experience in Antarctica will move him to join the effort to create a marine reserve there. Seems unlikely to me – but I hope that Key proves me wrong…

Upcoming talk on Canadian student uprising

Written By: - Date published: 3:44 pm, January 11th, 2013 - 6 comments

This Sunday hip hop artist and political activist Darius Mirshahi will be speaking in Auckland about the political situation in Canada and how the left are organising to resist Neo-Liberalism. Later he will be performing material which has lead to attention from Glen Beck and the Canadian police.

Climate Change & Poverty

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, January 9th, 2013 - 54 comments

The wildfires in Australia are an immediate cause for concern.  Such events will be more common as average temperatures rise.  Joseph Stigliz warns of an urgent need for structural change to respond to economic decline, climate change, poverty and inequality.

Shitcast

Written By: - Date published: 6:48 am, December 11th, 2012 - 10 comments

Auckland City Council is developing a computational model of the predicted sewage-related pollution at its beaches. A forecast for sewage, a Shitcast if you will. I’m not protesting the idea of forecasting pollution. I’m protesting the sad fact that it is necessary in “100% Pure” NZ. I think John Key needs to find himself some different advisors to tell him it isn’t so.

A National attack on the environment

Written By: - Date published: 11:34 am, November 29th, 2012 - 14 comments

Anthony has already mentioned the amazing record of us winning both first and second prize in the first Fossil of the Day awards at the Doha climate talks – quite a remarkable achievement, particularly for a nation that trades on its “100% Pure” environmental credentials. Over at Pundit Claire Browning has an extensive list of […]

Local Bodies: Mike Joy, Traitor or Martyr?

Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, November 26th, 2012 - 50 comments

Reprinted with permission from Local Bodies. See also the anonymous editorial in The Herald today – written no doubt by some genius who has never even looked at Dr Joy’s data, let alone understood its implications.

Eruption

Written By: - Date published: 3:10 pm, November 21st, 2012 - 47 comments

Humans tend to feel we have conquered nature, but, every now and then, we are reminded that we are dependent on it.  Maori have continued to have more respect for the awesome power of nature. Tongariro has had a relatively minor eruption today.

There is a way forward – if we are wise enough to take it

Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, November 15th, 2012 - 29 comments

Unemployment at record highs, current account deficit in trouble, the economy is stagnant, exodus to Australia, National is failing by every performance measure that they set themselves.  The completely frustrating thing is that there is a clear and rational way forward, if only we have the wisdom to take it.

Sunday Reading

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, October 21st, 2012 - 5 comments

My regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. This week: plutocrats, the New World Order, benefits and solving slavery and extinction.

Lies, damn lies, and rigged polling questions

Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, October 15th, 2012 - 30 comments

In 2010 the largest protest for a generation in NZ marched down Queen St to oppose mining. But by squinting sideways at some rigged polling questions, industry advocates (aided and abetted by dumb headline writers) would have you believe that we the people support mining…

Selling New Zealand: 100% Muddle-Urf

Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, October 11th, 2012 - 18 comments

Why is John Key backing the flagging tourist industry as a major export earner for NZ’s future? His trip to Hollywood was partly about using the Hobbit to promote NZ as a tourist destination. Why is the government so fixated on attracting more US tourists?

Extinction on Key’s watch?

Written By: - Date published: 8:55 pm, September 21st, 2012 - 44 comments

Clean green 100% pure New Zealand?

Or the only nation in the world to vote against measures to stop the extinction of the world’s rarest dolphins?

17 year old Kiwi addresses the UN Earth Summit

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, July 7th, 2012 - 1 comment

Well said. What a tragedy that they heard, but did not listen.

A good time for that plan to end whaling

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, July 6th, 2012 - 58 comments

Remember back in February 2010 when John Key announced that he had a super-secret plan to end whaling? I’m sure there’s some real clever strategy behind why nothing has come of it so far and Key never mentions it. But I think, now that he’s called South Korea’s plan to restart ‘scientific whaling’ “abhorrent“, it might be time to unveil the plan. It is real, eh?

Nats to mine world heritage areas

Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, June 25th, 2012 - 18 comments

The Greens have discovered that National is having world heritage areas in Northland and the West Coast aerial surveyed for minerals. They’re exploiting a loophole where some of the heritage areas haven’t been included in Schedule 4 of the Conservation Act. The next stage will be to give away the data to miners and let them rip up our world heritage areas.

Reaching Tipping Point

Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, June 8th, 2012 - 24 comments

Two major new reports out yesterday (from the UN and in Nature) show the earth is headed for a tipping point: our consumption is unsustainable, and we’re degrading the environment.  Soon it will be beyond the point of return.

NRT: Breaking our word on the environment

Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, May 29th, 2012 - 7 comments

No Right Turn on the World Wildlife Fund report which finds us failing to meet the major commitments agreed to at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 20 years ago.

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