Respect existence or expect resistance

Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, June 9th, 2024 - 16 comments
Categories: act, chris bishop, climate change, Environment, national, nz first, politicans, same old national, science, Shane Jones - Tags:

Like tens of thousands of others yesterday I attended Greenpeace’s War on Nature protest.

It was huge, the biggest I have seen in a long time.

An hour after the march started people were still joining in from Aotea Square. Estimates of 20,000 being present seem to me to be overly cautious.

The sense of aroha and unity was strong.

And it was as noisy and passionate as could be hoped for.

Greenpeace made a deliberate decision to not rely on political parties and no politicians were offered speaking slots. Instead Russell Norman, a group of young rangatahi from Waikato and Nicola Tuki from Forest and Bird and a young activist collectively gave wonderful speeches.

Norman said this:

We love this living planet and that is why we say no to the fast track bill.

We love this beautiful country and that is why we say no to the Government’s war on nature.

The great challenge of our time is not how to build another dam or another coal mine, we know how to do that. 

The great challenge of our time is for humanity to learn and indeed relearn how to live well within the ecological limits of a finite planet.

We can have abundance and a good life for us and our children, but we must stop the destruction of nature.

We must stop those who would destroy nature for short term profit.

The Government response was mixed.

On Twitter Chris Bishop tried again to suggest that the Government’s bill is no different to Labour’s Covid Fast Track Act, even though the former provided that an expert panel was to make the final decision on all matters and even though it was limited in duration, did not allow for projects that were otherwise prohibited under the RMA, and had some pretty hefty environmental outcomes that it wanted to achieve.

He has previously tried to wind back the Government’s position by saying that “we’re open to constructive, sensible changes to the bill to ameliorate some of the concerns that Ngāti Toa Rangatira and others have”.

Shane Jones has recently hit a new level of verbal pomposity by asking iwi to abandon Green Lantern thinking. I still don’t know what he meant.

And David Seymour underscored his respect for his position as a senior leader by criticising Russell Norman for using an Iphone.

An Iphone’s carbon footprint is about 0.4% of the average Kiwi’s level of greenhouse gasses.

This is one of those stupid throw away lines than then ignites battles on social media. It would be good if Seymour actually stated if he believes in climate change, and if so what he actually proposes to do to reduce emissions to at east meet our international obligations.

The Government is facing increasing hostility from a diversity of organisations and sectors. Clearly National will want to wind the changes back but NZ First and Act will want to go all culture war on it, seeking to enrage a rather small part of the population that they both believe is their natural constituency.

But their problem is there is an increasing sense of unity on the left. They can expect increasing resistance as this bill progresses.

There was a good turnout of Labour MPs and activists at the march. Labour needs to get really boisterous about this protest. Like promising not only the repeal of the act but also the cancellation of any completed permits issued under the Act. If it actually gets enacted.

16 comments on “Respect existence or expect resistance ”

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  1. PsyclingLeft.Always 1
    9 June 2024 at 2:05 pm

    Respect existence or expect resistance

    I like ! And Onya for being at march yesterday. There was another sign I seen on the coverage…."predator free 2026" !

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fast-track-approvals-bill-protesters-to-gather-in-aucklands-aotea-square/TKKB6NJTU5BX5NMLG3HWLSR26Q/

    Even not being there, I got the sense of real Unity. NActFirst will have trouble with this Green Giant : )

  2. ianmac 2
    9 June 2024 at 2:35 pm

    Good coverage thanks Micky. We in the provinces rely on your commentary. Wonder what the Cabinet are talking about. Some times the "Outcomes" are unexpected. Or not.

  3. Anne 3
    9 June 2024 at 5:07 pm

    "It would be good if Seymour actually stated if he believes in climate change"

    Has anyone in the media asked him? Probably not. Next time Jack Tame interviews him he should ask. Suspect Seymour would procrastinate with a long winded synopsis bearing no resemblance to reality. Tame, hopefully, would be on to it like a ton of bricks and eviscerate him.

  4. Steve Bradley 4
    9 June 2024 at 6:01 pm

    The March to me felt like the size, variety and energy of the demonstrations which forced the newly-elected Labour governments of both Australia and New Zealand to withdraw from the US-led invasion of Viet Nam around the years 1971-2.

    People power is the motive energy of our 'democracy'; it has got us all of our social advances since kids were working 12 hour days in coal mines.

    The Norman Kirk Labour government – which took New Zealand out of the Viet Nam War was the same one who also sent a frigate to Mururoa in opposition to French Nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific, banned a rugby union tour by a racially selected South African team, and paid solo mothers the Domestic Purposes Benefit so they could provide the essentials of life for their children.

    People of Aotearoa have gone on to do it again and again. The crux of the successful struggle is ever-increasing unity of goals to carry out the big picture. This requires cooperation and consensus around a mix which can include: peace & justice; full employment; social security; and restoration of the natural world, including ourselves.

    It was particularly heartening to see the Maori sovereignty flags leading the hikoi again.

    • alwyn 4.2
      9 June 2024 at 6:27 pm

      I fear that your history is more than a little confused.

      The first combat troops from New Zealand involved in the Vietnam war left the country in 1970 and all the remaining combat troops were withdrawn in 1971. The last 17 soldiers left Vietnam on 19 December 1972.

      The 1972 General election took place on 25 November 1972 and Norman Kirk took office on December 8 1972. There wasn't really anything left for him to do was there?

      The Labour Government did not withdraw from the Vietnam war. They might have wanted the troops out but they were on the sidelines as the National Government withdrew the forces.

      Making statements like "The Norman Kirk Labour government – which took New Zealand out of the Viet Nam War" is utter rubbish. It was really all over by the time he took office.
      https://teara.govt.nz/en/asian-conflicts/page-6

      • Kat 4.2.1
        9 June 2024 at 9:37 pm

        Taking troops out of the war is one thing, taking NZ completely out of the war as a matter of foreign policy is another.

      • adam 4.2.2
        9 June 2024 at 10:02 pm

        See the people got the result with the labour and national party.

        It's been a bloody while.

  5. Ad 5
    9 June 2024 at 7:43 pm

    I wish I could have been there.

    But the hard question is: if you want to buy a house to live in for the first time, banks will as of July 1st tell you that to get a mortgage you now need a massive deposit saved AND if you've got a household income of $100,000 the most you get to go into debt is $600,000.

    https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/hub/news/2024/05/reserve-bank-activates-debt-to-income-restrictions

    So which job categories in NZ get you over $100,000 a year?

    1. Professional services like a Senior solicitor or ACA qualified accountant with several years experience
    2. Public servant, local or central, on the front line like surgeon or doctor, or core public service with over 5 years in a specialist role
    3. Mining, milking at a senior level, engineering consultancy or major projects, or construction trades.

    What else is there? The film industry – so unstable that you are unlikely to convince any bank. Tourism doesn't pay enough and is also too seasonal.

    I sure don't mind shutting some careers down for being too damaging to the universe, but we are pretty limited here in getting salary big enough to sustain that Debt To Income ratio and get into your first house.

    • adam 5.1
      9 June 2024 at 9:12 pm

      Agree wish I could be their too. But slips, canny get south.

      https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/hub/news/2024/05/reserve-bank-activates-debt-to-income-restrictions

      That reads much like slavery to me. Once again the big lie is in play – Free markets, my derrière.

    • feijoa 5.2
      9 June 2024 at 11:36 pm

      There's one more category.

      4. LANDLORD

      • Belladonna 5.2.1
        10 June 2024 at 8:53 am

        A ridiculously circular argument. It is not possible to get a loan for a first home if you are already a landlord.

        From the OP

        if you want to buy a house to live in for the first time

    • SPC 5.3
      10 June 2024 at 11:57 am

      It is still possible for some couples.

      $70,000 and $60,000 130* 6 – $780,000 loan max

      20% deposit $200,000 – $1M.

      The problem being saving the deposit (given high cost of rent) and the current mortgage interest cost (short term).

      Solutions

      1. Staying at a parents home, boarding with old pensioners or sharing two bedroom townhouse with another couple (to save the deposit).

      2. buy a 2 bedroom townhouse or 4 bedroom house with another couple.

      Quicker to raise a deposit and assured access to a bank loan.

  6. adam 6
    9 June 2024 at 8:32 pm

    Time to use your economic power, no matter how small it is.

    Just stop.

    Stop giving them money.

    Stop your labour.

    Stop co-operating with fools.

  7. Hunter Thompson II 7
    10 June 2024 at 11:15 am

    Memo to Shane Jones:

    "There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed."

    [Mahatma Gandhi]