Archive for May, 2009

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  Seeing the forest and the trees - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  RadioNZ reported this morning that forest plantings in NZ are at their lowest level since World War II. The report shows that just 1000 hectares of new forest was established during 2008 – down from 2400ha in 2007. New planting peaked at 100,000ha in 1992. Deforestation (not replanting forest after harvesting or converting forest to [...] read more
  May 21, 2009 3:30 pm - 5 Comments
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  I want to be in a sow crate with Sue! - by frog

  
  
  
  As if it isn’t enough that every politician and his dog is suddenly welling up over our nation’s tortured pigs, last night on Back Benches Peter Dunne claimed to have been in a sow crate with Sue Kedgley. Now, you can’t criticise the man’s taste, but I’m afraid that this is wishful thinking. Sue says [...] read more
  May 21, 2009 11:40 am - 19 Comments
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  Time for NZ to support a free Burma – not Myanmar! - by frog

  
  
  
  All Wellingtonians should come on down to the vigil in support of Burma’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi this lunchtime. The vigil is being held at Midland Park at 12:30. Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Burma’s democracy movement, was put on trial earlier this week and charged with breaking the terms of her [...] read more
  May 21, 2009 11:27 am - 12 Comments
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  Granny Herald can’t differentiate her kids! - by frog

  
  
  
  The Herald has elected a new Green MP today. Welcome to the fold, Helen Kedgley, Sue Kedgley’s identical twin sister! “Green Party MP Sue Kedgley.”                        The real Sue Kedgley! The photo (left) in Herald’s story “Green MP: Super City agency has ‘draconian powers‘” today is captioned “Green Party MP Sue Kedgley / Photo supplied”. [...] read more
  May 21, 2009 9:45 am - 7 Comments
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  Bradford’s Truth – Mt Albert, motorways and Melissa - by Sue Bradford

  
  
  
  My regular column in the New Zealand Truth: The Government’s decision to go ahead with the Waterview motorway extension will certainly be doing nothing to help National’s chances in the Mt Albert by-election. If it goes ahead, the Transport Agency’s preferred option will see 365 properties demolished and $1.4 billion squandered on a motorway slashing [...] read more
  May 21, 2009 9:29 am - 22 Comments
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  General Debate May 21, 2009 - by frog

  
  
  
  Yes, greenfly. It is time to turn the page on the General Debate, but I must confess I have a keen interest in the theism versus deism debate that is still active. Carry on folks! read more
  May 21, 2009 9:05 am - 121 Comments
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  Morningstar’s disquiet about our financial industry - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  Morningstar’s recent report on the fund management industry makes for some interesting reading. They rank us dead last in a streamed class of 16 OECD nations. Of particular note they remark that: New Zealand does not have adequate mandatory disclosure requirements; Our Securities Commission is not sufficiently resourced and; Our taxation regime does not encourage [...] read more
  May 21, 2009 8:38 am - 4 Comments
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  Robbing public transport to pay for roads - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  The Government’s release of its Policy Statement on transport (GPS) details how significant amounts of funding are being taken away from sustainable modes of transport to now be spent on roads. In a snap shot, over the next three years: Spending on public transport services (buses, trains, ferries) will be cut by up to 23% [...] read more
  May 20, 2009 12:01 pm - 30 Comments
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  What’s the real cost of intensive pig farming - by frog

  
  
  
  Not only does intensive pig farming look suspiciously like pig torture it looks like it could be the source of swine flu! What gets me is that the pig lobby argues that we need intensive farming so we have cheap pork but im guessin they don’t factor in the environmental and health costs – how [...] read more
  May 20, 2009 10:28 am - 8 Comments
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  General Debate, May 20, 2009 - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s a recess week, so there can’t be much going on, right? read more
  May 20, 2009 7:19 am - 45 Comments
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  Driving efficiency - by frog

  
  
  
  The NACT government has justified much of its agenda with the catch cry ‘streamlining and efficiency.’ It’s the falsehood under cover of which they plan to gut environmental laws through changes to the RMA, for example.  And its part of the rationale they gave for bringing the ETS to a grinding halt. But in what [...] read more
  May 19, 2009 5:05 pm - 11 Comments
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  Gearing Up for a Bike Network - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  It was great to be able to announce today that we have added the New Zealand Cycleway Project to our memorandum of Understanding with the Government. We have been actively supporting the project in the House and in the media (against attacks by Labour), and I’m looking forward to playing an active part in the [...] read more
  May 19, 2009 12:44 pm - 16 Comments
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  When Greens Turn Red - by frog

  
  
  
  Ever found yourself standing at a protest holding a sign saying “Just Say No to Structural Adjustment”? My friend Anna did and her experience inspired this show: moments in politics when Greens turn red. I asked all of the Green MPs to describe their most embarrassing moment in politics. (You’ll never be able to say [...] read more
  May 19, 2009 8:11 am - 4 Comments
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  Jeanette replies to Gordon Campbell - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  [Jeanette is writing in response to Gordon's recent article in the Wellingtonian] MMP is obviously rough on journalists who can’t conceive of anything other than a 2-party system. But the country has had MMP for 15 years now and it’s time to catch up. I can’t imagine anyone is under any illusion, after our fight [...] read more
  May 19, 2009 7:01 am - 21 Comments
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  Following the Waterview Logic - by frog

  
  
  
  Most media commentary on Melissa Lee’s foot-in-mouth moment last week focused on her perceived racism, but there were, in the blogosphere, various attempts to understand her logic.  These are separate but related issues; an opinion can be offensive, but well-argued or vice versa. What was never clear to me in Melissa’s comments was how she [...] read more
  May 19, 2009 6:48 am - 14 Comments
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  What does the Act say? - by frog

  
  
  
  The Sunday expose on intensive pig farming has pushed the shadowy world of indoor pig farming firmly into the spotlight. TVNZ’s Close-up this evening pitted Mike King (and Safe‘s Hans Kreik) off against Chris Trengrove, the Chair of the Pork Board, resulting in a commitment to random visits of other pig farms to see if [...] read more
  May 18, 2009 8:57 pm - 125 Comments
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  Watch PM presser in realtime – Go Scoop! - by frog

  
  
  
  In a great move towards healthy politics and open government, Scoop are realtime video-blogging the Prime Minister’s weekly media conference. Starting now! Click here to go to it read more
  May 18, 2009 3:47 pm - 6 Comments
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  Private polar bears good, public bears bad? - by frog

  
  
  
  Minister Browlee launched a “hug a polar bear” ‘National tourism energy efficiency programme’ on Friday. Hang on, didn’t the Government bag the bears recently? A Greens showed a month ago that: “The Inland Revenue Department made a profit from sustainability initiatives last year, cutting energy and travel spending by over one million dollars.” Yet this scorned as “hug a polar bear” and dumped. Go figure! Maybe private polar bears are more huggable than public ones? read more
  May 18, 2009 1:41 pm - 28 Comments
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  The ETS and Strings theory - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Hi Strings, you raised some really interesting questions in the comment section of this ETS post and I’m sorry I haven’t had time to answer them till now: We can’t “leave agriculture out of Kyoto” – it is already in, for all countries, and all countries have liabilities that include all their emissions above their [...] read more
  May 18, 2009 11:18 am - 18 Comments
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  Greens win in historic by-election - by frog

  
  
  
  Could this historic Green win in Australia over the weekend be a portent of things to come in Mt Albert? The Greens’ historic win in the ALP stronghold of Fremantle hinged on Liberal voters out to punish Labor, WA Opposition Leader Eric Ripper says. Greens candidate Adele Carles made history with her victory in Saturday’s [...] read more
  May 18, 2009 10:29 am - 4 Comments