Archive for June, 2009

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  Organics industry growth in jeopardy - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  In the 2005 cooperation agreement between the Green Party and the previous Labour-led government, we negotiated funding for an Organics Advisory Service (OAS). It included mentoring support for conversion to organics and peer support for organic farmers. Unfortunately, after three years of successful service to the organics sector, the modest $2.15 million funding has now [...] read more
  June 30, 2009 4:42 pm - 63 Comments
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  No will in NZ to phase out wonky flouro food - by frog

  
  
  
  Last night TV3’s 60 minute program looked at the issue of food colourings and whether or not they affect children’s behaviour. While the experiments used in the item were not scientific the research that prompted the kiwi journalists to highlight this issue caused shockwaves when it was released in the United Kingdom in 2007. The [...] read more
  June 30, 2009 2:27 pm - 12 Comments
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  NIWA study backs Green New Deal planting & fencing - by frog

  
  
  
  Yesterday, Kevin Hague MP blogged on the voluntary efforts to improve water quality and water-way ecology in the Aorere catchment. And, the Greens continue to promote a Green New Deal stimulus measure to spread fencing and planting across the country, to create jobs and restore waterways at the same time. Today, the National Institute of [...] read more
  June 30, 2009 12:41 pm - No Comments
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  Scotland agrees world’s toughest 2020 climate goal - by frog

  
  
  
  Reuters reports that Scotland has pushed Germany into second place with the world’s most ambitious greenhouse gas reduction target: Scottish lawmakers Wednesday backed a binding goal to cut greenhouse gases by 42 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels, edging Germany into second place in a ranking of the most ambitious developed world targets. “At least [...] read more
  June 29, 2009 6:07 pm - 17 Comments
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  Aorere shows the way on water - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  On Friday I had the opportunity to attend a celebration of the Aorere Catchment Project in Golden Bay. When I had been presenting the Green New Deal in Takaka several local people had mentioned the project to me in tones of pride, so I jumped at the chance to attend the celebration. read more
  June 29, 2009 12:50 pm - 43 Comments
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  Enviroschools video series: 4 an additional plea - by frog

  
  
  
  In the final installment of the video series on Enviroschools, Catherine explains the success and disappointment of losing the funding in the parliamentary general debate. She also released an audio podcast this week that is highly recommended listening. “Picture this: a Dunedin 10-year-old develops a cost-benefit analysis of solar power versus wind power as energy [...] read more
  June 27, 2009 8:00 pm - 57 Comments
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  Enviroschools video series: 3 offering the solution - by frog

  
  
  
  In the third video on Enviroschools, we have Green Party education spokesperson Catherine Delahunty enquiring of the Prime Minister why he saw fit to cut funding to such a successful programme, and one that NZ trade negotiators are busy ‘selling’ in the trade talks with Brunei, Chile and Singapore! read more
  June 27, 2009 2:00 pm - 10 Comments
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  US climate bill passes House - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Well it was closer than I hoped but the Waxman-Markey bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, passed just now – 219 to 212 with 8 Republicans voting in favour and 44 Democrats voting against. Obama has apparently been heavily involved phoning members of Congress. And the fossil fuel levies and the Republicans have [...] read more
  June 27, 2009 12:30 pm - 18 Comments
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  Enviroschools video series: the PM loves it - by frog

  
  
  
  In our second video on Enviroschools we have the Prime Minister himself singing the praises and importance of Enviroschools. He says, amongst other things: Most of all, we know that the environment is something that New Zealanders have for a long time taken for granted. We’re at a point we can no longer afford to [...] read more
  June 27, 2009 8:00 am - 6 Comments
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  General Debate, June 27, 2009 - by frog

  
  
  
  There must be something more to talk about than celebrity deaths? read more
  June 27, 2009 7:06 am - 52 Comments
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  Consultation: clayton’s or genuine? - by frog

  
  
  
  The Government chose the Forest and Bird AGM to tonight announce there will be a quick-fire round of public consulation in July on what 2020 climate change target New Zealand should choose. They plan to announce the target in August. Will it be a clayton’s consultation, or is it genuine? How will they weigh public [...] read more
  June 26, 2009 10:43 pm - 11 Comments
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  The ghost of Kyoto - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  The ghost of the failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol haunts the US administration. Clinton signed up to Kyoto but the US Senate didn’t ratify. The rest is history as Kyoto carried on without the US and we salvaged what we could. The Obama team and the federal bureaucracy remember the failure to ratify Kyoto [...] read more
  June 26, 2009 5:20 pm - 8 Comments
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  Enviroschools video series: the problem - by frog

  
  
  
  One of the tragedies of the Budget cuts was the loss of funding to the highly successful Enviroschools programme. While Enviroschools began in the Waikato in the 1990s, it was boosted into the mainstream of our education system with a 2006 Budget initiative from the Green Party. Now, one-quarter of NZ schools are Enviroschools, and [...] read more
  June 26, 2009 4:47 pm - 3 Comments
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  It’s a good heat tonight in DC - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  It’s hot tonight in DC. The homeless in the parks are hanging out, not too fazed by a night outside, they will have a warm dry night just so long as they don’t get mugged or moved on by the cops. The NW quadrant of the city is a pretty safe place to sleep the [...] read more
  June 25, 2009 4:57 pm - 22 Comments
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  Reports a reminder of need for action on freshwater - by frog

  
  
  
  Two important studies revealing the state of our freshwater came out last week, and the news is disappointing. The first comes from NIWA, and updates water quality trends at the 77 National River Water Quality Network sites, which have been monitored over the last 20 years. The study confirmed that waterways flowing through farmland have [...] read more
  June 25, 2009 3:40 pm - 5 Comments
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  Whaling, redefining the verb - by frog

  
  
  
  The International Whaling Commission is meeting this week in Portugal. NZ is ably represented by former Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and, according to news reports, he is “respectfully urging” Japan to lift its threat to hunt humpback whales in the Antarctic. The ODT reports he told the IWC: new evidence about the endangered status of [...] read more
  June 25, 2009 9:41 am - 5 Comments
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  Compassionate MedPot bill up for debate next week - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Next Wednesday is Members Day and there are five Green Party bills on the ballot that will be debated. Two are mine, one about Liquor Advertising and finally, our Medicinal Cannabis bill. Despite keeping it back for some years (!) now because I have wanted it to stay on the political agenda, it is time [...] read more
  June 24, 2009 8:00 pm - 194 Comments
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  Bread and circuses: healthcare and ideology - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  The Health Select Committee today heard evidence from the NZ Surgical Hospitals Association (essentially the private hospitals club). Essentially they were pitching for Government to contract more elective surgery to them and also to encourage more New Zealanders to take out private health insurance, by giving tax breaks for this. One unexpected feature of their [...] read more
  June 24, 2009 6:14 pm - 11 Comments
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  What do the kids think? - by frog

  
  
  
  Family First have made much of various opinion polls, many (like their referendum question) leading in their questions and some dodgy in their methodology, in advocating that parents have a “right” to hit their children. Little has been said about what children think about the issue, despite New Zealand having ratified the United Nations Convention [...] read more
  June 24, 2009 3:17 pm - 337 Comments
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  Gratitude for a climate change denier - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Thank goodness for climate change denier Senator Fielding of Australia. Didn’t think you’d ever hear me say that, did you? Senator Fielding is the one vote Rudd didn’t have yesterday to pass their “Carbon Reduction Plan” – or Emissions Trading Scheme in our language. And that is a good thing, because the proposal was so [...] read more
  June 24, 2009 1:19 pm - 29 Comments