Archive for July, 2009

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  Bad News from Bunnythorpe - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The ACT Party recently held a conference in Bunnythorpe, a small hamlet in the Manawatu, where Heather Roy outlined some of their key policies around education. These ideas are an expansion of the ACT and National Party Coalition Agreement and are very logical if you like the idea of privatisation of the education system. For [...] read more
  July 31, 2009 9:30 am - 61 Comments
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  Don’t shoot the messenger - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  National’s tactics in the House this week, first from Health Minister Tony Ryall, and then from his Associate-Minister Jonathan Coleman (acting in Ryall’s absence) were to attempt to divert attention away from my questions about their privatisation agenda in Health by attacking the questioner (me). ‘Shooting the messenger’ is a classic case of the kind [...] read more
  July 30, 2009 2:34 pm - 15 Comments
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  General Debate, July 30, 2009 - by frog

  
  
  
  As requested. read more
  July 30, 2009 6:36 am - 76 Comments
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  Pro-Maori Blues RIP - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  And now National, and presumably Act shortly, are voting against Rahui Katene’s bill for a Matariki Day holiday. So they are against protecting dolphins, don’t support measures to stamp out slavery, and don’t support having a national day that reflects Aotearoa. read more
  July 29, 2009 9:43 pm - 99 Comments
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  Blues who are anti slavery RIP - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  And now National and Act have voted down Maryan Streets bill to ban the import of products made from slave labour. Do these people have any bottom line? read more
  July 29, 2009 9:39 pm - 16 Comments
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  Blue greens RIP - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  National and Act just voted against Metiria’s Marine Animals Protection Law Reform Protection Bill. 111 Maui dolphins left and National tells us current protections are adequate. The end of the blue greens. read more
  July 29, 2009 8:21 pm - 21 Comments
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  Bradford’s Truth – Whose country is it? NZ for sale – again - by Sue Bradford

  
  
  
  My regular New Zealand Truth column this week focuses on changes to overseas investment rules, and their threat to our national sovereignty: Finance Minister Bill English is dead set on making it easier for overseas investors to buy our land and assets, and last week announced a series of changes to rules around foreign investment. [...] read more
  July 29, 2009 5:42 pm - 53 Comments
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  Cycleway shifts up a gear - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  A journalist remarked to me on Monday that they found it strange to see John Key and I sitting together (one green tie, one blue) to answer media questions about the New Zealand Cycleway Project. My position is that when the Memorandum of Understanding with National was signed he (correctly) indicated that there were some [...] read more
  July 29, 2009 1:30 pm - 21 Comments
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  The strange, mysterious and odd case of the Overseas Investment Technical Reference Group - by frog

  
  
  
  If I were an overseas frog looking to buy up some prime Kiwi land I know who I’d be using as a law firm to lodge my application.  I’d be calling Russel McVeagh or Simpson Grierson or Chapman Tripp or Bell Gully or Minter Ellison Rudd Watts.  The reason for my hypothetical hiring of these [...] read more
  July 29, 2009 10:34 am - 4 Comments
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  Marine Animals Bill an opportunity for Govt - by frog

  
  
  
  This Wednesday is Members’ day. One of the bills up for first reading is Metiria Turei’s Marine Animals Protection Law Reform Bill. The Environmental Defence Society’s chair, Gary Taylor, writes today about how the high-profile decline of marine animals and the threat this poses for our economy. He says that the bill is a great [...] read more
  July 27, 2009 1:45 pm - 12 Comments
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  Recommended Sunday listening - by frog

  
  
  
  Some great listening and viewing this morning on NZ environmental issues. Podcasts and on-demand TV means those who slept in haven’t missed out – so enjoy. RadioNZ’s Insight doco at 8am was on carbon offsetting. Reporter Ian Telfer narrated a well-rounded look at the benefits and risks inherent in the largely-unregulated voluntary carbon market. Includes [...] read more
  July 26, 2009 12:15 pm - 23 Comments
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  Outsourcing Health No Solution - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  While the Government intends to increase DHB contracting with the private sector, we should instead first assess what capacity we have in the public sector; with proper logistics planning the public hospitals can do more work. Neither the Minister of Health nor the Ministry of Health has been able, under questioning at the Health Select [...] read more
  July 25, 2009 9:00 am - 58 Comments
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  Timber report shows need for ‘good wood’ Bill - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry released a fascinating new report today. The research project, Environmental Impacts of Multi-Story Buildings Using Different Construction Materials, modelled the life cycle energy use and carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent emissions of four similar office building designs that used different materials as their main structural element: concrete, steel, timber and [...] read more
  July 24, 2009 4:00 pm - 28 Comments
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  Time is Now - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The Minister of Justice has missed the point of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. National is prevaricating about recognising the Declaration because they are afraid it might actually mean something and affect the law of the land. They are failing to embrace the opportunity the Declaration offers us of a deeper engagement [...] read more
  July 24, 2009 1:40 pm - 176 Comments
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  Feds’ selective hearing deafening - by frog

  
  
  
  Federated Farmers seemed a tad defensive yesterday. Their press release “Environmentalists ‘silence deafening’ on dirty cities” said: Federated Farmers believes the hypocrisy of environmental lobbyists has been revealed by their silence on urban pollution. “Yesterday, farmers learned that raw sewerage and heavy metals are being pumped into Wellington Harbour. But environmentalists like ‘hook and bullet’ [...] read more
  July 24, 2009 12:35 pm - 11 Comments
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  General Debate, July 24, 2009 - by frog

  
  
  
  read more
  July 24, 2009 6:26 am - 67 Comments
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  Inspired Cycling - by frog

  
  
  
  The Greens are close to announcing the launch of the New Zealand Cycleway with the Government. (Watch this space.) Until then, Danny MacAskill redefines where you can ride a bicycle around the city. Is this the most beautiful cycling video you’ve ever seen? read more
  July 22, 2009 4:47 pm - 33 Comments
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  Prince Charles, Kevin Rudd and frogs - by frog

  
  
  
  Check out this great little jam of HRH Prince Charles’ recent appeal to save the world’s rainforests (‘The Prince and the Frog’). It’s made by Tasmanian forest campaigners. To join in the campaign go here . read more
  July 22, 2009 3:50 pm - 14 Comments
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  Wild irony in fish advert - by frog

  
  
  
  This advert is on prominent display at Wellington airport. It’s similar to one I noted last year. The Talley boys’ colourful political views are quite well known, and they are hardly the poster-boys for sustainable wild fishing. For example, this insightful analogy for bottom-trawling – a practice that has caused UK supermarket Waitrose to destock [...] read more
  July 22, 2009 7:00 am - 20 Comments
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  Overseas Investment Review will loosen rules says amateur soothsayer… - by frog

  
  
  
    Those wanting to know what the group tasked with reviewing the Overseas Investment Act will be recommending can put the tarot cards away and forget reading the entrails of that specially purchased organic chicken.  Forsooth I Frog, am a sayer of sooth and a foreteller of future fortune.  I can also google. You see [...] read more
  July 21, 2009 4:44 pm - 5 Comments