Archive for November, 2009

• 

  ACC protest videos – raw footage - by frog

  
  
  
  The motorbikes are coming, and there are a lot of them! This photo was taken from quite a distance so the perspective makes it look like there are fewer people, but basically the entire of the area outside the beehive is covered in people. read more
  November 17, 2009 1:59 pm - 9 Comments
• 

  General debate, November 17, 2009 - by frog

  
  
  
  read more
  November 17, 2009 6:54 am - 78 Comments
• 

  Onus on polytechnics to settle fairly - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Some unfortunate news from the Tertiary sector late last week as strikes continued at six polytechnics where staff are engaged in a dispute with their employers, seeking a fair pay increase and the protection of their existing working conditions. read more
  November 16, 2009 4:57 pm - 1 Comment
• 

  Podcast: Work and Income and the culture of disrespect - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  New Green Work and Income Spokesperson Catherine Delahunty talks about her new portfolio, what she makes of the government’s recent announcements about welfare reform, and her own experience setting up a beneficiary advocacy group on the East Coast. read more
  November 16, 2009 11:30 am - 25 Comments
• 

  Albatross chicks – photos - by frog

  
  
  
  These photos of albatross chicks were taken on Midway Atoll, a tidy island slap bang in the middle of the pacific, about as far from large numbers of humans as it’s possible to get, without going to Antarctica. No plastic was moved or altered before taking these photographs. These birds are fed plastic by their [...] read more
  November 15, 2009 9:10 pm - 17 Comments
• 

  Denying Death - by frog

  
  
  
  In Death Denial, George Monbiot notices that older people seem to deny anthropogenic global warming more readily than younger folk. He opens with a pessimistic view of the current state of the public discourse. There is no point in denying it: we’re losing. Climate change denial is spreading like a contagious disease. It exists in [...] read more
  November 15, 2009 7:08 am - 70 Comments
• 

  Leaky homes crisis – Hyde/Joyce won’t waste an opportunity - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  So the leaky houses fiasco could cost $11billion dollars to fix, or more. The leaky houses debacle was caused by the National Party Government with their 1991 Building Act, an act which basically said “whatever” when it came to building regulation. National in 1991 is the political equivalent to National/Act now or Joyce/Hyde. Even, the NZ [...] read more
  November 13, 2009 9:43 pm - 38 Comments
• 

  The world catches on to New Zealand’s shameless greenwash - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  It looks like the rest of the world is catching on to New Zealand’s dirty little secret: we trade off our “clean green” “100% pure” image, when in fact our environmental record has been anything but. I guess we were hoping our export partners and potential tourists wouldn’t notice, but it just got pointed out [...] read more
  November 13, 2009 10:48 am - 91 Comments
• 

  Fake DOC signs: Naughty, but funny - by frog

  
  
  
  For some Friday amusement, fake DOC signs have been sprouting up in Southland like truffles. “The signs were either an elaborate prank or a message to the tourism industry to not muscle in on the recreationists”. read more
  November 13, 2009 10:24 am - 9 Comments
• 

  How the IPCC works - by frog

  
  
  
  In some circles the IPCC is dismissed as “alarmist” or fuelling a left-wing conspiracy to “de-industrialise” modern society. I would have thought that the world’s largest collection international experts would have been the a pretty reliable place to get hard facts from, but maybe that’s just me… Perhaps some insight into how the IPCC works will [...] read more
  November 12, 2009 5:51 pm - 6 Comments
• 

  Beenie Man invitation shameful - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  News has broken today that the Big Day Out has invited ‘Beenie Man’ to perform at the 2010 event. Big Day Out, while getting a little long in the tooth, is still the major music festival in New Zealand, and holds a special cultural appeal to many thousands of people, mostly young. Beenie Man is [...] read more
  November 12, 2009 3:03 pm - 23 Comments
• 

  Reintroduce interest on student loans? No thanks! - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Having just picked up the role of Tertiary Education spokesperson for the Green Party, I was alarmed to hear Otago University Vice-Chancellor David Skegg calling for the Government to reintroduce interest on student loans while students are studying, and using the money to increase funding to Universities. read more
  November 12, 2009 1:35 pm - 20 Comments
• 

  Gutting ACC – join the fightback - by frog

  
  
  
  The fightback against the Government’s proposed ACC cuts is building. Green Party ACC spokesperson Kevin Hague has developed a submission guide to assist people who want to make submissions against the cuts. There’s also a big protest planned at Parliament next week. And someone has sent me a really cool video exposing some of the Government’s lies about the motorcycle levy. read more
  November 12, 2009 1:34 pm - 4 Comments
• 

  Green law is helping to keep children safe - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  It was great to see the Ministry of Social Development report released yesterday confirming that our law to help keep children safe is working. read more
  November 12, 2009 12:11 pm - 26 Comments
• 

  Thoughts on the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2009 - by frog

  
  
  
  The latest from the IEA is hot of the press. I’m curious to see what they have to say this time around, because their stance on oil supplies has shifted quite a lot recently. They used to believe oil supplies would last for a long long time, but are now saying 2020 will be the [...] read more
  November 11, 2009 4:21 pm - 10 Comments
• 

  Cycle Trail launched by men in suits and cars…and one cyclist - by frog

  
  
  
  Green MP Kevin Hague stole the show at yesterday’s launch of the first Cycle Trail project…simply by turning up on a bicycle:  TV3, TV1 The Greens have been working alongside National on developing a nationwide network of cycle trails—a network that will one day stretch the length of the country. The Cycle Trail project has [...] read more
  November 11, 2009 1:23 pm - 94 Comments
• 

  General Debate, November 11, 2009 - by frog

  
  
  
  In case you missed it, Sue Kedgley talks about sow crates and how people can help, here. And have you heard of the Rubber Dodo Award from the US based Center for Biological Diversity? Other stuff I’ve ran across on the interwebs: Damning analysis of the latest NZIER report on NZ’s sustainability targets The Standard [...] read more
  November 11, 2009 6:26 am - 54 Comments
• 

  NZ should assist boat people fleeing Sri Lanka - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  In 2001 the Clark Government stepped in and gave a helping hand to some people in pretty dire circumstances when we accepted a number of asylum seekers fleeing Afghanistan. read more
  November 10, 2009 4:44 pm - 83 Comments
• 

  ACC cuts put home care workers below minimum wage - by frog

  
  
  
  It is not just the caregivers who will suffer from this policy. Injured people who live in isolated areas are likely to find it increasingly difficult to find any caregiver prepared to travel to their home to provide the home help or attendant care they need. But do ACC care? Seems not. read more
  November 10, 2009 3:13 pm - 9 Comments
• 

  Greens’ Agreement with National Updated - by frog

  
  
  
  The Greens have the door open to more work with National, but today confirmed that Energy Efficiency is no longer part of the MoU between the two parties. Collaboration on the $323 million home insulation scheme and the New Zealand Cycle Trail is working well and there’s also progress on sensible regulation of natural health products.  [...] read more
  November 10, 2009 2:30 pm - 30 Comments