Archive for October, 2010

  • Kevin Hague

    Small Green victory on Health and Disability Bill - by Kevin Hague



    Had an intersting experience today – got my first Supplementary Order Paper (amendment to a Bill) passed. The NZ Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill generally does sensible things. It establishes the framework for the Minister to require DHBs to collaborate, and it establishes the Health Quality and Safety Commission, which will oversee projects to [...] read more
    October 13, 2010 9:00 pm - 7 Comments
  • Keith Locke

    Latest terrorist designations undermine New Zealand’s role as a peacemaker - by Keith Locke



    One of my aims, as a Green MP, has been to get New Zealand to specialise in international peacemaking, using Norway as a model. Norway has used its good offices, and specialist advisers, to sponsor peace talks in Sri Lanka, Sudan, the Middle East, and the Philippines. It has been able to play this mediating [...] read more
    October 13, 2010 1:09 pm - 29 Comments
  • Keith Locke

    Waihopai protesters asked for beer money - by Keith Locke



    Talk about stupidity and vindictiveness. The Government Communications Security Bureau is claiming from the Waihopai Three protesters $256.38 for the beer drunk by workers repairing the plastic dome at the spybase.   Another invoice specifies $62.93 for savouries. The total damages claim against the three protesters is over $1 million. The court case will be micky [...] read more
    October 13, 2010 10:14 am - 125 Comments
  • frog

    The Forestry NES: Robert Guyton thumbs up, Nick Smith rotten - by frog



    Congratulations to one of our regular commenters, Robert Guyton, on his election to Environment Southland last weekend. I really hope Robert can make a difference in stopping the “Double Dipton” plan to double Southland’s dairy herd numbers, and stopping Gerry Brownlee’s Lignitemare. I was pondering a post on Nick Smith’s proposed National Environment Standard on forestry. read more
    October 12, 2010 7:03 pm - 13 Comments
  • Keith Locke

    At last, Key congratulates Chinese Nobel prize winner - by Keith Locke



    On Friday the great news came through the Liu Xiaobo, jailed for his promotion of the Chinese democracy manifesto, Charter 08, had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Within 24 hours we had congratulatory messages from Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner,  the European Commission chief, Jose Manual Barroso, etc.  Green co-leader [...] read more
    October 12, 2010 5:53 pm - 4 Comments
  • Gareth Hughes

    Food is politics: the implications of what we eat - by Gareth Hughes



    This is my latest article for Auckland University’s student magazine, Craccum. It was tense and difficult but when I was 18 I came out to my parents. I was now a vegetarian. For my small town, conservative, lifestyle-block farming family it was a surprisingly strange thing for their provincial boy to do, soon after moving [...] read more
    October 12, 2010 8:06 am - 72 Comments
  • Sue Kedgley

    Wellington local body cliff-hanger - by Sue Kedgley



    I could hardly believe it, when the Returning Officer read out the figures—Celia Wade Brown was only 40 votes behind incumbent Mayor Kerry Prendergast! Kerry looked mortified, Celia looked stunned, and the crowd that had gathered in the Wellington Council foyer looked amazed—because there had been no hint, in the media, that the election was [...] read more
    October 11, 2010 4:31 pm - 21 Comments
  • frog

    Podcast: Green Spirituality - by frog



    Sojourners founder and best-selling author Jim Wallis was recently in the country talking about faith and politics. He famously said that the Democrats got religion when they saw the exit polls from the 2004 presidential election. It got me wondering how our own Green MPs understand religion, both in their own lives and beyond. Today [...] read more
    October 11, 2010 3:57 pm - 124 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Nats weekend turns from bad to worse - by Russel Norman



    The National Party had a bad local body election with their favoured candidates losing out. Especially Banks in Auckland. And now their favourite TV shock jock has resigned from TVNZ. Paul Henry has gone after his racist comments about the GG. Henry, a former National Party candidate, specialized in giving John Key a nice easy [...] read more
    October 10, 2010 8:11 pm - 16 Comments
  • frog

    General debate, 10/10/10 - by frog



    What are you doing to send the government a message to (really) act on climate change today? read more
    October 10, 2010 1:41 pm - 112 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Wellington continues to go green - by Russel Norman



    Great local election result for the greens in Wellington. Celia Wade-Brown has come within 40 votes of toppling Kerry for the  mayoralty. There are up to 900 special votes still to count. We will find out final results on Wednesday. Iona Pannett on city council and Paul Bruce on regional council have been returned. Awesome job. Lisa [...] read more
    October 9, 2010 7:19 pm - 7 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Liu Xiaobo awarded Nobel Peace Prize - by Russel Norman



    Liu Xiaobo, Chinese dissident and democracy campaigner, has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”. Liu is in jail for 11 years for advocating for democracy and human rights in China. NY Times reports that China threatened that relations with Norway would be damaged if [...] read more
    October 9, 2010 5:20 pm - No Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Defeat for Nats in Auckland - by Russel Norman



    Still waiting for all the results to come in around the country, but the Auckland result is certainly a defeat for the Nats. Not only did Brown thrash Banks, but there is a soft progressive majority on the new Auckland Council. There are also a number of progressives on the Local Boards around Auckland. Some [...] read more
    October 9, 2010 4:48 pm - 24 Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    The latest on the gender pay gap - by Catherine Delahunty



    On Thursday Statistics NZ released its annual Household Incomes Survey. The headline news from the survey was that average wages have dropped slightly in the last year – not great news for anyone – but I was interested to see the Government’s response on what the survey says about the gender pay gap between men [...] read more
    October 9, 2010 9:29 am - 70 Comments
  • frog

    The milk ad they don’t want you to see - by frog



    Warning: starts out nice, ends badly. For phil read more
    October 7, 2010 9:47 pm - 21 Comments
  • frog

    Paul Henry an international embarrassment to New Zealand - by frog



    Indian TV station NDTV reports: External Affairs Minister SM Krishna has described as “totally unacceptable” the remarks made by a TV talk show host in New Zealand against Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The minister said that the High Commissioner of New Zealand has been asked to meet him. Earlier this week, TV anchor Paul [...] read more
    October 7, 2010 8:33 pm - 65 Comments
  • frog

    Support 20 October Fairness at Work meetings - by frog



    The NZ Council of Trade Unions is organising numerous Fairness at Work meetings around the country on Wednesday 20 October to work towards stopping the Government’s attacks on employee’s rights and to build a New Zealand where we all enjoy fair rights at work, decent wages and access to strong public services. Diary the one closest to you now. read more
    October 7, 2010 1:20 pm - 3 Comments
  • Kevin Hague

    Mixed signs for rural health services - by Kevin Hague



    New developments are encouraging for the future of primary care in rural areas, but the signs for hospital-based care suggest a bleak future is in prospect. read more
    October 7, 2010 1:13 pm - 4 Comments
  • frog

    What would you spend the fuel tax on? - by frog



    So, you might have missed it in all the fuss about GST but the government tax on petrol rose by 3 cents/litre on of the 1st of October. I wouldn’t mind paying this increase if it was going to improve our rail, bus, walking and cycling options. But instead it will mainly be used to pay for [...] read more
    October 6, 2010 5:02 pm - 15 Comments
  • Kevin Hague

    More questions than answers over ACC cost shifting - by Kevin Hague



    A couple of months ago, following ACC Minister Nick Smith’s u-turn on counselling for ACC sexual abuse claimants, I called for an independent review of the wide-ranging cutbacks to ACC imposed by the Government. I have now asked some questions about people being moved from ACC to welfare benefits. What really disturbed me about the replies is the huge increase in the number of people being shifted from weekly compensation onto welfare benefits since March 2009. read more
    October 6, 2010 4:39 pm - 8 Comments
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