Archive for December, 2011

• 

  General debate December 31, 2011 - by frog

  
  
  
  Another year draws to a close. Best wishes to all frogblog readers for the coming one. read more
  December 31, 2011 7:23 am - 62 Comments
• 

  Compliments of the season: General debate December 24, 2011 - by frog

  
  
  
  I want to wish everyone who has read posts or contributed by way of comments on frogblog over the past twelve months a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Christmas is a Christian festival, but as Russel Norman pointed out earlier this week, much of the spirit of Christmas applies equally to those [...] read more
  December 24, 2011 6:48 pm - 64 Comments
• 

  Thinking of Canterbury - by frog

  
  
  
  Just when we were looking forward to the festive season, Christchurch and the adjacent Canterbury region has been hit by a further series of devastating earthquakes today, and aftershocks are expected. My thoughts, and those of the Green MPs, are with the people of Canterbury this evening. Green Co-Leader Russel Norman issued this media release [...] read more
  December 23, 2011 8:10 pm - 3 Comments
• 

  First impressions of a different world - by Jan Logie

  
  
  
  I’m strangely sensitised to gender at the moment Most of my life has lots of women in it. I think I might just be a woman’s woman. I have many good women friends, many of my campaign team were women and most of the places I’ve worked have had lots of women. It’s something I [...] read more
  December 22, 2011 12:23 pm - 51 Comments
• 

  The Christmas story: Russel Norman’s Address in Reply speech - by frog

  
  
  
  “These are the values that help to lay down the essential nature of what it means to be human and guide us to live a ‘good’ life – good to ourselves, good to one another, and good to the world in which we make our livelihoods.” – Russel Norman. Address in Reply speeches are long, [...] read more
  December 21, 2011 9:48 pm - 9 Comments
• 

  National Loyalty and the Global Interest - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Yesterday I was sworn in, for the second time, to the NZ Parliament – a solemn and significant moment in any person’s life. The Oath (Affirmation) I took was to the Head of State of my country.  I solemnly, sincerely and truly declared to be: “…faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth [...] read more
  December 21, 2011 12:24 pm - 8 Comments
• 

  Mojo and Steffan lead Green response to Food Bill - by Mojo Mathers

  
  
  
  In the new Parliament I will be stepping into the size 12 gumboots of Sue Kedgley and working hard on the food portfolio. In the last Parliament Sue Kedgley met with the Minister of Food Safety Kate Wilkinson and sought to exempt small growers, people who sell food directly to consumers, and those who barter [...] read more
  December 21, 2011 11:11 am - 53 Comments
• 

  Frog vs Rosie in the Battle of the Waterways - by frog

  
  
  
  I’ve had a pretty good start to summer this year. We’ve had plenty of rain, the rivers and wetlands have been nice and full. In between writing blogs, I have had plenty of opportunities to frolic among the raupo as any decent self-respecting Frog should. But recently my home playground and my place as New [...] read more
  December 21, 2011 10:40 am - 2 Comments
• 

  General debate, December 20, 2011 - by frog

  
  
  
  read more
  December 20, 2011 9:05 am - 118 Comments
• 

  Schools should appoint their own principals - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  I am concerned by media reports that the Ministry of Education is considering taking off boards of trustees the role of hiring their school’s principal. Rumours about such a significant proposal should not be swirling around in the media without a confirmation or denial from the Ministry. School boards and parents should be formally notified [...] read more
  December 19, 2011 7:42 pm - 9 Comments
• 

  Protect our critically endangered New Zealand sea lion - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  I was fortunate to see some sea lions in the wild yesterday on the Otago Peninsular as I launched our push to protect these critically endangered animals. Along with sea lion expert Dr Bruce Robertson and Sea Lion Trust Chairman Stephen Broni, I launched an online submission that people can send to the Government urging [...] read more
  December 19, 2011 5:39 pm - 7 Comments
• 

  New Fonterra director can’t have it both ways - by Eugenie Sage

  
  
  
  Russel Norman blogged last week about the conflicts of interest arising from regional councillors accepting Rugby World Cup tickets from Fonterra and about Horizons Regional Council’s plans to invest in the dairy sector – a sector they are supposed to be regulating. This week there is news from Taranaki that one of Fonterra’s new directors, [...] read more
  December 19, 2011 5:06 pm - 7 Comments
• 

  Military helicopters attacking West Papuan villages - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  This week’s stories of an Indonesian military offensive against villages in Paniai West Papua came from sources inside the country, where international media has no access. The Red Cross was kicked out of West Papua some time ago and few aid groups are permitted to operate there. It is therefore difficult to assess the news [...] read more
  December 19, 2011 8:54 am - 2 Comments
• 

  LGBTI Rights Recognised as Human Rights! - by Jan Logie

  
  
  
  Today the United Nations released its first report into ‘Discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity’. It is available online now. As spokesperson for Human Rights and Co-spokesperson for Rainbow Issues I am very pleased to see this report. In 2000 I was on [...] read more
  December 16, 2011 3:07 pm - 9 Comments
• 

  Disarmament as a Separate Green Portfolio - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  There has been concern expressed over the folding of disarmament into the Global Affairs portfolio which was created by the Green caucus earlier this week. In response, we have agreed to retain disarmament as a separate portfolio. The intention was not to downplay disarmament as a political priority.  The aim was to develop some clarity [...] read more
  December 16, 2011 2:36 pm - 385 Comments
• 

  Garth George on “Dangerous Greens” - by frog

  
  
  
  The moustachio’d poster boy for knee-jerk conservativism , Garth George, had this wonderfully acerbic opinion piece published in today’s Herald. Now the content doesn’t worry us too much — he’s Garth George: he’s not supposed to make sense, just infuriate. What is worrying however are the striking similarities between Garth’s column and this press release [...] read more
  December 15, 2011 5:31 pm - 79 Comments
• 

  Parliaments around the world are going Green - by frog

  
  
  
  The New Zealand Green Party is proportionally the second biggest Green Party in the world. We’re just a fraction behind the Luxembourg Green Party. Overall, the German green party Alliance ‘90/The Greens has the most number of MPs in a Parliament, with 68 out of 622 (10.9%). Proportionally the Luxembourg green party, The Greens, has [...] read more
  December 15, 2011 11:47 am - 5 Comments
• 

  The Global Affairs Portfolio: Setting the Foreign Policy Agenda - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Following the Greens’ new caucus retreat this week, the list of MP portfolios was announced.  I have relinquished the Musterer’s role and the Justice and Energy portfolios and taken on, inter alia, the new Global Affairs portfolio. This is a new development that builds upon, and refines, the previous foreign affairs portfolio.  It focuses on [...] read more
  December 15, 2011 9:08 am - 19 Comments
• 

  General debate, December 14, 2011 - by frog

  
  
  
  read more
  December 14, 2011 7:41 pm - 151 Comments
• 

  Workers’ rights in Fiji - by Denise Roche

  
  
  
  When the Fijian military rule decided to deport New Zealand Council of Trade Unions President Helen Kelly and her Australian union counterparts yesterday they gave a clear signal that the reports of abuse of workers’ rights and the physical attacks on Fijian trade unionists are probably accurate. Ms Kelly was part of an Australian and New [...] read more
  December 14, 2011 4:15 pm - 12 Comments