Environment & Resource Management Archive

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  Day 2 — The windy Canterbury Plains - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Okay, I’m not going to lie. Today was tougher than I expected. It all started out very auspiciously, with a sunny still morning, an invite to breakfast at the home of a friend who is a former cycle champion and now transport planner. He made me a fantastic omelette, helped check over my bike and [...] read more
  January 16, 2012 12:11 am - 9 Comments
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  Cycling to Southland – Day 1 (the easy part) - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  When I initially conceived of this journey to Southland by bike, I hoped to cycle down the west coast from Picton. But a quick look at the distance (over 1000km) and the calendar made it clear it would be impossible to get to the festival by the 21st. So I decided to take the train [...] read more
  January 14, 2012 11:03 pm - 34 Comments
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  Cycling to Southland – Prelude - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Gareth’s already blogged about the Keep The Coal in the Hole summer festival, and I’m excited to be attending. As the new transport spokesperson, I decided to take a bit of time during the summer holiday to travel to the festival in the most climate-friendly means possible. I’ll be leaving by ferry from Wellington on [...] read more
  January 12, 2012 2:02 pm - 9 Comments
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  Jung Woo 2 and Sparta have no place in the Last Ocean - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  The Jung Woo 2 is now the third ship to come to grief in the Ross Sea in little over a year and should serve as a wakeup call for the Government to close off the Ross Sea as a Marine Protected Area. read more
  January 12, 2012 10:16 am - 2 Comments
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  Keep the Coal in the Hole Summer Festival - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  The main target is lignite coal mining in Southland an issue the Greens have been strong in opposing. Lignite is bad for the environment and our economy instead we should be pursuing modern renewable energy solutions, not 19th Century coal. read more
  January 9, 2012 12:15 pm - 7 Comments
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  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 - 2 Comments
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  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 - 8 Comments
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  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
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  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
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  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
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  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
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  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
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  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
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  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
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  Horizons chairman hot under the collar on World Cup Tickets - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  On Sunday we released information gained under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act that several regional councillors had received gifts and hospitality from Fonterra in the form of Rugby World Cup tickets for quarterfinal and bronze medal matches. There is a clear conflict of interest when the regulator is accepting gifts from the [...] read more
  December 14, 2011 12:28 pm - 2 Comments
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  Is Anyone Out There? Failure on Climate Change at Durban - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  In Durban, the Kyoto Protocol is kept on life support. Kyoto is, of course, the only binding climate instrument with specific emission targets. It compels the world’s worst emitters to reduce emissions. But it has always been inadequate in itself – a first step to greater things. And it terminates within 12 months. The 194 [...] read more
  December 11, 2011 12:28 pm - 113 Comments
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  Thanking our gracious hosts: Minister Groser and the Durban Conference - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Minister Timothy Groser, fresh from electoral triumph back home, has alighted upon Durban this week. Yesterday he delivered our country’s main speech to the UN climate change conference – the 17th meeting of the parties to the UN Framework Convention. “I would like to acknowledge”, he begins, “and thank our gracious hosts, South Africa, and [...] read more
  December 9, 2011 12:58 pm - 2 Comments
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  Protecting our rivers - by frog

  
  
  
  Protecting our rivers The New Zealand Conservation Authority’s (NZCA’s) call for an inventory of outstanding rivers and secure protection for a representative range of rivers is timely. As Authority notes, “All is not well with New Zealand rivers and there is increasing public concern about their state.” While development proceeds apace, river protection has lagged [...] read more
  December 8, 2011 11:09 am - 4 Comments
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  Secrecy around animal experiments must stop - by Steffan Browning

  
  
  
  The closing down of Valley Animal Research Centre’s (VARC) experimental beagle operation must be just the beginning of closing down inhumane animal experiments throughout New Zealand. The last available statistics (2010) show that at least 56,208 animals suffered medium to very high impact in New Zealand animal experiments in just one year. Secrecy around animal [...] read more
  December 8, 2011 10:00 am - 5 Comments
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  The future will be walkable - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Last week I went to watch my colleague and friend Holly Walker on the Backbenches TV show (14’30”). Being a new MP myself, Damien came up to me in the audience for some freshman hazing. He asked me what I hoped to achieve in the next three years. Quite ambitiously, I launched into a short [...] read more
  December 8, 2011 8:02 am - 11 Comments