THE ISSUES Archive

• 

  On the passing of Larry Ross - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  I was saddened today to hear of the passing of one of this country’s stalwarts on peace and disarmament, Larry Ross. I knew Larry through his work on the NZ nuclear-free zone back in the 1980s when I was on the government delegation negotiating the South Pacific regional zone. I remember him then as a [...] read more
  April 19, 2012 4:51 pm - No Comments
• 

  Damming the Makaroro? - by Eugenie Sage

  
  
  
  There are many ways to get close to rivers : sitting on a the bank listening to the sound and music of the water, boulder hopping while tramping,  drifting gently down river in a kayak, or picking the best line through some noisy rapids on a bouncing raft but I had never tried fishing. As [...] read more
  April 19, 2012 4:50 pm - 1 Comment
• 

  Changes to the way police collect information – Good or bad? - by Jan Logie

  
  
  
  Family Violence statistics were not included in the public release of the 2011 calendar year statistics. Police say this is because they are improving the way they collect information to give them a better picture of this complex issue. A new method will give different and incomparable results to previous year’s statistics. Police are the [...] read more
  April 19, 2012 1:34 pm - 2 Comments
• 

  Fracking earthquakes - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  A new report was released this week by the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change which confirmed that two earthquakes in the Blackpool area were caused by fracking. Along with a US Geological Survey report out last week it shows scientifically there is a link between fracking and human-induced earthquakes that should concern seismically-active New Zealand. read more
  April 19, 2012 1:06 pm - 67 Comments
• 

  Are we being royalty screwed? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Oil and gas royalties have been in the media a bit lately and the Government are throwing around all sorts of figures. Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley has been a cheer-leading expanding the oil and gas industry in New Zealand but the economic benefits aren’t all they are stacked up to be. New Zealand [...] read more
  April 18, 2012 10:05 am - 21 Comments
• 

  Monitoring of GE: a reason for mistrust - by Steffan Browning

  
  
  
  During the Easter break, the 375 genetically engineered pine trees at the Scion field trial site were destroyed. The current experiments were for herbicide resistance and reproductive alterations, both with potential environmental and human health implications. read more
  April 17, 2012 4:55 pm - 20 Comments
• 

  John Key in Indonesia – What about West Papua? - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The messaging around John Key’s trip to Indonesia has not inspired confidence around the dirty little secret of West Papuan human rights and self-determination. One positive though has been the ability to raise some awareness around the human rights abuses that are currently occurring in West Papua. I hope that the Prime Minister will be [...] read more
  April 16, 2012 4:54 pm - 5 Comments
• 

  General debate, April 16, 2012 - by frog

  
  
  
  read more
  April 16, 2012 8:50 am - 28 Comments
• 

  The Burmese election…a new era, but hard work awaits - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Twenty-two years after her first thwarted election to the Burmese Parliament, Aung San Suu Kyi celebrates a momentous return. Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), is claiming a landslide victory in the Kawhmu by-election. In 1990, even before winning 81% of the seats in Parliament, Aung San Suu Kyi was already under House [...] read more
  April 13, 2012 11:05 am - 2 Comments
• 

  Last day to submit in opposition to two ghastly Government Bills - by frog

  
  
  
  Today is the last day for submissions on two ghastly Government Bills – the Mixed Ownership Model Bill and the Social Security (Youth Support and Work Focus) Amendment Bill. If you haven’t already made submissions opposing these Bills, please try to find the time today to do so, even if you can manage only a brief submission on each. read more
  April 13, 2012 8:51 am - No Comments
• 

  Spying not a solution to bullying - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  I’m rather concerned about the media attention being given to the Rotorua Coroner’s suggestion that parents should install spyware on their children’s phones. Spyware isn’t the answer to bullying. Youth suicide is a tragedy and there is much more we can be doing to support young people to prevent suicide. Having parents monitor emails, call [...] read more
  April 11, 2012 4:31 pm - 36 Comments
• 

  3rd Global Greens Congress in Senegal…a rising political force - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Co-leader Metiria Tūrei and I were the two Kiwi MPs attending the 3rd Global Greens Congress which concluded last week. Green party colleagues, Pete Davis (International Secretary) and Jackson Wood (Young Greens) attended as well, so there was a respectable turnout of four from NZ.  Yes, offsetting occurred. These are, more or less, five-year events.  [...] read more
  April 11, 2012 12:32 pm - 22 Comments
• 

  Does fracking cause earthquakes? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Human-induced earthquakes seem more the realm of a comic book baddie or Cold War failed-research programme but international research is increasingly linking fracking with earthquakes. read more
  April 11, 2012 11:15 am - 23 Comments
• 

  A scary lack of transparency under PPPs - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The National Party’s Associate Minister of Education, Craig Foss, announced a deal yesterday for an outfit called Learning Infrastructure Partners to be contracted under a so-called Private Public Partnership (PPP) to build and maintain schools. This may be good, or it may be bad. On the general evidence available, it is likely bad. PPPs tend to privatise [...] read more
  April 11, 2012 9:04 am - 18 Comments
• 

  Mining our future - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  I’m hitting the road with Catherine Delahunty on the Mining our Future tour. We’ll be travelling New Zealand over the coming weeks setting out the Government’s broad “drill it, mine it” agenda. We are starting with the big centres then will tour the provincial areas most affected by drilling and mining. read more
  April 10, 2012 4:24 pm - 3 Comments
• 

  Breaking the consensus – marine farming - by Steffan Browning

  
  
  
  A major reason I became politically active was aquaculture in the Marlborough Sounds. I could see new farms popping up all over the place with no overall plan. My first Environment Court appeal (which was successful), Browning vs Marlborough District Council (W20/97), made case law in terms of protection of areas of high natural character, [...] read more
  April 10, 2012 4:19 pm - No Comments
• 

  General debate, April 9, 2012 - by frog

  
  
  
  read more
  April 9, 2012 7:41 am - 18 Comments
• 

  Scary stats about youth health - by Holly Walker

  
  
  
  Last Wednesday, I spent the afternoon at Te Papa at a Youth Health and Wellbeing Symposium organised by Auckland University to present and discuss the findings of a youth survey undertaken by their Adolescent Health Research Group. This was the symposium where John Key made his surprise announcements about youth mental health interventions, which I’m cautiously [...] read more
  April 8, 2012 11:15 am - 2 Comments
• 

  An open letter to Ministers about the Chch housing crisis - by Holly Walker

  
  
  
  I write to you to enquire what measures you will take to combat this growing problem to ensure that people do not have to resort to sleeping in their cars, moving house numerous times, or live in cramped and substandard housing. These are just a few examples of the symptoms of a much wider problem which must be addressed urgently. read more
  April 6, 2012 9:00 am - 69 Comments
• 

  Lobbying Disclosure Bill pulled from the ballot - by Holly Walker

  
  
  
  I’m very excited to report that my first Member’s Bill has been drawn from the parliamentary ballot! I inherited the Lobbyist Disclosure Bill from former Green MP Sue Kedgley when she retired, and I’m thrilled that I’ll get a chance to continue Sue’s great work on transparency and open government with this bill. read more
  April 5, 2012 1:31 pm - 2 Comments