Health & Wellbeing Archive

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  Podcast: Natural health – a new direction

  
  
  
  On Friday the Green and National Parties released a proposal to establish a new stand-alone New Zealand regulator for natural health products. Green Party Health Spokesperson Sue Kedgley has been collaborating with Health Minister Tony Ryall and Associate Health Minister Jonathan Coleman on the proposal. This work is part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed [...] read more
  March 22, 2010 10:29 am - 1 Comment
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  Firefighters deserve clean air in their workspace

  
  
  
  The Green Party are siding with the firefighters in their bid to have extractors installed at their workplaces. The DominionPost reported yesterday that the Fire Service was dragging its feet over the installation of diesel fume extractors at fifteen fire stations around the country. The extractors are expensive — $15,000 per unit — and the Fire [...] read more
  March 19, 2010 9:45 am - 6 Comments
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  Drunk in charge of a sickness benefit

  
  
  
  No amount of work-testing is going to get people who cannot work because of alcohol or drug dependency back into the workforce. All that will do is make them feel harassed and more likely to sink deeper into the faux refuge of their dependency. read more
  March 19, 2010 8:17 am - 20 Comments
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  Ignoring the evidence again on drug law reform

  
  
  
  In which Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne takes a head-in-the-sand approach to recommendations by the Ministry of Health’s Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs. read more
  March 16, 2010 11:26 am - 273 Comments
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  Canterbury DHB needs to rethink drug rehab policy

  
  
  
  The Canterbury DHB’s new alcohol and drug rehabilitation services policy flies in the face of the principle of harm minimisation and discriminates against people whose drug and/or alcohol problems have resulted in them falling foul of the criminal law. Often these are the very people who the greatest danger to themselves and others in the community and are most in need of help. read more
  March 15, 2010 12:52 pm - 13 Comments
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  Praise, encouragement, and keeping our kids safe this Children’s Day

  
  
  
  It’s Children’s Day today, a great day to recommit to protecting and caring for not just our own babies but for children everywhere. This year is the 10th anniversary of Children’s Day in Aotearoa New Zealand, which aims to: • heighten awareness of the importance and needs of children in [...] read more
  March 7, 2010 11:18 am - 32 Comments
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  Make a submission on drug law reform

  
  
  
  The Law Commission’s paper on drug law reform isn’t just a set of recommendations – it is a discussion document that sets out several options on each of a number of issues related to drugs and seeks feedback through submissions on those options. read more
  February 23, 2010 8:47 am - 7 Comments
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  An extraordinary blogroll consensus for drug law reform

  
  
  
  This is really quite remarkable. Since the Law Commission released its discussion paper on drug law reform yesterday, an extraordinary consensus across the political blogging spectrum has developed. read more
  February 12, 2010 10:03 pm - 29 Comments
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  Drug law reform: It’s not that simple, Simon

  
  
  
  The Greens support the harm minimisation approach to our drug laws proposed by the Law Commission. But Justice Minister Simon Power’s response to the Commission’s report on drug policy and legislation is to back the hypocrisy and stupidity of the current drug laws. read more
  February 12, 2010 12:48 pm - 38 Comments
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  A map of global risks and their connections

  
  
  
  Some economists have come up with a map of global risks. The size of the circle is the likelihood of the risk, while the thickness of the connection indicates the degree to which the risk relates to others. The thickness of the border indicates the cost of the risk. The colours are categories. Most of it [...] read more
  February 9, 2010 12:28 pm - 16 Comments