Last weekend, I attended the first ever Kea Konvention jointly organised by the Kea Conservation Trust and Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand. It was a power-packed weekend full of presentations by scientists, volunteers and NGOS working to raise awareness of this amazing and unique bird. For many of us, a highlight of visiting the mountains of […]
I know first-hand that access matters and makes a huge difference for everyone, which is why I celebrate every small step forwards. I am excited to support the launch last week of a campaign by Access Alliance for a truly accessible Aotearoa New Zealand. Last year Parliament TV brought in live captioning which has not only provided […]
Right now, Forest and Bird are in the Supreme Court defending a challenge from the Minister of Conservation, Maggie Barry. The Minister wants to remove the protected status of 22 hectares of Forest Park land in order to allow it to be flooded for the Ruataniwha irrigation dam to go ahead. Think about that for […]
Currently there is a Bill going through Parliament that increases enforcement powers for wildlife officers. We are supporting it because we know that smuggling of precious and threatened wildlife is occurring and that our wildlife officers need more power to stop this. However we are also frustrated because National continues to ignore the fact the […]
Last week, there was extensive media coverage of the murder of a young disabled woman by her mother. Much of this early coverage exclusively focused on how disabled Ruby was, how challenging she was to look after, how loving the mother was, and how hard the mother fought to get better support and help for […]
The end of the year! 2016 has been…a mixed bag – Trump-ism, losing Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen et al, and the creeping malaise of a tired government. Green Party MP Mojo Mathers shares her year. My highlights of 2016 Moving to Peel Forest in South Canterbury has been just incredible. We’ve had heavy frosts, snow, […]
The Green Party has campaigned for several years for mandatory palm oil labeling to give consumers choice. Most consumers do not want to support a palm oil industry that is destroying tropical rainforests and contributing to dangerous climate change emissions.
On Friday, the Minister for Food Safety, along with her Australian colleagues finally looked at the issue of mandatory palm oil labelling.
Today, the Government announced its draft kiwi recovery plan, which seeks to turn around the current decline in kiwi numbers. It is an ambitious plan that rightly recognises that predator control and habitat protection will be key to saving the kiwi. What is most concerning however, is that there is an acknowledged annual funding shortfall […]
Cats and dogs are two of New Zealand’s most loved companion animals who are often integral parts of a family. My own dog, Kea, is a rescue from the SPCA and brings huge joy in my life. It’s well established that having a pet can have many benefits. Having a pet when you are a […]