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Environment

Categories under Environment

Wrecking the country’s climate change response

Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, November 8th, 2025 - 12 comments

If you thought that your contempt for the current administration had peaked let me disappoint you. This week they have taken steps to undermine the Climate Change Commission and the ability of the public to influence future emission reduction plans.

This Fonterra Failure is a New Zealand Failure

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, October 31st, 2025 - 49 comments

The vast majority of Fonterra shareholders have agreed to sell all its consumer brands to Lactalis, and it’s an economic crime against New Zealand.

Labour Day: the working class and civil emergencies

Written By: - Date published: 6:06 am, October 27th, 2025 - 17 comments

On this Labour Day, a massive shout out to all the workers in Southland, Otago and other areas affected by the storms last week. Paid and volunteer, obvious and those in the background doing support for the frontline workers.

More RONS!

Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, October 25th, 2025 - 23 comments

National has announced it will be spending nearly three times as much on Roads of National Significance as it campaigned on and has justified dubious investment decisions by changing how benefits are calculated.

Government by the Farmers for the Farmers

Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, October 13th, 2025 - 13 comments

In a move that further undermines the country’s response to the climate crisis the Government has halved the methane reduction goal and determined that farms will not pay a price for greenhouse gas emissions.

Luxon’s bad faith stunt

Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, October 1st, 2025 - 29 comments

Christopher Luxon recently wrote to Chris Hipkins seeking a bipartisan approach to gas drilling but then immediately turned this into a farce by leaking the letter to the Herald.

Old man yells at rest of the world

Written By: - Date published: 10:53 am, September 26th, 2025 - 12 comments

Winston Peters has blamed the two most populous countries in the world for contributing to climate change, a problem that many in his party thinks does not exist.

The infantilisation of Western Grand Strategy – and the rise of Eurasia.

Written By: - Date published: 5:11 pm, September 13th, 2025 - 23 comments

The greatest threat Russia poses to Europe is not that it marches west but that it turns its back and builds a brighter future to the east. We may be witnessing the emergence of a Eurasian World Order.

The $671 million dollar woman

Written By: - Date published: 10:18 am, August 18th, 2025 - 23 comments

The Government is trying to spin that cancellation of the ferry contract will cost the country $144 million when the actual figure is at least $671 million.

Good, Democratic, Easy-To-Support Energy Policies

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, August 11th, 2025 - 16 comments

How to make fundamental changes to the country’s energy systems to ensure that future supply is sustainable and democratically controlled/

Power Companies Collude to Require New Zealand Coal-Fired Electricity

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, August 6th, 2025 - 20 comments

The country’s four main power companies have signed an agreement to stockpile coal and to extend the life of the coal-fired Huntly power station.

Old fast track, new fast track

Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, August 2nd, 2025 - 49 comments

What are Labour’s intentions towards protecting communities and the environment?

Hey Federated Farmers climate change is real

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, July 22nd, 2025 - 9 comments

The Commerce Commission has dismissed Federated Farmers’ claim that banks offering lower interest rates to clients who meet greenhouse gas emission targets are engaging in cartel type behavior.

What is the point of taxation?

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, July 21st, 2025 - 43 comments

Chloe Swarbrick and the Greens are changing the narrative on what tax is for.

National raided $6,000,000,000 infrastructure & flood fund

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 pm, July 20th, 2025 - 25 comments

Tasman, Top of the South Island patiently waits after National raided $6 billion infrastructure fund

Do humans have to respect the limits to growth?

Written By: - Date published: 1:23 pm, July 19th, 2025 - 11 comments

we don’t have to, but we probably should.

The ultimate Fuck you, to your neighbours, the community and the environment. Private helicopters!

Written By: - Date published: 7:18 am, July 18th, 2025 - 12 comments

Again, we were woken up by a bunch of hoodrats drifting on the intersection by our house. Great clouds of smoke and lots of noise. As you do at three o clock in the morning, my brain started tying this together with recent articles about private helicopters in urban areas, and other forms of antisocial “Fuck You’s” to the rest of us.

Climate Change and Bumper Sticker Politics

Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, July 15th, 2025 - 16 comments

Christopher Luxon has engaged in a classic example of bumper sticker politics by blaming Labour for excessive power prices, not the structure of the power sector. And he has completely ignored the imperitave action that climate change demands the country takes.

New Zealand starting to feel the pointy end of the climate crisis

Written By: - Date published: 10:26 am, July 14th, 2025 - 57 comments

Nelson Tasman region is still in a civil emergency and our climate denying Prime Minister is signalling an end to future flood bail outs.

The Rainbow Warrior 1985-2025.  Part 1: French State Terrorism and the end of innocence. 

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, July 6th, 2025 - 41 comments

Immediately after blowing up the Rainbow Warrior the French agents went on a ski holiday in the South Island to celebrate.  Such was the contempt they had for Kiwis and our police.  How wrong they were.

We Have a Human Right to Water, and to Democracy

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, July 1st, 2025 - 25 comments

hand rising out of the dark ocean

National is rolling out comprehensive water corporatisation, across New Zealand.  For those who don’t live in Auckland, Wellington, or other centres with commercialised water services already, this is coming to you fast. “Water Done Well” is the policy of this government to require all communities to decide on forming commercial water delivery entities, to run […]

State-run food stores anyone? 

Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, June 30th, 2025 - 26 comments

What if we broke New Zealand’s grocery misery with our own grocery store?

Oceania: Journey to the Center and other Auckland events

Written By: - Date published: 11:17 am, June 27th, 2025 - Comments Off on Oceania: Journey to the Center and other Auckland events

A few things I will be heading to over the coming 5 days in Auckland. A documentary on climate change on pacific islands. Phil Goff on foreign affairs. And the Inaugural Keith Locke Memorial Debate. Moot is “China is a threat to regional peace”. I kind of got caught up in each of these for one reason or another…

Writing in the time of Genocide

Written By: - Date published: 11:09 am, June 2nd, 2025 - 29 comments

I want to share a writer’s journey – of living and writing through the Genocide.  Because my country provides support to Israel and the US, I feel compelled to support Palestine by doing the one thing I know best: writing.  

The existential moment we are in

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, June 2nd, 2025 - 26 comments

As the world re-entangles and pushes our interdependence to the foreground, we need a new thesis on freedom.

Willis’ Roundup Budget will not grow new shoots of the economy

Written By: - Date published: 12:55 pm, May 24th, 2025 - 11 comments

Nicola Willis’ Budget is bad for growth and a Big throwback unfit for NZ.

What would the Greens’ inheritance/gift tax mean for farming?

Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, May 20th, 2025 - 48 comments

In a climate crisis world we should be treating farming as a national strategic asset.How would a wealth transfer tax affect that?

The Coalition Continues to Defund Science

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, May 18th, 2025 - 6 comments

Another science fund bites the dust in New Zealand.

We’ve Lost Australia

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 12th, 2025 - 45 comments

New Zealand was once in a sustained Australasian partnership. Now, with New Zealand tracking further and further into policy extremes, Australia – and our children – are leaving New Zealand behind.

Vale David Parker MP

Written By: - Date published: 2:08 pm, May 8th, 2025 - 20 comments

David Parker’s Deputy Leader ‘s speech in 2014 at the Wellington Labour Party Conference was the best I ever heard from a Labour Leader. Vision matched values in intensity and scope. Parliament now loses one of its very best.

Atlas and the Treaty Principles Bill

Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, April 27th, 2025 - 4 comments

It is time to reflect on what happened with the Atlas Network and the Treaty Principles Bill.