New Zealand is in a terrible state *
* or is it?
Environment
The Standard’s political awards for 2022
It is that time of year again where the events of the year are reviewed and what was notable, noteworthy and notorious.
The smartest guys in the room
Vector has received a warning letter from the Commerce Commission for attempting to artificially boost the value of assets so that price increases for power could be imposed.
Federated Farmers – climate change “probably” exists
Federated Farmers leader Andrew Hoggard thinks that climate change is probably happening but we will have to wait 50 to 100 years to see the effects.
Richard Heinberg: The Final Doubling
Can humans decouple resource overuse from economic growth?
Labour and National and Industry Intervention
Minister Mahuta’s water reforms are by some measure the most consequential industry intervention of this Labour government, and likely to be the most successful in over a decade.
Sustainability Sunday
So many good initiatives that demonstrate that sustainability and community resiliency are intertwined. The sheer numbers of people involved now is heartening at a time when we are inundated with what is going wrong.
We’ve never had so much choice in what we can do to effect good change. We know the problems, now is the time to put our attention to the solutions, what is already working. and then get on with it.
Co-Governance is Orthodox Policy for both National and Labour
National, the party which enacted legislation that gave Waikato command over the allocation of the Waikato River, iwi command over the Taupo catchment and full Maori control over the massive Uruwera water catchment, has not traditionally been opposed to co governance.
James Shaw, Climate Minister: before us lies a simple choice
New Zealand National Statement at COP27, and the call for all of us to act.
The power companies are rorting us
FIRST Union, NZCTU, and 350 Aotearoa have just released a joint report suggesting that the privatisation of our power companies by National were not only disastrous for the country’s finances but also disastrous for the planet.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Pause With Map In Hand and Scratch Their Heads
If 2020 was the worst year in my lifetime how does 2022 compare?
The Year Skiing Died
Climate change has ensured that this is the winter that broke skiing.
Kelvin Davis – if not now then when?
The text of an excellent speech given by Kelvin Davis to the Labour Party conference on climate change.
Democracy is on the Ballot – watershed US midterms this week.
At a campaign event last week President Biden said that in these mid-term elections “democracy is on the ballot”. This is absolutely true, and the outcome will be decided by those who show up to vote.
National’s relentless negativity
National’s recent press releases show that its approach to politics will be relentlessly negative, with no idea of what it will do as an alternative or how it will fund changes.
In praise of Michael Hudson
82-year old polymath Michael Hudson is my favourite economist. He currently lectures in China to million-strong audiences. His latest book is The Destiny of Civilisation: Finance Capitalism, Industrial Capitalism or Socialism. His latest article is well worth a read.
Holy Sh*t, Overshoot! Don’t Dither; Do
July 28 was EARTH OVERSHOOT DAY. On July 29 we went into ecological deficit. Humans have used the entire annual budget of resources that can replenished by nature
There are of course many things we can do.
The most important election in the world this year
With the future of the Amazon rain forest at stake the people of Brazil go to the polls today to vote on who will be their next President in an election that may profoundly affect the world’s future.
Wind Farms Need Mines
We need more mines if we are to transition to low carbon. There’s a field of industry that National and Labour could readily […]
Groundswell or Deep Earth?
Groundswell want degenerative agriculture.
Wayne Brown’s letters
Wayne Brown (or is that Matthew Hooton) has over the past few days released a series of letters that are astonishing in their audacity. His latest on transport proposes business as usual at a time when dramatic change is required.
Stand up and fight
Don’t give up. Don’t retrench into reactionary blocking politics. We have more choices for action and transition, and creating regenerative and sustainable systems, than ever before.
Sunflower | Oil
Van Gogh and Picasso as climate action targets. Destroying beauty is an act of self harm. On one level it’s wrong, but when we are desperate, it’s also an act of power.
Climate change: I think that we are f&*ked
This week the Government announced plans to bring in a scheme for pricing farming emissions in 2025. National’s response suggests the prospects of political consensus are non existent.
RNZ, Three Waters and partisan commentary
Yesterday on Radio New Zealand’s Political Commentator’s show Bridget Morten said that three waters is a toxic thing for the Government but then declared that her law firm represents a group currently taking the Government to Court over three waters. Should such clearly partisan views be given expression by RNZ?
What if we had a Transition Enabling Act?
At a time when we are inundated with news of the end of the world, ideas of the way through are crucial. This one is brilliant – legislation that would enable all the things we need for Transition to happen. The great potential here is for change in a climate-meaningful timeframe.
The world needs more Izzy Cooks and fewer Heather Du Plessis-Allans
Just when you thought that talk back radio could not be worse there has been a recent incident where Heather Du Plessis-Allan basically bullied a young woman who wants to make the world a better place.
The Very Bad Slightly Good Things About the Russian Invasion
The Russian invasion of the Ukraine has cost tens of thousands of people their lives, millions of people their homes, seriously disrupted billions of people, and increased the threat of nuclear war but there are positive developments coming from it.
Climate Commision Chair: it’s time to reform the “plant and pollute” Emissions Trading Scheme
This good news bodes well.
Transition at the Limits of What People Can Cope With
Many European governments now face a perfect storm of threatened energy security, rising inflation, war-propelled refugee crisis, and climate objectives. New Zealand be warned.
Voting for our lives: protecting the environment from the late capitalism death cult
Environment Southland gives the ok for intensive farming on the edge of Fiordland National Park. Everyday there’s more news of disastrous decisions being made by people in power. The local body elections in the next month give us one easy and straightforward way to change that.
This is what the climate crisis looks like in New Zealand, so far
If we keep doing what we are doing (not acting on climate), then at some point there will just be too many of these events to keep up with. But we still have time to limit the damage and transition society.
By Nature Unfair
You can be the most moral nation on earth and have no reward for it.
Greens: New public transport model must be backed with investment
“Along with public ownership and better wages and conditions for people working on public transport, if we can get the Government to focus nearly all transport investments on making it easier for people to walk, bike, or hop on a bus, train, or ferry we can create a world-class transport system that works for everyone. The best way to do that is to get more Green MPs into Parliament,” – Julie Anne Genter.
Greens: Bill to ban mining on conservation land pulled from biscuit tin
Eugenie Sage’s Members Bill has been drawn.
“We call on the Labour Government to back the Bill so it can finally fulfil its promise to ban new mining projects on public conservation land”
Was This The Change We Needed?
Crises that profoundly test a small developed state like New Zealand have required huge growth in state strength and policy power. But was it the change we needed?