Te Awa Issue 61 by Te-Awa

#61 Autumn 2019

The Water Issue Protecting our wai Marama Davidson Catherine Delahunty Mike Joy Local Body Elections Democracy at the flaxroots in 2019 Afghanistan Where are the local voices?

te awa

Cover photography Tanya Piejus, design by FunMark team

#61 Autumn 2019 Te Awa | The Water Issue

The Green Party Charter

Te Marautanga Kakariki

greenparty@greens.org.nz Phone 04 801 5102 Level 1, 17 Garrett Street, Te Aro, Wellington PO Box 11-652, Wellington

The charter is the founding document of The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Ko te kawenata te pukapuka whakaū o te Rōpu Kākāriki o Aotearoa, Niu Tireni.

The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand accepts Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand; recognises Māori as Tangata Whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand; and commits to the following four Principles:

E whakaae ana te Rōpu Kākāriki ko te Tiriti o Waitangi te pepa whakaū (kawenata) o Aotearoa, Niu Tireni; e whakaae ana te Rōpu kākāriki ko te iwi Māori te tangata whenua o Aotearoa, o Niu Tireni, ā, ka mau pūmau te rōpu Kākāriki ki ngā mātāpono e whā e whai ake nei:

Editor Shenagh Gleeson 021 965 752 editor.magazine@greens.org.nz Copy editor Moea Armstrong Designer Charis Robinson Advertising Sharyn Morcom 027 610 5933 teawa.advertising@greens.org.nz Te Awa Board Elected members Ron Elder, Pam Henson, Philippa Stevenson Caucus rep Chlöe Swarbrick Executive Peter Hughes Policy Nick Marryatt Te Rōpu Pounamu Rochelle Surendran Authorised by Gwen Shaw, Level 1, 17 Garrett St, Wellington

To have Te Awa sent to you as a pdf rather than as a paper copy, or for queries about Te Awa distribution options.magazine@greens.org.nz

Information for Contributors Te Awa is published quarterly in Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer. Before submitting material, please check with the Guidelines for Contributors, which you can obtain from the editor. Opinions expressed in Te Awa are not statements of Green Party policy, but must not bring the Green Party into disrepute.

Remember please!

Copy deadline for the Winter 2019 issue is 15 April.

Te Awa is printed on FSC-Certified Paper

Ecological Wisdom The basis of ecological wisdom is that human beings are part of the natural world. This world is finite, therefore unlimited material growth is impossible. Ecological sustainability is paramount. Social Responsibility Unlimited material growth is impossible. Therefore the key to social responsibility is the just distribution of social and natural resources, both locally and globally. Appropriate Decision-making For the implementation of ecological wisdom and social responsibility, decisions will be made directly at the appropriate level by those affected. Non-Violence Non-violent conflict resolution is the process by which ecological wisdom, social responsibility and appropriate decision making will be implemented. This principle applies at all levels.

Tikanga Toi Potapotae Ko te putake o te tikanga toi potapotae ko te tangata he wahanga no te ao tuturu. Ko te ao nei he taparepare, waihoki, kihai e taea kia tupu haere mo ake tonu atu Me ukauka te tikanga toi potapotae koia ra te tino taumata. Kawenga Papori Kihai nga rawa o te ao e tipu haere tonu. Waihoki, ko te mea nui ke ko te kawenga papori, e whiwhi ai tena ki ona tikanga ano ki era rawa, ki te wa kainga nei, ki tawahi ranei o te ao. Whakarite Totika E oti tika ai nga tikanga toi potapotae, me nga kawenga papori, ma nga whakarite totika a nga hunga e pa pumau tonu ana ki era take, ara, ki nga hua hoki a era whakarite. Aukati Whakarekereke Me aukati te whakarekereke, e kitea ai te huarahi tika, e eke ai nga tikanga toi potapotae, nga kawenga papori, tae noa atu ki nga whakarite totika, e tau ai te rangimarie. Ko tenei ahuatanga e pa ana ki nga tairanga katoa.

Policy updates One of the recommendations made by the election Campaign Management Committee was to ensure that all our policies are up to date before the 2020 election. The Policy Network is addressing this in two ways: • facilitating full reviews of nine policy areas • arranging updating reviews of another 40 policies. The updating of reviews relies on individual volunteers with particular knowledge in a specific policy area checking that the policy is up to date and accurate. The first batch of four policies is being looked at now. We will be making several calls for volunteers to look at other policies during the year. Watch out for them.

CONTENTS Wider inquiry needed to stop the rot Shenagh Gleeson 2 Eric Turner- nugget of gold Pam Henson 2 From the party Party co-convenor – similar challenges on a different scale 3 Wiremu Winitana Thank you Betty Harris Sonja Deely 3 Water Focus on water set to deliver Marama Davidson 4 Tiakina nga wai – Save the water Catherine Delahunty 5 Is there a simple solution to our freshwater crisis? Mike Joy 6-7 From the benches Waste not, want not – ending obsolescence Eugenie Sage 8 Three ticks Green in 2020 Pete Huggins 9 Harbour pollution highlighted at Waitangi Pete Huggins 9 Local government Brilliant bouquet of opportunities to gain 10-11 ground in local elections Brent Barrett STV elections on the rise Brent Barrett 11 Think globally, stand locally Maren Behrend 12 Greens have their say Greens need to find out what Afghans want Chantal Grut 13

Over the next few months Policy Network is conducting a review of how it operates, both internally and how it interfaces with other parts of the party. The review has a broad scope and we want to hear from as many people as possible. If you’d like to be heard, please email the review group co-convenors Penny penny@ mjollnir.org and Chargn chargnkeenan@gmail.com. If you don’t have email, you can call or write to head office: Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand Level 2, 17 Garrett St, Te Aro, Wellington PO Box 11-652, Wellington, 6142, New Zealand Phone: 04-801 5102 Fax: 04-801 5104

Our People Adventurer learns a lesson about international development 14 Philippa Stevenson Flaxroots action Sign Up Sandra campaign launched in Coromandel 15 Waste campaign makes positive impact 15 in more ways than one Sam Ferguson Policy matters Mixed bag of strategies ready to roll: our remedies 16-17 for the climate change crisis Kate Fulton Reviews McGillicuddy Serious Party Manifesto Folio Edition 18 1987 –1990–1993–1996–1999 David Riddell Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine 19 and the Foundations of a Movement Lois Griffiths The Big Questions: What Is New Zealand’s Future? 19 Gord Stewart Green World February 2019 Lois Griffiths 20

Contents

Party notice

Wider inquiry needed to stop the rot Shenagh Gleeson

As we return to business after summer, one issue that

demands urgent attention is the pervasive surveillance culture that’s developed in our public service and threatens to undermine our confidence in government. Just before Christmas a State Services Commission inquiry found that government agencies routinely use private investigators to spy on New Zealanders. Over the last 15 years and under successive governments, a culture of monitoring and spying on perceived ‘threats’ has developed. Targets include our party, the Mana Party, Greenpeace members and other environmental activists, Christchurch earthquake victims and victims of historic sexual abuse. A range of government agencies hire private investigators to keep an eye on critics and protect themselves from reputational damage. Potentially this means that anyone who publicly criticises or protests against government policy or government departments can be deemed a threat. None of this was new to the Green Party, particularly former MP Keith Locke. He was spied on by the Security Intelligence Service from the age of 11. In April 2018 he received an apology for being identified as an “internal threat” by the SIS. His threat? Wanting to see the SIS and Government Communications Security Bureau abolished or greatly modified. The SSC inquiry into government spying also revealed the “unprofessional” relationships between state and private

agencies, such as the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the oil and gas industry. In December our co-leader Marama Davidson called for the end of the Mineral Exploration Joint Intelligence Group, set up in 2013 after legislation was passed making it an offence to be within 500m of offshore oil and gas infrastructure. The group’s Operation Exploration involved NZ Petroleum and Minerals, NZ Police, private investigators Thompson & Clark Investigations Ltd, and private sector oil and gas companies involved in offshore Taranaki exploration and production. In January Marama spoke at the Waihopai spy base protest and called for “the Inspector General of Intelligence and Security to be made an Officer of Parliament to provide a check on the arbitrary use of espionage power by the executive; and for the Intelligence and Securities Committee to be made a proper Parliamentary committee so that all Parliamentarians have access to information and can hold the intelligence services to account”. We should also demand an official and independent inquiry into government department surveillance. The SSC inquiry was a start but many questions remain unanswered most importantly, who approved the spying and how much did the ministers in charge know about it. • Te Awa’s copy editor for the last five years, Liz Gray, is leaving to take up full-time work. Liz’s expertise and energy made her an invaluable asset to the magazine. Former party co-convenor Moea Armstrong is the new copy editor. Shenagh Gleeson is the editor of Te Awa

Eric Turner – nugget of gold

From Te Awa

Pam Henson

Eric Turner, editor of Te Awa from 2006 – 2013, died peacefully on 19 January this year. Born in Watford, England in 1935, Eric moved with his wife and four children to New Zealand in 1973. Following a family tradition, he was involved in publishing and was editor for both the NZ Caravanning and Camping magazine and NZ Gardener between 1975 and 1980. After settling in the Wairarapa, Eric edited the Wairarapa News from the mid-to-late 1990s. He and his wife, Nina Selwood, were famous for their involvement in environmental issues and the arts. In 2001 he was a founding member of the widely respected Sustainable Wairarapa organisation, which focused on research and practical involvement in restoring local waterways. He was a member of the Wairarapa Green Party branch from the late 1990s, showing his mastery of event organisation with the summer policy conference of 2003 in Masterton. From 2005 – 2009 Eric was co-convenor of the branch with Robyn Bracey, who remembers his warm, respectful manner and wide outreach. “He brought fantastic energy and competence to the position. He was a nugget of gold.” Eric’s printing and publishing knowledge made him invaluable in producing leaflets, posters and flyers for branch events and campaigns.

Eric Turner and Nina Selwood

He brought his professional experience to the editorship of Te Awa, taking on both the production and copy-editing facets of the position. Michael Pringle, party administrator at the time, says Eric wrote insightful editorials about the political issues of the times and the state of the party. “He was extremely conscientious and patient. Te Awa improved in terms of paper quality, colour use, readability and content. The content was wide-ranging and always interesting, sometimes provocative.” Eric and Nina belonged to many musical groups and organised concerts and musical fund-raising events. He instigated the annual Greytown Arts Festival in 2000. Eric will be remembered and sadly missed by many in the Green Party, in the Wairarapa and beyond, and we extend our sincere sympathy to his family. Pam Henson was the first editor of Te Awa and is now a Te Awa board member and Top of the South province convenor.

Executive members mark Independence Day for West Papua by raising the morning star flag at their meeting at Kapiti Marae in December. Front Row L-R: Marama Davidson (party co-leader), Ann Shacklady-Smith (general manager), Pleasance Hansen (executive networker Deep South), Penny Leach (policy committee rep on exec), Liz Thomas (EN Top of the South), Chris Perley (EN Central), Charmaine Meyers (treasurer), Golriz Ghahraman (caucus rep on exec). Behind Row L-R: Wendy Harper (EN Waikato), Wiremu Winitana (party coconvenor), Michael Tavares (EN Auckland), Peter Hughes (EN Northern), Matt Taylor (EN Aoraki), Suzanne Loughlin (EN Auckland), Thomas Nash (EN Wellington), Katy Watabe (party co-convenor), Jack McDonald (policy co-convenor), Benjamin Kearns (membership secretary) Caroline Glass (policy co-convenor) Absent: Melanie Chapman (international secretary), Julian Maze (SOC convenor), Scott Summerfield (EN North-East), Robert Moore (EN Waikato)

Wiremu Winitana

At the time of writing, it was almost half a year since I was elected party co-convenor. Let me tell you, it feels much longer than that. What a joy and an honour it is to serve our party and our kaupapa in this mahi. I owe a massive mihi to Katy for all her support and guidance and I give mihi to John Ranta, Debs Martin, Pete Huggins, Roland Sapsford and all of those who have held this office. In the first few months, my focus was on getting a clear picture of the state of affairs in the executive and our party. This meant attending many caucus, executive subcommittee and working group meetings. Previously I was an Aoraki Province co-convenor and the challenges in both roles are similar, albeit at different scales. Since taking office I have concentrated on: • Fostering a culture of collaboration, collective responsibility and unity • Helping to weave together varying viewpoints to a consensus position • Developing and maintaining high-trust relationships • Making sure the mahi is being done. An important piece of work in 2018 was updating the terms of reference for the Campaign Management Committee, which now has a structure that will be flexible and nimble enough to respond to the changing circumstances that always

Thank you Betty Harris Sonja Deely

We are extremely grateful to Betty Harris for the wonderful legacy she left to the Green Party in her will. Betty became a party member in 1999. She was a lovely woman; never made a fuss but just got on with whatever she thought she could do to improve the world. She lived in East Auckland and was an active supporter of her branch, particularly when she was younger. In recent years she lived in a retirement village but continued to support our work by her advocacy and regular financial commitment. Betty left a portion of her estate to the party. The party is looking to set up a fund that will help take care

occur during political campaigns. The committee is charged with ensuring that the party is in the highest practicable state of readiness for a general election or parliamentary by-election campaign. The committee will develop a 2020 campaign strategy that will achieve effective differentiation from other political parties and deliver a strong result. We have a number of fantastic Green and Greensupporting councillors successfully advocating Green ideas in communities across Aotearoa and the executive has recently established a 2019 local government election coordination group to help provincial campaigns. Our staff are performing incredibly, but given our resource and financial constraints, core party activities and electoral success will be highly dependent on our branches, provinces and networks. Strengthening our grassroots is a priority for all. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa, many thanks to all of you for the energy, the effort and the kaha in all that you do for our party and the Green movement. Mā pango, mā whero ka oti te mahi. When people of all backgrounds come together, there is nothing they cannot accomplish.

Wiremu Winitana is co-convenor of the party and a member of Aoraki Province

of the long-term financial stability of the Greens, and Betty’s bequest will help us start that. Her legacy will be our legacy. Your will matters! Bequests are a wonderful way to make a difference. The party has already been the grateful recipient of several bequests and a number of people have been in touch to say that they are remembering the party in their wills too. If you want to know more or are considering including the Green Party in your will, please contact Sonja Deely by phone on 04 801 5102 or email to Sonja.deely@greens.org.nz

Sonja Deely is the party’s funding development manager

From the Party

Party co-convenor – similar challenges on a different scale

Focus on water set to deliver

Marama Davidson at the Ruamahanga River Photo by Rick Swaan

Marama Davidson

The Water Issue

This article was written for the general public in

response to growing concerns around waterways. Water is a taonga. When we actually start treating our waterways as the life-giving essence that they are, we will see real action to clean them up. People want to be able to swim in their local waterhole without getting sick, and to have drinking water that doesn’t cause illness or death. The Green Party has always championed swimmable rivers and safe drinking water and we will continue to lead on this to ensure the strongest plan possible. We need to strengthen the rules for making important water decisions like allowable levels of pollution. We need to ensure those rules are followed by all players. Big industry polluters who damage our environment for profit need to be responsible for cleaning up their mess. Also our wastewater, sewage and water storage systems aren’t always up to scratch – fixing this will need some love from both central and local government and support from communities to do so. After having clean water as a priority for over a decade, Greens have achieved a commitment from the Government to clean up rivers, lakes and aquifers (underground water sources). We are pleased that the Government has announced a clear programme to make our rivers swimmable. I want to thank tangata whenua groups, environmental activists and caring people all around the country who alongside us Greens kept this in the front of the minds of all politicians.

We are working with the Government for better quality standards and rules, for funding to clean up freshwater, and to end government subsidies for big polluting irrigation. Greens will push for local government to have the best water systems possible for generations to come.

‘We have achieved a commitment from the Government to clean up rivers, lakes and aquifers’ Greens are also the only party to understand that the most enduring plan to protect water is one that upholds Te Tiriti and works with mana whenua and their leadership in taking care of their own waterways for everyone’s benefit. Finally – local government elections are this year. This is the opportunity for ordinary citizens to elect councillors who can hold up their record of standing up for clean healthy water for everyone, not just for big industry profits. With your help we will ensure that more people can keep swimming in their local waterhole, that we can keep gathering kai for our family from water sources, that we protect our native fish and water plants, and that we can turn on the drinking tap without worry about getting sick. Kia ora Marama Davidson is the Green Party co-leader

Tiakina Ngā Wai – Save the Water Catherine Delahunty

This summer I have had the luxury of swimming in clean

Catherine Delahunty at the Wairua River, near Whangarei

from thousands of tonnes of fertilisers. There are huge issues with sediment and pathogens in waterways as well and we should be doing catchment-based management to identify and reduce these contaminants. Land use change is essential including the way we manage forests (or fail to). Synthetic nitrogen application on land must be reduced. The reduction of cows and the retiring of land next to rivers and lakes should be underway if we want to save water quality, but given the absence of political will we must rely on stronger rules. Hopefully the water quality standards will be better than the ridiculous numbers game that National tried to play to avoid a genuine swimmable standard. The public health cost of dirty water needs to be at the heart of any standard. We need to look at land use and its associated costs; water will never be clean unless the land is clean. That is why my river, which has very little industry upstream, is mainly clean. Lake Waikaremoana has healthy forest protecting water quality. Planting riparian strips is not enough, regional water rules are not enough. The Greens must push for clean water, fewer cows, and reducing fertiliser use asap. I also believe we must lead on Te Tiriti obligations and respect tangata whenua “ownership”, a word we have forced upon them, and ensuing rights to make decisions about water. Only then can we hope for clean water for everyone. Catherine Delahunty is a member of the Coromandel branch and a former Green MP and spokesperson on water

The Water Issue

freshwater, in the river at home and in Lake Waikaremoana. This should not be a luxury but it truly has become one. This summer there have also been a number of news stories about threatened lakes, rivers and beaches due to pollution. There has a been a Fish and Game opinion poll saying 82 per cent of people polled said they were very concerned about water quality. It feels just like last summer and the summer before that. It’s great we have a different Government but progress on water quality is slow. This is partly because it takes a long time to clean it up. However I have talked to some freshwater scientists and they are not happy. They know Environment Minister David Parker is committed to strengthening regulations, and better monitoring of water. He has even mooted taking regional councils to court if they do not take strong action against polluters. These words send out good signals even though the ministry is struggling with the idea that water is a public good, waterways are facing collapse and that radical action is required of them. But the Government has shown no leadership on Te Tiriti issues associated with water and has failed to address the fact that too many cows (dairy and beef ) are at the heart of rural waterway problems. The urban issues are intensifying due to population growth and ageing infrastructure but also because we rely on using rivers and the sea as overflow drains. No one is talking about water conservation strategies in cities and towns, or centrally funded innovation in wastewater management, but we should be. The prime minister seemed clear at Waitangi last year that her Government would not talk with tangata whenua about water rights. This is an Article 2 breach. The Greens have been pushing for recognition of these rights rather than Labour’s proposals which are suggesting iwi get some water use rights from whatever is left after already allocated rights. There has been no recognition of rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga as inseparable rights and responsibilities. When I toured the country two years ago to focus on rivers, the leadership of manawhenua was obvious and fundamental. The least this government could do is commit to a Tiriti-based solution to the water issue. In the meantime the pristine water bottling export business continues. Cows are one of the elephants in the room but as the Government includes allies of the corporate farming lobby, reducing animal numbers is not on the table. This is very disappointing because unless we reduce numbers we will not address nitrate levels from urine and the pollution

Irrigation is contributing to the spread of dairying. Photo by Caroline Wood/Forest & Bird.

Is there a simple solution to our freshwater crisis? Mike Joy

The Water Issue

The problems faced by New Zealand’s environment,

particularly freshwaters and soils, are wicked, complex and intertwined. After struggling with these issues for a half a lifetime, it strikes me with great clarity that if you look at each in isolation they seem intractable; but when you grasp that there could be one single solution that addresses them all, then suddenly there is a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel. Take, for example, a subset of the many environmental issues facing New Zealand, such as bacterial and pathogen contamination of water and soil, excess nutrients in waters, excess sediment in waterways, freshwater habitat loss, groundwater contamination from pesticides and nutrients, and the huge loss of the mauri of waterways. Any of these issues appear impossibly hard and/or expensive if evaluated in isolation for costs or for the difficulty or value of resolution. But if there was one action available that substantially addressed all of the issues listed above, then the decision would be simple – take that action. When multiple gains can be made for the cost of a single action, and the combined gains far outweigh the single cost of that one action, the next move is obvious. When it comes to the freshwater crisis, a single solution does exist – simply, reducing farming intensity: fewer cows. A classic example of a problem seeming intractable or too expensive when taken in isolation was the analysis done in the lead-up to the Government’s plan to make 90 per cent of rivers swimmable by 2040. The investigation reported that the cost to achieve the outcome would be $217 million. Predictably, this was considered outrageously expensive. But the elements crucially missing from the analysis were the multiple benefits over and above just achieving

‘Markets for plant-based dairy and other products like meat alternatives are multiplying exponentially as diets change among the more affluent populations globally and locally.’ swimmability – things like nutrient and sediment reductions, biodiversity gains, carbon sequestration and so much more, including in some areas significant savings for farmers from reducing stock losses and mortality in waterways. Another example of looking at a problem in isolation and deeming it too hard and too expensive came from agricultureindustry spokespeople after the recent release of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s report on methane emissions. The report concluded that to meet climate change agreements an urgent 10-22 per cent reduction in methane emissions is required (not to reduce warming, just to stop adding to it). The farming industry immediately weighed in with scaremongering, estimating the cost to be $240,000 per farm per year. Once again only costs were considered, not the multiple other gains that would come from stock reductions. Furthermore, there are many studies of farms showing that significant stock reductions lead to none of the predicted loss of profits claimed by industry and Federated Farmers. In fact, in many cases the reverse is true, with gains predicted and/or shown in profit. Profit increases with reductions in stock may seem counter-intuitive, but come from reductions in inputs and thus expenditure. A published example from

'As soon as possible, we should move away from high-intensity, animalbased agriculture towards lowimpact farming with more diversity, fewer animals, and biologically optimised farming systems.' Massey University showed that on a model dairy farm, reducing cow numbers by 23 per cent meant that synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and winter crops were no longer required, and profit increased by 14 per cent. But the crucial figure was that the reductions in cow numbers by 23 per cent reduced nitrate leaching by 43 per cent. Moreover, as I have noted above, there are many other gains, including reductions in stress on farmers, their animals, their soils and much more. There is, however, a conundrum here, because most agricultural analysts and scientists have some kind of vested interest in the status quo, or in putative technological solutions. So, when a solution to a problem is to do less of something, the chances of that solution seeing the light of day are slim. By contrast, if the solution is doing more of something (usually technological fixes, even if they are completely unproven), that is the answer most likely to be given. For example, the New Zealand agricultural industry’s response to the need to reduce methane emissions has been to avoid even discussing reducing intensity – they have instead highlighted a raft of technological fixes to allow business-as-usual to continue. The mitigations proffered to reduce methane emissions range from genetically engineered grass to vaccines, but all are still under development and a long way from implementation or even feasibility studies. Again, crucially, even if they do prove eventually to reduce emissions, they mitigate only one facet of the problem (methane), whereas lowering stocking has multiple gains across all the issues, including the other greenhouse gases. There is a raft of threatening issues converging, key to the future of New Zealand’s environment and of all civilisation, and they have implications for most human activity. Foremost are the climate impacts – some already locked in – and the unequivocal need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 at the latest, in an attempt

This is an edited extract from Mike Joy (Ed), Mountains to Sea: Solving New Zealand’s Freshwater Crisis (Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, 2018).

The Water Issue

Freshwater ecologist Mike Joy

to keep warming below 2˚C. Add to this the limits on many of the resources until recently taken for granted. Otherwise known as “peak everything”, these limits are fast approaching and include critical elements such as easily obtained (cheap) fossil fuels, phosphate fertiliser and antibiotics, as well as peak levels of methane and nitrous oxide emissions. The number of reports calling for reductions in animal-based food has been growing since the Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2006 report, Livestock’s Long Shadow, highlighted the impacts of animal agriculture on the environment and human health. The most recent of these analyses the safe operating space for livestock (the space that can contain all the pollutants) and calls for 50 per cent reductions in meat and dairy [production] in the European Union. As the impacts of animal agriculture are highlighted, there are burgeoning numbers of comparisons being made between the environmental impacts of food production in different countries and for different food products. The comparisons are made using environmental footprints across a range of measures, from water use to greenhouse gas emissions; as this makes production impacts more transparent, the pressure on farmers and food production to minimise the impacts of agriculture moves from regulation to consumer choice. Markets for plant-based dairy and other products like meat alternatives are multiplying exponentially as diets change among the more affluent populations globally and locally. For New Zealand this plethora of threats coming from many different angles are converging, and present daunting environmental and economic risks. The signs are clear, and there is an imperative for New Zealand to pre-empt the catastrophe. As soon as possible, we should move away from high-intensity, animal-based agriculture towards low-impact farming with more diversity, fewer animals, and biologically optimised farming systems, rather than the current systems optimised mainly for maximising production volume and capital gains. The essential changes will require agricultural leadership, which has been almost non-existent, the one exception being the Landcorp/Pāmu example. Key to progressing in the right direction is keeping people with vested interests as far away as possible from decision-making positions; thinking long-term; and, finally, choosing the change that maximises multiple gains by ensuring problems are not considered in isolation. The prescription is clear for a viable future for New Zealand and for civilisation. Moving into the storm of climate and economic issues, we must drastically change many things we do, but primarily we must have and protect a liveable planet at any cost. So, we must arrest the declines in the health of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the atmosphere, and become more resilient. To do this we must significantly reduce animal agriculture, and de-intensify food-production systems.

Waste not, want not – ending obsolescence Eugenie Sage

From the Benches

An extra $181 million in funding over four years for the

Department of Conservation to help look after nature is just one example of what we have achieved in government. We’re committed to the huge task of better protecting nature so that our native forests and birds like kiwi, kākā and kākāriki can thrive, while doing our part to safeguard our home on Planet Earth - by tackling waste. Our oceans are becoming increasingly polluted with plastic. The United Nations estimates that plastic in oceans will weigh more than all the fish that live in them by 2050 unless we make major changes. The futility and the huge impacts on nature and society of a consumerist, throwaway culture are increasingly recognised. More people want to reduce the waste we produce. We can make our economy more efficient, and reduce our environmental footprint and greenhouse emissions, by reducing the waste we create. Previous governments have not done enough to encourage good product design, proper recycling, and materials re-use and recovery, so that much less ends up in landfill as we shift to a zero waste economy. Businesses, especially manufacturers and retailers, have a huge opportunity to step up and switch to designing, making and selling products that can be easily repaired; where component materials can be recovered at the end of their life and repeatedly re-used. Instead of a ‘take, make and dispose’ approach to resources we can shift to a ‘make, use, re-use or return to nature’ approach. We want a New Zealand that protects nature from harmful waste and lives up to our reputation as clean and green. Some of the things we are working on include: • Single-use plastic shopping bags will be phased out from 1 July 2019. • Expanding the waste disposal levy to all landfills. At present it only applies to 10 per cent of landfills and 30 per cent of waste. This will help discourage material going to landfill and provide funds to help progressive businesses and councils minimise waste and promote resource recovery. • Supporting progressive businesses to recover and reuse plastics, reprocessing them into new products, so we don’t have to send plastic waste overseas. • Establishing mandatory product stewardship for products like tyres, so that suppliers take responsibility for end-of-life tyres with support from retailers and users.

A child picks up litter during a beach clean-up at Petone. Photo by Tim Onnes

‘Suppliers take responsibility for end-of-life tyres with support from retailers and users’ • Incentivising businesses to produce products and packaging that can be reused, or make it easier to recover component materials. • Improving waste data: we’re going to collect more data and take the time to learn what we throw away and what opportunities exist to reduce it. • Making the shift to a circular economy where businesses are encouraged to produce products and packaging with materials that can be repeatedly reused, and take responsibility for the waste they produce. This year we’ll be keeping you up to date with our campaign and asking you to get involved, whether it be calling out big business for poor waste management, or rolling up your sleeves for a beach clean-up. I hope to see you around! Eugenie Sage is the Minister of Conservation and Associate Environment Minister (Waste)

Three ticks Green in 2020 Pete Huggins

On the 24 October 2017, after a gruelling and often

painful election, we ratified our Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Labour Party to help form this Government. Section 19 contains the following commitment: ‘Increase funding for alcohol and drug addiction services and ensure drug use is treated as a health issue, and have a referendum on legalising the personal use of cannabis at, or by, the 2020 general election.’ Since then we’ve been working hard to deliver on this promise. At the end of 2018, after the most intense year of my life (which is no small feat given the 2017 election) we were able to announce two major wins in quick succession. The first was the Government’s response to the synthetics crisis, which I, and our policy team, worked doggedly on for several months alongside several ministerial offices. This will see an entrenched hierarchy of police responses employed on the frontline when they encounter drug users. The first step will require referring users into the health system rather than the justice system - those services will also have to be funded adequately. Instead of relying on ad hoc police discretion, New Zealand will now have accountable and transparent statistics about what methods our police are using. This is radical, necessary change. This is treating drug use as the health issue it is. Just five days after this announcement came confirmation from Justice Minister Andrew Little of a Cabinet Paper’s passage to give effect to a binding referendum on legalisation of cannabis at the 2020 General Election. Both of the above represent transformational steps towards ending the discriminatory, unjust War on Drugs. It builds on decades of work by Nandor, Metiria, Kevin,

MP Chlöe Swarbrick at a cannabis nursery in California

Julie Anne and thousands of Green Party campaigners, advocates and volunteers. Public appetite for change is strong, evidenced by how much we’ve shifted the conversation in the past 12 months, but even more so for the civil society ‘yes’ vote campaigns already gaining momentum. We’ll continue our work with the Government on the design of the referendum and will be pushing for meaningful community consultation, to ensure a model that works best to minimise harm in Aotearoa and repair historical wrongs. I have endless gratitude for the tireless Green Party members who’ve fought so long for this. As we’ve led the work on climate change, healthy rivers, inclusive education and so much more, we’ll continue to push boundaries for progressive change on cannabis and make it happen. Remember this slogan for 2020: three ticks Green! Pete Huggins is the Greens’ Parliamentary communications and strategic director

Harbour pollution highlighted at Waitangi A large contingent of party members including MPs, party co-convenor Wiremu Winitana and policy convenor Jack McDonald attended the celebrations at Waitangi this year. The local branch held a stall and a hikoi protesting against poor water quality in the Hokianga Harbour was organised and led by Greens. As part of the official welcoming for MPs at the upper marae, both Jack and James spoke and genuinely wowed the crowd, while Marama was seated on the mahau (porch) next to the prime minister. Attendance at Waitangi reaffirms our commitment to Te Tiriti and reminds us how much further we need to go to achieve justice for Māori.

From the Benches

Pete Huggins

Marama Davidson and James Shaw at the Waitangi water hikoi. Photo by Rick Swaan

Greens on councils can help deliver social housing, as in Palmerston North

Brilliant bouquet of opportunities to gain ground in local government elections Brent Barrett

It’s February already and we’re building up and counting

Our Networks

down to October elections. This is not just one election, but dozens across the regional councils, cities, districts and district health boards of Aotearoa New Zealand. Local body elections are really important; they directly affect us in our immediate surroundings. Local representative roles offer us a real opportunity for practical, charter-based progress, and can be both fun and effective - the more so since we Greens have a world-view, kaupapa and solutions that are particularly relevant and welcome in the local context. Local elections are a proven way to build awareness of the Greens and our solutions. This year there will literally be thousands of seats vacated nationally across dozens of community boards, 21 DHBs, 13 cities, 53 districts and 11 regional councils. Each has their own people, issues and dynamics - that’s where the fun comes in! There’s something for everyone, and it would be great to see a Green campaign influencing every single election this year. To start the conversation, I’ve gathered the options into three kete, with ideas in each to explore.

Green Future kete The Green Future kete holds places with very low levels of Green voters and/or voting systems that actively discourage Green candidacies. A possible solution to raise a Green profile could be: • Select a popular local issue, and make sure it is an election issue

• Develop a solution for that issue and raise its profile with a petition or campaign • Extract some promises from the candidates, and make sure those promises are made in public and on the record. This can be valuable practice for the next parliamentary elections, for example, where the cannabis referendum will place issue-based campaigning alongside electoral campaigning. You can also encourage others, or yourself, to just have a go. Stand as a Green with the primary purpose of raising the profile of the party. This will convince yet more people that yes, actually, we are your trustworthy friends and neighbours. It is also a time that as a Green, you can show that our solutions are based in values that we, as a community, all share. Even some that we already do – for example most people are going to agree with recycling and how that relates to being kind to our land. A candidate should think about the best way to represent the party in the public eye. It might be beneficial to go incognito - the famous ‘little g’ option where you are in fact a Green Party member, but for reasons of electoral convenience, you don’t say anything about it. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach is rife in local body politics, where the majority of candidates do not declare affiliations, but when you scratch the surface they are in fact affiliated, often to political parties or other major issue-based organisations with political clout. It would be unwise to lie if asked a direct question, but it doesn’t

mean you have to identify as Green in your relatively short profile in the voting documentation. Green Frontier kete The frontier kete holds places where we don’t have an overtly Green presence on a council, health board or community board, but where we should. The solution here is simple. Put together a cracker team and run an overtly Green candidate or two. This was the case in Palmerston North in 2016, where we had a unique conjunction of retirements from the council, a highly favourable voting system and a team ready to back a candidate. It worked a treat. For people ready to put in the effort campaigning, there can be real opportunities here for the party and the candidate. Again it’s all about the right people and the right issues. Candidates are much more likely to put their hand up where there’s an obviously organised support team and resources. So if being a candidate isn’t for you, make it known that you’re ready to support one. As a party, this is the strategy we should put our greatest endeavours into for 2019 - breaking new Green ground. Green Gains kete The final kete, Green Gains, holds places where we’ve already got a Green presence. This is about hatching a plan to grow and coordinate that presence and political leverage in a way that is true to our kaupapa and speaks to the local voter. Most of these places are known, urban and are already getting organised, so the best thing you can do is get in touch with your branch or local Green councillors. Team building Across the three kete, the question is where to find candidates and campaign teams. Well, they’re all around us. And yes we should be shoulder tapping inside and outside the party. Let’s put the word out that we offer a real opportunity for proven advocates and campaigners, who are passionate about social and environmental progress, to affiliate to a strong team. Let them know that they too can be part of a Green movement in Aotearoa New Zealand that is creating real change in local communities.

Let’s get cracking!

STV elections on the rise In 2019 there will be 32 Single Transferable Vote (STV) elections in New Zealand, including the 21 district health boards and the following councils: •

Kaipara District Council

•

Tauranga City Council (first time)

•

Ruapehu District Council (first time)

•

New Plymouth District Council (first time)

•

Palmerston North City Council

•

Kapiti Coast District Council

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Porirua City Council

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Wellington City Council

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Greater Wellington Regional Council

•

Marlborough District Council

•

Dunedin City Council

STV can help progressive candidates, including Greens, get elected but it isn’t essential. There are plenty of examples of Greens being elected in First Past the Post races.

Brent Barrett is a Green Palmerston North City councillor and holds a part-time role in science at a Crown Research Institute

Our Networks

Green Horizon Regional Council councillors Nicola Patrick (left) and Rachel Keedwell

Each one of us should be shoulder tapping the likely starters for campaign teams and candidates. The worst that can happen is they’ll be flattered that you thought of them. Don’t forget to encourage people with an existing profile and ensure you still support them as well. One thing that distinguishes us Greens is that there is not much overlap or transition between local body candidate pools and parliamentary candidate pools. That should change. By involving more future and former parliamentary candidates in local body elections around the country, we can overcome our list-only persona. I’d go so far as to say that candidates from 2017, or who are eyeing 2020, should be planning to use this election to their and the party’s advantage. Finally, a tone for our local government campaigns this year. Let’s ensure we’re fun, relevant, valuable and everywhere. Whether it’s a petition for a local solution, a tilt at leadership in a major city, or supporting a candidate for any of the thousands of seats available, find your opportunity and get in amongst it. This election is a bouquet of brilliant opportunities to gain ground, build profile and create political change; all of which gives our caucus even more leverage and builds momentum for 2020. These local election opportunities are the most important ones we have in 2019 - because they’re here and now.

Auckland local government campaigners L-R: Denise Roche (Waitematā) Saffron Toms (Waitākere Ranges) Cathy Casey (Auckland Council) Steve Tollestrup (Waitākere Ranges) Jessica Rose (Albert Eden) Nicholas Mayne (Upper Harbour), and MP Chlöe Swarbrick

Think globally, stand locally Maren Behrend

Our Networks

The Auckland Greens Local Government Committee was

formed at the beginning of last year to aim for more Green representation in local boards and trusts across the Auckland region. Initiated by former Green MP and current member of the Waitematā board, Denise Roche, the committee meets monthly to discuss election preparations. Auckland’s Super City with one mayor, 20 councillors, and 21 local boards has just five Green members among its elected officials, so there is plenty of scope for more. With that in mind the committee hosted a hui to give both the experienced and the inexperienced-but-keen a chance to discuss questions about running a campaign, winning and losing, and working within a local board or city council. The guest speaker was seasoned Auckland councillor Cathy Casey. While not a party member, she has worked beside Greens in her election team City Vision (a collaborative blend of Greens and Labour) and on Auckland City Council. Cathy strongly advocated that local government should mirror the diversity of the people represented. This is not the case in New Zealand politics. For example, Auckland city’s current council is 35 per cent female, whereas women make up 51 per cent of the population. If this is how a majority group fares, how well are minority groups represented? The Green Party is founded on the principle that “decisions will be made directly at the appropriate level by those affected”. This principle can only be attained if those people are in the positions where decisions are made. The hui identified many areas involving local decisions. The issues specific to Auckland include developing transport and cycle lanes, reducing homelessness, managing environmental issues like kauri dieback and climate change initiatives unique to our region. These are areas where local government has input and a voice that affects the communities in which we live. An elected Green can put forward initiatives that will support our values - encouraging more energy efficiency, social housing, community development, better Maoricouncil relationships, waste and sewage disposal, improved water infrastructure and protection of the local environment.

‘Does your local board or council reflect your interests, your needs and your values? No? Then maybe it needs your voice.’ While our Green MPs are working hard to promote our values, it is local councillors who decide how to implement the Green legislation enacted by Parliament. Of course, to be elected first involves running an election campaign. This takes time, money, effort and organisation. Fortunately we have experienced campaigners across the country who are willing to guide candidates in their journey. There is a process to follow for any candidate who is interested in running as an identified and branded Green Party member (sometimes referred to as an ‘upper-case G’ campaign, as opposed to running as a ‘green’ thinker in general). This involves being supported by five members of your branch, applying to join our local government candidate pool, and being interviewed by province representatives. If approved you can then stand for selection by your branch. With that endorsement you can officially declare yourself a Green Party candidate, and include the party logo on campaign literature. Look for the local government candidate selection document on the website for the detail, and start the process – now is good! The Candidate Selection and Electoral Process Committee oversees this process. The Green Party is here to bring about change, and much of that change starts locally. We hope that many more members will be inspired to get involved, either running for office or helping with campaigning. Does your local board or council reflect your interests, your needs and your values? No? Then maybe it needs your voice. For more information contact your branch coconvenors or executive representative. The national Local Government Committee co-convenor is Aaron Hawkins, aaron.hawkins@greens.org.nz. In Auckland contact Auckland Greens Local Government Committee Coconvenors Niko Elsen, niko.elsen@greens.org.nz, and Maren Behrend, maren_online@yahoo.com. Maren Behrend is co-convenor of the Auckland Greens local government committee

Chantal Grut

In the Greens’ social media campaign video for withdrawing

NZ troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, MP Golriz Ghahraman attributes the wars in those countries to two things alone – corporate interests and “an American style of doing things”. This message is overlaid on an image of President Trump, as the video states Chantal Grut that is “not who we are”. The strangeness of this messaging – given President Trump’s campaign history of advocating for military withdrawal – became apparent late December, when he directed the withdrawal of approximately half of all US troops stationed in Afghanistan. The response in Afghanistan is reported to be one of shock and a sense of betrayal. The New York Times quotes the International Crisis Group as saying that, “It’s clear that a rapid pull out of all international forces could spark the collapse of the Afghan government and start a new civil war”. On a personal level, I am afraid, for my friends and my colleagues in Kabul, for their families and their futures. There are arguments for and against military withdrawal from Afghanistan. They are complicated and the human consequence of every available option near unbearable. What is so painful to me is less the fact that both the Green Party and President Trump are calling for military withdrawal than the fact that we are doing so unilaterally, without any apparent consideration for what Afghans might think. Our video describes the international military presence in Afghanistan as an “illegal” American war. We do not seem to be aware of the fact that the military presence is based on two separate treaties signed by President Ghani in 2014, or that the Afghan government has lobbied tirelessly for continued international support. These treaties were signed with a remarkable democratic mandate. Then-president Karzai had refused to extend the international military presence beyond 31 December 2014 and the treaties were a major campaign issue in the 2014 presidential election. The vast majority of candidates supported signing the treaties, with the leading three candidates together winning 87.93 per cent of votes in the first round. While elections in Afghanistan are far from perfect, the first round of the 2014 vote was widely hailed as a success. Our campaign claims to be “pro-peace” and talks about mediation as a viable alternative to military presence. Like President Trump’s announced withdrawal, our plan does

“There are arguments for and against military withdrawal from Afghanistan. They are complicated and the human consequence of every available option near unbearable.”

not seem to have been made with any consideration of the actual ongoing peace process which the imminent withdrawal, and the manner in which it was announced (without apparent coordination with or warning to the Afghan Government or US diplomats working on negotiations), likely undermines. Our campaign also misunderstands the military withdrawal to date. We cite increasing civilian deaths from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from 2009 until today, stating that these deaths show military intervention does not work and only leads to more death and terror. We do not explain that this approximately 40 per cent increase in civilian IED casualties is actually correlated with a more than 80 per cent reduction in foreign troop numbers, from a height of around 100,000 during Obama’s 2009/10 surge to less than 20,000 today. In other words, IED deaths have gone up as troop numbers have gone down. The facts are these: our military has been present in Afghanistan since 2001 and has played a role in where the country is today. A democratically elected government has asked NATO allied forces to stay and help. International troop numbers have already dramatically decreased, together with a horrifying rise in violence and severe economic shocks. Regretting the invasion in 2001 is not a responsible reason to endorse withdrawal in 2019. Opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq – indistinguishable from Afghanistan in our advocacy – should be completely irrelevant. Afghan citizens continue to risk and lose their lives exercising their democratic rights, by voting, protesting, reporting, running for office, and myriad other forms of activism and expression. Their voices and their opinions are relevant. The choices of their elected representatives are relevant. After almost 20 years of military presence, we owe it to them to at least listen before advocating for what we think they need. I do not know if we should stay or go. I do know that withdrawal is not the automatically pro-peace, leftwing, humanitarian option, and I think Afghans should be participants in that decision-making process. I fear that some violence is a likely consequence of whatever path the international community takes, and I would hope that politicians in far-flung peaceful countries like New Zealand treat that reality with the weight that it deserves.

Chantal Grut is a partner in a Kabul-based legal consultancy, and lived in Afghanistan from 2012 to 2017. She is a member of the Waikato branch.

Greens Have Their Say

Greens need to find out what Afghans want

Adventurer learns a lesson about international development Philippa Stevenson

Our People

I’m skating across the surface of a country I barely knew

the history of, trying to make a difference in one small corner. Usually I’m holed up in a small corner of the Waikato, but since last September I’ve been a Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) volunteer in the Solomon Islands and have found myself in the vast world of international development. It’s come as a bit of a shock. I thought I was just offering my skills in journalism to a small media company in the capital, Honiara. My job title is ‘newsroom and editorial adviser’. I still remember the delight last March, after years of watching VSA job vacancies, to see one that I knew I could do. Off went the online application, followed by an interview in June, pre-assignment briefing in July, medical examinations and jabs in August along with loads of forms for this and that, making and filling lists and more lists, trying to buy summer clothes mid-winter, reassuring family and friends and, finally, an early morning flight on 11 September. A date that, if it wasn’t before, has definitely now become personally memorable. It was in the very thorough briefing session in Wellington that I realised my long-held personal goal to respond to need in person rather than via donation made me a small cog in international development, a sphere I barely knew existed. I’ve since joined the dots. NZ’s VSA, around since the early 1960s, is the country’s largest and most experienced organisation working in international development. Volunteers have been heading to the Solomon Islands since 1965, the organisation’s earliest days. In the last five years 107 of us adventurers have fetched up here. And it is an adventure. Daily. Sometimes several times a day. Another surprise, and a delight. Finding your way around a new town, society and country with sensitivity sure kicks out the cobwebs and revs up the grey matter. I’ve got one of the shorter assignments – six months – but many of my fellow volunteers (my beloved VSA whanau) are here for a year or two. Regardless of length of our stay we all need to quickly get as good a grip as we can on the nuances of the Solomons and its people if we are to be useful. Social gatherings are vital. Old hands generously inform newbies of the intricacies of negotiating Solomon life from the convoluted process of getting a car registered and on the road to which shop now has stocks of brown rice. Our aim is to build capacity in a country that has suffered the cumulative blows of colonisation, forcibly becoming a major theatre of World War 2, and the more

Philippa Stevenson with her Isles Media colleagues in Honiara

‘Finding your way around a new town, society and country with sensitivity sure kicks out the cobwebs and revs up the grey matter.’

recent deadly ‘troubles’ or ‘civil unrest’ from the late 90s into the 2000s that brought the Australian-led, NZassisted peacekeeping force Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to its shores. The last remnants of RAMSI left mid-2017. Volunteers are not here to do local jobs but have been invited by our assignment partners to upskill the people we work with to do their jobs. It’s an important distinction and a very hard line to toe. On one hand you may think you see how things ought to be done and, hey, you could just leap in and demonstrate that by taking over. No, no, no. On the other hand your workmates may like you to take over and do the work for them. Again, wrong. Go down that path and when your time is up you leave a giant hole where you should have left greater ability. Instead, with luck, perseverance, endless patience, lateral thinking and every skill you ever half thought you possessed, you hope that when your time is up you have made some small contribution. It won’t be big. You hope it is discernible. That’s been my biggest lesson about international development. The need may be great but progress is incremental. Yet the personal impact is profound. Many if not all volunteers go home knowing they have gained more from the experience than they imparted. I know I will depart with regret and gratitude. Regret because I will have wanted to help more. Gratitude because my Solomon colleagues entrusted me with their dreams. Philippa Stevenson is Waikato branch convenor and Te Awa Board co-convenor

urging Thames-Coromandel Mayor Sandra Goudie to sign the Local Government NZ Climate Change Declaration. Close to 50 councils have signed the declaration, which acknowledges the urgent need to address climate change, supports an ambitious transition plan towards a low carbon and resilient New Zealand and encourages the Government to be more ambitious with mitigation.

Councils commit to taking action to: reduce their own greenhouse emissions and local communities’ emissions; work with communities to prepare for and respond to the physical impacts of climate change; work with central government to deliver on national emission reduction targets; and support resilience in communities. The Coromandel district is facing worsening impacts of climate change on both sides of the peninsula, with flooding and erosion the main challenges. Thames families rally at Te Puru, Hauraki Gulf, to urge Thames Coromandel mayor to sign the climate change declaration. Photo by Niva Kay

Waste campaign makes a positive impact in more ways the one Sam Ferguson

Ōtaki is running a campaign to divert organic waste

Campaigning at the AP&I Show in Levin in February. L-R Sam Ferguson (Ōtaki branch co-convenor), Maddy Drew (Ōtaki branch co-convenor), Gareth Hughes, Charlotte Huckson, Brenda Sullivan, Jean Fleming

people willing to engage and support the campaign. The opportunity to talk with non-Green Party voters is really valuable and helps break through some of the stereotypes. Eugenie Sage was helpful early in the campaign as we were planning it and it was great to have Gareth Hughes attend for a day in Levin. Sam Ferguson is the Ōtaki branch co-convenor

Flax Roots Action

from the local landfill. We have collected 1500 signatures and will be taking our petition to both the Horowhenua and Kapiti Coast District Councils. The main objective of the campaign is for us to be out and about talking with local people and making a positive impact. We decided in 2018 that we needed something local to keep the momentum going between elections. After consulting with our membership we narrowed it down to waste as the topic of choice. We decided to focus on green waste with these two councils because a recent waste review highlighted that 49 per cent of kerbside waste collected in the Horowhenua is green waste. The Kapiti region sends about 70 per cent of their waste to Levin, so it makes sense to us to focus on both councils together. We have been to three fairs so far and have one more scheduled at the Ōtaki kite festival. This will take our total signature count to 2000 and we will then present this to both councils. The great thing about this campaign is that we get support from across the political spectrum, with so many

Mixed bag of strategies ready to roll: our remedies for the climate crisis Kate Fulton

Weather is local. It is what we wake up to and experience every day.

Policy Matters

Climate is the cumulative effect of weather regionally and globally. The effects of climate change will directly impact human lives through sea level rise, changing our weather patterns and causing more extreme weather events. Humans are adaptive by nature. Kate Fulton Our social evolution engenders a social responsibility. It also provides us with responsive skills to create resilience. However, global biodiversity is far more vulnerable to minute changes in local ecosystems. Deep ecology tells us the health and happiness of our planet is intertwined with the true health and happiness of our communities and individual lives. Therefore prioritising planetary wellbeing at a global, regional, local and individual level should always be paramount. The party’s policies reflect this understanding. The impact of our interconnected policies is increasingly apparent. We see it now reflected in the ambition of central and some local governments. We are taking action in multiple ways to decrease the effects of climate change, while restoring degraded local environments and improving the wellbeing of our communities.

Role of central government New economic models For 30 years globalisation, consumerism and a free market economy have prioritised corporate and individual profit. This has been at the cost of increased greenhouse gas emissions, worldwide environmental degradation and exploitation of the most vulnerable communities. Neoliberal ideology is the principal reason why climate science was constantly disputed; global remedial action was repeatedly stalled, and greenhouse gas emissions rapidly accelerated. Central government has an important role to play in creating a paradigm shift that replaces the past economic growth model with a coherent new economic narrative. This new economic model should act as a regenerative catalyst to prioritise our planet and its biosphere, stewardship of our local environments, and our people, their communities, their cultural values, health and happiness. Treasury has established a Living Standards Framework as a way to measure intergenerational wellbeing. It will use multiple indicators to measure the wellbeing of our people, our country and our future. It includes environmental indicators and considers resilience as part of our natural capital, but is yet to incorporate planetary health. COP24, Poland 2018 Climate Change Minister James Shaw participated in negotiations to develop globally binding agreements in line with the COP21 Paris Agreement 2015. The intention of this agreement is to limit temperature rise to below 2°C. The deadline for action is 2020. New Zealand sits within a group of

countries called the High Ambition Coalition, committed to achieving the goal of less than 1.5°C global rise. Zero Carbon Bill The intention of the Zero Carbon Bill is to bind the Government to set a pathway to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner. It would establish an independent Climate Commission of up to 10 experts who would provide advice on targets, policies and risks. They would hold governments accountable for delivering on targets. The Bill would also ensure transparency as New Zealand delivers on its international obligations. These include supporting developing countries, particularly our Pacific neighbours, to mitigate and adapt. Consultation on the Zero Carbon Bill took place in 2018 and a draft of the Bill will be considered by a select committee this year. Transitioning to 100 per cent renewable energy The Government has pledged that by 2035, 100

per cent of electricity generation will be from renewable sources such as hydro, wind, solar and ocean. The Crown Minerals Act 2018 does not allow any new offshore oil and gas exploration permits to be issued. On the flip side, Genesis had previously stated that weak demand meant their Huntly coal and gas station would be closed in 2018. However, since 2015 economic and population growth has increased demand. Huntly may now remain open until 2025 or 2030. The intention is gas will be used as a back-up during dry summer months, and coal is only used as an exception.

‘Planting more trees is one of the best ways we can mitigate existing CO2 emissions’ Green investments As part of its commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the Government has established a $100 million Green Investment Finance Fund. The intention is to encourage new green technology. By providing financial support it will rapidly grow and upscale private investment and business opportunities, such as electric vehicles, manufacturing, energy efficiency in commercial buildings, and farming practices.

Partnership with local government Reduce, reuse, recycle Six per cent of global oil consumption is used to create plastics. The breakdown of plastic - in landfill, in the ocean, or in an incinerator – results in the further release of chemicals and gases. We are only just beginning to understand the multiple impacts of plastics and micro plastics in our water ways, oceans and food chain. Recycling plastic is an important part of waste minimisation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing our use and reliance on plastic is an even more important step. Shopping bags are made of polyethylene, the most

highly produced single-use plastic, and a prolific emitter of both methane and ethylene gases. The Government intends us to be free of single-use plastic bags by the middle of this year. Replacing single-use bags with bags made of natural materials is key to decreasing our reliance on plastic, as is transitioning from plastic containers and bottles to recyclable or reusable glass and aluminium. Transport NZTA is supporting efforts to reduce emissions through increasing its investments in public transport and active transport infrastructure, including walkways and cycleways. It also supports resource efficiency initiatives and promotes the uptake of electric vehicles through financial incentives and improved charging infrastructure. Biosequestration As part of the COP21 Paris Agreement 2015, New Zealand signed the 4per1000 Initiative. This initiative focuses on increasing carbon sequestration through ecologically conscious soil management, also called ‘agroecology’. It was developed by French Minister of Agriculture Stéphane Le Foll. France has one of the most progressive regenerative agriculture programmes in the world. Regenerative agriculture focuses on using the deep root and fungal systems of plants to sequester carbon. It promotes a no-till approach to horticulture. This improves soil structure and decreases soil erosion, run-off, and sedimentation. Instead of tilling, thatched layers and mulch improve water retention and create microclimates. It also promotes ecologically managed small herd grazing, where composted manure naturally enriches soils. As well as increasing food production, regenerative agriculture results in increased income potential and nutrient content of food, compared with current farming practices. Community composting of urban food and green waste also benefits soil, while decreasing waste and subsequent gas emissions in land fill. Urban community gardens and food forests play an important role in providing local plant-based, food sources. Plant-based whole-food diets The recent report by the EAT-Lancet Commission delivered the first full scientific review of food systems. It sets out three goals: to nurture human health; to sustain population growth; and to protect our regional and global environments, including decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The

‘Neoliberal ideology is the principal reason why climate science was constantly disputed’ Warmer Kiwi Homes Council eco building design or sustainability advisors will provide free home assessments and advice on energy efficiency, including the best ways to heat, insulate and retain heat in your home. Warmer Kiwi Homes is a new four-year programme. It offers grants to low income homeowners which will cover two-thirds of the cost of ceiling and underfloor insulation. Local community organisations are also able to contribute to make the cost of insulating retrospectively as low as possible. Think global, act local The Green Party supports grassroots movements that encourage individuals to take action, both with how they choose to live their own lives and through community initiatives. Many of the steps you can take to reduce your own carbon footprint also benefit your own health and happiness, plus the health of your local environment. We all need to continue advocating to both central and local government that taking action to decrease the effects of climate change is crucially important to us. Kate Fulton is the party’s strategic policy adviser

Policy Matters

James Shaw announces Green Investment Fund in 2018

report explores the combined impact of low-quality and environmentally unsustainable diets, which it calls ‘loselose’ diets. The report proposes a healthy reference diet. This consists predominantly of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and unsaturated oils. It includes low to moderate amounts of seafood and poultry. It proposes no or low quantities of processed meat, processed food, added sugar, saturated fats, refined grains, starchy vegetables, and red meat. With an estimated global population of 10 billion people by 2050, even small increases in the consumption of red meat or dairy products make the sustainability goal difficult or impossible to achieve. In order to achieve all three goals, it advocates that a global transformation of our food systems is urgently needed. Provincial Growth Fund The $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund objectives include investing in initiatives that support environmental sustainability and opportunities to achieve our climate change commitments. It encourages more sustainable use of land, water and other resources while increasing productivity. One Billion Trees Programme Because trees absorb carbon dioxide through respiration, planting more trees is one of the best ways we can mitigate existing CO2 emissions. At the same time, we can regenerate deforested land with indigenous forests, decrease erosion by planting on steeper slopes, and improve water quality by planting riparian margins. The Government has set a goal to plant a billion trees over the next decade. Councils, conservation groups and iwi all play a key role in supporting the goal. Currently only 13 per cent of trees planted are native. Auckland and Wellington councils have set goals of planting up to two million mostly native trees by the end of 2020.

Clan McGillicuddy, Kaikoura 2017

Reviews

McGillicuddy Serious Party Manifesto Folio Edition, 1987 –1990–1993–1996–1999 By Clan McGillicuddy The Och-A-Non Publishing Empire, Hamilton.

It says something about the tumultuous state of New Zealand politics in the 1980s and 90s that, by 1996, the McGillicuddy Serious Party (McGSP) was the third longest standing political party in the country. Formed in time to contest the general election of 1984, which saw the end of the Muldoon era, the party was a constant presence through the days of Rogernomics and into the early years of MMP. At a time when political ideology in New Zealand was largely aligned along a rigid socialistcapitalist axis, the McGillicuddies were one of the few groups promoting alternative visions of society. Although they did this through “absurdist theatre on the stages provided by elections, politics for the sake of performance art”, the “Serious” part of their name was not entirely tongue-in-cheek. This folio edition reproduces, in a larger format than the original small booklets, the party’s manifestos from 1987 to 1999 (no manifesto was produced in 1984), retaining the original, predictably idiosyncratic layout, fonts, photos and artwork. Much of the content is repeated from one edition to the next, although some segments in early editions (eg “Religion”) are discarded, to be replaced by others (such as “Democracy”), while others are extensively rewritten, so that the evolution of McGSP philosophy can be traced.

Key to the McGSP worldview is the concept of Funism – “that the basic human drive is neither greed, nor cooperation, but … the desire to enjoy oneself, to have fun, to be happy.” A Funist society – “one in which everyone has the most fun possible” – is to be achieved through a “Great Leap Backwards”, a turning away from modern industrialised society with all its attendant ills in favour of a clan-based, decentralised agrarian system – “not a re-enactment of medieval Europe, but a regression with hindsight”. While replete with hyperbole and exaggeration for effect, the political doctrine the manifestos promote has a definite appeal, practicalities be damned. Each manifesto from 1990 onwards reproduces a poem by D. H. Lawrence, A Sane Revolution, which could have been written with the McGillicuddies in mind: If you make a revolution, make it for fun, don’t make it in ghastly seriousness, don’t do it in deadly earnest, do it for fun. ... Don’t do it, anyhow, for international Labour. Labour is the one thing a man has had too much of. Let’s abolish labour, let’s have done with labouring! Work can be fun, and men can enjoy it; then it’s not labour. Let’s have it so! Let’s make a revolution for fun! The New Zealand political landscape is a drearier place without them. Reviewed by David Riddell

Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement By Angela Y Davis Haymarket Books, 2016

The Big Questions: What is New Zealand’s Future? By Various Penguin Random House New Zealand, 2018

This book is a collection of interviews with and speeches by Angela Davis, an African-American scholar, activist and public speaker. She is a passionate advocate for prison abolition, and a passionate advocate on behalf of oppressed people everywhere, especially but not only for the Palestinian people. Explaining the connectedness between oppression, militarism and mass imprisonment globally, Davis promotes the importance of universal solidarity. A few years ago, she travelled to Palestine with a delegation of indigenous and women-of-colour scholar/activists, who were shocked to discover that the repression associated with Israeli settler colonialism was so evident and so blatant. The highly lucrative prison-industrial complex is of particular concern. More than two-and-a-half million Americans are incarcerated and many Palestinians, including women and children, languish in prisons under administrative detention. Davis is scathing about the role of security giant G4S in both countries. Our NZ Super Fund invests in G4S. When I review a book for Te Awa, it is usually one I am reading. However, this time, I had heard that a Birmingham, Alabama human rights award was about to be given to Davis but, under pressure from local pro-Israeli groups, the award had been rescinded. The people of Birmingham were incensed: they are going to present her with an alternative award themselves. So I went to our local library to see what I could find. Freedom is a Constant Struggle is not a biography. Readers will need to look elsewhere to learn about this remarkable woman; about her journey from the American Deep South, to Brandeis University, to the Sorbonne, to the Black Panther Movement, to the Communist Party, to prison, to Professor Emerita at University of California, Santa Cruz. Davis argues that the American black freedom movement, the 19th century abolition movement, was not just about political freedom, but also about economic freedom for the entire country: free health care, affordable housing, free education. Yet today, “We still can’t say that we have affordable housing and health care, and education ... has become so thoroughly commodified that many people don’t even know how to understand the very process of acquiring knowledge because it is subordinated to the future capacity to make money”. There is food for thought in this small book.

Fourteen varied and intriguing chapters explore key issues facing New Zealand and address some big questions - the introduction is entitled, ‘What’s to become of us? Will we be okay?’ International business journalist Rod Oram kicks things off with a response to the question ‘What will climate change do to our economy?’ Dame Anne Salmond’s concluding essay provides thoughtful answers to the question, ‘Can we learn to live with our world?’ With these two as bookends, you know you have a winner in your hands. All the contributors are influential people with experience in different fields. They were asked to outline what they think has caused the problems and challenges we now face – and to sketch out what needs to be done to ensure our future is a good and healthy one. The format draws you in: each chapter title is a question. You just want to read on for the answer. Who better to answer the question, ‘Is New Zealand the best place in the world to be a child?’ than Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft? And who better than Golriz Ghahraman to consider, ‘Who looks like a ‘Kiwi’? Who sounds like a ‘Kiwi’?’ It’s a book you can dip in and out of – each chapter is independent, so they don’t have to be read in order. I started with Tim Watkin’s insightful response to, ‘Can politicians still handle open debate?’ He laments the lack of openness during the years of the Key government and calls for more talking and debate and learning. “Without this sort of debate democracy withers on the vine,” he writes. Answering the question, ‘Are the arts fundamental to our society?’, Peter O’Connor is hopeful under the new government that policy might recognise that the central purpose of the arts is to remind us we are human – that the arts won’t have to justify their existence as a contributor to GDP. One essay considers the health care system, another prison reform. Others explore the skills children will need in the digital future, automation in the workplace, the future of our city streets, Maori law and national unity, and gender equality. The Big Questions should be read by elected officials at every level. Book clubs should embrace it as a starter for informed discussion and debate. In the end, it’s a good read for anyone interested in ideas for a brighter, fairer, more vibrant future for all New Zealanders.

Reviews

Reviewed by Lois Griffiths

Reviewed by Gord Stewart

Green World, February 2019

Green World

Compiled by Lois Griffiths

EUROPEAN UNION The European Greens have listed their priorities for 2019, including: • Fight climate change by phasing out coal, promoting energy efficiency and moving to 100 per cent renewables • Defend the right to asylum and establish legal and safe channels European Green for migration • Make trains a real alternative to Party co-chair Monica Frassoni planes in Europe • Protect the health of citizens by fighting air and water pollution, and stopping plastic waste • Produce good local, GMO and pesticide-free food; farm without cruelty to animals • Guarantee free access to quality education, fairly paid internships and good jobs for young people • Stop arms exports to dictators and warring parties, and foster development. Commenting on the elections in Brazil, European Green Party co-chair Monica Frassoni said, “We stand in solidarity with all those that came out to defend fundamental rights in this election of the far-right, pro-torture populist President-elect, Jair Bolsonaro, in Brazil. In the past, he has openly praised Brazil’s military dictatorship that murdered and tortured scores of people. It is extremely worrying that his extreme views towards women, homosexuality, and minority groups are now at risk of becoming mainstream. Progressive forces in Europe and around the world must now rally together to defend a vision of our future where people can freely express themselves without fear or judgement. International bodies and environmental activists and organisations must also guarantee Brazil’s vast natural heritage in the form of the Amazon rain forest.” Spanish Green MEP, Jordi Solé, and other MEPs, determined to see for themselves what the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) does, visited the Palestinian refugee Camp, Shatila, in Beirut Lebanon. Solé reported to the European Parliament, “I can assure you it’s a terrible sight. Thousands of people living in very poor conditions in just 0.4 square kilometres. We had the opportunity to talk to mothers and fathers of schoolchildren in the only school to be found in the neighbourhood. We also talked to doctors running the health care centre. They all implored us to keep UNRWA alive. Let’s not follow the argument of Trump’s administration. UNRWA has no ideology other than human dignity and human rights, and takes no sides in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.” AUSTRALIA Greens have announced a plan for free Technical and Further Education and undergraduate university for

everyone by 2023. The plan is also to provide a generous increase in living allowances for all students. By then, young peoples’ choices would “no longer be limited by the high costs of living and enormous debts that are an inevitable part of getting a degree today.” The Greens will continue to advocate for the Australian government to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. USA The Greens have called for a UN General Assembly Resolution authorizing the International Atomic Energy Agency to take over the Japanese nuclear reactors at Fukushima. The Greens view the continued contamination from the reactors as a serious threat. “The Japanese government has dumped one hundred tons of fresh water into each reactor daily,” explained Pennsylvania Green Tom Bailey. “These tons of water sink through the former Fuku reactors’ floors, join the ground water below and seep into the Pacific Ocean only yards away. Dumping radioactive waste into the ocean is illegal, and its effect on the global food chain will be devastating to all life on Earth for generations.” The Greens have also written to the International Olympic Committee, arguing that there must be a reduction in radiation levels before the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo are opened. Migrants from Latin America seeking asylum are being treated roughly by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Families have been broken up, children have died of dehydration. Border patrol agents have fired teargas on migrants and protestors near the Mexican border. The Greens describe “a bipartisan consensus to criminalise migrants and militarise the border. Under both Democrats and Republicans, our Government does not hesitate to spend millions arresting, incarcerating and deporting migrants who have no criminal record and present no threat to the US.” Furthermore the Greens argue that “to address the root of the problem at the border, we must begin by recognising the history of US intervention in the internal affairs of Central American countries, which has promoted human rights violations, exacerbated wealth inequality and prevented democratic movements from addressing the needs of the people”. The Greens oppose Trump’s plans for a Border Wall, and instead argue that the border should be demilitarized. The Greens are calling on Congress and the president to stop US interference in other nations that exacerbates refugee situations. Also, the Greens demand that US forces be removed from Central American countries. Lois Griffiths takes a keen interest in world affairs and has compiled Green World for Te Awa for many years

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