NZTA data confirms this is a high-risk intersection, with the greatest number of crashes occurring on Cornfoot Street heading from town toward Castlecliff. However, crashes have occurred in both directions, as well as on Morgan Street. Excessive speeds and poor road design continue to pose a serious hazard.

Responsible leaders welcome advice from experts when they are creating laws and policies. They know good decision making means planning for the long term, considering diverse points of view and making evidence based decisions. This is also key to a healthy democracy. Which is why Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour’s targeting and harassment of people in academics and officials is so concerning. The Prime Minister has the responsibility to ensure the conduct of Ministers of the Cabinet is fitting of their office and inline with the Cabinet Manual.  The Deputy Prime Minister’s deliberate targeting of academics and the exposure of Christchurch Council staff to ridicule by comparing them to Russian President Vladimir Putin, following their opinions on the Regulatory Standards Bill, appears to be a direct breach of the Cabinet Manual’s standards of conduct. It’s a blatant attempt to stifle academic freedom and any dissenting opinion. For the Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour to lead this online harassment campaign is concerning, as such actions could incite behaviour that spills into real-world violence. This is irresponsible and a clear breach of public trust. We expect our leaders to keep us safe, not throw us into harm’s way. Such behaviour by the Deputy Prime Minister compromises the safety and wellbeing of the targeted individuals and sets a dangerous precedent for how dissenting voices in our society are treated. It also breaches sections 2.53 and 2.56 of the Cabinet Manual. As Prime Minister and Head of the Cabinet, we urge you to immediately investigate this matter and address this serious breach of the Cabinet Manual.  We expect our officials to display the highest standards of conduct and ensure that all members of our community can contribute to public debate without fear of harassment or intimidation. An official letter to this effect has already been sent to Luxon - sign this petition if you want to add your power behind the call!  

As teachers, the wellbeing of tamariki and rangatahi is always at the forefront of our minds. We want children everywhere to be able to thrive and learn, and to grow up in a safe, stable environment. Unfortunately, our NZ schools are reliant on a leasing scheme which includes a contract between the Ministry of Education and HP - a company that provides computer hardware to the genocidal regime in Israel. HP products assist Israel in maintaining the illegal occupation of Palestine [1]. The contract between HP and the NZ Government is worth millions of dollars. HP currently supplies many teachers and education staff in schools across Aotearoa New Zealand with leased HP branded laptops, tablets and Chromebooks. This means that as educators in Aotearoa, we are using technology which supports a company that contributes to the ongoing occupation and genocide in Palestine when we do our mahi. This does not align with the values of compassion, equity, and care for future generations that we hold as teachers. Background HP Inc (US) provides services to the offices of genocide leaders, Israeli PM Netanyahu and Financial Minister Smotrich [2]. HPE, which shares the same brand, provides technology for Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority, a pillar of its apartheid regime [1]. This ID system forms a core part of the Israeli apartheid regime’s tiered system of citizenship and residency that privileges Israel’s Jewish population and gives inferior status and rights to Palestinians, especially those in East Jerusalem. HP's technology is used to uphold institutional racial discrimination and segregation in relation to freedom of movement, housing, employment, marriage, healthcare, education, and policing. This discrimination is further exacerbated in the case of Palestinian “residents” in occupied East Jerusalem, whose most basic rights can and are being revoked arbitrarily. The system also holds information about Israeli citizens living in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, therefore serving Israel’s settler colonial project directly [3]. HP has also worked directly with the Israeli military, helping build its IT infrastructure [4]. This has included a program with the Israeli Navy which enforces the illegal naval blockade on Gaza [1]. Teachers for Palestine Aotearoa stands with activist groups across Aotearoa who want to see our nation live up to a long history of fighting against oppression. We demand justice for Palestine! We call on Erica Stanford and the NZ Government to have courage, listen to what New Zealanders want, and cease all procurement agreements with HP. References: [1] https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/3774?hewlett-packard-enterprise-hpe [2] https://bdsmovement.net/BoycottHP-GazaGenocide-Update [3] https://visualizingpalestine.org/visual/israeli-id-system-animation/  [4] https://investigate.afsc.org/company/hewlett-packard

A restored Southerner train route offers affordable transport for 750,000 SI residents, bridging gaps where air is too costly for students/low-income, coaches inaccessible for disabled/elderly, and car travel unsafe/expensive. This boosts regional economic development and tourism. Recent rail investments, like Hillside Workshops, new ferries, and Inland Ports, confirm rail's viability in the South Island. 

Why we want Aotearoa to stay incinerator-free Incinerators are a serious health hazard Incinerators release highly toxic dioxins, heavy metals, and PFAS, among other pollutants. These are some of the most toxic substances known to science, and can cause things like cancer, damage to the nervous system and organs, birth defects and infertility! Would you want to be breathing, drinking and eating this stuff?  Incinerators still need landfills Incinerators do not stop the need for landfills. The ash, which can be as much as a third of the total amount of rubbish that went in, has to be landfilled and handled as hazardous waste. Along with that, some stuff simply can't be burnt ever because of its toxicity, or because the material simply isn’t burnable.  Incinerators are an economic loser The hype around incinerators suggests they will provide lots of jobs and economic benefits to the communities they are built in. But, for every job an incinerator provides, activities that actually stop the waste before it’s created - like recycling, composting, reuse and repair - provide hundreds more jobs and local economic activity.  Incinerators pollute air, land and water Even the most sophisticated modern incinerators release harmful substances out of their chimneys and into the ash and wastewater, leaving a toxic legacy for those spaces and ecosystems for generations to come. The toxic ash has to go somewhere - mostly to a specialised landfill, where the pollutants can leach out. Incinerators are a disaster for the climate In 2024 the BBC found that incineration is just as bad for the climate as coal power, and five times more polluting than the average unit of UK energy. New Zealand reports have also found that incinerators will spew out far more carbon than landfills, especially as more organic waste gets composted instead of landfilled to meet New Zealand’s methane reduction targets.  Incinerators keep the waste train going Incinerators need 20 to 30 years of burning as much rubbish as they possibly can to justify the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to build and run them. Imagine if all that money was invested in smart zero waste projects instead? What a waste!    Would you want a dirty incinerator in your community? For a future where the earth's resources are valued, where people have opportunities to do meaningful zero waste work, and where we know our air, water, soils and food is safe… Let's Keep Aotearoa Incinerator Free! FAQ Should we follow Europe’s example? Europe’s incinerators are not what they’re cracked up to be, and are fast becoming yesterday’s technology. These days Europe is retreating from burning rubbish because it is harming their climate and waste reduction, reuse and recycling goals. For example, Denmark has invested heavily in incinerators but now generates more waste per capita than any other country in Europe. They recently announced a plan to close down 30% of the country's incinerators in order to get their greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation under control. Wales and Scotland have also banned any new incinerators being built, and England is considering it too. And the EU no longer considers incinerators eligible for climate-friendly investment. What about technologies with fancy names like pyrolysis and gasification?  Despite all the hype, these technologies have a horrendous track record of failure across Europe and elsewhere. They might be OK for clean, organic materials like forestry slash, but add anything else and they create toxins as bad or worse than incinerators.  Aren’t incinerators generating much needed power? While companies like to sell these technologies as ‘waste to energy’, they not only produce dirty, non-renewable energy, but they are extremely inefficient. A study from 2023 found that European incinerators are only able to capture a small proportion of the energy they burn - roughly 25% at best, compared to around 35% for coal power, and 55% for natural gas. Zero waste - is it really achievable? Absolutely! Zero waste is not just about the literal goal of achieving ‘zero’; it's as much a practical toolkit and guidebook to drastically reducing waste across our communities starting with preventing the creation of waste in the first place. It is well-established, with an extensive evidence-base and a huge range of real life options already being implemented in communities all over the world right now. Check out the mahi of groups like Para Kore, Zero Waste Aotearoa, Zero Waste Europe, and GAIA for some inspiration!

🕰️ In 2025, the Misuse of Drugs Act (MODA) turns 50, half a century since it was written for a very different time. It’s been amended in patches but never properly reformed, leaving us with a system that is:  ➡️ Outdated and fragmented  ➡️ Inconsistent with modern science  ➡️ Costly to enforce  ➡️ Disproportionately harming Māori, Pasifika, and young people 📚 Between 2007 and 2010, the Law Commission undertook a thorough, evidence-based review. In 2011, it recommended replacing MODA with a new, health-focused framework. That advice still hasn’t been acted on. ⚠️ Since then, everything has changed:  ➡️ Synthetic cannabinoids, vaping, and novel psychoactives have emerged  ➡️ The Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 created a parallel regime  ➡️ Drug checking was legalised in 2021  ➡️ Medicinal cannabis access has expanded  ➡️ Other countries, like Canada, Portugal, and Australia, have updated their laws based on evidence 🔎 Aotearoa has changed too, in how we understand harm reduction, public health, equity, and our responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This petition is not about legalisation or decriminalisation. It’s about bringing our drug laws into the 21st century, grounded in evidence, focused on health, and responsive to the needs of all New Zealanders. 🔍 What this petition is not about 🚫 Legalising or decriminalising any drug 🚫 Repeating the 2011 review 🚫 Proposing a specific policy outcome ✅ This is a neutral, inclusive call for an expert-led, modern, cross-party review, not ideology, but good governance. 🧠 What the review should consider ➡️ Whether current laws reduce harm and promote public safety ➡️ If the framework is clear, proportionate, and equitable ➡️ The cost and effectiveness of enforcement ➡️ Alignment with health and Te Tiriti principles ➡️ International best practices and a consistent, risk-based approach ✊ Why now? 🧓 MODA is half a century old ⚖️ Inequities and harm persist 💸 Enforcement costs are high; outcomes remain poor 🧠 The 2011 review provides a strong foundation, ready to build on 📈 Harm reduction and public health momentum is growing 🗳️ It’s time for a unified, evidence-based system that works for all New Zealanders ✅ Join the call We’re calling for a modern, fair, and expert-led review of Aotearoa’s drug laws, one that reflects our shared values, honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and responds to today’s challenges. 📢 This is your chance to support a process that is:  ✅ Neutral  ✅ Cross-party  ✅ Grounded in evidence  ✅ Respectful of Te Tiriti o Waitangi  ✅ Designed to reduce harm and promote fairness 🖊 Sign now to help modernise New Zealand’s drug laws.  📨 Share this with your whānau, community, MP, and allies. Together, we can ensure the next 50 years are smarter, fairer, and more effective.

Why the Bill Matters The Bill proposes targeted sanctions against individuals and entities complicit in maintaining Israel’s unlawful presence in the OPT. These sanctions would restrict the movement of assets, services, and individuals between New Zealand and those contributing to violations of international law. The Bill builds on New Zealand’s existing sanctions framework—used in response to Russia’sinvasion of Ukraine—and is a credible, principled method for: • Upholding the rights of Palestinians, Israelis, and others affected by the occupation and apartheid policies. • Translating New Zealand’s verbal commitments at the United Nations into tangible legislative action. • Reinforcing the integrity of the rules-based international order and our obligations under international law. Call to Action This is a member’s bill. Under Standing Order 288, it may be introduced directly if 61 or more non-executive MPs express their support. Given the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, we believe the urgency of this situation justifies bypassing the standard ballot process. We respectfully ask you to: 1. Publicly support the introduction of this Bill, allowing Parliament to consider this critical issue in a timely and principled manner. 2. Advocate within your caucus for party support, and encourage fellow members to join the 55 MPs who already support the Bill, so we may reach the 61-MP threshold. 3. Commit to voting in favour at all stages of the Bill’s progression, demonstrating that New Zealand will not tolerate violations of international law. A Matter of Conscience Standing up for the fundamental rights of Palestinians—including children, families, and the elderly—is a moral imperative. History will remember those who chose to act in the face of injustice. We, the undersigned, urge you to stand with us and support this Bill. It is a vital opportunity for New Zealand to show leadership, uphold international law, and affirm the values we claim to represent on the world stage. Ngā mihi nui, Your constituents

These birds have no voice, no freedom, and no choice in their living conditions — but we do. I care because I believe all animals deserve dignity, stimulation, and the ability to behave naturally, especially when they’re under our care. It’s not just sad, it’s against New Zealand’s own animal welfare codes. If we don’t act, who will? This campaign is about doing the right thing, creating a small but meaningful change that reflects our values as a compassionate community. Let’s make Gore’s aviary something we can all be proud of.

On the 5th of May 2025, Ngati Oneone activated 'Oneone ki te whenua' 185 years to the day that our tipuna Rawiri Te Eke Tu signed 'ae ra' on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 80 years later, the whenua of his hapu was taken piece by piece in the name of public works and harbour development. Within 10 years Ngati Oneone was displaced and homeless, a people without whenua. Today the Gisborne District Council, Trust Tairawhiti and Port Eastland are the owners of what remains of that whenua. Port Eastland has offered a small piece back with conditions. Those conditions continue to oppress our right as a hapu to exercise our Tino Rangatiratanga, offering land and in return silencing our voice regarding future port development, RMA applications and the risk of being fined if we were to ever oppose them. 100 years removed from our whenua, enough is enough! Ngati Oneone Hapu has lived, bred and died on our tribal lands from Pouawa in the North of Gisborne to Te Toka a Taiau, Turanganui awa, including the lands known as Kaiti/Kai Iti/Puhi Kai Iti. In 1852 our first Pa (on Hirini St) was built. In 1885 the Harbour Board was enabled to carry out major works under the Harbour Board Act, in the area: • The blowing up of Te Toka a Taiau • The blowing up of Puakaiwai/Punaariki/Tuaiti Is • The removal of Te Poho o Rawiri Pa and tribal housing Under the Public Works Act, significant lands were taken, here to name a few: • Titirangi Maunga (parcels of land sold to pakeha individuals and corporations) • Rakau a Ue Urupa (roadway created, urupa desecrated) • Turanganui awa - Rua Koura (continued degradation) • Ruatanuika maara/gardens (destroyed) • Te Umu a Tawhiwhi (destroyed) • Te Waiu o Hamoterangi (destroyed) • Te Pioi Pa (destroyed) • Puhi Kai Iti - reefs (destroyed) • Roadway put through Rakau a Ue Urupa The raupatu of our lands has alienated Ngati Oneone occupation and cultivation in these areas, destroyed puna wai, wahi tapu and urupa. Atrocities on Ngati Oneone hapu, whenua and wai are actions that have been applied and imposed on our hapu for the past 100 years. In all those years, Ngati Oneone have not been treated in Fairness, Dignity or Human Rights. This cannot be the responsibility of the fourth generation to seek redress!

This is about the integrity of our culture, our right to protest, and the deep contradiction in how Māori identity is celebrated when it’s convenient, but suppressed when it’s powerful. If I were explaining it to a friend, I’d say: Bro, imagine our people being stood down in Parliament for doing haka, a sacred expression of who we are; during a time where it really counted!. Meanwhile, the All Blacks perform haka on the world stage, being celebrated and paid for it, that’s the same haka, that’s the same tikanga.  It hurts because it shows our culture is only palatable when it entertains, not when it resists, and if we don’t call that out, we’re letting the world think it’s okay to separate Māori culture from Māori struggle. I care because haka is not just a performance, it’s protest, it’s whakapapa, it’s survival, it's Māori.  If we let it be used without context or conscience, we’re letting go of something sacred, I’m not okay with that. It hurts my heart as a Māori to hear the silence from the All Blacks, they have a responsibility under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and as kaihaka to use their privilege and speak up. 

Under urgency and with no public consultation, the Government has changed the Wildlife Act 1953, directly threatening at-risk indigenous species. This action undermines a High Court ruling protecting them from development like infrastructure and mining, effectively paving the way for their potential destruction. These changes prioritise development over the survival of Aotearoa's unique natural heritage, when we should be doing all we can to conserve and enhance it. Aotearoa's biodiversity is already fragile*.  We cannot afford laws that facilitate the destruction of our precious wildlife.  We must act swiftly to reverse these damaging changes and strengthen the Wildlife Act to truly safeguard our native species, and for future generations. Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/08/new-zealand-our-environment-2025-report-native-species-face-extinction-threat “*More than 75 percent of indigenous reptile, bird, bat, and freshwater fish species groups are threatened with extinction or are at risk of becoming threatened.” https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/our-indigenous-species-are-at-risk-of-extinction Feature image: Archey's frog, Ian Preece

Ngā Take 10 Hei Hainatia i Tēnei Petihana    TOP 10 REASONS TO SIGN THIS PETITION 1. Kua piki haere te haurehu a ngā rangatahi—me tū ngātahi tātou te aukati i tēnei mate urutā. Youth Vaping Epidemic - vaping is spreading fast among rangatahi (young people), and it's becoming a serious health issue. Daily vaping among New Zealand teens has nearly doubled in one year, with 25.2% of 18–24 year-olds now vaping daily. Among Māori youth, this rate is even higher at 21.7% [6].  2. He mōrearea tūturu ki te hauora. The health risks are real — vaping isn’t as safe as purported. Vaping is linked to respiratory conditions, nicotine addiction, and impaired adolescent brain development. Emerging evidence also suggests a potential connection to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular risks (New Zealand Doctor, 2005). [7] 3. Ko ngā kamupene haurehu e  pūpuri ana a tātou mokopuna i te mate. Vape advertising is targeting our kids [7] — and our kids are becoming addicted. It looks nice. It tastes nice. It's addictive. It makes you feel good.  Flavoured vapes, bright packaging, and social media marketing are deliberately designed to attract young users. Some schools in Northland have reported finding children as young as 11 using vapes [8]. 4. Ka nui te utu ka utaina ki te ohanga ā tōna wā roa.  Vaping might look cheap now, but the long-term costs to our health system and communities are massive.  Treating vaping-related health conditions will place a growing strain on our healthcare system and taxpayers. Meanwhile, profits flow largely to multinational tobacco corporations. 5. He pānga kino tō te haurehu ki te taiao. Disposable vapes are polluting our whenua, waterways, and oceans — and they’re piling up fast [9].  6. E whakakāhore ana  ētahi atu kawanatanga o te ao hei ārai ēnei taputapu haurehu,  me pēnei hoki tātou o Aotearoa . Around the world, governments are stepping up to protect young people from vaping. The Cook Islands has demonstrated bold leadership by banning the sale of vapes and raising the smoking age to 21 [10]. We can take bold measures, too. 7. Ka puta mai ngā toa hoko haurehu ki kō, ki kō, ki ngā wāhi pātata ki ngā kura, ki ngā hapori, ki ngā kainga maha. Hanga tōmuri kē ngā ture o te rohe. Vape shops are popping up everywhere — and the rules aren’t keeping up.  As of mid-2023, there were over 1,200 specialist vape retailers registered in New Zealand [11]. Many operate through loopholes such as 'stores within stores,' making regulation difficult and we are now seeing global franchises such as “Shosha” stores penetrate our community. 8. Horekau he ture ā-rohe hei mimiti i ēnei āhuatanga raru ki te hāpori, ki a tātou mokopuna me ngā paru e panaia ki a Papatuānuku. Without local rules, vape shops are popping up everywhere — and our communities, our kids and the environment are at risk : The Far North District Council is currently the only Northland council without a smokefree/vapefree policy for public spaces. This leaves places like playgrounds and beaches unprotected. 9. Ka whakapau taima ngā kaiako te aru haere i ngā take haurehu i roto i ngā kura . Kāhore e pai te haurehu ki te hauora, ki te ako hoki. Vaping in schools isn’t just a health issue — it’s a disruption to education and the school environment. Teachers report vaping as a major disruption, taking time and resources away from learning. 10. Mā te reo kotahi o te hau kainga o Kaikohe o Kaitaia e tīni i ngā āhuatanga tūkino o ngā toa haurehu. Local voices can lead to real change. Let’s make sure our community is heard and protect our rangatahi from vaping. Local voice matters. Our communities should determine the types of businesses allowed to operate here, not corporate interests profiting from addiction. Me tupu pakari a tātou tamariki. Tuhia tō ingoa ki te petihana, āwhinatia mātou ki te tū mō tō rātou anamata. Our kids deserve to grow up safe and strong. Sign the petition and help us stand up for their future. References [1] https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/smoking-and-vaping-among-14-15-year-olds-government-action-urgently-needed [2]https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/article/undoctored/vaping-causes-incurable-lung-disease-groundbreaking-study-shows [4] https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/04/10/unacceptably-high-sales-to-underage-vape-buyers-revealed/ [5] https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/E-cigarettes_and_teens/  [6] https://www.health.govt.nz/publications/smoking-status-of-daily-vapers-new-zealand-health-survey-201718-to-202122  [7] https://nzmj.org.nz/media/pages/journal/vol-137-no-1589/exposure-to-digital-vape-marketing-among-young-people-in-aotearoa-new-zealand/dc9761c255-1706653375/6317.pdf [8] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/vaping-in-schools-being-stubbed-out-with-homegrown-northland-lessons/GWARQTN6UFAFRMIFTCFQQZDSBU/  [9] https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/are-disposable-vapes-bad-for-the-environment/  [10] https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/517488/cook-islands-bans-vapes-smoking-age-raised-to-21-if-you-don-t-smoke-you-still-die-opposition-mp-says  [11] https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/2024-08/RIS-visibility-of-vape-products-and-proximity-of-Specialist-Vape-Retailers-Redacted.pdf  Further reading J, Erhabor., Z Yao., Erfan Tasdighi, Emelia J Benjamin, Aruni Bhatnagar, Michael J Blaha. 2005. E-cigarette Use and Incident Cardiometabolic Conditions in the All of Us Research Program, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaf067