The old Motueka Wharf is a beautiful natural environment and the pōhutukawa trees should not be removed with upcoming restoration. They stand as guardians of a serene natural environment, providing a vibrant habitat for native birds and an essential nectar source for bees. For many in our community, these trees are not just flora; they create a sanctuary that offers solace, reflection, and joy. Being amidst them, whether on a family picnic or a solitary walk, refreshes our spirits and connects us deeply to nature. This is a beautiful shady area when it's too hot and also a great shelter from the wind. This area is easily accessible for disabled people to get out and about in nature also, providing the perfect environment if you can't walk or walk far to sit and be in peace in nature. Sadly, the upcoming wharf restoration project plans to remove these beloved trees. While they want to restore the wharf it should not come at the cost of our precious natural heritage. Removing the pōhutukawa will lead to the destruction of bird habitats, diminish the bee population, and strip away a cherished community space. Moreover, the aesthetic and ecological value of these trees cannot be replaced once uprooted. There are alternatives. With proper planning, we can preserve both the historic structure of the wharf and the natural environment these trees provide. Modern engineering offers solutions to integrate the pōhutukawa into the restoration work rather than seeing them as obstacles. We urge the decision-makers and stakeholders involved in the project to reconsider this portion of the plan. Let us collaborate to find a more sustainable and inclusive approach that supports the wharf's restoration while preserving the pōhutukawa. This is a moment for us to demonstrate our community's commitment to ecological balance and cultural heritage. By signing this petition, you are supporting a vision for Motueka Wharf that respects both our past and our environment's importance for the future. Please join us in preserving these iconic trees and ensuring they continue to be a part of our community's legacy for generations to come. Sign now to make a difference!

With three major parties now supporting affirmative consent law reform, Parliament has a genuine opportunity to act before the election. Last week, National announced its support, joining Labour and the Greens in recognising that New Zealand’s consent laws need to change. There is already draft legislation and enough support to progress it. With only limited sitting dates remaining, delaying reform risks treating the safety and dignity of victim-survivors as an election issue, rather than the humanitarian issue it is. We want an Aotearoa where every person, especially our rangatahi, grows up understanding that consent is not silence, uncertainty or the absence of resistance. It is something freely and voluntarily given, actively communicated, and grounded in mutual respect. For too many victim-survivors, sexual violence is not a single moment that simply passes. Its effects can reach into how people feel in their bodies, relationships, schools, workplaces and communities for years afterwards. It can affect mental health, trust, education, whānau relationships and a young person’s understanding of what they are entitled to expect from others. Our laws should reflect the seriousness of that harm and the basic truth that every person has the right to sexual autonomy. New Zealand’s criminal law does not currently contain a positive statutory definition of sexual consent. The Crimes Act identifies some circumstances where consent is absent, but it does not clearly say what consent is. This gap leaves room for outdated and harmful assumptions: that someone must fight back, say “no” in a particular way, or that silence, hesitation, intoxication, a past relationship or simply being there can be treated as agreement. A clear affirmative-consent framework would help shift the focus to communication, mutuality and respect. It would make clear that consent cannot be presumed, while supporting the conversations our young people need to have about healthy relationships, boundaries and care for one another. This reform would not weaken the fundamental protections of the criminal justice system. The prosecution would still have to prove every element of an offence beyond reasonable doubt. It is about ensuring the law is clear, fair and capable of reflecting what we now understand about sexual autonomy and harm. The call for change has been building for years. In 2022, more than 12,000 people signed the Consent Law Reform campaign petition. In 2023, the Justice Committee unanimously recommended that Parliament re-examine the law on consent. Victim-survivors, rangatahi, whānau, advocates, community organisations and legal experts have continued to call for change. This is not a party-political issue. It is about whether Parliament is prepared to put dignity, safety and wellbeing ahead of election politics. No young person, victim-survivor or whānau should have to wait through another election cycle for the law to catch up with what we know about consent, safety and healthy relationships. Parliament has a practical pathway and sufficient support to act. It should do so now. References and supporting information • Justice Committee report on the Petition of Layba Zubair: Review of Sexual Consent Laws • Consent law reform could pass now, says legal expert • National promises stricter rules on sexual consent | RNZ

This is important because climate change is the most serious and important issue facing humankind. We have a rapidly closing window of opportunity to prevent catastrophic damage to the natural world and all human populations. The National Party / ACT / NZ First coalition government has already removed all previously useful emissions reduction laws and policies, leaving us only with the failed ETS scheme. This type of failure is not an option if we are to prevent the extreme weather events we are beginning to experience from escalating in both speed and scale.

The reduced subsidy is coming at a time when many people are already struggling with the rising cost of living, and risks limiting people with disabilities’ access to work, healthcare, grocery shopping, and other everyday social and community activities. Returning the subsidy back to 75% will allow for greater accessibility to the service, and thus greater outcomes for people with disabilities. Total Mobility is not a luxury, it is an essential service that must remain accessible.

In Aotearoa, tāngata whaikaha (disabled people) experience significant inequalities in healthcare access and quality compared to non-disabled individuals across all stages of life [3]. Similar inequalities are seen within policing systems, where tāngata whaikaha face inadequate support and discriminatory practices [4]. In a report by the Health Quality & Safety Commission Te Tāhū Hauora [3], it was found that:  • Disabled people die from treatable conditions at five times the rate of non-disabled individuals. • Māori disabled people die from treatable conditions at nearly ten times the rate of non-Māori, non-Pacific, non-disabled individuals. • These inequalities are intensified for people with multiple disabilities and for Māori and Pacific disabled people. • Disability is largely absent from health data, as most major health datasets in Aotearoa do not record disability status. Research from the Donald Beasley Institute regarding policing delivery for tāngata whaikaha [4] found that:  • Police in Aotearoa often lack the training to identify and respond to disability (including neurodivergence, psychosocial disability and learning disability). • Disabled people often feel their disclosures of disability are not believed or are ignored by police. • Some disabled people experience escalation of police contact, including use of force due to misinterpretation of disability. • Disabled people may be criminalised for disability-related behaviour instead of receiving appropriate health or disability support. No society should tolerate preventable harm caused by systematic failure. Tāngata whaikaha have a right to be treated with dignity, safety, and respect across all services. References 1. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/547526/11-year-old-put-in-mental-health-facility-given-two-doses-of-antipsychotics-minister-says  2. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/556934/misidentified-11-year-old-injected-with-drugs-rarely-given-to-children-review-finds  3. https://www.hqsc.govt.nz/resources/resource-library/a-window-on-disability/ 4. https://www.donaldbeasley.org.nz/our-projects/understanding-policing-delivery-takata-whaikaha-ddeaf-and-disabled-people 

In January and February 2027, the Black Caps host Sri Lanka for eight matches: three ODIs, three T20Is and two Tests across seven venues: Napier, Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch, Nelson, Mount Maunganui and Hamilton. Not one of them is in Auckland. We're asking New Zealand Cricket to fix that. Why this matters Auckland is New Zealand's largest city and home to its largest Sri Lankan community, a community that has more than doubled in a decade and shows up for its team. Anyone who has stood in a Sri Lanka crowd knows the sound of it: the drums, the flags, the families three generations deep, the roar that turns a ground into a carnival. In 2027, the schedule asks those supporters to drive hundreds of kilometres to be part of it or miss out entirely. Eden Park is the only ICC-sanctioned international ground in our biggest city. To skip Auckland is to skip the people who make these fixtures feel like an occasion. And here's the thing: New Zealand Cricket already agrees Auckland deserves more cricket. NZC has publicly backed redeveloping Eden Park precisely to bring more international fixtures back to the city. This petition simply asks them to honour that ambition now, not in some future stadium, but in the summer of 2027.

Context  April 15 marked three years since the outbreak of war in Sudan. The crisis has escalated into one of the most severe humanitarian emergencies globally, with over 33.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance; more than half the country’s population. Approximately 25 million people face acute food insecurity, while more than 14 million children require urgent humanitarian support.¹ Sudan is also experiencing the largest displacement crisis in the world, with more than 12.4 million people forcibly displaced, including approximately 8.6 million internally displaced people and millions seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.² The conflict continues to involve widespread violence against civilians, including documented reports of systematic sexual violence against women and girls, particularly in Darfur.³ United Nations Independent Fact-Finding Mission reports (2026) identify hallmarks and indicators consistent with genocide in Darfur, including ethnically targeted violence and atrocity crimes.⁴ Despite the scale of the crisis, Sudan remains significantly underrepresented in global media and public discourse. This petition responds directly to the urgent humanitarian realities impacting Sudanese communities globally and within Aotearoa New Zealand. Policy and Human Rights Context New Zealand is a signatory to: • The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights • The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) • The Convention Against Torture These frameworks affirm: • The right to seek asylum • Protection from refoulement • The right to family unity • The obligation of states to respond to mass displacement and humanitarian crises This petition is further grounded in the Global Compact on Refugees (2018), which calls for expanded pathways to family reunification, increased international responsibility-sharing and strengthened protection mechanisms in contexts of large-scale displacement. These commitments are reinforced by Te Tiriti o Waitangi-informed principles of equity, active protection, and partnership, which require that state systems operate in ways that uphold dignity and fairness for all communities in Aotearoa. The scale, duration, and severity of the conflict in Sudan warrants a targeted humanitarian response, similar to pathways previously extended to other conflict-affected populations. In particular, there is an urgent need to prioritise family reunification pathways for Sudanese communities already living in Aotearoa, including extended family members, as part of a rights-based and humanitarian response consistent with international obligations. References ¹ UNICEF Sudan Humanitarian Situation Reports (2025–2026); World Food Programme Sudan Emergency Updates (2025–2026). https://www.unicef.org/sudan/reports/unicef-sudan-humanitarian-situation-report-2025 https://www.wfp.org/news/joint-news-release-wfpfaounicef-risk-famine-persists-nearly-195-million-people-face-acute-food ² UNHCR Sudan Emergency and Regional Refugee Response (2025–2026). https://www.unhcr.org/emergencies/sudan-emergency https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/sudan ³ UN Women Sudan Crisis Reports (2025–2026); Human Rights Watch Sudan Documentation Reports (2025–2026). https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/faqs/how-women-and-girls-are-being-targeted-in-the-war-in-sudan https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/sudan ⁴ United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan (2026). https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/fact-finding-mission-sudan

We’re food producing champions. We should be able to feed our people. Too many children go to school hungry. Too many people are skipping meals because the money runs out before the week does. Too many of us are making tough choices between nutritious food, rent, power, health care, fuel and other essentials. As a nation, we’ve never been short of ingenuity when something needs fixing. Our food system needs redesigning, and we all need to work together to find the solutions. We need a commitment to a long term plan to deal with the underlying causes of food insecurity, rather than just muddling along with an increasing amount of hungry families needing foodbanks. We are everyday people: iwi, hapū, whānau members, mums and dads, aunties and uncles, farmers, fishers and food producers, health workers, community groups, educators, businesses, organisations, and eaters. No matter who we are or where we are from, we all agree food is not getting the serious political attention it deserves, and that needs to change. We can do better. We are calling on all political parties to make a genuine commitment to a food system that works for everyone. We want to see this commitment before the election so we can support those with the best solutions. Specifically, we want to see: A long-term plan. Affordable, healthy kai for everyone. Farming and food that looks after animals, the land and the ocean. A fair go for local producers, manufacturers and food businesses. Good food environments for our tamariki / children. A food system grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Communities having a decision-making role in their kai / food system. Celebration and protection of our food cultures. We believe Aotearoa New Zealand can become a place where everyone has access to good food, where local kai systems thrive, food producers are valued, communities are resourced and exports are a vital part of our economy. We’re not asking political parties to agree on everything but access to kai is fundamental. By signing this pledge to vote for kai you are sending a message to political parties across the spectrum that you expect to see robust policies that will strengthen our food systems. We will update everyone who signs this pledge about what commitments each political party makes in relation to our demands. 

Students have been hit by cars and drivers are on high alert as they worry about possibly injuring someone. With a crossing put onto Alexandra Street outside Te Awamutu College, road users will be able to safely cooperate and there will be less risk of injuries.

The Government is progressing a Bill through Parliament that aims to limit the rights of transgender, non-binary, and intersex New Zealanders in the name of cis women, by defining “man” and “woman” (along with “male” and “female”) in legislation as “adult human biological male” and “adult human biological female”. This bill is nonsensical - it doesn’t define “biology”, and nor is “biology”, “male”, or “female” defined in New Zealand legislation. The Attorney General has raised concerns because the bill could impact on access to reproductive healthcare for cis women under 20, and there are so many pieces of law that become nonsense when “woman” is turned into “adult human biological female”. The bill won’t make cis women safer - because our law already allows places like women’s refuge to exclude trans women if they need to. They choose not to, because they see trans women impacted by the same misogyny-fuelled violence that all women face.  However, what the bill will do is cause confusion about how the law applies, and expose trans, non-binary, and intersex people in Aotearoa to more harm. The bill doesn’t give the clarity they say it will - instead it’s a meaningless attack on an already marginalised population - in our name. We reject the discrimination and attempts at exclusion of trans people in the name of our safety. For decades, biology has been used by politicians as an argument to deny women the vote, to deny gay couples’ right to be together, to control women’s bodies, and to deny people their basic freedoms. We refuse to be divided by arbitrary definitions - and we refuse to be reduced to our “biology” or our reproductive capacity. We believe that the government should be focusing on real issues women are facing such as the gutting of pay equity claims and the defunding of sexual violence agencies.  Those who continue to target trans people in Aotearoa don’t do so in our name. We feel strongly that this Bill does not speak for the vast majority of cisgender women in Aotearoa - they do not speak for us! We’re asking cis women in Aotearoa to sign this petition calling for all parties to vote against the Legislation (Definition of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill at its second reading, and to make it clear: transgender women are women, and we stand alongside them - against this bill and against all attacks on trans people. What else can we do? Submissions to the Select Committee are now open - it’s important that as many people as possible make a submission to show clear opposition to this bill. Signing this petition is not making a submission! Here is a submission guide you could use. You can also request to meet your local MP, or email MPs - particularly the MPs sitting on the select committee 

These cuts will hit hardest for: • people struggling with the rising cost of living; • workers facing redundancy or employment issues; • tenants dealing with housing insecurity; • migrants and former refugees; • disabled people, older people, and students; • whānau experiencing hardship or isolation. Citizens Advice Bureau Wellington provides vital free information, advice, and support including budgeting advice to more than 11,000 people every year. With the impacts of the high cost of living, continuing public service cuts, and growing job losses in Wellington, the support CAB provides is more critical than ever. Wellington CABs are powered by over 125 dedicated volunteers, but volunteers alone cannot sustain the service. Continued funding is essential to maintain physical spaces where people can access in-person support, and to retain the small team of staff who coordinate services, train volunteers, and ensure the CAB service remains accessible and effective. Wellington CABs need every cent of the approximately $240,000 per annum they have been receiving from Council to support Wellingtonians. Yet Council has slashed that funding to just $100,000. This puts at risk the survival of the CAB service in Wellington. For decades, CABs have helped people navigate tenancy issues, employment disputes, immigration processes, financial hardship, family challenges, and access to government, council and community services. CAB services are free, confidential, independent, and available to everyone. At a time when community need is increasing, Wellington City Council should be strengthening this essential service – not undermining it. This includes other community groups that we work alongside. We ask Wellington City Council to: • Reverse the funding cuts to Wellington CABs • Commit to a sustainable long-term funding partnership for CAB services in Wellington. Removing this funding will not remove the need. It will simply remove one of Wellington’s most trusted and accessible sources of support.  Sign the petition and call on Wellington City Council to restore full funding for Wellington Citizens Advice Bureau.  Please share widely. References  • PwC, Service Review Citizens Advice Bureau Wellington (December 2018) • ImpactLab, Citizens Advice Bureau North Shore Incorporated Relationship-related Enquires ImpactLab GoodMeasure Report (October 2022) - showed CAB services provided a $1:$13.20 social return on investment. Other ways you can help • Contact the Mayor and your local Councillors to tell them you oppose the cut to Wellington CAB funding and ask them to fully reinstate the funding and provide long term funding for the CAB.  Find details about your local councillor here https://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/about-the-council/mayor-and-councillors/councillors  • Spread the word to friends, whānau, and your community. • Help people who are digitally excluded to sign the petition here or in person at their local CAB.

The Fast-Track is a War on Nature Many of the proposed fast-track projects threaten conservation land - ecologically essential landscapes which have been placed under protection for future generations. Fast-track legislation would hand over this irreplaceable public land to private corporations with a known track record of environmental destruction.  For example, if allowed to proceed, Bathurst’s proposal [2] under the fast-track approvals process would devastate the 40-million-year-old landscape on the Denniston Plateau. Open-cast mining destroys everything in its way including the habitat of flora and fauna that don’t exist anywhere else in the world! All future generations will be deprived from enjoying this unique geographical treasure so that an overseas owned coal company can make a quick buck.  The Fast-Track Undermines Democracy A recent amendment [3] would also block New Zealanders from holding these companies accountable for the destruction that they cause. For example it would stop Mike Smith’s case [4] against major polluters from being heard in court even though the Supreme Court ruled that it should go to trial! This is an example of government over-reach that would undermine the rule of law and the power of the courts to hold corporations accountable for their harmful actions.  Fast-Track Undermines Te Tiriti o Waitangi  It breaches Te Tiriti principles by bypassing the need for consultation and undermining the tino rangatiratanga of iwi in making decisions about Māori whenua. Even in the English translation of the treaty, the crown said it would guarantee Māori “the full exclusive and undisturbed possession of their lands, forests & fisheries”. That promise was long-since broken by the confiscation of land, the fast-track now threatens to destroy those very forests and fisheries.   The Fast-Track  Prioritises Corporate Profits over Community Health Fast-track cuts local communities out of the decision-making processes and then blocks their legal avenue for redress. Taking away these legal pathways protects polluters at the expense of communities, the environment and future generations. This process and the current government prioritise profit over life. Extractive (mining) industries provide short-term profits for the companies and leave communities to manage long-term environmental devastation. For example, in 2024 the taxpayer spent $3.67 million on acid mine drainage remediation alone, whilst only $3.7 million was collected in mining royalties [5].  There is a Better Path We believe in Kaitiakitanga — our shared responsibility to protect and care for the whenua for those who come after us. We believe in democracy, where every community has a voice and the power to influence decisions that impact them. We believe that Te Tiriti o Waitangi must be honoured and that local knowledge and expert advice must guide decision-making.  We believe in a future where people and nature can thrive together. That is why we call on the New Zealand Labour Party to commit to; • Repeal the fast-track legislation in full, • Revoke all mining consents granted under the fast-track process, • Oppose any legislation that would block climate accountability cases (like Mike Smith’s) from being heard by the courts, and commit to revoking this legislation if you get into government.  Now is the time to act — to protect the people and land of Aotearoa from a fast-track to devastation. Sign the petition today! For more ways to participate, check out the Climate Liberation Aotearoa website: HOME - Climate Liberation Aotearoa References 1. The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/resources/flawed-fast-track-bill-silences-impacted-communities Greenpeace Aotearoa https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/explore/fast-track-approvals-bill/?#h-fast-tracked-destruction The Parliamentary Commission for the Environment https://pce.parliament.nz/our-work/news/fast-track-approvals-bill-poses-significant-risks-to-the-environment/? University of Auckland https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2024/04/24/fast-track-approvals.html? 2. Bathurst Resources Limited https://bathurst.co.nz/assets/reports/2024-10-09-Projects-named-on-Fast-Track-Approvals-Bill.pdf 3. ICLG https://iclg.com/news/23858-new-zealand-moves-to-block-climate-lawsuits-ahead-of-landmark-trial/ 4. E-Tangata https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/mike-smith-this-is-corrosive-to-democracy/ 5. Newsroom https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/12/02/all-of-govts-2024-coal-earnings-spent-treating-damages-at-a-single-mine/