NO CUTS Wayne Brown’s Budget 2023/24 is proposing to cut funding to crucial community support services during a cost of living and climate crisis. The people of Auckland are deeply concerned about the proposed budget. We understand that the Council is facing financial challenges, but we urge Auckland Council to reconsider these cuts as they will have a severe impact on the community. “Cutting regional community focused initiatives … of all groups working with Māori, Pasifika, youth, refugee, new migrant and rainbow communities.” - Page 30, Te Wāhanga Tuatoru: Te Pūtea e Marohitia Ana, Annual Budget Proposal 2022/23. We can see the budget has targeted marginalized communities, yet does not suggest cuts to industry and business whatsoever. The proposed budget cuts will have far-reaching consequences for all Aucklanders, but especially our most vulnerable residents, including children, the elderly, the working poor, and those with disabilities. Cuts to climate change, social services, community venues, public transport, arts,and education will have a devastating impact on these communities, and protesters are determined to make their voices heard. The proposed cuts to community services, including libraries, community venues and centers, youth and homelessness, early childhood education, Arts and culture, water quality and public transport, will have a negative impact on the quality of life for many Auckland residents. These services are essential for the well-being of our community and provide opportunities for social interaction, education, and access to essential resources. Furthermore, the proposed cuts to environmental initiatives, including park maintenance and waste management, will have a detrimental effect on our environment. These initiatives are critical to the sustainability of our city and the protection of our natural environment and resources. We understand that difficult decisions must be made regarding the budget, but we urge the Council to prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable. We believe that alternative solutions and a better budget is possible. The Auckland council’s feedback report suggested that the majority of Aucklanders reject this proposed budget, and it is not suited to serve Auckland residents. The sale of the airport shares is not necessary or helpful and will take Auckland backwards. The airport shares are an important revenue stream, the airport is increasing in value, and it is an asset that the Council can borrow against. The 18% shareholding is also an opportunity for public voice on the future of the airport, a strategic asset - and it is important that the Council holds onto public control in the face of climate and health emergencies. The Community Coalition against the Cuts demands that Auckland Council, Mayor and Councilors listen to Aucklanders. Consider and implement the voices of Aucklanders who took their time to give their feedback. We fully reject this proposed budget, and we demand the following: 1- NO CUTS TO REGIONAL & COMMUNITY SERVICES 2- INCREASE RATES & DEBT 3- NO SALE OF AIRPORT SHARES The super-rich must pay for this budget deficit, not the most vulnerable. We demand that any shortfall in the Council's books should be filled through increased rates on big business, and charges on luxury items such as private helicopters and super-yachts, not cuts which hit the poorest hardest. We need to be expanding services, not cutting them. We demand that the Council expands public transport, making buses and trains free and frequent, and takes more action on climate change amidst a climate crisis. We demand more funding to tackle poverty and homelessness. Therefore, we call on Auckland Council to reconsider the proposed budget cuts and to find alternative solutions that do not compromise the well-being of our community and our environment. We fully reject this budget we will not sit by quietly. We say, NO CUTS! Community Coalition Against Cuts

We believe recent disasters have heaped misery on people, many of whom live in permanent crisis. In our view, previous actions have been unsuccessful in preventing persistent poverty; poverty has been exacerbated by recent disasters; and the current system is not fit for purpose. A Basic Income can be a foundation upon which an equitable system can be built. We feel we urgently need a system that is both unbureaucratic and reliable, to lift people out of poverty and provide help when needed. Click down below to read our Open Letter https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2304/S00166/an-open-letter-to-parliament-from-basic-income-new-zealand.htm

Everyone deserves to be kept safe online. But NZTech’s Code of Practice for Online Safety and Harms does not go far enough to protect New Zealanders from the very real dangers of online harm. The Code aims to bring together social media platforms like Meta (which includes Facebook and Instagram), Google (including YouTube), TikTok, Amazon (including Twitch) and Twitter to set an industry standard for online safety in Aotearoa. The Signatories to the Code committed to provide annual reports on their efforts toward reducing risks and harms across a number of measures - a worthy goal, in theory. However there are very real problems with the Code as it currently exists. Our main concerns are: • The Code’s self-regulation is not credible. The Code fails to ensure independent oversight of the Signatories. While an ‘Oversight Board’ is being created, membership on that board is at the sole discretion of the social media companies and there are no credible safeguards to maintain or scrutinise the Board’s independence. Those impacted by these companies are not promised a voice nor the means to use it. • The Code isn’t focused on Aotearoa. We believe that the Code’s Signatories are seeking to benefit from our international reputation to influence global regulation. The Code invokes Te Ao Māori, but the content is generic, as are the proposed governance arrangements and the consultation process. There’s no mention of the specific challenges our communities face online nor how the Signatories are working to address those challenges. The initial global reports from the Signatories were very general statements of their global policies and many of the Signatories did not even provide minimal Aotearoa-specific data. • The Signatories’ community engagement has not been effective nor credible. This is particularly embodied by the inauthentic community engagement that has been performed. While many of the people at organisations like Netsafe and NZTech have done genuine and authentic work to try to engage with civil society to make the Code effective, and we do appreciate the mahi they have performed, they have been hamstrung by the Signatories’ decisions and objectives. This means while concerns and feedback have been carried back to the Signatories, they have not been taken on board nor implemented. That’s why New Zealanders need to come together to call for better protection. And that’s why the Coalition for Better Digital Policy, led by Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand and Tohatoha has been formed. Many of us have been constructively critiquing the Code since it was publicly released in 2022. As a group, we aim to enable robust, inclusive, and effective regulation of technology in Aotearoa, with a focus on upholding human rights and preserving the benefits technology can provide us. Our shared experiences have convinced us that the current processes being used will not make the Code truly effective. We are calling on NZTech and the Signatories to work with us to develop a process that meets the needs of everyone at risk of harm from these companies. Add your voice by signing the petition to call on NZTech to #FixTheCode.

It's invasive. RPNow requires all users to provide webcam access to their bedroom or private spaces and that data is collected and assessed by staff who do not work for the University, and that data is at high risk of being hacked or breached. It's inequitable. Students who cannot afford a laptop with webcam, microphone and those who do not have a strong internet connection can't access the examinations that they paid for. Students may not be able to book limited university spaces to sit these exams, or able to provide a safe quiet space at home to sit them. It's not culturally competent. Many of our tauira live in whanau based situations, that don't provide for silent or private spaces to take examinations at home. These students will fail if the microphone detects other voices speaking. It's just plain wrong. Students will go to other Universities that don't invade their privacy by implementing invasive and unsafe, low trust systems. Students have a right to be heard, and their voice matters. Universities should not be implementing significant changes to assessment without first consulting with students.

When our teeth and gums are looked after, our whole wellbeing is improved. Dental care means being able to share smiles with the people we love. It means being confident to connect socially and express ourselves. But people in successive governments have chosen to treat mouth health differently to the rest of our bodies by excluding dental care from the public health system. It’s the only aspect of health where people and families are expected to pay the full cost in the private market. As a result, far too many of us are locked out of proper care for our teeth and gums. 42% of adults in Aotearoa can’t afford dental care. For Māori adults, it’s 54%, and for Pasifika adults it’s 52%.[1] Untreated dental needs can lead to broken and decayed teeth, gum disease, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and even potentially life-threatening situations.[2] It leaves whānau living unnecessarily with pain, shame, disrupted sleep, knocks to their confidence and mental health, and affects our ability to pursue work, education, and community goals. Bringing dental care into the public health system means everyone’s teeth and gums can be looked after. In Aotearoa, we choose to resource our public health services because we recognise that everyone deserves to be looked after. We already make sure children under 18 years old can access free dental care and it's time to extend that care to adults too. No one should be turned away from healthcare because of their incomes. That principle of care should include mouth health too. Now is the time for bold action that tangibly improves the lives of people in Aotearoa. Action that puts whānau wellbeing at the heart of our public services that are infrastructure of care. References: 1. Tooth be Told. Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. 2022: https://issuu.com/associationofsalariedmedicalspecialists/docs/asms220501-tooth_be_told 2. The Shocking State of Dental Care. North and South, March 2022: https://northandsouth.co.nz/2022/03/12/nz-dental-care/

Everyone should be safe at work, treated with dignity, and rewarded fairly for their work. But right now, many of our friends, neighbours and family members aren’t being paid or promoted fairly, simply because of their gender or ethnicity. The recent Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission National Pacific Pay Gap Inquiry Report found that in 2021 for every dollar earned by a Pākehā man, Pākehā women were paid just 89 cents. For Māori men that drops to 86 cents and Māori women 81 cents. For our Pacific whānau, men were paid just 81 cents and Pacific women only 75 cents. This gap means people are not only missing out on crucial wages but opportunities to fulfill their potential and make meaningful choices about their lives. By closing this pay gap we could ensure everyone in our communities has the opportunity to thrive and those families on the lowest wages can unlock the constraints of poverty. Supporting employers to do the right thing and to be transparent about their pay gap is a good first step to help close this gap. Many employers are already playing their part by reporting on their ethnic and gender pay gaps and taking action to close these. Organisations that have signed this open letter: AAAP ActionStation Aotearoa Amnesty International ANZ New Zealand Aotearoa Latin American Communities (ALAC) Auckland City Mission Auckland Women's Centre Aukilani Community Church Barnados Belong Aotearoa Centre for Pacific Languages Diversity Works DB Breweries Ltd E Tu F'ine First Union Fourshells Kava Lounge Gabriella Aotearoa New Zealand Global Women Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono Iranian Women in NZ K'aute Pasifika Trust Kore Hiakai (Zero Hunger Collective) Living Wage Movement Migrant Action Trust Migrant Workers Association Migrante Aotearoa New Zealand Nelson Tasman Pasifika Community Trust New Zealand Council of Trade Unions New Zealand Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA) NZ Council of Christian Social Services NZ Dairy Works Union NZ Ethical Employers Inc. NZEI Te Riu Roa Organise Aotearoa Pacific Women's Watch NZ (PWW-NZ) Pacific Pay Gap Campaign Pasifika Education Centre (PEC) Peace Movement Aotearoa Polynesian Panthers PSA Raise the Bar Renters United Salvation Army Save the Children SkyCity Entertainment Group Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission Tertiary Education Union Te Hautu Kahurangi o Aotearoa Tōfa Mamao Collective Tongan Society South Cantebury Unite Union World Vision New Zealand Young Workers' Resource Centre Youth Employability, COMET AKL YWCA

People in Aotearoa want the foundations of our communities to be resilient and sustainable for ourselves and for our grandchildren. We want our homes, our ways of getting around, the grids our power depends on, the pipes our water runs through, and the lines that underpin our communication to be reliable. Most of us want the work we do to make a difference in our communities and care for our beloved natural environment. The destruction from Cyclone Gabrielle and climate-charged flooding in Auckland have shown the urgent need to strengthen those foundations. Decades of underinvestment in essential infrastructure by people in successive governments has left our communities vulnerable. Instead core public development has been contracted out into sporadic projects. This has diverted funding into corporations’ pockets and created unstable employment for workers. The piecemeal approach has also led to the loss of the public sector knowledge that is needed to respond to large scale challenges. We need new institutions designed to do what works to make a just transition from dependency on fossil fuels and high-emission industries. Institutions that can respond to immediate needs, plan for long-term and large-scale change, and embrace Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the leadership of tangata whenua. A Ministry of Green Works would: - Deliver a mass scale build of beautiful, sustainable public housing to reduce the shortage of homes - Roll out an integrated network of passenger rail - Bring resources and support to community-led adaptation and in places that are now vulnerable to climate disasters - Train up the next generation of apprenticeships and essential workers for green infrastructure that is resilient in the face of future challenges The Ministry of Green Works will support Te Tiriti-based governance by resourcing tino rangatiratanga so that hapū can lead in this space as well. It will not be able to take land and could also play a role in recommending that land be transferred to Māori supervision as part of good environmental management. What we build, whether it be marae, public transport or storm water drainage, has the power to nourish our environment and reduce inequities. But we need the government to put a Ministry of Green Works in place now to build the future our grandchildren deserve. Further reading here: https://apo.org.au/node/315499

Meeting the three demands of our petition would help combat the labor exploitation and sometimes outright trafficking endemic within venues in adult entertainment in New Zealand. The reasoning for our demands are further explained below, but more information can be found on our website www.firedupstilettos.com, and on Employment New Zealand’s website. 1) As is clearly outlined in Employment New Zealand’s guide for determining whether someone is an independent contractor or employee, independent contractors have control over our working hours, control over services we provide and how we provide them, and may work for multiple principles at the same time. We have collected contracts from numerous adult entertainment venues in Aotearoa New Zealand which violate our independent contractor status by proposing dancers pay exorbitant fines for not being at work at a time management decides, or leaving before management wants us to. They have introduced fines that compel us to take our underwear off at a certain time on stage, and keep it off while walking around to collect tips. The most egregious fees prohibit “rudeness” (as determined solely by management) toward management or customers, and “demanding” customers pay us for our labour (also known as asking for a tip–one of the only ways we get paid). The contracts also compel a dancer to agree not to provide services of a similar nature to any third party, allowing them to monopolize and control our labour. These clauses create an atmosphere of dictatorial control by management over dancers that violates our status as independent contractors. We are willing to sacrifice labour security in order to have freedom–we will no longer tolerate having neither. 2) The use of fines and bonds is a standard tactic used by adult entertainment venues in order to coerce compliant behavior from dancers, and they promote self-evident power imbalances that can range from inconvenience to outright labour trafficking. This labour trafficking can occur when dancers are fined by management for a larger amount than they have actually earned, meaning they then owe their employer (who is the one with the power to implement the fine) payment on this debt. Some clubs claim this never happens, which is both untrue and beside the point: the fact that we are afraid it will happen means management is in a position of incredible coercive control, which is dangerous. Although this is in no way unique among venues in our industry, we have included an example of Calendar Girls Wellington’s contract, including the detailed fines. These fines make us afraid. We are afraid to stand up to management for fear of losing all our income, and afraid to stand up to customers who violate our boundaries for fear we will be blamed and go home owing the club money because we dared say no. All fines are coercive and unethical, but threatening dancers with such a huge fine for “rudeness” toward a customer in particular is a safety issue that increases our likelihood of experiencing sexual violence at work: an integral part of any kind of adult entertainment is being able to decide our own boundaries over our own bodies, and which customers we do business with. Coercion and exploitation in adult entertainment is not inherent to the work, but rather to business practices that control when, how, and with whom we do it. 3) As previously stated, independent contractors do not receive a wage: dancers only make what we earn from private dances and tips. In order to gain the right to work in a club, we give a percentage of our earnings to the venue; the proportion of this split has continued to increase in favor of the clubs, creating a condition in which dancers are working more for a smaller percentage of the fee. There is currently no regulation on how much venues can take from us, which has led to what we allege are unfair conditions. The percentage taken by the venue varies throughout adult entertainment in New Zealand, but many extract anywhere from 50-60% of the list price for services (meaning we only earn 39.6%-50% of what the customer has paid for our services), and 20% of tips (meaning we keep 80% of the tips customers give us). We think this division is deeply unfair, but since there are few adult entertainment venues in each city, the clubs are able to set prices so we aren’t able to seek better conditions in another venue. We need industry regulation that sets a limit on how much venues can extract from our profits: we propose the venue is not allowed to take more than 35% of the list price for services, and no more than the 20% already in place for tips.

The National Screening Unit is currently planning for the upcoming HPV cervical screening programme, due to start later this year. This will be the ONLY national health screening programme not fully funded by the Government. To ensure costs for screening and follow-up tests are not barriers, we are calling for a fully funded, equitable screening programme. This includes FREE screening and follow-up, diagnosis, and treatment. Unless urgent action is taken by the Government to change what is proposed, there will be preventable deaths from cervical cancer. Whānau need their kuia, taua, māmā, whaea and tamāhine, to flourish. No one should die of this preventable cancer. Please sign and share this petition - ngā mihi. On behalf of the many who want this change, those who are undergoing treatment, and in memory of those who have tragically lost their lives to this cancer. This petition is supported by Mana Wāhine, Te Tātai Hauora o Hine (National Centre for Women's Health Research Aotearoa), Hei Āhuru Mōwai Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the New Zealand College of Primary Health Care Nurses, Tū Ora Compass Health, Family Planning New Zealand, the Public Health Association of New Zealand, The New Zealand College of Sexual and Reproductive Health, Dr Hinemoa Elder, Mayor Tory Whanau, The Cause Collective, Lingy Noiid, and Te Awakairangi Health Network. Please note, in addition to individual signing, endorsement from organizations is welcome and can be detailed above. More information can be found at: https://www.heiahurumowai.org.nz/_files/ugd/b7edfc_621f3417d3b84349be2ed6372d479d30.pdf https://www.heiahurumowai.org.nz/_files/ugd/b7edfc_55f99468f6b44586af3462171d8f0902.pdf

Estimates are that Aotearoa has approximately 14,000 people without any visas or legal status. These are migrants, their whānau and tamariki who have been living in fear during some of the worst challenges we have faced as a country. They are victims of our regressive immigration policies, not criminals. Overstayers deserve to lead a life with dignity and respect. They deserve to be safe and deserve to be helped, especially during hard times like the Northland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle. With the current system, overstayers have hesitated to seek medical help such as covid tests and covid vaccination, for the fear of being reported to authorities and subsequently being deported. And now many of them are flood victims afraid of seeking assistance provided by the government. This is potentially a dangerous and unsafe health situation, not just for the victims but for the entire communities surrounding them. Many of our overstayers are children of parents who do not have lawful status. It is harsh and unfair to punish the children by depriving them of access to needed services such as health care providers, education and safety services. Researchers at UNITEC published an excellent report highlighting the plight of overstayers and their families – the stresses are multi-fold and affect their mental well-being. The solution proposed by researchers is also policy change and legal status for the overstayers. Link to the full report: https://www.unitec.ac.nz/sites/default/files/public/documents/Tuvalu%20project%20report%20-FINAL-13.12.2021.pdf An amnesty for all overstayers regardless of their country of origin is the need of the time.While we appreciate that the Prime Minister is going to look at the petition regarding Pacific overstayers, he needs to be inclusive and act sooner than later. We ask the Prime Minister to give overstayers work rights and their children access to public education, allowing them to lead a life of dignity.

The service provided by Auckland CABs is absolutely essential – something that is even more apparent in times of crisis. With the recent floods and the ongoing challenges of daily life, Auckland CABs are helping people with information and advice and connecting them with the support they need. Last year our dedicated volunteers in Auckland CABs helped more than 160,000 people. Auckland Council is proposing to significantly cut or even remove all funding from CABs in Auckland in its budget for 2023/24. This could result in the complete closure of the CAB service, which has been serving Tāmaki Makaurau for over 50 years. Let Auckland Council know that they should not cut funding to Auckland CABs.

In 2022, there have been numerous attacks on the queer community. An arsonist burned down the Rainbow Youth drop-in centre in Tauranga. Gloria of Greymouth, a pink queer church, was vandalised with anti-queer and religious symbols. The owner of Woof!, a queer bar in Dunedin, received two anonymous death threats through the bar's social media account and messages from Freedom and Rights Coalition leader and Destiny Church pastor Derek Tait, of Christchurch, including an image of Tait pointing at the bar. Hours after the Labour Party announced that it will exclude the queer community from protection under hate speech laws, a 22-year-old gunman entered Club Q, a queer nightclub in Colorado, and immediately opened fire, killing at least five people and injuring 25 others. In 2017, an Auckland pastor Logan Robertson said he was "not against [gay people] getting married as long as a bullet goes through their head the moment they kiss". That statement will remain legal under the government's changes to hate speech laws. Are we waiting for a mass shooting inspired by homophobia and transphobia to transpire at a New Zealand queer bar before we protect queer people from hate speech that incites violence? How many lives will it take before the government protects us? There is well-documented hatred against queer people to necessitate the protection of queer people under hate speech laws. The government's failure to do so will embolden homophobic and transphobic groups, extremist religious groups, and right-wing groups to incite violence against queer people. The government must protect the queer community, women and disabled people under the hate speech law. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/129122700/man-admits-antisemitic-and-homophobic-attack-on-west-coasts-pink-church https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/destiny-church-pastor-accused-of-intimidation-after-posing-outside-queer-friendly-bar-in-dunedin/SXLGUMQ6Y5LO6SZEOWNW4ZQ3DM/ https://www.stuff.co.nz/bay-of-plenty/300700598/pair-plead-guilty-to-burning-down-rainbow-youth-building https://www.newsroom.co.nz/nzs-hate-speech-laws-explained https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300743361/hate-speech-reforms-drastically-watered-down https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/20/people-killed-shooting-at-colorado-springs-nightclub