In 2015, New Zealand joined countries around the world by signing up to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. New Zealand is one of the many countries who made a commitment to implement the SDGs at home, and support the UN in achieving the SDGs in other parts of the world. But we are not doing enough. An independent Commissioner is recommended by Dr Girol Karacaoglu. He calls this an ‘Office of Wellbeing’, similar to the ‘Future Generations Commissioner’ in Wales. This should provide advice on long-term environmental, social and economic objectives with associated targets and monitor progress towards these objectives. The Inter-Parliamentary Union and UNDP have published a report recommending parliaments build an understanding of the SDGs. We should also be “mainstreaming the SDGs within parliamentary mechanisms”. It is promising that the Auditor-General is reviewing NZ’s preparedness to implement the SDGs, but our NZ Parliament could be doing better. In the lead-up to Election 2020, Judith Collins and Jacinda Ardern seemed to agree on something – a four-year parliamentary term. Research New Zealand then found that out of a survey of 1000 people 61% supported moving to a four-year term. If we’re going to encourage long-term planning for future generations under the SDGs, then we need to revisit extending our Parliamentary term. Let’s not forget it until the next election. If you care that: Everyone in New Zealand has enough and nutritious food too eat; Everyone in New Zealand can visit a doctor when the person needs to; Women and girls enjoy the same rights, opportunities, and outcomes as men and boys; Everyone has access to clean drinking water; New Zealanders have decent work which is safe and pays for a living; and Aotearoa's environment stays beautiful, Then you should be caring for the SDGs and signing this petition. The SDGs will help you to talk to your whānau, friends and colleagues about what we can and need to do to make NZ a better place to live for all. Our Parliament and Government can do better on the SDGs and in planning for our future.

Paihia is a jewel of the Bay of Islands, opposite Waitangi and Russell. Far North Holdings (FNH) has been given funding and the green light to build sea walls in Paihia harbour. This massive infrastructure project was approved as a 'fast track' shovel-ready project in the government’s Provincial Growth Fund in response to COVID19. The Paihia Sea Wall plan was a commercially defunct project that had been shelved for 15 years. FNH say the walls will be a way to restore Paihia's sandy beaches. However hapū, iwi, marine scientists and locals know the impacts will be disastrous. At low tide it’s likely the sea walls will be a monstrosity, hideously changing what was once a beautiful and picturesque view. Motu Maire, the main island out from Paihia which will be directly affected by the seawalls is, and has been, wahi tapu, a sacred and important place to local Māori for centuries. Local iwi Ngati Kawa and Ngati Rahiri have not been properly consulted on the decision-making of this project. Stopping the tidal flow with sea walls and dredging up the seafloor is environmental vandalism which could create unforeseen negative consequences, for example, the erosion of Paihia’s south beach, Te Tii beach and the multiple beaches on Motu Maire. Sedimentation within the wall’s confines is also another major concern. Endangered dotterels and other shorebirds nest on the southern beach of Motu Maire. The seawalls will completely alter the natural outlook from Paihia’s bustling commercial center, which is currently an amazing view over the Bay of Islands across to Russell. Business owners believe this project will ‘kill the goose that lays the golden egg’ for Paihia. While the project has had funding confirmed, much has changed in the world in that 15 years, and FNH made that application without any consultation with local māori (hapū) or the wider community to gauge support for the resurrection. It is entirely possible to restore the main beach of Paihia without the sea walls. The funding can be put to much better use - to projects that bring the hearts and minds of locals together in a positive and constructive way - and to solve the real problems the community is facing as a whole. Far North Holdings' sea walls must not go ahead! Add your name to tell the Council and FNH to preserve Paihia. This online petition is being run alongside an offline petition led by folk from Ngati Kawa and Ngati Rahiri.

Our concerns aren't isolated but sit amongst a greater context of unease. Other communities in Christchurch are confronted with the same problems and concerns as ourselves, e.g. We are affiliated with groups around the country who advocate for community focused housing including; https://www.commonground.net.nz/?r_done=1 Our shared vision is thriving communities of connected people in healthy ecosystems within a vibrant local economy. Many people who hold this neighbourhood dear to their hearts are community builders who work at creating more connections between people. What we propose is the possibility of being intentional with the design of 74 Domain Terrace. It is possible to design a housing development that creates a diverse community attractive to people from a range of ages with a variety of skills and strengths. This has the possibility of becoming an “intentional community’ where members/residents communicate with and care for each other. Such a community would be inclusive of all and everyone’s needs. The elderly need not feel isolated, and young families could experience support around them for raising children in a whanau friendly environment. Imagine creating a village to wrap around our children and the most vulnerable. Our environmental concerns are just as important to developing a flourishing community as our concerns for people. Care for the land on which we live is integral to our goals. Hence our plea for the trees and the ecological communities that they sustain. Dr Colin Merck, locally renowned ecological scientist, has conducted urban biodiversity studies in this area. https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-meurk-1284329/?originalSubdomain=nz The trees make a significant contribution to an unusually diverse range of bird life. Local residents, some seasonal, include little owls, kingfishers, bellbirds, fantails, grey warblers, paradise ducks, greenfinches, chaffinches, magpies, spur winged plovers as well as a large population of blackbirds and more common varieties like the sparrow, thrush and starling. Not forgetting the much-loved Avon hybrid ducks. The topsoil of 74 Domain Terrace is precious. The property was originally a chicken farm. The soil has never been turned or sprayed. It has supported a range of animals for many decades. Most recently horses, sheep, free range chickens and rabbits. As such it is extremely fertile and likely to be supporting populations of the foot long native worm and leaf veined slugs as does the adjoining property at 80 Domain Terrace. To leave this taonga solely in the hands of developers is to sign a death warrant for so much. Within 24 hours of the auction an arborist entered the property, without the permission of the residents, to establish a quote for the removal of the trees. The loss of the trees will have a huge impact on the local environment and community. Without these particular trees, in which they currently roost, the little owls are unlikely to relocate and will inevitably die. IT is these trees that resulted in Domain Terrace being nominated as one of the ten most beautiful autumn streets in the city. Destruction of the trees on this prominent bend would destroy the whole ambience of the street and the balance of vegetation between The Domain and privately owned land. As with all similar developments the topsoil will be excavated and stripped depriving the property of an entire ecosystem. Most importantly what will die is POSSIBILITY. The possibility of developing housing solutions in partnership with diverse stakeholders that meet the social, ecological, cultural, and economic needs of the people living there. Our desire is to have the housing company discuss their plans with the community and collaborate on what type of development best contributes to creating a sense of connection and wellbeing within the community. If the housing company can’t see sufficient profit from plans that meet the community’s needs a collective of residents is willing to buy the property back at cost price and become the principal actors of the change they want to see happening democratically in their neighbourhood. Sign our petition to have our voices heard by the Christchurch City Council. Help stop the development that threatens our neighbourhood character and values. Help bring forth a true community focused sustainable housing alternative from the competitive housing crisis which builds up the inequalities that ravage our country. PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION! https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/community-focused-housing-on-domain-tce Watch this space! It is our intention to oppose similar disconnected housing developments in the area in our quest for a more workable, holistic living environment for all our residents.

A regenerative economy is more than a ‘prosperous, low-emissions economy’. It means creating abundance and healthy environments and workplaces by using traditional knowledge, current sustainable practices and new innovations for responsible resource use, production and distribution. It regenerates rather than degenerates. Our current economy is built on destructive mineral extraction and intensive farming that mines our whenua to make commodity products that are mostly exported overseas. It’s polluting and wasteful at all stages of the process, produces vast amounts of climate changing greenhouse gases, increases the division between rich and poor, and depletes resources for future generations to come. That's why church groups, students, climate activists, social justice groups, anti-mining protectors, union members and individuals across Aotearoa are bringing this message to the 2020 Minerals Forum on October 13-14th: Kua Nui! Enough is enough! We want a regenerative economy not an extractive economy. "Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki is in full support of this action. The world cannot afford high emissions dinosaur industries and can mine landfills and cellphones if it wants minerals. We challenge the Minerals Forum to stop wrecking the planet for profit and we challenge the Government to live up to their promises on climate and mining issues now! " said Catherine Delahunty, Chair of CWH, which has been campaigning against gold mining in Hauraki for decades. "The main sponsor of this conference is Bathurst Resources, which is in the process of applying for consent to vastly increase a coal mine in Canterbury, despite having already breached a number of consents for its current mine. Fonterra and the dairy industry will be burning this coal, while they continue to claim their industry is sustainable, largely ignoring the obvious renewable alternatives. It's time to stop digging up fossil fuels and make the switch," said Tim Jones of Coal Action Network Aotearoa. “The mining industry’s only role in a low-emissions economy should be in cleaning up their mess. We want no more permits or resource consents for extraction and urgent decommissioning of all wells and mines" said Tuhi-Ao Bailey of Climate Justice Taranaki, who have been campaigning against oil and gas drilling and synthetic fertiliser since 2011. "These companies will go to the ends of the earth to dig up minerals, and now they want to dig up the seabed - but so far we have managed to stop them, in coalition with Iwi, fisheries interests and local communities," said Cindy Baxter, chairperson of Kiwis Against Seabed Mining. "Our oceans are already in enough peril from other pressures like acidification and warming - there is nothing sustainable about seabed mining." “We are in a state of planetary emergency: the interdependent crises of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation and climate change - driven in large part by unsustainable production and consumption - require urgent and immediate global action,” - 'The Leaders' Pledge for Nature' signed by Heads of State and Government of 64 countries (including PM Jacinda Ardern) and the European Union, 30/9/20. For more information on the event and campaign go to: www.StopTheMineralsForum.info Facebook event 'Stop the Minerals Forum 2020' Facebook page 'Stop The Minerals Forum' Coalition group websites: Environmental Justice Otepoti https://ejotepoti.wordpress.com/ Kiwis Against Seabed Mining http://kasm.org.nz/ Extinction Rebellion Aotearoa https://extinctionrebellion.nz/ Climate Justice Taranaki http://www.climatejusticetaranaki.info/ (Lots of articles here) Coal Action Network Aotearoa https://coalaction.org.nz/ Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki https://watchdog.org.nz/ Oil-free Wellington https://wellington.oilfree.nz/ Oil-free Otago https://oilfreeotago.com/ Some news articles about the mining industry in Aotearoa: Why we’re taking the government to court over mining in the Coromandel - https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/22-06-2020/why-were-taking-the-government-to-court-over-mining-in-the-coromandel/ Gold mining: a toxic legacy - http://resist.co.nz/gold-mining/ Lessons to be learnt from toxic legacy - https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/8621609/Lessons-to-be-learnt-from-toxic-legacy Tour reinforces Taranaki residents' fears over stinking plant - https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/300097635/tour-reinforces-taranaki-residents-fears-over-stinking-plant Locals brace for row over Pukemiro tip - https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/editors-picks/9282617/Locals-brace-for-row-over-Pukemiro-tip Rural Waikato residents furious at ongoing plastic waste fire - https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/09/rural-waikato-residents-furious-at-ongoing-plastic-waste-fire.html Onus on Government to remove toxic coal mine waste at Hector – conservationists - https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/114806519/onus-on-government-to-remove-toxic-coal-mine-waste-at-hector--conservationists

In 2017, in the Speech from the Throne, the Labour/NZ First/Green Government made a commitment to having no new mines on conservation land. The Government has, however, failed to implement this policy, and as a result numerous permits for mining related activity (prospecting, exploration and mining) have been granted across the nation’s conservation estate. This is unacceptable. This campaign is so important, and so urgent that the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand are now supporting this petition also (from May 2021). Conservation land is highly valued by New Zealanders, and is held by the Government for conservation purposes. It makes up approximately 1/3 of New Zealand's total land area and is simply too precious to mine. There are classes of conservation land including National Parks, public conservation land and marine reserves and other protected lands and waters; public conservation land includes forest parks, scenic reserves, ecological reserves and stewardship land. Stewardship land has been cited as one of the main reasons that the no new mines policy has not been implemented. Some are of the belief that stewardship land is 'low value' and should be excluded from the policy, when in fact, stewardship land includes a range of land, a significant portion of which has very high conservation values; stewardship land contains approximately 28% of biodiversity priority sites. The Hauraki Coromandel region alone has more than 300,000 hectares of stewardship land, including the Hukarahi Conservation Area, the site of the first closure due to kauri dieback on the Peninsula, the Whangapoua Forest Conservation Area, some 5000ha of mature native forest and the Otama Wetland, a part of the nationally significant Otama Dune system. To groundtruth all stewardship land in Aotearoa will take many years, and our conservation land must not be left vulnerable to mining until that happens. The simple fact is that the Government indicating their intent to ban new mines being established on conservation land has resulted in the industry not only rushing to get permits to prospect, explore and mine in areas they want to target, but also lobbying to exclude stewardship land. This can not be a blanket in or out decision - there is too much at stake. Changes proposed in any review of stewardship land must include giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi via negotiations with manawhenua of that rohe. A moratorium would ensure that the question of stewardship land can be considered carefully to ensure that any policy is robust in protecting all conservation land, while not sacrificing some of our most significant areas to mining while the policy is finalised. Support from: https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/themes/custom/forestandbird/images/logo-forest-and-bird-og-image.jpg

This would be disastrous for the youth of today, and for all future generations. Increasing extreme events and sea level rise have the potential to wreck our civilisation and bring misery and hardship to billions of people globally. It is time for climate change to be at the heart of every decision the New Zealand government, now and in the future, makes. The generations of today, and those not yet born demand this of you. For communities in the Pacific this means sea level rise, it means damage to food and water supplies, and for some island communities it may mean losing the islands they have lived on for generations. Here in New Zealand, many of the same issues will threaten our livelihoods and lifestyles around the country. We know the technologies are at hand – renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, hydrogen fuels and many others, but we just need to get on and deploy these as fast as we can. We urge that all New Zealand governments act urgently on climate change, as we must start future-proofing our country economy and mindsets to climate change as we can do this. The Climate Change Commission in its April 2020 letter to government has indicated the way of achieving this - through clean energy and energy efficiency; improved transport systems including public transport; sustainable land use and robust transport, energy and water infrastructure. Through the response to COVID-19, we have seen the power of people to act as a collective. It is time to see to climate action and climate justice, this really is our moment across all generations. We are out of time – we have had the Pandemic – and it is time for action by all.

Our Recommendations We are calling on you, our leaders and representatives, to put the climate crisis at the forefront of this election. We urge you to make strong, effective policies to fight climate change. a) Honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi by actively seeking and listening to the Māori and Pasifika leadership when making green policies. This inevitably requires constitutional transformation and recognition of tino rangatiratanga. b) Re-build from COVID-19 with environmental bottom lines and climate change at the forefront c) A just transition into a forward-looking low carbon economy. d) Listen to and work with climate scientists who have been warning us for decades. e) Take action now We ask what policies you and your party plan to enact which address these recommendations? Please let us know at [email protected]

The protection of the Queen Elizabeth Park area is so important to the Wellington region for environmental, recreational, social and climate change reasons. Now we have the opportunity to increase the area of the protected environment and restore the wetlands. The Wellington region has less than 3 percent of its original wetlands left. Drained and farmed peat emits huge amounts of carbon dioxide whereas rewetted peat will become a carbon sink so this action is consistent with GWRC declaring a climate change emergency. It also reduces the need for chemical weed control as woody weeds such as gorse and blackberry cannot survive in wet earth. Natural spaces in urban environments offer huge benefits to community well-being not to mention native flora and fauna. By expanding the protected area we could set a precedent for the rest of the country to show what is possible. It could also become a significant education tool. We've had some wins to protect what still exists, but we can do more! Add your name today and be part of this joint submission to show the public support to protect this special area. See our previous petition at https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/save-the-raumati-wetlands-in-queen-elizabeth-park-and-create-kapiti-s-biggest-carbon-sink Greater Wellington Parks Network Plan: http://www.gw.govt.nz/parks-network-plan

Did you know that a third of the food we produce is lost or wasted from farm to fork? Tackling food waste could lead to a triple win for New Zealand: 1. Environmentally: Reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment. 2. Economically: Boosting the economy and saving Kiwis money. 3. Socially: Improving livelihoods and increasing food security. New Zealand does not currently have a national food waste reduction target. We are lagging behind countries representing 50% of the world’s population, including Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. This needs to change. We need to take steps to align ourselves with the global target, Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3 (SDG 12.3), to halve food waste by 2030. Reducing food waste has recently been ranked as the third best global solution to addressing climate change (Project Drawdown). New Zealand has an opportunity to lead the world in climate action, sustainable food production, and preventing food from being wasted. We are calling on any newly elected Government to set a food waste reduction target in their 100 day plan (or coalition agreements) and align with SDG 12.3. This is our chance to set the right direction on reducing food waste over the next 10 years. Once government sets the direction, we believe businesses will come on board. We’re starting to see this globally, with two thirds of the world’s largest food businesses having adopted SDG 12.3. On top of this, many food businesses are measuring their food waste and taking action to reduce it. We encourage this target-measure-act approach for New Zealand businesses too. Setting national food waste targets can create widespread change, across government, businesses and the community. The time is ripe to start tackling food waste and ensuring that we have sustainable and secure food systems. WHO SUPPORTS THIS PETITION? This petition is supported by New Zealand Food Waste Champions 12.3, a coalition from New Zealand’s food supply chain to accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3 (SDG 12.3). Our twelve Champions work in retail, food businesses, research institutions and food waste reduction not-for-profits. Champions' organisations that back the petition include: KiwiHarvest, EcoStock, Countdown, NZ Food Network, Kaibosh, Leftfield Innovation Ltd, EcoGas, Bioresource Processing Alliance, Everybody Eats, Sustainable Business Network and our sponsor, Countdown. This petition is also supported by our Citizens of 12.3 – everyday Kiwis who want climate action on food waste. The Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3 in full is: “By 2030, halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses”. Other supporters include: FoodTruths, FoodPrint, United Nations Association NZ, Dietitians NZ, United Fresh NZ INcorporated, Potatoes NZ, The Carbon Cycle Company, Taco Addicts, CompostMe and Wilding & Co, Toha, Beef + Lamb, Powered by Plants NZ Ltd, Sustainability Trust, The Rubbish Trip, Skinny Fizz, WELLfed, Generation Zero, Zero Waste Network, WWF and Greenpeace.

“One of the worst days in my dental career was when I had to remove 10 teeth in one surgical procedure from an 18 month-old baby, still in nappies,” says Dr Beaglehole. (Principal dental officer at Nelson Marlborough Health). Lack of access to public drinking fountains and prominent marketing of sugary drinks create an environment where it’s often easier to find somewhere to buy bottled drinks than find a drinking fountain, increasing the consumption of sugary drinks and bottled water and with it increased obesity, dental decay and plastic pollution which is killing our marine life. Its hard to imagine but last year 8,700 children in NZ had to be hospitalised to have their teeth removed, due to dental decay and the main reason is sugary drinks. Sugary drinks are also a big contributor to our high rates of obesity and obesity is a recognised risk factor for severe clinical outcomes of COVID-19, and obese people are nearly 50% more likely to die from Covid 19.* A recently released UNICEF report, found that New Zealand has the second highest obesity rate in the OECD. More than one in three children are overweight or obese, with Pasifika (66.5%) and Māori (48.2%) children facing the highest risk . We are also seeing a rise in Type-2 diabetes in children we huge long term health risks. This could be avoided with better access to free tap water when people are out –by councils putting in more public drinking fountains. Currently there is only one drinking fountain for every 3,135 people and as few as one fountain for every 17,000 people in the worst-affected area. Paying for bottled drinks on the go, when good quality tap water should be readily available free-of-charge via drinking fountains, is an unnecessary expense for Kiwi families, especially with the economic impact of COVID-19 With the recent establishment of Taumata Arowai, the new Crown Entity to regulate water, there is an opportunity for central government to act urgently to make tap water the first and most convenient choice for New Zealanders. “Taumata Arowai’s objectives and functions includes protecting and promoting water-related public health outcomes. So we’re calling on government to act and make drinking fountains compulsory in half of all public parks, sports fields, and playgrounds.” SIGN NOW as we have a unique chance for new legislation to be introduced when the new government comes in. 👎 Councils have neglected to provide access to public drinking fountains where they are needed. 👎 With an average of just one drinking fountain for every 3,303 people and as few as one fountain for every 17,000 people in the worst-affected areas. 👎 As few as one in five children’s playgrounds, and less than one in 10 parks, have water fountains.* 👎👎 Data shows low-income communities often have fewer public drinking fountains per person than more economically affluent areas, reducing choice and affecting Māori and Pasifika health outcomes. ⚠ Kiwis consume up to six times the recommended daily sugar intake, with 25 per cent coming from sugary drinks, one 600ml soft / sports drink contains up to 16 teaspoons of sugar – more than five times the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily intake of sugar for a child, in one hit. ⚠ Contributing to our high rates of obesity, with than one in three children overweight or obese. (UNICEF) ⚠ In 2019, the number one reason why Kiwi kids were admitted to a New Zealand hospital was to have their teeth removed under general anaesthetic. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/111956057/appalling-child-tooth-decay-rates-in-northland-and-auckland ⚠An international team of researchers found that people with obesity who contracted COVID-19 were: • 113% more likely than people of healthy weight to be admitted to hospital, • 74% more likely to require treatment in ICU, and • 48% more likely to die. *https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/why-covid-19-more-deadly-people-obesity-even-if-theyre-young 👎 Single-use plastic bottles are also a major contributor to plastic pollution on our beaches and waterways, killing our marine and bird life. In Aotearoa, we throw away an estimated 838 million plastic bottles every year - the equivalent of 165 Olympic swimming pools. 👍 Councils are the ones legally responsible for providing clean drinking water and need to increase their level of investment in public drinking fountains. 👍 Improving drinking fountain provision in low-decile areas, on sports grounds, and in parks and children’s playgrounds can help reduce the consumption of bottled drinks and help fight sugar-related health issues and single-use plastic waste. SIGN NOW as we have a unique chance for new legislation to be introduced.

The stakes for the 2020 election have never been higher: the action we do or don't take on climate change in the next ten years, and in this election cycle, will determine the future we are passing on to the next generation. We are inviting all people in Aotearoa New Zealand to pledge to use your vote for climate justice in the 2020 election. During COVID-19, our team of five million demonstrated overwhelming kindness, compassion and support for one another. We came together to get New Zealand into one of the best positions globally in relation to COVID-19. This is one just step. As we recover, we must ensure we are doing the same to use the opportunity to show other countries how a green recovery can be done, with climate justice at the centre. 🌏🌏🌏 This is the perfect opportunity to centre a just transition for all which is aligned to Te Tiriti ō Waitangi. When we say climate justice, we mean indigenous justice, disability justice, social justice and all other facets of justice - a just transition, with no one left behind. We can build better by recognising the intersectionality of the issues and challenges we face and make progress across the board. 🌏🌏🌏 This planet that we share is facing its own pandemic, suffocated by 100 corporations contributing 70% of global emissions and by political leaders who simply aren’t doing enough. We need to stand up for Papatūānuku, our Earth Mother, now more than ever. 🌏🌏🌏 Let’s take this moment to co-create a new ‘normal’ which puts this planet that we all share to thrive. Our elected representatives listened to the science on COVID-19, now it’s time for them to do the same with climate change. The climate crisis threatens people, nature, and everything we care about. The crisis calls on us to re-organise our economies and relationship to the planet and each other. Whether it’s the health system, our jobs and income, our local beaches, our favourite patch of native forest, our communities, or our mental health – we won’t go back to business as usual. By voting for better climate change policy means we will be voting for everything and everybody we care about to have a better future. 🌏🌏🌏 Many of the policies we need will have co-benefits for other environmental and social issues. Some of these benefits include: improving health and economic outcomes with less cars and more active transport, food sovereignty from growing and buying more nutritional, mostly plant-based produce locally, and decentralising power and energy supply, leading to savings for communities. By decarbonising our economy, we will create more time for doing the things we love, with the people we love, in the nature we love. It will mean working less and sharing more. Driving less and cycling more. Polluting less and planting more. Overall, climate change policies will make our society more resilient as they intersect with every aspect of our lives. 🌏🌏🌏 Make the pledge now! In the 10 weeks leading up to polling day, Vote Climate is holding events across the country to encourage New Zealanders to vote climate. Events, spread across cities and regions, encompass everything from rallies to cross-party climate debates. The campaign aims to inspire voters to find more about their parties and candidates' stance on climate change, and push every party to provide a comprehensive climate action plan that aims to keep us below 1.5 degrees of warming by halving our greenhouse gas emissions. Head over to the Vote Climate 2020 Facebook Page to check out the different events happening each Friday https://www.facebook.com/pg/voteclimate2020nz/events/

Lake Horowhenua near Levin is a taonga. Despite it's awful treatment over decades - sewage, stormwater and other run off from the land pouring into its water- this is a place we treasure and have long wished to clean up. The Government is introducing new new rules for the protection of freshwater in our streams, awa (rivers) and roto (lakes). There are some really good things in the new rules, for example caps on the use of synthetic fertiliser. They also put in place greater protection measures for wetlands, as well controls on the soil and sediment allowed to enter waterways.[1] However, we are deeply concerned that you, as Minister for the Environment, are considering leaving Lake Horowhenua out of the new rules, which would allow the lake to be polluted even further. It is clear you consider it 'too hard' to protect the health of the Lake - despite the water being so toxic that a Niwa scientist said in 2012 a small child could die if enough was swallowed. [2] The suggestion that the Horowhenua and Pukekohe be exempted because they grow 30% of our vegetables isn’t a good enough reason, when a change in farming practices, away from overuse of fertilisers etc., could address this (and is important for our overall environmental sustainability.) In fact, we are deeply distressed and angered that there have been talks to allow this type of unsustainable farming to continue - especially as we face worsening climate change. Lake Horowhenua deserves all the care of other lakes. The Waitangi Tribunal found in 2017 the Crown had breached Te Tiriti o Waitangi by being complicit in the pollution and environmental degradation of the lake and for you to exclude it would breach the Treaty further. It is a terrible precedent to set that when a lake has been polluted then we can just forget about it, let it become a dump.This is a slippery slope that we urge you not to go down. Instead, we ask that you put your full weight behind measures to clean up Lake Horowhenua and the region’s other waterways, and to progress more sustainable farming measures in both named regions. Iwi and local communities would then be able to swim in the lake and rivers again, and local farmers would be supported for meeting the best standards for healthy and sustainable practices. We are asking you as Minister for the Environment not to exclude Lake Horowhenua from your National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, due to be finalised this year. The questions raised by your intended actions: Why would the Minister decide this when the lake is treasured? Why, when no one, including hapū and iwi, were properly consulted? Why when there is more money than ever available for storm and wastewater systems and "jobs for nature" from Government in the Covid-19 budget? Why when we know we can do better, that even in our horticultural operations that use what they call "luxury N" - extra nitrogen that is not necessary for growing vegetables but just makes veges look extra green when they hit the shelves - can and should reduce their impact, without risking our supply of veges. Why would the Minister do this when he knows our land can (and should for its own health) put in place better soil conservation methods - his Ministry has just done work on protecting productive land. Why would the Minister exempt any waterway when the freshwater policy does not even put a deadline on reaching bottom lines? Why would the Government okay this when at the same time it is spending millions on "cleaning up" the same lake? Please, Minister Parker, we ask that you immediately include the two exempted regions (Horowhenua and Pukekohe) in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, and consult with local iwi and communities to clean up the lake and insist on more sustainable farming practices in the region. Join us in calling for Lake Horowhenua to be included in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, along with the waterways and aquifers of Pukekohe. References 1. Lake Horowhenua pollution exemption will not help restoration efforts, iwi says, Stuff, July 2020 https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/300056712/lake-horowhenua-pollution-exemption-will-not-help-restoration-efforts-iwi-says 2. Lake Horowhenua toxic enough to kill a child, Stuff, 2012 http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/6390665/Lake-Horowhenua-toxic-enough-to-kill-a-child Why? When the lake is treasured. https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/118169959/where-we-used-to-swim-lake-horowhenuas-health-a-testament-to-peoplemade-pollution Why? When no one, including hapū and iwi, were consulted. https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/300056712/lake-horowhenua-pollution-exemption-will-not-help-restoration-efforts-iwi-says Why? When there is more money available for storm and wastewater systems from your Government. https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/122062256/new-fund-will-pave-way-for-multibillion-dollar-overhaul-of-water-sector Why? When we know we can do better, even in our horticultural operations that use "luxury N" - extra nitrogen that is not necessary for growing vegetables but just makes veges look extra green when they hit the shelves. Why? When our land can (and should for its own health) put in place better soil conservation methods. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12035548 Why? When the policy does not put a deadline on reaching bottom lines. https://www.mfe.govt.nz/action-for-healthy-waterways Why? When you are spending millions on "cleaning up" the same lake! https://www.nzherald.co.nz/water/news/article.cfm?c_id=362&objectid=12346368 On breaching the Treaty https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/94246816/crown-left-horowhenuas-muaupoko-iwi-virtually-landless-breaching-treaty-of-waitangi?rm=m