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

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

As a colonial power, New Zealand exploited Pacific Islands including Banaba, part of modern-day Kiribati, where 90% of the island’s surface was mined by the British Phosphate Commission – jointly owned by the British, Australian, and New Zealand governments – from the early 1900s to the end of the 1970s. This extractive practice left behind barren and uninhabitable land, resulting in the forced resettlement of Banabans to Rabi island in Fiji in 1945. To this day, Banabans on Rabi face discrimination as a nation of people falling between jurisdictions with none wanting to take responsibility.

Recognition of Palestinian statehood is essential for NZ to stand up for the rights of Palestinians, including their fundamental right to self-determination. Recognition of statehood is the foundation for full participation in international relations. Without recognition of statehood a territory and its people are vulnerable to serious infringements of their political, economic and wider human rights. While the government of Aotearoa New Zealand states that it supports a two-state solution to the situation in Palestine/Israel, it recognises the state of Israel, but it does not recognise the state of Palestine. The failure to recognise Palestine as a state is inconsistent with NZ's position on a two-state solution, denies the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and undermines our reputation as a defender of human rights and international law. The situation for Palestinians living under the illegal Israeli occupation is becoming increasingly intolerable. During 2022, 231 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli state and settler violence and in the first month of 2023 alone 42 Palestinians were killed. Numerous major international human rights organisations have reported that Israel is an apartheid regime, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’tselem, and the former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian Territories [1]. The International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid defines “apartheid”, the systematic oppression of one racial group of persons over another, as a crime against humanity. Daily life for Palestinians living under the Israeli apartheid regime is unbearable and inhumane. Just like ordinary New Zealanders were not prepared to stand by in silence while the South African government maintained an apartheid regime, we will not be silent while Palestinians suffer under similar indignities. Recognising the State of Palestine is an essential step towards justice and peace between Israel and Palestine. The Special Rapporteur described “the recognition of the Palestinian people’s fundamental right to determine their political, social and economic status and develop as a people, free from foreign occupation, rule and exploitation.” as the “ critical issue” in addressing the situation in Palestine. [2] We call on the New Zealand government to join the majority of the 193 UN member states and recognise the state of Palestine. References: [1] Amnesty International report: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2022/02/israels-system-of-apartheid/#:~:text=This%20is%20apartheid.,order%20to%20benefit%20Jewish%20Israelis; Human Rights Watch report: https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution; B'tselem report: https://www.btselem.org/publications/fulltext/202101_this_is_apartheid; and Special Rapporteur report: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G22/448/72/PDF/G2244872.pdf?OpenElement [2] UN General Assembly Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese (A/77/356) (21 September 2022), at para 11. Available at: https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/A.77.356_210922.pdf

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

In New Zealand, possession, use, and social supply of psychedelic drugs carries the same penalty as drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Neither LSD, DMT, nor magic mushrooms are physically addictive, with no withdrawal symptoms and mellow comedowns. in addition to this, they're also nearly impossible to overdose on, and both (especially mushrooms) do not negatively impact physical health, provided they are taken correctly, in a controlled setting, and are pure LSD/mushrooms. People found in possession of LSD, magic mushrooms, or DMT are currently faced with up to an $1000 fine, or up to 6 months in prison. Decriminalizing and providing education on psychedelics would not only be more appropriate, given the evidence of the nature of both drugs, but would also mean no charges for those found in possession of these drugs, who tend to be predominantly young, male, and Māori. . An overwhelming amount of evidence clearly shows that punishment and convictions for drug users don’t decrease drug use. In truth, New Zealand’s current drug laws are fuelled by stigma, marginalization and are focused on punishment rather than education and rehabilitation. Sources: https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/classic-psychedelics-arent-addictive https://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/policy-and-advocacy/drugs-and-criminal-justice/ https://thelevel.org.nz/drug-information/psilocybin-mushrooms/ https://thelevel.org.nz/drug-information/lsd/ https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/306889#risks https://www.vox.com/2015/7/24/9027363/acid-lsd-psychedelic-drugs

There is NO SAFE LEVEL of lead exposure, and we think children's items should be 100% safe from this risk. Gaps in our legislative and regulatory regime allow toxic lead in many children’s items. It’s time we overhaul our outdated piecemeal laws and standards and, at a minimum, adopt the most stringent international standards on lead in children’s products. Our kids deserve the best protections too. Lead exposure, even at low levels, can set children up for a lifetime of struggle. It can reduce IQ and cause speech delays, behavioural issues, impulsivity, aggression, ADHD and learning difficulties. It's linked to increased school dropouts, criminal activity and reduced earnings as an adult. In addition to brain damage, it also affects every organ system and can cause heart disease, kidney disease, cancer and is a contributing factor in most major health issues. Children are the most vulnerable to these effects due to their smaller size and still-developing brains. This year, some NUK baby bottles were recalled in the USA and Canada due to lead paint on the surface of the bottle. They were not recalled in New Zealand because lead paint on baby bottles is not illegal here. This is unacceptable. Also this year, Lead Awareness NZ coordinated a crowd-sourcing initiative where whanau across the country tested and found high lead levels on the surface of their mugs and glasses, including an alarming number of items clearly designed for children. Some of these are currently for sale in stores. This is unacceptable. A Canadian environmental group has recently reported on the loopholes in their laws that allow high levels of lead inside toys' interior parts. We have the same loopholes in our laws. This is unacceptable. Studies worldwide have found high levels of lead in painted playground equipment and play surfaces. We can’t find any laws limiting lead content in New Zealand playgrounds. This is unacceptable. Australia recently joined the international movement promoted by the WHO to phase out lead from ALL paints, defined as allowing no more than 90 parts per million (ppm) lead. Although New Zealand limits lead in children’s paints and toys to this level, we still allow up to 1000 ppm lead in general use paints and we allow the sale of marine paints containing 800,000 ppm lead. While such general and marine paints aren’t technically children’s items, children live and play in painted environments and are vulnerable to harm from them. This is unacceptable. New Zealand needs to do a better job of protecting children from lead, and we think children's products are a good place to start. Our legal controls are outdated and piecemeal, and unlike our international counterparts we don’t even monitor our young children for their lead exposure levels. There is much to be done in this area, but we need to start somewhere. Let's allow our children to reach their full potential. Let's start by ensuring their products are safe for them. Resources - 2009 New Zealand Unsafe Goods Notice regarding lead in children’s toys (current): https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2009-go2660 (Limits the levels of lead that can “migrate” from a toy surface to 90 mg/kg. It’s understood this was based on the EU Toy Safety law from 1988. However, European lead limits have been updated twice since that time, with the current standard limiting lead migration to between 0.5 mg/kg and 23 mg/kg (depending on toy material). The US and Canada take a different approach and limit the total lead content of toys and children’s products, rather than migratable lead, to 90 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg lead in accessible parts (strictly defined), and a total concentration limit of 90 mg/kg for any surface coatings. New Zealand law has fallen behind. It is time for New Zealand to become a world leader by ensuring that our children’s toys and products are completely lead free.) - ESR Report: Health Risk Assessment: Lead In Children’s Toys, May 2021 https://www.esr.cri.nz/assets/FW21014-Lead-in-Toys-FINAL-30-June-2021.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1uUKegI1pDssl4LQy1dJR_fIHjuFWp6NrrN5buS6Qa-Vm4ceqcOUio_H8 - Summary by Lead Awareness NZ on New Zealand’s ceramics standards https://leadawarenz.blogspot.com/2022/08/regulations-on-leachable-lead-in.html - NUK baby bottle recall Leadsafe Mama summary: https://tamararubin.com/2022/07/july-28-2022-the-cpsc-finally-issued-a-recall-for-the-lead-painted-baby-bottles-that-we-reported-in-june-of-2021-but-they-only-recalled-one-of-at-least-six-lead-painted-designs-from-nuk/ United States recall: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/First-Choice-Glass-Baby-Bottles-Recalled-by-NUK-Due-to-Violation-of-the-Federal-Lead-Content-Ban-Sold-Exclusively-on-Amazon-com-Recall-Alert Canada recall: https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/nuk-first-choice-glass-baby-bottles-recalled-due-lead-excess-allowable-limit - Report by Environmental Defence Canada https://environmentaldefence.ca/report/passing-the-buck/ - Studies on playgrounds UK: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/playground-paints-should-be-closely-monitored-to-reduce-potential-danger-to-public-health US: https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1996/CPSC-Finds-Lead-Poisoning-Hazard-for-Young-Children-on-Public-Playground-Equipment South Africa: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20218484/ Israel: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29754080/ - Australian Poisons Standard https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2022L01257 (Part 2, Section 7.1(2)(b) of the Poisons Standard provides that paints and tinters (other than anti-fouling or anti-corrosive paints) must meet a 90 ppm limit for lead. In addition, it is understood that anti-fouling and anti-corrosive paints (which currently have a 1000 ppm limit for lead) will be required to meet the 90 ppm limit by October 2023) - Lead Awareness NZ www.facebook.com/leadawarenessnz

WHY A DEBT FREE FUTURE? Fulfilling these asks and a Debt Free Future is possible, in fact we’ve achieved it before – because education is a public good. Our country has a rich history of free tertiary education, for 121 years, until it was taken away in 1990. After lobbying from students and supporters across the motu, in 2017 we secured a promise of 3 years Fees Free from the Labour Party; but in 2020 the Government broke its promise to extend the policy and took this opportunity, this right, from learners. HOW CAN YOU HELP? We have the power to bring free and accessible education back, and we need your support. Sign and share this petition to be part of the movement fighting for a Debt Free Future. This is about people, community and doing what’s right.