Close passing is intimidating, dangerous, and in the worst cases life threatening for people on bikes and foot. The NZ Road Code recommends 1.5m: “Give cyclists plenty of room when passing them. Ideally, allow at least 1.5 metres between you and the cyclist”, but this lacks the force of law. Bike lanes are great but they don't go everywhere. People on bikes need the protection of the law. More at https://can.org.nz/givemeroom Safe Passing Rule FAQ at http://cyclingchristchurch.co.nz/2015/11/13/mythbusting-what-a-safe-passing-rule-means/

The DHBs have been asked by the Nurses Union NZNO for more money for more nursing staff to safely staff their (the DHB) workplaces (DHB workplaces are public hospitals), for 14 years, and each year since 2004, the DHBs have failed to provide money for more nursing staff to make their workplaces safe for the patients and the nursing staff. When DHB workplaces are unsafely staffed the patients do not receive the care that they require. Essential monitoring of a deteriorating patient gets missed by the nurse because they have too many patients to safely care for, pain medication gets missed, nurses become exhausted and fail to take their meal breaks which compounds an already unsafe situation, and sentinel events (near misses, and serious injury and death to patients due to unsafe staffing) start to occur. However as the DHB hasn't committed to putting Care Capacity Demand Management into place which is NZNO Safe Staffing request, as advocated for by NZNO, the instances of Unsafe Staffing in DHB workplaces are neither recorded nor audited. So NZNO, NZNO Nursing members, DHBs, or the Safe Staffing Healthy Workplaces Unit have no idea how many instances of care rationing have lead to sentinel events for patients being cared for in DHB workplaces. The DHBs have a conflict of interest and at NZNO nurse wage negotiation times, pit one essential requirement of nurses demanding a pay rise versus the nurses essential requirement for more staffing to safely care for our patients. The District Health Boards honour neither requirement, because it is in the District Health Board's interest to save money. This is a conflict of interest and it makes a mockery of the District Health Board acting as a "Good Faith" bargaining partner. This is the possibility of corruption in a government department, and is not acting in “Good Faith” as an employer. We ask that the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation divest all District Health Boards from New Zealand Nursing Organisations 'safe staffing' agreement. Make the 'safe staffing' agreement between New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Ministry Of Health, and Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. The DHB needs to bargain in good faith on the wages and pay increases for its employees. The DHB could then be held accountable to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment regarding honouring the government mandate of providing a safe DHB workplace for the staff and patients. Ensure that care capacity demand management requirements are provided for and achieved in the DHB workplace, and are advised upon and enforced by NZNO. Funding for Safe Staffing would be the only responsibility of the Ministry of Health to avoid future conflicts of interest, and regulated by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, and be audited, administered, enforced and staffed by NZNO in the DHB workplace every shift. It is important that an effective government department such as the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, which is bound by the Health and Safety Act 2015, can regulate, administer and enforce laws that protect the patients and staff who work in DHB workplaces. Nursing and Allied Health Staff work in DHB workplaces and provide care for Patients, in the workplace that the DHB provides. The DHB is obliged under the Health and Safety Act 2015 to provide all requirements in their workplaces, to meet Health and Safety standards which include Safe Staffing, specific nurse to patient ratios depending on acuity/comorbidity that are enforced by New Zealand Nurses Organisation 24/7 on site staff who monitor, record, audit, communicate and find staff for unsafely staffed DHB workplaces. NZNO would advise, regulate, enforce, administer and provide staff to monitor DHB workplaces and Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment compliance with safe staffing. There would always be a NZNO staff member available within DHB workplaces 24/7 to monitor compliance of the DHB workplace's nurse to patient ratios and reporting, recording, and enabling provision of one or multiple nursing staff members to work should that be required. Having a stronger and more responsive government Ministry in place will make accountability for safer staffing greater, will minimise care rationing by nurses to patients, and will decrease length of hospital stay for patients, it will provide for better care to the patient and more effective nursing care within a shorter time frame, and will diminish the incidence of serious sentinel events (serious and fatal harm caused to patients due to unsafely staffed DHB workplaces). It will also allow the DHB to act as a bargaining employer of Good Faith, and will restore some transparency, integrity and accountability to the DHB's reputation to deliver upon wage negotiation pay rises for Nursing staff. http://nursingnzme2.wpengine.com/right-staffing-happier-staff-finds-ccdm-research/ http://nursingreview.co.nz/right-nurse-right-place-and-right-time/ http://nursingreview.co.nz/safe-staffing-and-nursing-strikes-a-brief-history/ https://www.nzno.org.nz/get_involved/campaigns/care_point/what_is_ccdm https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/opinion/2018/07/duncan-garner-irony-nurses-finally-get-safe-staffing-levels-during-strike.html

Everyone deserves a home that is safe, healthy, affordable and stable. The half of New Zealand who lives in rental accommodation should be no exception. But our rental market is broken. Too many renters find that their homes are unsafe, unhealthy, unaffordable and insecure and their existing rights are poorly enforced. This year the government will review tenancy laws, giving us a once-in-a-decade opportunity to call for the reforms renters need. To seize this moment, Renters United has developed a Plan to Fix Renting. Last year we heard from over 600 renters who shared their experiences in the People’s Review of Renting (rentingreview.nz). We have listened to their stories and consulted experts to develop 36 recommendations that will make life better for renters. The Plan proposes solutions in four areas: 1) Stable homes, so renters can feel secure ➡️ We recommend an end to no-fault evictions and a shift to indefinite tenancies as the norm. ➡️ We also recommend that renters be allowed to keep pets and make their house a home through reasonable changes – like hanging pictures on the wall. 2) Fair rent, so homes are affordable ➡️ We recommend rent be increased only once per year and by no more than the Consumer Price Index in the preceding 12 months. 3) Safe and healthy homes, so renters live healthy lives ➡️ We recommend that every home be required to comply with the He Kainga Oranga rental Warrant of Fitness, enforced by local councils. 4) Meaningful enforcement, so renters can stand up for their rights. ➡️ We recommend reforms to the Tenancy Tribunal, funding of tenant advocacy services, and licensing and regulation of all property managers. Read the full Plan at fixrenting.org.nz. We call on the Housing Minister to implement the Plan so we can fix renting. By signing this petition, you agree to be contacted by Renters United and ActionStation about this and similar campaigns. You can opt out at anytime. If you’d like to join the campaign by joining regular online meet-ups or organising renters near you, contact organiser@rentersunited.org.nz.

Children today are less active and more sedentary than previous generations having limited opportunities to spend regular time in nature. With parent’s busy lives and our children spending more time in childcare centres than ever before, they do not get to experience the same nature-based play opportunities that their parents and grandparents experienced. This is having a detrimental effect on our children. We are seeing children becoming weaker, less resilient and less imaginative. Younger and younger they are suffering from mental health problems, obesity, oral language developmental problems, anxiety and stress. There is a movement happening in New Zealand right now as parents and educators recognise the benefits that nature has to offer and visibly see the incredible changes it makes in the lives of their tamariki. There are so many benefits [1] [2] that nature play can offer including: • Reducing stress • Improving social relations • Enhanced cognitive abilities • It supports creativity and problem solving • Increased physical activity, sensory and motor development • Improved academic performance including oral language, decision making and negotiation skills. A HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT In the early years of life, play, particularly free, unstructured and outdoors is essential for healthy brain development, socio-emotional development and healthy musculoskeletal and sensory systems. It is far more important than direct instruction. Nature can not only heal our children it can build confidence, resilience and is beneficial for their mana atua and overall kotahitanga. IMPORTANCE OF RISKY PLAY It provides them with age appropriate risky play opportunities which allow children to understand their own limitations, develop their problem-solving skills and teaches them to overcome fears and anxieties. CREATING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE Creating a play experience outside on a regular basis will not only educate our children about where their curiosity may take them, it also feeds a deeper connection to our natural environment. Instilling these connections in this new generation is of most importance to our Kaitiakitanga and environmental sustainability. FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR TAMARIKI In other parts of the world, full time nature education programmes are well established in ECE. These countries include Sweden, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, England, Scotland, Wales, America and Australia. They are often called forest kindergartens. Please sign this petition for our children and grandchildren to help give them the option of full time nature-based education in New Zealand. The benefits are not just immediate but long term and with the early years being a critical time for brain development, supported nature-based play is a must for New Zealand. [1] http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/getting-involved/students-and-teachers/benefits-of-connecting-children-with-nature.pdf [2] https://naturalearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Benefits-of-Connecting-Children-with-Nature_InfoSheet.pdf PETITION UPDATE 5th July 2019 On Tuesday 25th June at 1pm a group of over 50 nature educators and petition supports including tamariki congregated on the steps of parliament to present the petition to MP's. Nikki Kaye received the petition alongside Ruth Dyson, Chloe Swarbrick, Nicola Willis, Harete Hipango, Ron Mark, Dan Bidois, The Deputy Prime Minster Winston Peters and more! It was such a special day and made evermore vibrant with the tamariki being present. Celia Hogan as the petition organiser introduced the petition and spoke on behalf of all those who signed and supported it, then 8 year old Kannika Smith gave a speech talking about her time as a preschooler in a nature excursion programme and how much she would love to see this available for all children in New Zealand. Kannika, supported by all the tamariki presented Nikki Kaye with a beautiful kete which contained the petition. Nikki Kaye accepted it on behalf of National, Labour, Green, New Zealand First and the Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE PETITION 2019: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/nearly-6000-signature-strong-petition-urging-government-allow-outdoor-bush-kindies-presented-parliament?fbclid=IwAR2j67jE_6-SzpJq77U4Bny10_5QkyhmWpUVLwLKP-qH4N7horgJRR_KPXE https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/petition-asking-rule-change-allow-bush-kindies-breaks-5000-mark https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/113748799/red-zone-could-be-home-to-christchurchs-first-bush-kindy-if-parliament-backs-petition?fbclid=IwAR319cXLkojFcyjPXmHQyeTb9FX5SGctLsXPW3EJSUImxviB498ddIcHGLY https://embed.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018701241/celia-hogan-bush-kindergarten-petition-presented-to-parliament https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/petition-calls-kids-have-access-full-time-nature-based-childcare?fbclid=IwAR3n0-h3A-fGzDBMtXYqs_dU-5xhhaDrV67MJgxNdiTCnZIgj7w7uAfZOtk MEDIA COVERAGE FROM 2018: News Paper Article: https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/105632188/wading-through-red-tape-and-cotton-wool-to-enable-naturebased-kindergartens TV Interiew - The Project: https://www.facebook.com/TheProjectNZ/videos/1295811877222129 Radio Interview with Jesse Muligan: https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018657544/bush-kindergartens-changing-the-way-kids-play Radio Interview with Mike Hosking: http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/celia-hogan-many-parents-want-outdoor-kindys/

Dominion Road is both a route AND a destination for people on bikes. Now, light rail is on the way – but with no clear plan for keeping bikes in the picture. That's a worry, because the potential is huge. So let's raise our voices to make it happen! 👧 Hundreds of people already bike along Dominion Road every day. Imagine thousands more of us on bikes. Kids biking to school. Residents going to the shops. Visitors and tourists exploring this iconic boulevard and the lively neighbourhoods along the route. 🚈 Light rail projects are a once-in-a-lifetime 'big dig", the perfect opportunity to future-proof major transport arteries. We won’t get another chance to do this for many decades. Cities around the world successfully combine light rail and bikeways to boost public transport AND bike travel. Auckland can, too! 🚲 Bikeways are the perfect combo with light rail. Everyone’s public transport journey starts and ends at a different point – and bikes expand easy access to stations from a few hundred metres on foot to a few kilometres on wheels. 🛍️ Bikeways on Dominion Road will bring more bike trips to and through the town centres, helping local shops thrive and grow. ♻️ Light rail is about creating car-free and carbon-free travel options for everyone along the route. Why compromise the environmental benefits of the project by leaving bikes out of the design? ✅ This is also a golden opportunity to solve the ‘Bike Bermuda Triangle’: the absence of safe north-south bike routes through the isthmus. Bridging this gap is as vital to a strategic bike network as Skypath. 📣 With tens of thousands of Aucklanders of all ages taking to cycling each year, adding great bikeways to light rail on this key route is smart, sustainable and strategic. This is a pivotal moment in the life of our city. Please join our call for bikeways as the key to making light rail truly transformational for Auckland! Check out Bike Auckland's design suggestions here: https://www.bikeauckland.org.nz/light-rail-isthmus-room-bikes-bike-akl-proposal/ And see an overview of the light rail project here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKdybt7F4os

Precious conservation land in the Southern Coromandel is under increasing pressure from mining activities. The Karangahake Gorge, an important ecological corridor and popular visitor destination, is currently being mined under a 'bulk sampling' resource consent by New Talisman Gold Mines. Deep in the hills behind Whangamata, Oceana Gold has been busy exploring for gold in the habitat of the world's most endangered amphibian, the Archey's frog. Now they have applied for a Mining Permit, over a massive 5000ha of Conservation land. Please sign the open letter and support the call to the Minister of Conservation and the Minister of the Environment to honour the commitment to protect this important habitat.

The Sentencing and Parole Act 2002 established the Three Strikes Law which passed in 2010. The Three Strikes Law consists of three stages where the penalty increases for reoffences. Section 86A under The Sentencing and Parole Act 2002 states the different offences at each of these three stages. (Sentencing and Parole Act 2002, Section 86A http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0009/latest/DLM3023002.html). This issue is important to us because we feel that the Three Strikes Law is ineffective. Overpopulation in prisons arises from different factors, and in New Zealand we believe that the Three Strikes Law doesn't fulfil the intention it needs to meet. It contributes to the growing prison population. (http://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/research_and_statistics/quarterly_prison_statistics/previous_years_prison_statistics/ps-september-2011.html). The purpose of the Three Strikes Law was to address reoffending however it hasn't been effective. Minister of Justice Andrew Little proposed a review of the law to the Cabinet in November 2017, and has been blocked since. Together we can encourage MPs to look at the evidence and consider more the impact our current system is having on individuals, family and society. Sign and show your support for a compassionate justice system!

Because those young women can sing! But not only that. Tiresa, Rosetta and Anastasia are young people from Porirua who will be able to represent us all on the national stage at one of the biggest sporting events this year. They can show the strength, diversity and real-ness of our young people. Who usually gets to decide who represents us? Just imagine, this could become one of *those* stories that captures the public mood. Where we're able, through our signatures, infiltrate the height of a professional sporting event (and all the pageantry that goes with an All Blacks test match) with raw, talented and classy people like these 3 young singers. And this isn't to dis' the professional singers that NZ Rugby usually use at test matches. It's a chance for NZ Rugby to show its community-minded side, and to give an opportunity for these young, talented school students from Porirua to shine on a global stage - a real authentic voice of young New Zealand. Represent! "The richness and beauty that's in their voices is part of the richness and beauty of this community." - Porirua College principal Ragne Maxwell Check them out: https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018651010/porirua-students-version-of-nz-national-anthem-goes-viral Porirua teens say key to good anthem is 'sing it with pride', Stuff, 28 June: https://bit.ly/2tAEXtC

A reform of these sections in the Crimes Act is important because gay rights = human rights. People should be able to love, free of judgement and potential persecution. Polynesia has been sexually diverse for many years and, before colonisation and Christianity, was accepted as apart of the norm. No one should have a permanent criminal conviction, simply for loving who they want to. These laws do not reflect well on the progressive nature of young Samoans today, along with future generations and this inflexible view of sexuality is non-inclusive, discriminatory and extremely conservative. A reform would mean our LGBTQ+ peers are more protected from discrimination and would have the ability to love freely. We understand that, typically, when laws change, mindsets do as well and therefore are asking the Samoan Government to reform these laws to grant this change. Crimes Act PDF for reference: http://www.palemene.ws/new/wp-content/uploads//01.Acts/Acts%202013/Crimes_Act_2013_-_Eng.pdf

Consumers do not have consumer choice in packaging material associated with the products they purchase. They are usually left with difficult to recycle polystyrene, plastic bags and other packaging. If consumers are guaranteed the ability to return all packaging material to the retailer where the product was purchased from, this would drive retailers to demand (from manufacturers) that products are encased in easy-to-recycle packaging materials. Such laws were implemented in Europe during the 1990's, and have led to changes in community awareness and packaging. [1] While some NZ retailers may currently accept such material when returned to them, consumers often lack confidence in returning packaging due to concerns that they may be refused. Legislation guaranteeing consumers the right to return packaging would alleviate concerns, and encourage packaging to be returned for recycling or reuse. The proposed legislation would ensure that those who have the greatest ability to affect change in packaging material types (retailers and manufacturers) assume responsibility for the costs associated with end of life management of the packaging, therefore driving change. 1. EUROPEAN PACKAGING POLICY The consequences of a deposit system for disposable packaging based on the German example http://www.foodnet.cz/soubor.php?id=11315&kontrola=47963fffea4a1dfa9745ec4015fa54aa&foodnet=

Associate Finance Minister David Clark and Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage granted an application under the Overseas Investments Act 2005 for Cresswell Ltd to purchase land to expand the existing Otakiri Springs water bottling plant near Whakatāne. A decision that will see 1.1 billion litres of Aotearoa New Zealand freshwater being bottled and exported. There is little information as to where the aquifer that supplies Otakiri springs comes from and how fast it recharges. The science behind the allocation of these aquifers is flawed. The data collected is not reliable enough to ensure that it is safe to collect water from. The depletion of the aquifer could potentially leave permanent damage to surrounding waterways. Tangata whenua believe that freshwater including groundwater has important cultural value. It is the belief that the mauri (life force) of the body of water (seen and unseen) needs to be intact to ensure the physical and spiritual survival of all living things. The mauri of Otakiri Springs or as local iwi and hapū know it as Te Otākiritanga ō Te Toki a Iratumoana, is at risk. The removal of water for the purposes of bottling for foreign exchange violates the mauri and sacredness of the water. This activity 1. Allows the continued contribution of plastic waste. 2. Sells New Zealand natural resources (freshwater) for corporate benefit. 3. Compromises the health and wellbeing of the waterways and aquifers. 4. Ignores the concerns of the local Whakatāne community who are directly affected by this activity. 5. Disregards section 6e of The Resource Management Act being the relationship of Māori and their culture and traditions with their ancestral lands. Who really benefits in this transaction? Not tangata whenua. Not Aotearoa as a nation. But multi-billionaire foreign investors - Nongfu. Bay of Plenty Regional Council still have the power to determine the safety and preservation of our natural resource (mauri) by denying the resource consent. The New Zealand Government cannot continue to market Aotearoa as “clean green” then make decisions that directly compromise the well-being of the waterways and aquifers. Intergenerational and sustainable approaches to the environment need to be implemented to ensure we are not leaving our children a barren wasteland. But firstly, we need to stop selling our natural resources at the detriment of ourselves. When our children ask, “What did you do?” Will the response be: “I cared?” Or will it be: “I sold out.” Mo nga uri whakaheke te take. For the future generations. Please also support the petition: Stop multi-nationals profiting from our natural water resources https://bit.ly/2MQQ38B Relevant articles: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/chinas-ban-foreign-waste-wake-up-call-nz-environmentalists https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/104695650/consent-granted-for-chinese-water-bottling-giant-to-purchase-otakiri-spring

This is important as Wellington has only 2.3 percent of its wetlands remaining and wetlands are increasingly recognised and valued for the ecosystem service they provide (GWRC Wetlands report for the proposed Natural Resources Plan July 2015). Maori used the wetlands of the Great Swamp to canoe between Paekakariki and Paraparaumu. Te kukuwai (wetlands) also supplied a lot of food. It would be a key climate-change initiative for the Kapiti Coast as drained peat lands emit significant amounts of carbon but absorb large amounts when re-wetted, making a carbon sink more efficient than forests. As invasive weeds such as gorse and blackberry cannot survive in wetlands, it would also allay community concerns about fire risk and use of herbicides. A former walk through the wetland sand dune could also be restored for public access in this recreation reserve. Under the farming lease, GWRC can negotiate the retirement of land giving reasonable notice. This petition is timed to coincide with GWRC's review of its Parks Network Plan this year. For more info on the importance of peat lands in climate-change mitigation please see https://drawdowniitkgp.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/peatlands-a-secret-and-surprising-weapon/