With the cost of living continuing to skyrocket in New Zealand the last thing our communities need is bigger power bills. As winter is approaching, I am especially concerned for vulnerable households, the elderly and people with medical conditions affected by the cold. By bringing back the low user power tariff you will be preventing further power poverty and financial hardship and make the electricity market more equitable.

In New Zealand, we have less social cohesion, lowering levels of trust in the government and lowering voter turnout rates. These are urgent matters that require action. We believe it requires implementing education and training within schools so young people have the ability to learn before they are able to actively engage and understand how decisions are made. We believe this is one crucial action that will work towards a more democratic society. The 2020 general election showed that 78% of eligible voters from the age of 18 – 24 voted compared to 89.14% of eligible voters between the age of 65 – 69. The 2019 local body election showed that only 41.7% of all eligible voters voted. We can do better as a country. There is currently a School Leavers Toolkit (https://school-leavers-toolkit.education.govt.nz/en/government-and-voting/) which was announced by the Labour Government in 2019 as a resource to equip students with the core skills and knowledge they need to leave school. We agree with Chris Hipkins when he said “This is just a start” and while we appreciate the MoE acknowledging civics education is an integral part of a person's education. We want civics education in all New Zealad schools to be the end goal. We urge the Ministry of Education to create richer content to be taught in secondary schools in a way that is engaging, experiential and participatory whilst maintaining an apolitical tone that enables people to question and explore their own beliefs and values. “We need to make sure all our young people can leave school with the skills they need to get on in life…It shouldn’t be left to chance” – Chris Hipkins Civics in Schools is a group of passionate people who have a vision where every New Zealander is an active participant within our democratic processes. We want every person to have the tools and knowledge to vote, make informed decisions and effect change. We are a multi-generational group of people, campaigning and calling on Minister of Education – Hon Chris Hipkins, Associate Minister of Education – Jan Tinette, Associate Minister of Education (Māori Education) – Hon Kelvin Davis, Associate Minister of Education (Pacific Peoples) – Hon Aupito William Sio to make civics education a core subject within all New Zealand secondary schools. Civics in Schools in the media: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/127970420/petition-created-to-teach-civics-in-schools https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018834600/call-for-civics-to-be-a-core-subject-in-school-curricula

Dyslexia/neurodiversity affects around 15% of people worldwide, and impacts on their education, their working lives, and wider social interactions. Dyslexia/neurodiversity are best described as differences, as opposed to disabilities, but the way that society treats them turns them into disabilities. Dyslexia/neurodiversity are poorly understood and often overlooked in government policies. Currently New Zealand gathers no statistics about dyslexia/neurodiversity and New Zealand Human Rights legislation is silent on them. Many people with dyslexia/neurodiversity are not aware they have it and many people with it strive to hide it to avoid ridicule. Sadly, most teachers in most schools are poorly equipped to support children with dyslexia. Pre-service teacher training provides minimal dyslexia/neurodiversity instruction for new teachers entering the education workforce. Without change the challenges facing dyslexic children and adults are not likely to be addressed. Meeting the needs of Kiwis with dyslexia/neurodiversity is an equity issue. Sadly dyslexic/neurodiverse Kiwis have been ignored. It is demonstrably unfair that this group of Kiwis continue to be short-changed and treated poorly. This is also a major workplace productivity issue. No country can achieve to its full potential when 10 – 15% of its population are not fully engaged. This petition is about giving all Kiwis a fair go.

PYROLYSIS IS A FORM OF INCINERATION The EU classifies pyrolysis as a type of incineration because it involves the thermal treatment or combustion of waste, and many of the resultant pollutants and emissions are all similar across the different waste-to-energy technologies. The EU's Directive on Industrial Emissions provides the following definition (Article 3 (40)): “‘waste incineration plant’ means any stationary or mobile technical unit and equipment dedicated to the thermal treatment of waste, with or without recovery of the combustion heat generated, through the incineration by oxidation of waste as well as other thermal treatment processes, such as pyrolysis, gasification or plasma process, if the substances resulting from the treatment are subsequently incinerated.” The Feilding pyrolysis facility fits within this definition. INCINERATORS POLLUTE OUR AIR, LAND AND WATER While it is true that today’s incinerators are cleaner than older models, they’re still not perfect. Modern incinerators still release toxic chemicals that include dioxins, mercury and cadmium – substances that cause cancer, nerve damage and birth defects. Anyone living downwind from an incinerator is in danger of breathing in these dangerous chemicals and suffering the health consequences, like respiratory issues [1]. Toxins in the form of dioxins and furans and other toxic chemicals formed by the process of pyrolysis can leach into soil and groundwater and accumulate in food chains. Waste pyrolysis facilities produce outputs in the form of gas, oil, air emissions, liquid effluent and solid char that are all highly contaminated with toxic substances. All of these outputs require substantial treatment to be able to be used safely, and some components of the treatment facilities (e.g. filters, scrubbers) become extremely toxic and require disposal at special hazardous waste landfills. The oil produced from pyrolysis is particularly toxic when plastics are used as feedstocks and can contain bromine, zinc, calcium, chlorine, and sulphur making the oil produced by pyrolysis significantly more environmentally polluting than other engine fuel [2]. The Feilding pyrolysis plant will produce a by-product of 2.5 tonnes of solid ‘char’ per day. This extremely toxic material will need to be dumped in special hazardous waste landfills. It is in no way, shape or form the same as ‘bio-char’ which can be used as an agricultural soil amendment and it is highly misleading of Bio Plant to call this toxic by-product ‘bio-char’ [3]. Incinerator toxins falling back to land are regularly washed into waterways where they combine with leachate from hazardous waste landfills. These contaminants poison aquatic life as they flow through our streams and rivers into our harbours and eventually into our oceans. These toxins have the potential to enter our food chain at every stage of their journey to the sea. Environmental impact - Up to 70 tonnes of rubbish will be burnt in Feilding each day. - Incinerators release greenhouse gases - for each tonne of waste burnt, up to 1.2 tonnes of CO2 is produced. While pyrolysis does not burn waste directly, it produces gas and liquid fuels which will be subsequently burnt and will release similar levels of CO2. - It is claimed that the pyrolysis process will be ‘CO2 neutral’ and produce ‘renewable energy.’ This is completely false – the key ingredient will be plastics which are made from oil, a non-renewable resource. The synthetic gas and diesel that will be produced are also less efficient and more polluting than regular fossil fuels. Effects on the Feilding community - The health and well-being of residents - exposure to cancer-causing dioxins released into the air and potential odour nuisance. - Manawatū District Council locked into a long term and expensive contract. - Feilding is locked into producing rubbish to fulfil this contract instead of moving towards a sustainable circular economy and zero waste. - Endangering the wider community by increasing impacts of climate change and taking Aotearoa New Zealand further away from the Climate Change targets it needs to achieve. - Feilding could become a dumping ground for waste from other areas of NZ and possibly the Pacific. - May adversely affect land-values of neighbouring properties. - Employment - Bio Plant will employ very few people compared with ambitious zero waste programmes and initiatives such as reuse, repair, recycling and composting - which create as many as 200x more jobs than landfills and incinerators [4]. - Incinerators are being shut down around the world - Europe closed its last pyrolysis plant in Germany (Burgau plant) in 2015 due to climate and safety considerations [5]. Other plants are failing due to technical/engineering issues. In February two further plants in the UK alone closed due to technical failure. - There is no facility like this anywhere in NZ (and very few overseas). This is brand new technology and any consenting needs to be extremely rigorous. Feilding does not wish to be a guinea pig for this unproven technology. - We are very concerned that the proposed site for the Feilding pyrolysis facility is subject to a Treaty Claim. By failing to consult with Mana Whenua before offering this land to Bio Plant for a pyrolysis facility, Manawatū District Council are contradicting their goal of partnership with Mana Whenua. Incinerators destroy the progress we have already made. While we accept that waste is a problem, we know that incinerators are not the answer. Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, we can address our waste issues in regenerative ways that preserve rather than destroy valuable resources, prevent pollution, produce sustainable and innovative products and material systems, create jobs, and invigorate a zero waste circular economy. To help achieve this goal, we hope you will join us in opposing the Feilding pyrolysis facility proposal.

Given the extra risk of exposure and infection because of the recently announced changes, it is becoming increasingly urgent that N95, P2, or equivalent quality masks are available and universally accessible. The Government has said that all healthcare and border workers have access to N95 or equivalent masks. But as the Government opens up the border and eases restrictions internally, the general public of Aotearoa New Zealand need quality masks. These masks are comfortable and breathable, they prevent transmission and save lives. Prevention of infection is the best course of action. Along with concern for the capacity of our health system, we are extremely concerned about the wellbeing of people who cannot social distance or properly ventilate their spaces at work, where they live, or where they study. Good quality masks are vital for our wellbeing. Masks For All! References: 1. https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/annual-inflation-hits-a-three-decade-high-at-5-9-percent 2. https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/renting/127544121/rents-still-rising-as-supply-pressures-remain

The Ministry of Education’s purpose is to shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes for children and young people, and a strong theme from the Prime Minister is that we need to maintain momentum to close the digital divide, and address equity issues in education. Resolving digital inequality will underpin the stronger, fairer education system that is central to Labour Government policy. As of July 2021, only 910 out of approximately 2,500 schools are copyright compliant with a licence, while the balance either cannot afford the licence or are unaware of their legal obligations or consequences. This means that there are approximately 500,000 students in schools without a copyright licence. These students are either deprived of access to one or more media forms of these pedagogically vital resources, or their teachers are inadvertently in breach of copyright law in using these forms of content illegally. In New Zealand copyright licences are purchased by each individual school on a voluntary basis, as directed by their Board of Trustees. In Australia and the UK licences are purchased for schools by their respective governments. There, online resource centres that deliver licensed material to schools make it easy and cost effective to access the broad array of curated educational content. This petition asks the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Education to abandon the current school by school licence environment, created under the ‘Tomorrow’s Schools’ policy, and fund an all schools copyright licence for the benefit of our students and teachers. The Principal of Onehunga High School in Auckland, Deirde Shea, embodies the ethical and moral approach to copyright compliance. “Being licensed is the right thing to do in every sense of the word,” she says, “not only for our students and teachers to access and share more content, but what’s equally important is supporting the people that create the work. Because without those people creating content, we wouldn’t have the resources to teach the youth of New Zealand.” Quote from an article which originally appeared on EducationCentral.co.nz, 26 June 2019

Tens of thousands of people are now without any employment or income. I know in the past you have been a large supporter and advocate for the arts, and for this I thank you. I look forward to your response and more importantly your action.

Trains connect communities and are an important part of climate change action. In late 2021, KiwiRail, announced end of same-day intercity services between Auckland/Wellington and Picton/Christchurch. They were to be replaced by luxury multi-day rail cruises. In a win for this campaign, KiwiRail recently reversed that decision and reinstated the Northern Explorer and Coastal Pacific effective September 2022. While this is a win for the travelling public, it is not the end of the issue. Much of Aotearoa New Zealand remains disconnected by from the rail passenger network and other services, like the the Capital Connection between Wellington and Palmerston North, remain under threat from underinvestment. This comes at a time when the Government has said it is committed to climate action and reducing inequality. Trains have connected friends and families for graduations, weddings, holidays, and business for generations. They have connected towns with the cities, and bought our country together. But a period of privatisation and decades of underfunding has limited the development and use of our national rail network. Trains have an important place in our future but it requires investment and planning from this Government. 🛤 Rail provides a more sustainable and climate friendly method of transport across the country. 🛤 Rail can invigorate the social and economic life of small communities by making them accessible to remote workers and tourists. 🛤 Trains can bring our diverse country together by connecting them to people and landscapes across wide distances. 🛤 Trains provide an accessible method of point-to-point transport for the elderly and disabled. 🛤 Trains can help take traffic off the roads and improve road safety. Rail is an important part of our past, but it should also be part of our future. Join the campaign to support the retention of a national passenger rail network.

The Awa and groundwater of Hawke’s Bay can’t give any more. Streams are already drying up completely [1]. As we pollute and take water from the awa of Hawke’s Bay, they get sicker and sicker [2]. Climate change will mean less rainfall for the region, meaning the pressure we put on our wai now will be amplified [3]. Because of this, irrigators should be returning water to the rivers. The primary sector should be developing healthy, resilient food production, which is low water use and works with the natural environment not against it. This really is possible, if regional councils and the agricultural sector directs its thinking and resources in this direction. Instead we are seeing a push from irrigators to be able to take more, including 15 million cubic meters of water in central Hawke’s Bay [4]. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is currently considering this application. If it is approved, it would put even more pressure on rivers that are already stressed and it would contribute to locking in the disaster of high water use food production. Te Mana o te Wai is the foundational concept of our national freshwater policy. It is the principle of putting the health of the rivers first so they can support the health of people. We the health of people and the environment is provided for, then commercial, for-profit water takes can be considered. Get behind the push to make sure Hawke’s Bay Regional Council makes decisions that give effect to Te Mana o te Wai. Join our community-powered submission to call on them to decline this application. By signing this petition you are confirming your support for Choose Clean Waters full submission, which you can read here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HM30bHIQf4G5XA1Yoi7cUfyWZxeFxqPaCdn4ltcK3Pg/edit?usp=sharing You can read more about the applications here: https://www.hbrc.govt.nz/services/resource-consents/notified-consents/groundwater-takes-ruataniwha-basin-tranche-2/ "Just thought it would always be here" - How irrigation is hurting Hawke's Bay's rivers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7prqI3r68gE References [1] “Extreme drought fears in Hawke's Bay after streams dramatically dry up” - 29 Jan 2021, RNZ https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/435391/extreme-drought-fears-in-hawke-s-bay-after-streams-dramatically-dry-up [2] This Is How It Ends: The long fight of the river people, 30 Oct 2021, Stuff https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/300422562/this-is-how-it-ends-the-long-fight-of-the-river-people [3] New climate change report paints worrying picture for Hawke's Bay, 5 Nov, 2020, Hawke’s Bay Today https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/new-climate-change-report-paints-worrying-picture-for-hawkes-bay/LS3HP67ZS5DWUEDQM5QCNFYHUQ/ [4] Central Hawke's Bay farming companies want 15 million cubic metres of groundwater a year, but can they convince the public?, 30 Nov 2021, NZ Herald https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/central-hawkes-bay-farming-companies-want-15-million-cubic-metres-of-groundwater-a-year-but-can-they-convince-the-public/ZHLZ3FXP3QD626LBSSGZAF5JKE/

Since the 1998 opening of the Museum of New Zealand/Te Papa Tongarewa, it has never honestly been 'Our Place'. The permanent exhibit ‘The Treaty of Waitangi: Signs of a Nation’ has been untruthful and a continuing act of colonialism since Te Papa’s doors first swung open. Even with the well-spring of experts and experience brought in to guide them, it appears that the Te Tiriti o Waitangi exhibition was always intended to deceive by misrepresenting NZ history to all its visitors. The English ‘Treaty’ displayed prominently and equally across from Te Tiriti o Waitangi (in Te Reo Māori) implies the two documents hold equal status and legitimacy. This is a lie, as Te Tiriti is the only internationally-recognised document with legal authority. The current design of the exhibit also implies that the displayed Treaty (in English) is a true translation of Te Tiriti, which is another lie, as there are significant material differences between the two texts. These differences need to made obvious, rather than being in the ‘fine print’ which many won’t read. Te Waka Hourua, with support from members of Extinction Rebellion Aotearoa New Zealand, have written to Te Papa’s Board, calling for removal of the English artefact from its place of prominence alongside Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and also staged a protest at the exhibit in solidarity with Māori resisting ongoing colonial oppression. Although Te Papa has acknowledged our grievances, they have not taken any action. This is of additional concern as it will be mandatory for schools to teach Aotearoa New Zealand history from 2023, making the obligation on New Zealand’s ‘national museum’ to correct its misinformation even more urgent. Te Papa shouldn’t wait, and must act as soon as possible: our nation has already endured 181 years of deceit founded on inaccurate historical accounts (in addition to pre-Tiriti colonial history). References: https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/126779415/climate-protests-kick-off-as-council-issues-disruption-warning-for-wellington. https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/changes-in-education/aotearoa-new-zealand-histories-in-our-national-curriculum/. What will happen after the petition closing date of 6 February 2022? Te Waka Hourua will provide an update on the petition result via live webinar (preferably on Waitangi Day 6 February 2022, but details to be confirmed closer to petition closing date), and invite open discussion about next steps. Groups in support of this petition: - Network Waitangi Whangārei - Peace Movement Aotearoa - STIR (Stop Institutional Racism) - Climate Justice Taranaki

The 240 houses that Kāinga Ora has across the District are not enough to house long-term homeless people, let alone the growing number of people who are coming onto the list. This includes people who formerly rented in the private sector and who have been given notice to leave their homes as landlords have decide to sell their properties. Even if there was an adequate supply of private sector accommodation, the exorbitant rents mean that people simply can't afford to meet that cost. There is strong support for this call for action across the entire Kāpiti population. Young people who can't afford to leave home; families with children who move in with their parents because they can't afford the rent demanded; an 85-year-old who has lived in the same unit for 17 years being given notice because the landlord is going to rent to a family member; working single people who can't afford a one bedroom flat - the scenarios come thick and fast and we hear them all.

New Zealand has exported over 98,000 tonnes (and counting) of plastic waste offshore since the beginning of 2018. More than 46,000 tonnes of this has been shipped to Malaysia and Thailand. In the case of Malaysia, the plastics are imported from New Zealand and illegally burned next to schools and homes, causing a health and environmental epidemic. Cancer and asthma cases have increased. Microplastics leach into the waterways. The air is polluted with burnt plastic and ecosystems have been destroyed. The Ministry for the Environment has just published a consultation document on New Zealand's waste management strategy, "Te kawe i te haepapa para - Taking responsibility for our waste". Disappointingly, the consultation document does not “take responsibility” because it completely ignores the fact that our plastic waste exports are not being recycled by the receiving countries and the repercussions of this. The plastic waste is able to be exported because of a major loophole in the law: our kerbside recyclables and industrial plastics are not sufficiently regulated under the Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Prohibition Order (No 2) 2004 because they are considered “easily recyclable”. Section 11 of the Order requires a permit to be issued by the Environmental Protection Authority for hazardous plastics. Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recyclables are exempt from this law (under Part 2A of Schedule 3) and therefore are assumed to be “disposed of or managed in an environmentally sound and efficient manner in the importing State." Just because something is deemed to be “easily recyclable” does not mean that it is guaranteed to be recycled at the receiving country. We therefore call on the New Zealand government to immediately ban all plastic waste exports by December 2022 which is the last month that Parliament will sit in that year. New Zealand authorities still operate under the assumption that, as long as our plastic exports are easily recyclable, shipping them overseas is a satisfactory solution to our waste problem. In reality, New Zealand is shipping its emissions to developing countries. Some may say that the issue lies with Malaysian authorities not enforcing its own laws to stop the open burning of plastic waste. We reject this argument. The issue lies with New Zealand turning a blind eye to the reality on the ground. We are just as culpable when we knowingly export our waste to countries with poor resources, capacity and capability for effective monitoring, reporting, compliance, and enforcement and weak environmental and human rights protections. This is also a human rights issue and our moral obligation to Malaysia (and other developing countries) and its people should be paramount. We want the New Zealand government to invest urgently in systems and infrastructure that will reduce our reliance on plastic. It is not enough to tweak our regulations on the way our waste is exported, as the bigger problem lies with our overconsumption, poor import restrictions on toxic and single use plastics, and resins that cannot be recycled domestically. New Zealand is drowning in plastic and we cannot manage that amount responsibly, here or offshore. We need to turn off the tap and the government must establish policies and invest in systems and infrastructure that empower people to dramatically reduce their plastics consumption . We must reduce the range of plastics we import into New Zealand to those deemed non-hazardous by the Basel Convention: PE, PP and PET type plastics. We want the government to invest in companies that enable consumers to refill and reuse, rather than investing in a plastic innovation fund that will only preserve our plastic addiction (bioplastics, for example, are not necessarily good for the environment). We need the government to make plastic-producing companies responsible for their product’s lifecycle. New Zealand is embarrassingly behind other OECD countries in requiring companies to implement product stewardship schemes to address the problem at the source. We strongly urge the government to establish import controls and product stewardship laws. Use the regulatory tools we already have to streamline the type and amount of plastics that we do use to fit with our onshore recycling capacity. We also demand greater transparency and accountability from recycling and waste management companies to ensure that all post-consumer plastics are safely and domestically managed without any leakage to the environment. Even so, none of these measures will amount to much if we continue to send our waste overseas to vulnerable countries. We call on the Prime Minister to ensure that the waste management strategy is as transformative as its title suggests - that we are "taking responsibility for our waste" and not polluting other countries. To do this, we must immediately ban the export of plastic waste while transitioning to a safer circular economy in which plastics are minimalised. The government has boldly banned single-use plastic bags and microbeads, so it is no stranger to making bold decisions for the greater environmental and social good. Signed, Lydia Chai Pua Lay Peng Niamh Peren (Founder of Tino Pai Aotearoa / Thumbs Up New Zealand) Dr Trisia Farrelly (Political Ecology Research Centre, Massey University) Liam Prince (Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance) Manawatū Food Action Network The ReCreators Sustainable Strategy Ltd Resilient Russell Charitable Trust Nonstop Solutions Carbon Neutral Waiheke Vision Kerikeri Federation of Women's Health Councils Aotearoa NZ Nuclear Free Peacemakers Network Waitangi Otautahi Inc 350 Otautahi Christchurch [Full list of organisations here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18CppQ1cB2f3bV63xQxj6TWMK9bcLDq7Triwgb-EVpaw/edit?usp=drivesdk]