Overseas carbon credits have proven to be a dodgy and unreliable way to reduce emissions (at its simplest, if we all paid another country to reduce emissions for us then no one would reduce emissions). Most developed countries and businesses have chosen to buy carbon credits rather than actually reduce their emissions. Even carbon credit schemes run by the UN have had problems [2]. In 2030 we will be paying $1 billion a year for carbon credits. Most likely this would be through tree planting in the Pacific. While trees are great, there are so many much cooler things we could do with $1 billion a year focused on climate action. --We could buy over a hundred thousand E bikes, or hundreds of thousands of regular bikes, so that every household has access to the option of cycling. --Or we could purchase 60,000 Nissan Leaf EVs for use in the public sector, or a smaller number of slightly more expensive EVs, to help the government actually meet its target for EVs in the public sector. --Or we could subsidize regenerative farming in Aotearoa so farmers are paid to make the transition which is needed (seeing as we’re signing an international agreement to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030 this would seem an obvious move). --Or we could use a tiny fraction of this $1 billion per year to help transition schools and the public service away from burning coal for heating. (The Government recently invested $55 million to fund 90 schools to switch to clean heating. So, part of the $1 billion would easily help the other hundreds of schools still burning fossil fuels for heating and probably the rest of the public sector [3]). --Or we could use that $1 billion a year for free public transport. (The free public transport during the first lockdown in 2020 cost $110 million. $1 billion a year would actually be quite close to covering the costs [4]). --Or, we could do a whole combination of these things every year with the billions and billions we wouldn’t be spending on carbon credits every year. These things are way more useful than paying an international company to "plant trees" for us! This is because they would actually lead to a reduction in emissions. I love trees. They’re great. But let’s spend this money on reducing emissions here, please, rather than planting trees in someone else’s country. To learn more about the complex and confusing double-think behind carbon trading you can read these articles: [1] https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/300442463/climate-change-target-nowhere-near-as-ambitious-as-it-sounds [2] https://www.vox.com/2020/2/27/20994118/carbon-offset-climate-change-net-zero-neutral-emissions [3] https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/125082069/is-your-school-burning-fossil-fuels-even-the-government-may-not-know [4] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/no-such-thing-as-a-free-lunch-free-public-transport-cost-110m-during-covid-19/ZU524M4TRES7YKCXZQ3MLU4XW4/ Henry Cooke from Stuff gives a basic explanation about the recent climate commitment and the complicated accounting of carbon credits https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/300442463/climate-change-target-nowhere-near-as-ambitious-as-it-sounds Or, for a longer and more detailed description, you can read this piece by Umair Irfan at Vox https://www.vox.com/2020/2/27/20994118/carbon-offset-climate-change-net-zero-neutral-emissions

🤸🏽‍♂️ Walking, biking and scooting are fun! 🌱 Being active helps to improve the retention of learning and our physical and mental well being. 🏃🏽‍♂️Our tamariki enjoy being able to get to and from school independently, while also reducing the workload for carers. 🌎 Active transport provides an incredible opportunity to tackle climate change. However, for many whānau, safety is a big barrier to walking, biking and scooting to and from school and access is a barrier to taking buses. When students in Waipa were surveyed, 87 percent said that they would like to walk or bike to school if their parents would let them. That’s why we’re asking the Government to commit to investing in safe infrastructure to school for all students by 2025. This includes installations like pedestrian crossings and protected bike and scooter lanes. We’re also asking the government to make public transport free for all school-aged children. Not only would this encourage more students to travel by bus, but it would reduce financial stress and barriers to education for many of our whānau. Funding dedicated school buses would provide better options for students where public transport routes don’t suit. When the Bay of Plenty Regional Council made bus travel free for all students travelling to and from school, 30 percent more students started taking the bus over just one year. That’s an awesome result! This is our chance to build a school transport system that works. That’s why we’re asking the government to prioritise school travel in its emissions reduction plan. Add your name to urge the Government to take urgent action for the climate, people and a better transport future! Please leave a personal comment to share why free fares and safe routes to school are important for you, your friends and whānau. Photo credit: @Bicycling. https://www.bicycling.com/news/a20046469/-49/

A return to Elimination with improvements to the COVID Alert Levels is the way forward. We urge people to sign, to email their MPs, and to go on social media to say that we support a return to COVID Elimination, with improved economic supports, so we can effectively end the spread of COVID in our communities. The way to Level 1 is a supported Level 4. Our lives depend on it. The lives of our children and our whānau depend on it. We have done it before, we can do it again, if the government enables us.

******************************* NOTE: This petition was delivered in March 2022. If you sign after that date, we will keep you updated about the campaign via occasional emails, but won't deliver your support to the Minister. It's still a great place to record your support for Free Fares. So far, the campaign has won permanent half-price fares for Community Service Card holders. Please follow us on Instagram or Facebook to for updates. ********************************* New Zealand should be a place where everyone can afford public transport to stay connected, enjoy our regions, and travel in a way that’s kind to the environment. But with the high cost of public transport, many people can only afford to travel by private car, causing congestion and harmful carbon emissions. Some people don’t travel at all, and their wellbeing and communities suffer as a result. The solution is for the government to fund free fares for public transport, starting with low-income groups and under-25s.  The case has never been stronger. New Zealand needs to take bold actions to reduce emissions and improve equity; we also need to address rising living costs and pandemic pressures that are pushing people into poverty. Free fares is a solution. Now is the moment! ***Our climate needs free fares.*** 21% of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transport - 70% of these from cars, SUVs, utes, vans and light trucks.(1) Free fares will help people to switch to public transport, which produces far less emissions per kilometre than private cars.(2) As the Government shapes its Emissions Reduction Plan they need bold ideas. Free fares, with urgent and widespread implementation, is one equitable and courageous action on the scale our climate needs. ***People need free fares.*** The high cost of public transport leaves too many of us disconnected from family, friends and activities that bring us joy. With housing costs and other expenses rising, many Community Service Card holders and tertiary students find that a regular $3 bus ticket is out of reach - and that’s at the very time that we need to promote connection to combat loneliness and poor mental health. We know from the SuperGold Card (which provides free off-peak, urban travel for senior citizens) that free travel improves wellbeing. More people need free fares.  ***Families need free fares.*** Parents will continue to bundle kids into the car as long as cost barriers to public transport remain. Free fares for under-25s will help normalise public transport habits in the next generation, and that will serve us all well. ***Our communities need free fares.*** We all miss out when the cost of fares prevents people traveling. Businesses miss out on customers, community groups lose participants and volunteers and tourist spots miss out on visitors. Free fares will allow more people to make these trips, connecting communities so we are all better off. ***Now is the moment for free fares.*** While the government is committing to take action to reduce emissions and improve equity, now is the time to take this step. We cannot wait for an Auckland trial (Community Connect, giving half-price fares for Community Service Card holders) to run for three years then perhaps be extended nationwide, as the government proposes in the Emissions Reduction Plan discussion document. People and the climate need free fares now! In fact, many of our supporters would like to see free fares for all, but see these groups as a first step. Sign to urge the Government to take urgent action for the climate and people! Leave a comment to share why free fares are important for you, your friends and whānau.  We will deliver this petition to Minister Wood in the leadup to the release of the final Emissions Reduction Plan and Budget 2022. We are the Aotearoa Collective for Public Transport Equity, a coalition of 60+ organisations that share the values of equity, accessibility and community. This group has grown out of the Pōneke Collective, which has been running a similar campaign in Greater Wellington. Photo credit: Luke Pilkinton-Ching, University of Otago, Wellington. (1) Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport. 'Clean Cars.' www.transport.govt.nz/area-of-interest/environment-and-climate-change/clean-cars (2) Per kilometre, a medium-sized petrol car emits 8 times the carbon dioxide of a train, more than 5 times that of a long-distance coach and twice that of a city bus. Electric public transport produces even fewer emissions. Toitū Travel Emissions Calculator. https://calculator.toitu.co.nz/?calculator=travel

Food wastage is a global problem that has lasting effects on the surrounding physical and cultural environment. In Aotearoa-New Zealand, it is estimated that approximately 571,000 tonnes of food waste are dumped in landfills every year. The flow-on effects are seen in soil and water contamination, and the release of greenhouse gases from landfills, which contributes to climate change. In the Thames-Coromandel district, 60.9% of kerbside rubbish bags are food and organic waste (food/kitchen waste makes up 52.4%, garden and other organic waste is 8.5%). Thames Coromandel District Council’s (TCDC) solid waste contract is up for renewal shortly. The current contract with Smart Environmental finishes in October 2023, and a new contract needs to be available for tender no later than October 2022. The new contract is likely to run for the next 10 years, until 2033. This is a window of opportunity within the Council’s waste management planning, to prevent further food waste from going to landfill, and implement other measures that transform waste into resources. We need to make sure that this contract is part of the solution, and does not continue to send food and organic waste to landfill, when it can otherwise be transformed into resources. The Council is required to consult with the community on this contract. To avoid filling up our landfills unnecessarily with food waste, the Thames Food Waste Minimisation Group (TFWG), together with the Seagull Centre Trust and Whangamatā Resource Recovery Trust, are calling on TCDC to: 1. Subsidise home-scale food waste solutions such as worm farms or compost bins, as has been done in Taupō. 2. Implement a kerbside food waste collection and composting scheme, alongside existing rubbish and recycling schemes. This is already taking place in Ruapehu, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch, Auckland, Timaru. 3. Provide free support (e.g. waste audit and a professional advisor ) to businesses that commit to reducing their food waste, as has been done in Taupō. 4. Develop and deliver an education campaign for households and businesses to maximise the use of the previous initiatives, and promote ideas for food waste minimisation (eg. better planning, use of leftovers, sharing excess, composting). 5. Adopt more ambitious waste minimisation goals in the next Long Term Plan (LTP), ensuring sufficient funding is allocated to attain the above initiatives. TFWG is made of Thames residents that came together a couple of years ago. Our group is made of representatives from the Seagull Centre Trust, Transition Town Thames, and passionate residents. Our vision is that Thames is taking innovative action in whole community food waste reduction, which will help to reduce emissions, conserve resources and increase food security. To further support this campaign, please answer our 5 min survey here - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDst-0bRmUiI1guyj3tmbQlKX8P7czhiJPktQXKcWAj6Lvww/viewform?usp=sf_link THIS SURVEY IS NOW COMPLETED AND HAS BEEN DELIVERED TO COUNCIL.

The cost of rent in Wellington is skyrocketing. The impact this is having on those in private rentals is well documented. But for those in housing run by the council, already in difficult circumstances to meet the criteria for a private market placing, the cost of rent is also having a massive impact on tenants who have to pay market rates. Currently, tenants in Wellington City Council housing are facing immense hardship due to the “percentage of market rate” model. One of our tenants is a single mother, who spends 86% of her income on rent and struggles to make ends meet after that. Another one of our tenant leaders talks about the panic her and other tenants feel as some of them face homelessness due to the high rent. It does not have to be this way, so tenants are standing up! The tools available to the council are not sufficient to solve the high cost of rent. But one tool not currently accessible by council could solve this problem

We are writing to express our extreme disappointment, concern and outrage at your statement on 06 October 2021 that you are not sure the Government would be stepping away from the Covid19 elimination strategy if the general population had the same vaccination rate as Māori. We believe that you have just confirmed the worst fears of many tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti people that the Crown still regards the Māori population as disposable? The implications of your statement are destructive. Firstly, the history of pandemics in this country has been a history of various forms of discrimination and neglect against Māori communities with the mass graves to prove it. Why would you perpetuate this tradition by making a statement that implies a high-risk community is not worthy of the highest level of consideration, protection and resources? The lower vaccination rates are a call to change monocultural strategies not a call to put them at increased risk when you know what that risk amounts to. Secondly you are failing the Crown obligations to be in an honourable relationship with whānau, hapū, iwi and all Māori organisations. Māori are not a minority group or stakeholder in the struggle against Covid 19. Their rangatiratanga means the Crown has an obligation to negotiate regarding changes to a strategy that has direct and potentially disastrous effects on Māori. Thirdly you are undermining the Māori communities and health professionals fighting so hard to work with you and protect people. The success of the vaccination programme in places like rural Tairāwhiti and Te Whānau Apanui, the generous and effective programmes led by urban Māori groups tell us what works. People have been giving their all to ensure this pandemic does not decimate a population with health issues caused by years of inequity in the health system.

Temporary workers in this country are working in every essential industry such as food, healthcare, transport and many more. We are being used for the needs of industry, and the essential services of Aotearoa, yet then thrown away. The recent fast tracking of residency for migrants working in Aotearoa stuck in limbo is welcome. Yet there are more temp workers who are migrants compared to migrants in permanent work. We take on temporary work in a hope that we will have a chance to take a permanent position one day, yet without any guarantee. This work is a hope for a secure future where we can look after ourselves and our families. Temps do not have a contract as a permanent staff, but we do all the same work on casual contracts. For example, I've been working in a role for a large New Zealand company for the past 5 months, for 40 hours per week. I was promised to be given a permanent role in 3 months. If I got a permanent role, I would be eligible for the new resident visa. When I contacted my recruitment agency, they said that I don’t have a contract which has a 'job description'. It shows that I’m on a casual contract. I am hearing stories from lots of temp workers who are in great distress. Recruitment agencies and companies are not on our side. The new migrant parthway to residency helps so many people. Yet when we introduce an ambitious policy like this, which brings change, it needs to consider everyone at the edge of society. The government’s attention towards the temp workers will bring hope for all of us, that we're not left behind. Sign to support pathways to residency for temporary workers too. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/452592/government-offers-one-off-visa-to-fast-track-skilled-migrant-residency

A Living Wage is the income necessary to provide workers and their families with the basic necessities of life. The Living Wage enables workers to live with dignity and to participate as active citizens in society. Research has found a Living Wage enables employees to be able to spend more time with their families, feel valued, be less stressed and consequently happier and more motivated in their workplaces. Bus drivers provide an essential public service for our communities across the Waikato. Currently, bus drivers employed by Go Bus, a council-contracted bus company, are paid below the Living Wage. The drivers love their jobs and they love serving the public, but the low wages mean that they are struggling to survive. By signing this petition, you are sending a strong message to the Waikato Regional Council that they need to immediately lift the wages of Waikato bus drivers so they are fair and liveable. In addition to paying council-contracted bus drivers the Living Wage, we are urging the council to set a minimum standard of a Living Wage in all council service contracts. This would mean that the Living Wage becomes a standard for council tendering contracts and procurement.

We're signing this petition as fans of the Silver Ferns, but not fans of your partnership with PUMA. We love your commitment to sport, to fair play, diversity and inclusion. But that's not true of your partner. PUMA is the only international sponsor of the Israel Football Association (IFA) which includes teams in Israel’s illegal settlements built against international law on occupied Palestinian land. Israel’s military occupation forcibly expels Palestinian families from their homes to give way to illegal settlers. Recent violent expulsions of Palestinian families in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah featured in international news stories and led to world-wide protests, including in Aotearoa. More than 200 Palestinian sports clubs have called on PUMA to end the sponsorship deal and thousands have emailed and tweeted at PUMA pledging to boycott the company until it ends sponsorship of the Israel Football Association. After Israeli forces murdered 256 Palestinians, including 66 children, in Spring of this year, PUMA’s celebrity endorsers sent messages in support of Palestine on social media. Forty years ago in Aotearoa, rugby fans took a stand against the apartheid South African regime by boycotting the Springbok tour. Today, as Aotearoa's national women’s netball team, we call on you to make us as proud of your values as we are of your athleticism. Take a stand for human rights and against Israeli apartheid. Drop your partnership with PUMA until PUMA stops sponsoring the IFA. https://youtu.be/dK3S2PQ2kHQ

Last year during level four lockdown students were given the ability to borrow an extra $1000 against their student loan for course related costs. For many students this provided a lifeline and peace of mind in a time of great financial insecurity. Lockdown often creates extra costs for students in terms of equipment needed to study at home, extra power and heating bills etc while simultaneously causing many students to have less income coming in. We have been in level four lockdown for two weeks with Auckland just announced as having at least two more weeks of level four. However the government has not increased course related costs or provided any direct support to students. This needs to change.

The New Zealand College of Midwives is holding their biennial conference in November of 2021 with the theme “Celebrating Diversity, Growing Stronger Together.” While the theme of this conference is diversity, the college has invited an openly transphobic writer to present as their keynote speaker. This writer and proposed keynote speaker has actively perpetuated harm within rainbow communities, shared hate speech toward gender minorities, and had her connection with large organisations in the UK severed in response to her continued harm towards rainbow communities. These organisations include Birthrights who said the following in response to terminating their connection with her: “Birthrights is very clear that we are an inclusive organisation and are here for everyone who gives birth, regardless of how they identify. We reject any suggestion that respecting pregnant non-binary and trans people diminishes women’s rights. I have also seen other social media comments/replies where you undermine trans and non-binary people and state that people can only be male or female. This is harmful and distressing and in my view not compatible with a rights-based approach to pregnancy and childbirth. I’m afraid that Birthrights isn’t able to work with people who don’t share our inclusive values.” Despite NZCOM's conference theme of diversity, the college of midwives only has one presentation about gender and sexual diversity within pregnancy & birth. The college did not make any effort to reach out to members of the LGBTTQIA+ community within their own workforce, or adjacent workforces, to present their work. To hold a conference with the theme of “Celebrating Diversity,” and to make no effort to engage with the rainbow communities on being visible and safe at their conference is concerning. To have a keynote speaker who actively engages in perpetuating harm against rainbow communities is alarming. This keynote address also jeopardises the safety of any members of the rainbow community wishing to attend the conference. Further information and background on this speaker can be found by reading our open letter here: https://sites.google.com/empwr.nz/no-transphobia-in-midwifery/home The Rainbow Midwives Alliance are calling on the New Zealand College of Midwives to urgently remove Milli Hill as keynote speaker, apologise for the harm this has caused to LGBTTQIA+ communities, engage a local member of the community as keynote speaker, and outline their commitment to doing better going forward.