Deaf people need access to NZSL Interpreters to communicate with friends, whānau, stall holders, at public events. Formal NZSL interpreting at these events means Deaf people can follow the proceedings, speeches given by dignitaries, and participate too. Not having access excludes Deaf people from participating in commemoration events fully. This could be anything from wanting to know more about the products being sold by stall holders to having a catch up conversation with friends & whanau one meets at these events, engaging in discussions on matters pertaining to the event itself with other attendees.

Whanau and friends of Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa/Gisborne invite you to sign this petition to show you care about meaningful and effective Māori/Pākehā partnership in local government in Aotearoa. Recently the GDC voted unanimously to establish Māori wards. http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/local-news/20201124/maori-wards/ Historically Māori have not had fair representation at the decision-making table. We now have an opportunity to have equitable Māori representation at a local government level. However, there is a racist clause in legislation. If 5% of registered voters decide they don't want Māori wards, the GDC will be forced into a referendum which will cost our community thousands and will impact the mana of our community. While those against this are gathering momentum to block the establishment of the Ward we can counter the spread of racist ideology through the aroha in this petition. We are a small group of Pakeha, everyday citizens who want to provide support to our Treaty partners and encourage others to do the same. We acknowledge the hard mahi of Tangata Whenua and locals who have been fighting for the establishment of Māori wards. We hope this petition can tautoko te mahi and let you know we are with you. Please sign this petition to show the GDC and councils nationwide that we support the establishment of a Māori Ward and value on-going work of building relationships with our Māori community!

The way the Department of Corrections is currently handling the Waikeria Uprising breaches the human rights of these protesters. As human beings, the protesters deserve food and water. Currently, Corrections is denying them this and won't allow anyone in to deliver these basic needs. It would be an important sign of good faith to the protesters if they are granted this basic human right. Is New Zealand a country that starves people who are protesting for basic human rights?

Waka ama is significantly and widely practiced in new zealand, tahiti and hawai'i. The level of competition is high throughout Te Moana Nui a Kiwa and the sport is still going strong despite Covid-19. There is cultural recognition of mana in the sport, outrigger canoe racing is a competitive and dominant sport, widely seen as good spectating friendly, the skill and technique is robust hard and fast, power and speed. Races: Midgets: W6 250m Intermediates: W6 500m straight & W6 500m turns / W1 500m & W1 250m dash J16s: W6 1000m turns & W6 500m straight / W1 500m & W1 250m dash J19s: W6 1000m turns & W6 500m straight / W1 500m & W1 250m dash Opens: W6 1000m turns & W6 500m straights / W1 500m & W1 250m dash Masters: W6 1000m turns & W6 500m straights / W1 500m & W1 250m dash

Given that the recent coronavirus pandemic has revealed glaring gaps in media literacy and has forced a massive increase in media consumption, the fact that a subject specifically designed to inform young people about this in a more comprehensive and subject-specific way than other "traditional subjects" is being removed is only likely to intensify this. Chris Hipkins himself complained about the misinformation going around so the fact that his Ministry is doing this implies that either he isn't sincere about solving the problem or lacks the foresight required to do so. To be clear, this is not to demean the subjects that were retained such as History or Geography (many Media Teachers would have taught one or the other at some point in their careers) or to place Media above other subjects that were removed, but rather a criticism of the narrowing of the choices available for our learners in a world where new disciplines are created at a regular basis. While their own media release claims "Feedback from thousands of stakeholders was factored into the Level 1 subject changes, which will be introduced from 2023" it is clear that this decision ignored the feedback from a sizeable number of Media teachers. Their suggestion that these subjects are taught as contexts for Social Studies (or English) comes with a number of flaws: 1) if the proposed changes to English and Science are any indication, then it's very likely that it will be difficult to form a Media Studies course without having to force students to severely narrow their choices of Social Sciences. How will they be able to do this if standards have to be reused across courses? All that this will achieve is more competition and conflict between teachers of these subjects. 2) Media Studies itself blends specific content knowledge with theory and concepts ranging from economics, sociology, psychology, literary theory, audience theories and so much more, meaning that to pigeonhole it as just another version of another subject is to heavily dilute it. 3) the numbers that many Media Studies departments have spent years trying to build are likely to drop and the broad and varied nature of NZ education is going to be watered down by this attempt to pick and choose the important foundations that our students need to function in the modern world. So to sum up: if you think that it's important for our learners to be able to learn early on about the media that surrounds them, then sign this petition.

Alcohol Healthwatch estimates alcohol-related harm in New Zealand costs $14.5m each day. The brunt is disproportionately on youth, Maori and Pasifika in our communities, and there is a link between high density of off-licences and the heavier drinking patterns that result in much of the harm. Harm includes the health of the drinker themselves, such as increased rates of cancer and fetal alcohol syndrome, as well as harm to others, with alcohol playing a direct or indirect role in many fire fatalities, drownings, suicide and self-inflicted harm deaths, and the growing road toll. 43% of all alcohol is sold from off-licences, like the one proposed. This new bottle store would increase the amount of alcohol in our community when we need to limit supply, and in particular reduce sales from off-licences where the liquor is then consumed in unsupervised circumstances (in contrast with on-licences). Local schools and parks end up vandalised and littered with broken glass, as people drink alcohol purchased at bottle shops in public despite liquor bans. Resources of both council and schools have to be used to clean up the mess, when some of it could be avoided by reducing the sale of alcohol in the area. Finally, the District Licensing Committee process allows people to make submissions to object to the application, and this petition is an important opportunity for those who can't make a submission to still be able to show their opposition. It is possible there will also be a hearing on this application, particularly if the petition is signed by a lot of locals, which will provide another opportunity for the local community to have a say.

This petition is to demonstrate that the operational changes to be made to Mason Avenue Kindergarten, Nina Busing Kindergarten and Papakura West Kindergarten are not supported by families and the community. The Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association (CMKA) have been rolling out operational changes to all the kindergartens, which has resulted in the loss of the traditional kindy model. If this is not stopped, the last three kindergartens yet to change will be open from 8am – 3:30pm/5pm and will operate throughout the school holidays. Key points: • The quality of teaching and learning will be negatively affected by these operational changes. • Introducing multiple sessions and flexible drop off and pick up times will change the structure and create an unsettling environment for children. • Parents send their children to kindergarten to receive high quality early childhood education under a play based model that reflects the school day. • Longer hours for children - we believe the six hour session time of 8:30am – 2:30pm is long enough for 3-5 year olds. Current research supports this. • The kindergarten will be required to fill the spots for the extra hours so that funding is maximised. • Children need the holidays to rest and recharge, as do the teachers. • Kindergartens have long attracted high quality teachers and risk losing their staff due to unfavourable working conditions. • The choice parents have in regards to early childhood education is removed. A traditional kindergarten is different from a privatised daycare model. There are numerous other childcare centres in Franklin that have longer opening hours and availability during term breaks. • There will no longer be term breaks and fee paying families must continue to pay, regardless of whether their child attends or not. We strongly believe these changes are not in the best interests of our children and community. We propose that the CMKA responds to the community and Mason Avenue Kindergarten, Nina Busing Kindergarten and Papakura West Kindergarten continue to operate as a traditional kindergarten by keeping the current hours of 8:30am – 2:30pm and not operating during term breaks. These three centres are considered highly functioning kindergartens with large waitlists, active parent communities and strong fundraising capabilities - why fix something that isn’t broken? We will deliver the petition directly to CMKA CEO Calmar Ulberg and The Board of Management.

Youth One Stop Shops are designed to meet the specific needs of children and young people. It is time KYS (as a Youth One Stop Shop) was funded through an integrated and sustainable funding model that allows them to deliver the health, mental health and social services our young citizens need. The current siloed health, mental health and social service funding models mean KYS are is constantly chasing contracts and funding, which is unsustainable. Funding must ensure that services continue to be free. Cost barriers lead to the most vulnerable children and young people missing out on services. Free services remove barriers and ensure more equitable access for young people. Youth One Stop Shops, including KYS, are an expert voice on youth health and wellbeing. KYS delivers a range of health and social services under one roof. This co-location means they are able to meet the full range of needs a young person has, in a holistic and integrated way, as recommended in a recent review of the health system. However, their current ad hoc and short-term funding contracts (along with limited private donations) means they have unstable income streams. This makes it impossible to take a long-term approach to plan or to coordinate the resources necessary to support our young people in Kāpiti or expand their reach.

No matter who we are or where we live, we know that our wellbeing is interconnected with those around us. When everyone has what they need to look after themselves and fully participate in their communities, we all flourish. We all want every child in Aotearoa to experience a thriving and happy childhood. But right now, hundreds of thousands of children are constrained by poverty, despite parents’ best efforts. We’ve had a long period of low wages and high housing costs. For decades, governments have underinvested in key public services that build well-being in all our communities, like public housing and income support. Many governments have prioritised policies that help the already well-off, including people who make money from housing. As a result, too many parents are under-resourced, overstressed, and unable to give their children real opportunities to thrive. Now due to the ongoing COVID-19 economic fallout, more families are being pushed into poverty. Unemployment has risen at a record-breaking pace — increasing by nearly a third in the three months to September. Foodbanks and youth homelessness services are reporting huge increases in demand. By Christmas, it’s expected Work and Income will have allocated over 2.5 million hardship grants and advances this year alone. The situation is urgent. As the new government, you can release the growing constraints on individuals, families, and children. We are calling on you to lift one of the biggest limitations on whānau and child wellbeing: not having enough income. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, you acted quickly to set up the COVID income relief payment, which is nearly twice the amount of the usual jobseeker benefit. You showed us that you understand that current benefit levels are insufficient and lock families and children into poverty — an issue that affects all of us. Now, we are asking you to apply the same common sense approach to all income support. To make sure everyone, whether they are working, caring for children, living with a disability or illness, learning, or have lost their jobs before or because of COVID-19, has a liveable income. Doing so will help achieve your vision of making Aotearoa the best place to be a child. Before the election, the Labour party has consistently said there’s more work to be done to lift families out of poverty. You now have the mandate and opportunity to do so. Please increase income support before Christmas. Organisations who have signed the open letter are: ActionStation Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers Auckland Action Against Poverty Auckland City Mission Auckland Women’s Centre Barnardos Belong Aotearoa Beneficiaries & Unwaged Worker Trust Beneficiary Advocacy Services Christchurch Benefit Rights Service Birthright NZ Brainwave Trust Aotearoa CCS Disability Action Child Poverty Action Group Citizens Advice Bureau Community Housing Aotearoa Community Networks Aotearoa Disabled Persons Assembly E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services Equality Network FinCap FIRST Union Gender Justice Collective Gene Now Financial Literacy Trust Generation Zero Heretaunga Women’s Centre Hutt Valley Benefit Education Service Trust (BEST) Kore Hiakai Zero Hunger Collective Lifewise Manaaki Rangatahi Manawatū Tenants’ Union Māngere East Community Centre Māngere East Family Services M.E. Awareness NZ Mental Health Foundation Methodist Alliance Monte Cecilia Housing Trust National Council of Women New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services New Zealand Council of Trade Unions New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations Ngā Tāngata Microfinance NZ Disability Advisory Trust NZ Accessibility Advisory Trust NZEI Te Riu Roa OMEP Aotearoa Pacific Women’s Watch NZ PPTA Public Issues Network: Methodist Church Public Service Association Renters United Salvation Army Save the Children Sisters of Mercy Wiri Social Justice Group of the Auckland Anglican Diocese Social Link St Anne's Pantry St Matthews in the City Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga: National Network of Family Violence Services Te Ngākau Kahukura Tick for Kids Tokona Te Raki United Community Action Network Unite Union Aotearoa Urban Neighbours of Hope VisionWest Waipareira Trust We Are Beneficiaries Wesley Community Action Whānau Āwhina Plunket

Chickens farmed for meat have been selectively bred to grow rapidly over a five-six week period before they are slaughtered. At five-six weeks old, they will reach adult weight but they are still baby chicks. This puts incredible stress on their young bodies which struggle under the rapid growth. Many chicks die before even reaching five-six weeks old. Others will suffer lameness due to severe stress on their hip and leg joints, affecting their ability to walk. Buchanan Ellis Ltd want to build a free-range industrial meat chicken farm at Waerenga - however free-range isn't all it's cracked up to be. There are no industry standards or regulations for free-range in New Zealand, only that there must be a potential to access the outdoors. Since most free-range meat chickens are slaughtered at five-six weeks old, the amount of time they have to go outside is only around two-three weeks. In their first few weeks of 'growing' they are shut inside industrial buildings with around 40,000 other meat chickens. In practice, many chickens will never get outside because they have to get past thousands of other chickens to reach ‘pop holes’ to the outdoors. In addition, chickens are hierarchical by nature, meaning dominant chickens will often guard pop holes, denying less dominant chickens outdoor access. The Buchanan Ellis Ltd proposal would see six industrial farm buildings built at the Waerenga site, each containing 43,000 meat chickens. This would see 258,000 meat chickens suffering on site every six week cycle. Over the course of a year around two million meat chickens would be grown at the proposed Buchanan Ellis Ltd factory farm. As well as animal welfare concerns, there is significant community opposition to the Buchanan Ellis Ltd proposal. Locals are concerned that odour and dust levels from the proposed industrial meat chicken farm will negatively impact their homes, health and livelihoods. Increased heavy traffic movements impacting on road safety, appropriate water drainage and effluent disposal and damage to nearby wetlands are also among the community concerns. The application is limited notification, meaning that many of the affected locals and the general public cannot make a submission about the proposed factory farm. Given the significance of the Buchanan Ellis Ltd proposal on the local community and the animal welfare implications, Direct Animal Action believes the application should be publicly notified and, ultimately, that Waikato Regional Council should decline the application.

The proposed rules in the District Plan would enable a huge 25 year housing development programme in eastern Porirua. The project will mean over 1000 state homes knocked down, families displaced and private property acquired under the Public Works Act to free up land for property developers. The plan will see an additional 2000 houses for private sale crammed into the geographically small suburbs of Waitangirua and Cannons Creek. The main theme of the proposed district plan is to allow greater housing density, which is needed, but currently it does so in a way that discriminates on social class. Under the proposed plan the generally middle class suburbs become the low density General Residential Zone and the generally working - class suburbs become the medium density residential zone. This means reduced amenities for the east only! The plan in it's current state doesn't go far enough to tackle climate change. Porirua has an empty city centre that has space for apartment style housing that is walking distance to public transport and amenities. This space should be utilised before digging into our green belt. With over 1000 houses set to be demolished in the East we need to ensure that waste is managed and minimised, and the new builds bring an opportunity to used renewable energy sources. We need a Porirua that all people can get around and the community can live in. Our current housing stock doesn't meet the needs of our disabled and ageing whānau. Building new homes and spaces gives us an opportunity to make sure that everyone is adequately housed, can age in place and is able to participate in community. If you want to make your own submission you can do that here: https://poriruacity.govt.nz/your-council/city-planning-and-reporting/district-plan/proposed-district-plan/

New Zealand has trebled the number of workers in the country on temporary work visas over the last 15-20 years. There are now at least 250,000 workers here on temporary work or student visas comprising around 10% of the workforce. Entire industries now depend on these workers. Each year, around 250,000 new temporary visas are issued to replace those leaving. New Zealand has traditionally needed around 40,000 new permanent residents each year to replace the loss of people overseas – primarily to higher-paying jobs in Australia. As a consequence, one in four New Zealand-born Kiwis now live abroad and one in four resident Kiwis are foreign-born. The chance of getting permanent residency is the dream that is used to entice workers and students to try their luck in New Zealand. On average around only one in five are able to do so. New Zealand developed an export education system with promises of residency as part of this process. Today there are over 100,000 fee-paying students – making up 15% of all tertiary students who are paying between $20,000 and $50,000 a year for their undergraduate courses. Many schools in upper-class neighbourhoods have also become dependent on foreign fee-paying students. The desperate desire of many of these students and workers to become permanent residents is being exploited by employers, educational institutions, and the government to boost their incomes. Many work visas are also tied to particular employers. This has been a recipe for an explosion of cases of migrant exploitation. Migrant workers feel trapped whilst they are hoping to transition to permanent residency. The situation for those who have come to New Zealand has been made worse by the fact that the government has trebled the number of migrants being given temporary visas of one kind or another whilst keeping the number being transitioned to permanent residence more or less the same. The competition for places has dramatically increased as a result. Successive governments simply kept raising the bar to qualify by increasing the difficulty of gaining a permanent resident visa. Job categories that previously would qualify a migrant to transition to permanent residency were simply eliminated and the qualifying income and skill levels required were increased without any warning. Over the last three years, this was made worse as the Labour-NZ First government secretly cut the number of people being given residency by 25% to around 30,000 a year. Now, even very-skilled and highly paid jobs no longer qualify for residency. It doesn't make any sense. For example, we need teachers and nurses, but they no longer qualify. At the same time the number of temporary visas granted has continued to grow. For employers, the ability to continually access more and more temporary workers willing to work for minimum or sub-minimum wages has also suppressed wages in these industries for all workers. There was never any incentive to raise pay, provide training needed to hire local workers, or put in the extra effort required to get young people used to a work regime. The workers and students here on temporary visas were essentially lied to. They were promised a transition to permanent residency to entice them here, only to have the rules changed on them after they arrived. It was a terrible betrayal of trust by Immigration NZ on behalf of the New Zealand government. We now have tens of thousands of people who have been living, working, and raising families in New Zealand for a decade or more having to renew their “essential skills” or “graduate job search” visas periodically to do so. They are what the government has been calling “normally resident” visa holders who deserve the right to be given a pathway to residency. Many Pacific workers who came here a decade more ago and also made New Zealand their home but may have overstayed their original visas deserve the same chance. We have to collectively take responsibility for the terrible situation that now exists for vulnerable migrant workers living in our communities. The Covid-19 crisis gives us a chance to fix the problem we have collectively created. We can't replace the workers and students now here for the foreseeable future. In fact, it would be a mistake to return to the over-reliance on temporary work visa holders again in the future. We need to create a new “pathways to residency visa” that allows the government to guarantee permanent residence to migrant workers already here once certain conditions are met. As an example, this was done for dairy farm workers in Southland on Essential Skills visas after five years service. We can choose to use the pathways to residency visas to incentivise people to go to the industries and sectors of the economy that need them without tying them to particular employers which has been proven to lead to super-exploitation. It makes sense to offer those workers already here pathways to residency if they desire it.