In this present moment, the world is witnessing the merciless genocide of Palestinian people by the state of Israel. It is estimated that over 20,000 Palestinian’s have been martyred, thousands are trapped beneath rubble, and millions have been displaced (2). There is an utmost urgency for us to stand in solidarity with Palestine, rather than “neutrality”, as they suffer under blatant breaches of international humanitarian law. “Silence the guns and return to dialogue – the suffering inflicted on civilians is too much to bear” - UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, 03/12/23 (3) References: 1. https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/300543010/civic-service-in-hamilton-to-stand-with-ukraine 2.https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/4/israel-gaza-war-live-israel-expands-ground-attack-in-southern-gaza?update=2532359 3. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/12/gaza-unbearable-suffering-civilians-demands-end-violence-turk

Wastewater in the moana affects many aspects of life in Porirua, from getting an infected cut from going in the harbour to having the smell of sewerage throughout the city at low tide. Within the community there is a deep concern and frustration regarding the persistent and hazardous issue of wastewater overflow into the ocean. Further growth and development planned for Porirua without critical infrastructure updates to accommodate for how this may impact our waterways will lead to further health risks for residents, the environment and ecology of the harbour . Stop the disposal of untreated sewage into Te Awarua o Porirua. We acknowledge that Porirua has been facing this issue for an extended period, and despite multiple attempts to address it, the problem remains largely unmitigated. The adverse effects of wastewater overflow are evident and detrimental. We need a bold plan out of this crisis, not fragmentary change and band aid solutions. Wastewater overflow affects Porirua in multiple ways. 1) Greenhouse gas emissions: Continuous wastewater overflow is contributing to environmental degradation and climate change. The Porirua Wastewater Treatment Plant produces 13% of Porirua’s GHG emissions. With a number of new housing developments emerging around Porirua our current infrastructure won't be able to sustain a growing population on top of incoming climate change effects. This poses a direct threat to the well-being of our community and future generations. 2) Public Health Risks: Wastewater overflow introduces harmful pathogens and contaminants into our environment, putting our health at risk. Exposure to these pollutants can lead to waterborne diseases, respiratory problems, and other health issues. 3) Environmental Degradation: The continuous discharge of untreated wastewater has detrimental effects on our local ecosystems, polluting water, soil, and air. It harms aquatic life, vegetation, and contributes to the degradation of our environment. 4) Diminished Quality of Life: Residents of Porirua are forced to endure unpleasant odors, unsightly conditions, and leaves us unable to interact with the ocean without anxiety of potential health risks. 5) Long-Term Sustainability: Invest in sustainable wastewater infrastructure and practices that minimize environmental and climate impact and provide a reliable and resilient system for the future in collaboration with Mana Whenua. 6) Impact on mātauranga and cultural practice: Mana whenua, Ngāti Toa have a rich cultural heritage that is deeply intertwined with the moana. The constant overflow of wastewater not only disproportionately affects our physical health but also jeopardizes the cultural practices and mātauranga that reinforce them. We urge you to take immediate action and allocate the necessary resources to eliminate the threat of wastewater overflow. Porirua deserves a cleaner, healthier, and safer environment for ourselves and future generations. This issue requires immediate attention and your commitment to finding a lasting, sustainable solution. References “Public urged to stay out of flood, sea waters as Porirua wastewater treatment plant overflows” 1news. https://www.1news.co.nz/2019/12/07/public-urged-to-stay-out-of-flood-sea-waters-as-porirua-wastewater-treatment-plant-overflows/ “Sewage spills lead to rāhui for Porirua Harbour” Te Ao Māori News. https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2021/07/26/sewage-spills-lead-to-rahui-for-porirua-harbour/ “Te Awarua o Porirua” Ngāti Toa Iwi News. https://www.ngatitoa.iwi.nz/new-page-17 “Wellington region records more than 7000 sewage overflows in five years” NZ Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellington-region-records-more-than-7000-sewage-overflows-in-five-years/5P5QXC5NWZFFPOF3OAYDUKRGRI/ “Porirua wastewater proposal 'a licence to pollute', critics say” RNZ. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/447665/porirua-wastewater-proposal-a-licence-to-pollute-critics-say

Māori Leadership in 2010 led the march to protect Māori and all population groups of Aotearoa against the negative harm of tobacco on whānau. A Smokefree Aotearoa goal by 2025 was set with a target of having less than 5% of all populations smoking. This new coalition government of National, ACT and NZ First will go down in history in the wrong way, allowing Big Tobacco lobbyists to inform a roll back of world leading public health action. Our communities have spoken, loud and clear, since the 2010 Health Select and Māori Affairs Select committee that this is what they want, the people of Aotearoa New Zealand will be failed once again, all in the name of a handful of tax cuts. Currently, 5,000 New Zealanders die from the harms of tobacco-related illnesses every year. If we repeal the Smokefree Act, loved ones will die, all so tobacco companies can continue to profit. In 2022 we introduced world-leading legislation to support the goal for Aotearoa to be smokefree by 2025. The need is clearly demonstrated, that Māori, Pacific and low socio-economic neighbourhoods are saturated with tobacco sale points, and have the highest smoking rates. We simply cannot afford to go backwards, while our whānau continue to die at the hands of this product. The government of 2023 will walk away with the literal blood of its constituents on its hands.

We, the students, staff, and alumni of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Universities, urge you to release a joint statement on behalf of our Universities standing in solidarity with Palestine. We call for this statement to condemn Israel’s genocidal attacks on Palestinians and call for an immediate ceasefire and end to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. To understand why this joint statement from our Universities is urgently needed, it is important that you acknowledge that Palestine has been subject to Israel’s settler-colonial violence for the past 75 years. As an independent UN expert reported last year, for 55 of these years, “the Israeli military occupation has prevented the realisation of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, violating each component of that right and wilfully pursuing the ‘de-Palestinianisation’ of the occupied territory.” This expert also affirmed that Israel's endeavours in Palestine are “illegal”, amount to “gross violations of international law, including racial segregation and subjugation” and are “indistinguishable from settler-colonialism.” Similarly, a UN-appointed Commission of Inquiry into Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine concluded last year that “by continuing to occupy [Palestinian] territory by force, Israel incurs international responsibilities and remains accountable for violations of the rights of the Palestinians, both individually and as a people.” On 7 October, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the Palestinians of Gaza would pay an “immense price” for the actions of Hamas fighters. Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, also stated that the Israeli government holds the entire Palestinian population of Gaza responsible for the actions of militant groups, and should therefore be subject to collective punishment and unrestricted use of force, saying: “It is an entire nation out there that is responsible.” Since 7 October, Israel, with the support of the United States, has killed at least 9,061 people in Gaza, including at least 3,760 children as of 2 November. Israel’s attacks have also displaced at least 1.4 million people in Gaza, with approximately 629,000 of them seeking refuge in 150 UN emergency shelters. It is also estimated that at least 2,200 people are currently buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza. A group of independent UN experts have repeatedly stated that Israel’s attacks on Palestinians are genocidal and constitute war crimes and violations of international law, remarking: “We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide. The time for action is now. Israel’s allies also bear responsibility and must act now to prevent its disastrous course of action. The Israeli airstrike on a residential complex in the Jabalia refugee camp is a brazen violation of international law – and a war crime. Attacking a camp sheltering civilians including women and children is a complete breach of the rules of proportionality and distinction between combatants and civilians.” In terms of the reasons for Israel’s genocidal attacks on Palestinians, international human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber noted in his resignation letter from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that this “textbook case of genocide” is “rooted in an ethno-nationalist colonial-settler ideology” which “has entered its final phase, toward the expedited destruction of the last remnants of indigenous Palestinian life in Palestine.” As a collective of Aotearoa New Zealand's University communities, we want to highlight that a key part of Israel’s genocide against Palestine is its epistemicide due its targeted attacks on Universities in Gaza. These attacks are not only murdering Palestine’s University communities, they are also systematically destroying the rich knowledges, histories and literatures of Palestine, without which our world, and our understanding of it, will forever be incomplete. To be clear, Universities that fail to condemn these attacks can no longer claim to be genuinely committed to the pursuit of knowledge and any meaningful vision of a local and global scholarly community. In our Universities, we teach and learn about the genocidal violence that has occurred and is still occurring around the world - from the Holocaust against Jewish peoples in Europe to the Crown’s ongoing violence against Māori here in Aotearoa New Zealand. During these lessons, we often ask how so many people, including those with great influence and power, can enable such violence and stay silent when marginalised groups are being dehumanised and murdered. Now, many of us no longer have to ask this question, as we are seeing this enabling and silence in real time around the world, including here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Not only is our country's media and government failing to condemn Israel’s genocidal violence, each of you, as the leaders of our Universities, are failing to do so as well. We note that some of you have released statements incorrectly framing this genocide as “escalating conflict in the Middle East”, and others among you are choosing to remain silent. Some might say that it would not make any difference if our Universities in Aotearoa New Zealand stood in solidarity with Palestine. However, the reality is that our Universities play a crucial role as the “critic and conscience of society" which means your enabling statements and silences are helping to allow this genocide to continue by making it appear like we, as communities of learners, teachers, researchers and professionals, deem it acceptable. *Full letter here: https://www.pantograph-punch.com/posts/university-communities-call-for-solidarity-with-palestine*

We're asking for Tangata whenua to sign the petition with your name, Iwi affiliations and occupation (optional). This petition will: - Spread awareness of the genocide. - Demonstrate that as iwi members, people and a united collective, we are in total opposition to genocide, apartheid and systemic colonisation of all indigenous peoples. - Put pressure on our government to represent our values internationally. For many of us, the effects of the genocide in Gaza are more acute. We grew up hearing stories, singing mōteatea, and listening to our people recall the ways they experienced harm as a result of colonisation. This intergenerational trauma is still a big part of our lives. As Māori, we are often praised by other indigenous communities as leaders in the fight to decolonise. Our relationship with colonialism is fraught, but we also hold a unique position globally. Now is the time for us to call on our partners of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to use their power to create change and end the harm of innocent civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and throughout Palestine.

Aotearoa 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. Everyone deserves to have access to their places of work, study, and community, and this is especially important for young people and for our most vulnerable communities. The public transport discounts introduced in 2023 are a crucial step towards enabling this access, whilst also reducing transport emissions in support of our climate targets. However, during their election campaign, the National Party proposed cancelling the public transport discounts introduced this year. If they go ahead with this, public transport fares will effectively double for some. Families are already struggling with the cost of living, and the increase in cost of public transport will push many back to cars. For people who don’t have the option of driving for reasons such as disability, age, or income level, the financial inaccessibility of public transport worsens social isolation and restricts opportunities for New Zealanders to work towards their dreams. Keeping public transport fares low helps us meet our climate commitments. Strong evidence from Aotearoa and overseas shows us that reducing public transport fares increases mode shift from private to public transport, reducing our transport emissions. We know that hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders left their cars behind to take public transport due to the temporary half-price fares for everyone in 2022 and 2023. The shift from private to public transport not only reduces our impact on the climate: it also reduces traffic congestion, which brings economic benefits and allows everyone to travel more efficiently. Furthermore, significant public health benefits result from the reduction in air pollution and road accidents. Public transport affordability is crucial to supporting New Zealanders in the cost of living crisis and mitigate transport poverty. Affordable public transport gives people access to school, work, family, public services, and enables people to contribute to their community. This access is especially important for the groups who are targeted by the current discounts: young people and tamariki, low-income earners, and disabled people. We also reiterate the need for all tertiary students to be included in these discounts. Finally, we know that most New Zealanders support keeping public transport fares low. A new poll has found that 71% of New Zealanders want to keep the current public transport discounts, with 50% strongly agreeing they should be kept. There is support across the political spectrum, with only 21% of National voters supporting the removal of the discounts. We call for the incoming Minister of Transport to listen to what the people of Aotearoa are calling for. Let’s hold onto the wins of the public transport discounts introduced this year, and work towards Free Fares for all students, under-25s, Community Services Card holders, and Total Mobility Card holders and their support people. It’s a no brainer: this is an easy action the Government can take for climate and community in the midst of the challenges we are currently facing. Sources: Please see the https://freefares.nz/frequently-asked-questions/ for our evidence.

We all want tamariki to grow up surrounded by loving, thriving whānau within supportive communities where there are resources, opportunities and systems to enable them to flourish free of poverty. Prime Minister-elect Luxon has committed to keeping the Child Poverty Reduction Act (2018) and halving child poverty by 2028. This will take a concerted effort in several areas. Poverty is notoriously difficult to measure but here are some statistics PM-elect Luxon needs to know right now. • A record almost half a million Kiwis each month rely on food handouts from charity. This will increase at Christmas. Food parcels are not the answer. Our whole food system is broken, and kids are suffering. • Te Whatu Ora statistics this month show hospital admissions for babies and preschoolers for preventable illnesses are up more than 30 percent since June 2022 The situation is urgent. We want to show our new leaders the evidence-based policies that will help them fulfil their election promise to halve child poverty. Speaking on behalf of children in poverty; Child Poverty Action Group, Methodist Alliance, Presbyterian Support New Zealand, Methodist Mission Northern, NZ Council of Christian Services and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand. Please sign the petition to show how much people across Aotearoa care about child poverty, and help put pressure on the next government to meet with us ASAP.

16 and 17 year olds are just as impacted by local political decisions as those over 18 and we will inherit the future kawekawe of those decisions. Public transport, infrastructure, community development, and a vast list of other local government issues will continue to affect us and future generations of young people. Despite the effects politics has, and will have, on us, we have no democratic say in their solutions. We are on the brink of making history, but we need your help! Every signature is a step towards a more inclusive democracy. Rangatahi are ready, willing, and capable to vote. We demonstrate this time and time again. It is time for our voices to be heard at local government elections. Sign our petition to bring the Bill to second reading and urge the incoming government to vote for rangatahi human rights. Don’t kill the Bill.

The Ram Raid bill is currently before select committee. It was introduced with the aim of reducing the impact of ram raids. The measures proposed will not achieve this aim. They are not supported by evidence, they include breaches of human rights and the UN rights of the child, and they are out of step with our international counterparts. The impact on children who commit these offenses will be immense, criminalising 12 and 13 year olds who are in desperate need of love, comprehensive support and guidance; potentially sending them further down a destructive pathway; and without delivering the intended benefits or preventing harm in our communities.

When care is in the community, whānau stay connected to the people and places we love. All of us want our family members to get the support they need to live independently and well. People who deliver care and support to our older ones, disabled whānau, and folk recovering from illness or injury are key to the infrastructure of care communities need to look after everyone. For far too long, their work has been undervalued because funding agencies and governments of all stripes have underpaid for work that has traditionally been done by women. We urge you to fund the pay equity settlement for all care and support workers as soon as possible. For over a year we have undergone a rigorous pay equity process. We have systematically proven and measured the undervaluation of care and support workers based on their gender. Thousands of hours and many resources have been devoted to analysis that was signed off at each milestone. Unions and employers are ready to make this happen. But your agencies that fund care and support work continue to lag behind on providing sufficient funding to deliver pay equity and have interfered in an evidence-based and prescribed process adhered to by employers and unions. As a result, too many workers are struggling to make rent payments and put food on the table while they’re made to wait. The need for care and support grows as our population ages while services lose staff to better paying professions and strain to recruit new people. We are calling on you to stop the delays and interference now so the claim can progress. The situation is now urgent and overdue. You have a huge opportunity to strengthen this cornerstone of our community health system, nourish services that care for families, and transform the lives of 65,000 workers. Aotearoa celebrated proudly in 2017 when unions won an historic pay increase for care and support workers following landmark legal wins championed by aged care worker Kristine Bartlett. We knew it wasn’t right that care and support workers were struggling to make ends meet while doing some of the most important work there is. Since then, their wages have regressed back to minimum wage while the cost of living has skyrocketed. Care and support workers change catheters and stoma bags, and make sure medicine is taken. They support families through the difficult changes that come with health problems. They assist disabled people to live independently at home. They show up for folk who don’t have friends or whānau to come to visit. They help people shower, turn over in bed to avoid pressure areas, and to live well. They support people through mental ill-health or addiction to keep going. They’re with loved ones at the end of their lives. Once again, it’s time to make sure care and support workers are paid what they’re worth. This time for good. Please fund the pay equity claim for all care and support workers urgently so we can reach a settlement. From, Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi, E tū, and New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa With the support of: Carers New Zealand Alzheimer’s New Zealand New Zealand Society of Diversional and Recreational Therapists Grey Power National Council of Women New Zealand Auckland Women’s Centre YWCA Kristine Bartlett Saunoamaali'i Dr. Karanina Sumeo, Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner / Kaihautū Ōritenga Mahi Professor Katherine Ravenswood (AUT) Migrant Action Trust Gabriela Aotearoa New Zealand Migrante Aotearoa New Zealand New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Unite Union NZEI Te Riu Roa New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union MERAS Midwifery Employee Representation & Advisory Service Tertiary Education Union Te Hautū Kahurangi Tertiary Institutes Allied Staff Association National Union of Public Employees

If we are to have a fighting chance at meeting the commitments of the Paris Agreement, limiting emissions to below the upper threshold of 1.5 degrees is next to impossible when the proliferation of fossil fuels continues at record levels and without a clear pathway for a just transition. Coal, oil, and gas alone account for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 86% of all carbon emissions in the past decade, yet many leaders, including ours, are continuing with business as usual while our islands, cities, and communities continue to suffer. We urge our Local Councils to stand in solidarity with the six Pacific nations and 80 cities worldwide that have already endorsed the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and to add their endorsement. Without addressing the production of fossil fuels, we risk blowing through our climate targets. With the recent IEA, IPCC, and UNEP reports, now is the time to put the question of managing an equitable transition away from fossil fuels on the local agenda. It's crucial that we see leadership at the local level and that local Councils across the country back the concept of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, just as Wellington City Council and Kāpiti Coast District Council have now done.

Our city needs a plan to protect our people, our places, and the things we love from climate change. Dunedin City Councillors have the opportunity to do this by adopting the Zero Carbon Plan and working to achieve zero carbon by 2030. ➡️ Climate change threatens our very future. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns of a “rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all” (1). To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, global warming must be limited to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. This means reducing our carbon emissions as soon as possible. ➡️ Mitigating the impacts of climate change demands urgent action. We must act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors. Although this may seem costly, the IPCC warns delaying action will create a false economy. Our savings now will mean future climate mitigation options become more costly and less effective. ➡️ There is a consequence to delay. If inaction causes us to overshoot the Paris Agreement target of net zero by 2050, the IPCC predicts that we risk triggering feedback loops that will be difficult - or impossible - to reign in. For Ōtepoti Dunedin, this means more extreme weather events, rising sea-levels, and more pressure on our native wildlife and ecosystems. Urgently reducing our carbon emissions is the right thing to do — for our community now and in the future. If Dunedin City Councillors choose to delay our zero carbon targets, we all pay the price. It will threaten our homes, livelihoods and even our lives. Dunedin’s Zero Carbon by 2030 goal means that we are working towards a livable and sustainable future and saving money in the long run. Kicking the can down the road puts that at risk. We simply can’t afford to wait. (1) AR6 Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers: Climate Change 2023 (ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle).