The Vegan Society and the NZ Vegetarian Society are demanding additional legislation requiring factual and clear labelling on consumer products. The current ambiguity in product labelling creates significant consumer confusion and undermines trust. The lack of stringent regulations around the use of terms like "plant-based," "vegetarian," and "vegan" creates consumer confusion and dilutes the integrity of these labels. Clear, standardised, and enforceable labelling regulations are essential to protect consumers and support informed, ethical purchasing decisions. We propose the following: • Standardise "Plant-Based" Labelling: The term "plant-based" should be exclusively reserved for products that are 100% derived from plants. This term focuses solely on the ingredient source being 100% plant-derived. This clarity ensures that consumers are not misled by products containing animal-derived ingredients. • Ban Misleading Terms: Eliminate vague and misleading terms such as "less dairy". These terms lack clear definitions and can deceive consumers about the actual content and health implications of the products. • Clarify “Vegan” Labelling: When a product is labelled vegan, it should mean that no animal products or by-products were used at any stage of the manufacturing process. To ensure this, the following criteria must be met: • Products must be free from animal-derived ingredients. • Products must be GMO-free. • No animal testing must be carried out or commissioned in the production of the product. • Measures must be in place to prevent cross-contamination with animal products during production. • Clarify "Vegetarian" Labelling: The term "vegetarian" should be reserved for products that contain no meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. Additionally, any use of animal by-products (such as gelatine, rennet, or certain colourants) should be clearly indicated. To ensure this, the following criteria must be met: • Products must be free from ingredients resulting from animal slaughter. • Only free-range eggs must be used. • Products must be GMO-free. • No animal testing must be carried out or commissioned in the production of the product. • Measures must be in place to prevent cross-contamination with animal products during production.

We are calling on the Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni to ensure every recipient of income support receives the full $20 increase announced in Budget 2021.

We call on the Christchurch City Council to approve the resource consent for the Youth Hub Trust facility. This will provide much needed education, healthcare, mental health support, training, recreation and employment services to 10 to 25-year-olds.

We’re calling on our local and national leaders to stop McCallum Bros Ltd from mining more than 8 million cubic metres of sand from the Bream Bay seabed. This industrial scale mining will have no local benefit or any significant national economic impact. It will destroy seabed habitats, choke marine life and accelerate coastal erosion threatening the health of our ocean, beaches and local economy.  We, the undersigned residents and visitors of Northland, call on the Whangarei, Kaipara, Far North and Northland Regional Councils and its elected members, as well as Whangarei MP Shane Reti, Northland MP Grant McCallum, Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and members of the Coalition Government to: 1. Oppose all marine sand mining consents for McCallum Bros Ltd at Bream Bay under the Fast Track Process or the Environmental Protection Authority for Bream Bay. 2. Back and encourage the use of existing sustainable sand for manufacturing and support innovation. 3. Ensure all relevant information is provided to decision-making panels including a full economic assessment and environmental, cultural impact reports.  4. Enable the representatives of Northland region to be heard at any hearings or consultations with the EPA or Fast Track decision making panels. 5. Enable any necessary appeals.

Raise income support to unlock whānau and individuals from poverty before Christmas.

We ask that the government ensure replacement Cook Strait ferries are rail-enabled.

We call for the Government to adopt Māori commissioning by the Māori Health Authority. This will be a transformational way to achieve health equity as outlined in the majority 'alternate' view by the Expert Panel of the Health and Disability System Review.

We all want all of Aotearoa’s young people, whānau and communities to be able to have loving and respectful connections, and to live with confidence, free from bullying, stalking, abuse and all forms of violence. Relationships & Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools is an important support for this vision, as it is Aotearoa’s key cornerstone of prevention of bullying, abuse and violence, including family violence, and sexual violence. RSE is vital to supporting respectful relationship norms, respect for diversity, and safe online interactions for rangatahi in all our communities, helping to make and keep people safe and free  - including those most targeted by relationship violence and/or online abuse: women (cis and trans); people who identify as LGBTQI+, Rainbow and/or queer; and disabled people.   In 2020, RSE school guidelines [1] were introduced that were expert-led, and inclusive of Tiriti o Waitangi, and diverse sexualities, gender identities and cultures. The guidelines were world-leading in supporting healthy and respectful relationships and attitudes among young people as well as their confidence and self-esteem, and were fit-for-purpose to help prevent relationship violence.   But right now, the government is proposing to permanently remove this key cornerstone of early prevention of violence: Tiriti-based, inclusive, expert-led Relationships & Sexuality Education in schools.    In its place, the government is proposing inappropriate and inadequate relationships and “sex” education – no longer “sexuality” education – in the Health & PE curriculum currently out for consultation. [2] The government’s proposed RSE fails in the critical missions of violence prevention and support of respect and social wellbeing in multiple ways, as dozens of health experts and community organisations have already advised Minister Erica Stanford [3]. The latest curriculum draft ignores nearly all their advice.  The RSE proposals “underserve rangatahi Māori and will not reduce inequities in sexual violence victimisation.” - Associate Professor of Psychology, Jade Le Grice (Ngai Tupoto, Ngati Korokoro, Ngati Wharara, Te Pouka), University of Auckland [4]  “This curriculum sidesteps several critical issues… This puts young people’s safety at risk - both within and outside school” – Jackie Edmond, Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa (formerly Family Planning) [5]   “It is clear that the changes outlined … are not in good faith, and are not about evidence-based violence prevention. This draft ... would be a deliberate step backwards and would represent a shocking and shameful failure to do our best for our children and rangatahi.” – Deborah Mackenzie, Backbone Collective [6]  We, the undersigned, oppose the government’s ideological and non-expert approach to changing RSE for rangatahi, which will reduce support for  young people’s safety, confidence and respect for each other. We oppose the government’s resulting proposed relationships and “sex education” curriculum, including the following aspects:   1. The dishonouring of  Te Tiriti o Waitangi  2. The absence of respect for diverse gender identities  3. The absence of respect for diverse sexualities  4. A lack of genuine engagement with multicultural perspectives, normalising a monocultural, Pākehā view of the world. (More detail on these four concerns is given in the "updates" section below.)  Together, these moves are regressive and narrow, contravening the rights of children, young people, and all our communities to be their whole selves, and to live free from discrimination, harassment and violence.   In addition, the government’s dismantling of RSE as a key cornerstone of violence prevention  is further evidence of the government’s structural disrespect for women: they have removed support for gender pay equity, and they are also removing support for gender equity in safety and freedom. As well as removing RSE, they have halted the rollout of ACC sexual violence prevention initiatives and defunded women’s self-defence classes and women’s centres. Minister of Education, we ask you to  1. Immediately reinstate the expert-led, Tiriti-based and LGBTQI+ inclusive 2020 Relationships & Sexuality Education guidelines, for the prevention of bullying, abuse and violence  2. Start and maintain an ongoing process of updating and improving the 2020 guidelines and underlying curriculum, to ensure they’re always fit-for-purpose for all communities (including disabled children) in a fast-changing and increasingly online world. The ongoing improvement process should   i. Honour te Tiriti o Waitangi by ensuring decision-making is shared across Tiriti partners: tangata whenua and the Crown, in all development of RSE   ii. Be led by experts, including Māori experts, in Māori and non-Māori education, violence prevention and health  3. Scrap the proposed counter-productive 2026 relationships and “sex education” curriculum, which is exclusionary, fragmented, and not fit-for-purpose, and which will reduce the effectiveness and strength of violence prevention in schools  4. Implement the Education Review Office recommendations [7] to increase consistency in RSE teaching across schools, while retaining the right of parents to remove  their children from RSE if they wish.   Minister, we hope you will be guided by what is best for our rangatahi: a future of respectful relationships, safety and freedom from bullying, abuse and violence.     

We envision an Aotearoa where families are united, children are supported by the presence and love of their parents, and parents are free to share in the joys and milestones of their children’s lives. In this vision, families feel a sense of belonging, contributing to a harmonious and inclusive society where intergenerational bonds strengthen communities and enrich New Zealand’s social fabric. Currently, there is a 10-year condition for Parent Resident Visa holders to become eligible for permanent residency. This condition creates significant travel restrictions, preventing parents from attending to personal or family matters abroad without jeopardizing their residency. It also imposes unnecessary emotional and financial burdens on families who are already contributing socially and economically to New Zealand. This lengthy requirement is unfair compared to the 2-3-year pathways available for other residency categories, and undermines the principles of equity and inclusivity that Aotearoa stands for. As a parent visa holder said, "All we want is to grow old with our children, to watch our grandchildren laugh and learn, and to feel that we truly belong in the place we call home. A fair residency pathway would mean our sacrifices have not been in vain." Children are equally affected: "Home is where my parents are, and yet, every day, I live in fear that their future here is uncertain. A permanent residency pathway is not just for them—it’s for the families who dream of staying together, building lives, and contributing to this beautiful country."

By signing this petition you are supporting Housing Action Porirua's official submission on the Porirua City Council District Plan. Including: ★ Ensuring high standard of amenities for all by opposing the division of suburbs into General Residential Zone and the Medium Density Residential Zone resulting in the latter zone having significantly higher density and lower standards of residential amenity are allowed. Support the same rules for all and a high standard of residential amenity for all. ★ Support residential apartments being developed in the city centre area and oppose the future residential zones being proposed until the potential to provide more housing within the existing urban area has been reasonably exhausted. ★ Ensure provision of fully accessible homes for disabled people, including wheel chair users. Ensure all new builds are accessible and manoeuvrable for wheel chair users, including accessible bathrooms on the ground floor. ★ Prioritise adequate and safe walking and cycling provisions to encourage less private car usage. ★ Ensure that all new buildings are constructed with built-in solar power systems including receptors in roof designs. ★ Require carefully dismantling of current buildings to ensure timber, wiring, piping and roofing materials can be reused and recycled. You can read Housing Action Porirua's full submission here: https://tinyurl.com/yylhz74k