For a system that puts people and papatūānuku over profits

On 13-14 October 2020, the Minerals Forum happens again in Kirikiriroa/Hamilton. The forum will have speakers and representatives from gold, coal, oil and gas, iron sand, phosphate, lithium and aggregate mining companies as well as intensive farming companies and government departments. These include Bathurst, Trans Tasman Resources, OceanaGold, Chatham Rock Phosphate, NZ Petroleum and Minerals, Straterra, Fonterra and more. Ironically, the theme of the 2020 Minerals Forum is 'Mining’s Role in a Prosperous, Low-emissions Economy'. We need an urgent shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative one. We want real action on changing our economy now and we want this forum stopped! This year we've seen massive change happen across Aotearoa with communities returning to growing their own food, repairing things, getting back on bikes and reaching out to share resources and look after one another. This is how it should be. This is what will actually halt climate change and bring back a regenerative economy based on environmental restoration and responsible production with abundance and health for all. Put money and expertise in a regenerative economy, not in mining our future.

The coalition government plans to change Aotearoa's gun laws by 2026. These new laws allegedly aim to alleviate the pressure on recreational gun users (e.g. gun ranges.) However, there is a palpable lack of transparency surrounding the consultation process which has left many key parties in the dark. The NZ police are not involved in this consultation process and ACT has not been specific in who they have asked to join in the consultation. They are not currently willing to share the document with the public: inquiries towards this have been ignored. Changing the gun laws is a decision which will affect the entirety of Aotearoa and the consultation document should at the very least be shared with the police, if not the public as well.  We are calling on the gun minister, Nicole Mckee, to increase transparency around the consultation document and the government's plans to change the gun laws. 

We, the undersigned residents of Kāwhia and others with longstanding ties to the region, call upon our elected officials and staff of Ōtorohanga District Council to:    1. Remove vehicle access from vulnerable areas of the inner Kāwhia Harbour to protect:     - The harbour's delicate ecosystem and marine life     - Public safety in recreational areas     - Cultural and historical sites     - Shoreline stability    2. Support the development of alternative access infrastructure, specifically:     - Establish a designated access way at Ocean Beach as offered by TKI     - Ensure the new access point minimises environmental impact     - Create appropriate parking facilities away from sensitive areas    3. Work with the community to:     - Develop a comprehensive implementation plan     - Consider the needs of all harbour users     - Protect both environmental and recreational values  

That the Ministers divest District Health Boards of the responsibility of funding NZNO members' wage negotiations for safe staffing.

We ask you, the members of Parliament, to oppose the Protection for First Responders and Correction Officers Bill and work to provide solutions that prevent first responders from being harmed in the first place. The Protection for First Responders and Police officers Bill will not succeed in keeping our brave frontline staff safe, and instead will only punish vulnerable people who need help, increasing our prison population in the process. We ask Parliament to not proceed with this bill, but rather redirect its energy into providing solutions that will mitigate the risk that our First Responders and Prison Officers face, with the goal of focusing on prevention, rather than punishment.

In light of COVID-19 the Government should trial paying everyone a Universal Basic Income (UBI) at the same level as Superannuation. A regular cash payment made to everyone, with no strings attached, will help support all of us through this crisis. A UBI could also be rolled out in a phased approach that recognises some people are more vulnerable to the virus as well as those who are the backbone of our communities providing care for children, whānau, and elderly people.

Survivors of abuse in State and Faith-based care, and their supporters call on the Lead Coordination Minister for the Government's Response to the Royal Commission's Report into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions, to implement all of the 138 Recommendations of Whanaketia Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light and the 95 Holistic Recommendations of the Inquiry's Interim Report, He Purapura Ora, he Māra Tipu from Redress to Puretumu Torowhānui.

We call on the Minister of Defence and on the Coalition Government to abandon plans for spending an extra $12 billion on defence and instead freeze all spending on the military.  Instead of further militarisation, Aotearoa needs an independent foreign policy and a focus on the greatest threat to our region’s security, climate change. We must have the capability to support our Pacific island neighbours. We must urgently address Aotearoa’s real needs for healthcare, housing, schools, welfare, and environmental protection. We call on the Minister of Defence and on the Coalition Government to: 1. Abandon plans to spend an additional $12 billion on the military. 2. Declare Aotearoa a non-aligned country. We need a truly independent foreign policy, focusing on the real threats to security, with capability to support our Pacific neighbours. 3. Invest in civil defence and emergency management to deal with climate crises. 4. Maintain adequate shipping, aircraft, and technology to protect fisheries and support Pacific island neighbours. 5. Show international leadership in promoting peace and international law.

We want all the citizens of Tokoroa and all those who support them to sign this petition to help get justice for the three workers who were exploited by the franchisee of Challenge Tokoroa and his son. The Tokoroa community demands that Challenge NZ will: ★ Have zero tolerance of exploitation by any Challenge NZ franchisee. ★ Arrange an urgent meeting with their franchisee and his son, the workers, and OneUnion. ★ Carry out an urgent investigation of the allegations and terminate any contract they have with these two men. ★ Support the MBIE Labour Inspectorate, IRD and Immigration NZ in investigating the franchisee and his son. ★ Support that the franchisee and his son must apologise to these workers and put things right. If not, they should leave town. ★ Agree that if these two men do not reimburse these workers, Challenge NZ must compensate the three workers for the time they worked in the Challenge NZ outlets.