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e-mail David MacClement |
Editor: David Parker, phone: +64 9 419 7018, Northcote, Auckland
email: cddm@ihug.co.nz
Organic nation: Greens have 2020 vision
Convenor's spot
Provincial news
Parliamentary news
National news
Discussion
Contacts
Dates
Disclaimer & editorial information
Monday, 12 June, 7pm
26 Anzac Avenue, Auckland City
(Note date not the first Monday of June!)
This is the monthly decision-making meeting in the Province. All members welcome and all can speak. Meetings run from 7-9pm.
The Soil and Health Association's conference and expo, held at Unitec, Auckland, over the weekend of May 1920, was a huge success and gained widespread media coverage. The theme was achieving the goal of an organic nation by 2020, which, of course, is a major aspect of Green Party policy. Greens featured prominently, with MPs and activists making many contributions. Keynote speaker at the conference was Green MP and Agriculture spokesperson Ian Ewen-Street, himself an organic sheep and beef farmer in Marlborough. The following are some excerpts from Ian's address:
"Consumer resistance to genetically engineered food and food with chemical additives has created an enormous groundswell, particularly in Europe and spreading to Japan, US and many other countries. People are demanding pure food. They simply don't want genetically engineered ingredients or chemical additives. They don't want growth hormones or antibiotics. And, increasingly, they do not want food with any chemical residues. The only source of food guaranteed to be free of these contaminants is certified organic food.
This is the basis of my optimism for New Zealand agriculture. We already trade heavily on our clean, green image and we are already recognised as being the producers of food of the very highest quality, though whether our practices actually justify such an image is debatable. Consumers all around the world are prepared to pay high premiums for food which is free of what they consider to be contaminants and their demand outstrips our ability to supply. I believe we have a wonderful opportunity to establish ourselves as exporters of high quality organic food and, in the process, completely revitalise agricultural production in New Zealand.
However, it will not be an easy task. There has been a strong push from some political sources, from some scientists, from the biotechnology corporates and from some primary producers to embrace genetic engineering as the resolution of all our problems. I believe this is a dead-end street.
There are other issues to be addressed as well. For instance, it seems to me that we are creating a moral dilemma for ourselves when we export organic products to appeal to the elite end of the market. We are looking for premium prices from people who are prepared to pay for expensive organic products. At the same time, the Soil Association in the UK is actively encouraging consumers to buy local produce to reduce the level of "food miles" involved.
There are other justifications for using organic farming techniques which are not based on the pure profit motive and which have a benefit and relevance to the broader community.
One of these justifications is the concept of "ecological footprint". It has been calculated that for the average American, the area of land required to sustain each individual is 78 hectares. The average New Zealander consumes less than the average American, but our ecological footprint still takes up about 5 hectares. In other words, every New Zealander needs a minimum of 5 hectares to sustain ourselves in the present day lifestyle.
Simple mathematics reveals a sobering fact. There are 9 billion hectares of productive agricultural land on this earth and 6 billion human beings, so each individual in the world can only be allocated 1.5 hectares, so already each New Zealander uses far more than their fair share of the earth's resources. It is simply not possible to bring every person up to the standard of living of the western world without increasing the size of the earth. There is no alternative but to reduce our impact on the earth and one of the most significant ways we can do this is by reducing our demand for energy, for agricultural chemicals and for high technology."
A six-hour bus trip Auckland to New Plymouth gives time for reflection. (It's highly significant that it's travel by bus for me because there is still no passenger rail service to New Plymouth from north or south. I cut my political teeth on launching a petition to save the Blue Streak railcar between New Plymouth and Wellington). Indulge me, fellow Greens, as I brushstroke aspects of my desire to see real change in this country. I hope this does not come across as a trumpet-blowing exercise but rather give depth and insight to newcomers as to our proud history. Since 1975, my Green Party activities have been varied and constant: spearheading local action against the production of 245-T, hosting a visit from Petra Kelly (the late German Green politician), fighting the lunacy of the Think Big projects, establishing a Clean Sea Action group, standing as a Values candidate and last year a Green these activities have been personally and politically sustaining for me. However, establishing a solid base in the Northern Province has been an on-going challenge and one that we must win. We were well aware in the Values days that local action was partly a strategy to sustain us while we waited for proportional representation to be introduced. I am convinced that the same strategy must apply if we are to be in a position to make real inroads at the next general election.
I've decided to step down from the position of Convenor of the Northern Province at next month's AGM. Therefore I feel that it is appropriate that I dwell on some of our past activities in the light of our now very positive place in the present political climate. The death of a dear friend gave real cause to analyse our political progress. Only last month a wonderful stalwart of the Green Party died in Taranaki. Alan Muggeridge (50), was a writer of wonderful ballads, maker of fine musical instruments, Values candidate, brother to our Taranaki/King Country candidate Cindy McDonald, and a warm and politically aware man. Alan was not unique for our heritage in the Green Party is a fine one. For thirty years we have attracted people with similar attributes to Alan and we will continue to do so. Just tap the knowledge and experience of any Green meeting and find a wealth of talent. We simply must recognise that the Green Party has over time established a culture that is solid, imaginative, global and true. This culture will stand us in good stead and ensure our permanent place in the political landscape. Local action will give real expression to this culture.
A recent example of the progress we have made was the interview with the Minister of Agriculture at the conference on Organics. "Eco-Nation" featured in his television intro. Are we mainstream or not? Each one of our MPs is demonstrating an awesome degree of commitment, wisdom and strength. But this comes as no surprise to me because of our depth of history.
Deplorable rates of carbon dioxide emissions, people working for $15 for a 21-hour week, a new prison being built at Ngawha, a dysfunctional hospital waiting list system, no passenger rail service to New Plymouth the list goes on. But we are making real inroads already. Our solid history will ensure that real change will continue. Janet McVeagh, Convenor
The policy area is quite busy at the moment if you want to be involved in the policy debates you must let one of the policy networkers know so that we can get material to you. Most policy drafts are available on email. If you want hard copy of a draft or ratified policy, you can either come to the office and photocopy it there, or else send in a stamped addressed envelope to the office and I will post policies out to you. Otherwise, come to the monthly policy meeting, which is always held on the third Monday of the month at 7pm, Green Party Office. The next meeting is on 19 June.
If you would like to discuss policy at local/electorate/ cluster meetings, let me know what policy material you are interested in so I can get it to you.
Water Policy: The Northern Province Policy Meeting of 15 May has approved Jon Carapiet's Water Policy and we will now circulate it to other provinces for comment through the national policy networkers.
Disability Policy: A draft Disability Policy has been revived the draft is summarised below. Comments are needed by the next policy meeting.
Defence Policy: I have asked the national policy networkers to restart the ratification process for the Defence Policy. If you are interested in this policy please let me know.
Referenda: We have also been asked to restart the process for a short Non-binding Referenda Policy cutting the petition numbers required for referenda that was circulating prior to the election. I need to have some Northern Province feedback on this, as I received none the first time the policy was circulated. I will send out a copy of the policy to anyone interested.
Public Service Policy: A draft is being prepared by Top of the South. If you are interested let me know.
National policy matters: The following policies are going through the national process of consultation and we need feedback from you on them. Please contact your policy networkers for copies:
Sea Policy this has been substantially rewritten from the previous version. Comments by 15 June.
ACC comments are urgently needed on this by 31 May through the policy networkers.
Employment Relations Bill comments urgently needed on a range of questions to do with this bill by 2 June. Feedback needs to come through the policy networkers.
Tax Partnership for Couples this is short so I will include it here, but a longer rationale for the policy is available: "That all couples, married or de facto, should have the option of registering their partnership with IRD, so that any income earned by either partner may be declared as partnership income, and each partner would pay tax on their share of that income." Comments by 10 July.
Finally, I am perturbed by the reduction of much of our Employment, Community Economic Development and Employment Relations policies to a few lines in Thinking Beyond Tomorrow. I have been trying for some time now to get the full versions of these policies which were ratified last year. It is crazy that we are not making more use of these crucial policies.
If you want to be part of policy debates, you need to let policy networkers know what you are interested and/or come to policy meetings. Otherwise, policy networkers are empowered to make all policy decisions on your behalf.
Karen Davis Policy networker, Northern Province. Ph: 849 3342, email: kdavis@ihug.co.nz, address: 48 King Edward St, Sandringham. See also the other policy networkers' contact details at the back of the newsletter.
This is the summary of the main points from the draft policy on disability. The disability policy working group invites input on the policy.
1. The provisions of the United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities will become minimum standards for all government departments and agencies and for any organisation receiving government funding, whether private or voluntary.
2. The provisions of the Human Rights Act 1993 will be rigorously applied to outlaw any discriminatory employment practices.
3. A Task Force will report to the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet on an Action Plan on Disability reflecting the needs and concerns of people with disabilities themselves.
4. Financial support will be made available for the self-help efforts of people with disabilities and their support organisations.
5. Self advocacy programmes will be financially supported. Disability awareness and equality of access will be promoted.
6. The specific needs of children and young persons with disabilities will be identified and provided for, as will those of members of other disadvantaged groups additionally disadvantaged by disability.
7. Services and programmes for Maori people with disabilities will be developed in partnership with Maori. Culturally appropriate initiatives will be fully resourced.
For more information, please contact Janet McVeagh
Another well attended "new members' night" was held at the Green Party office in Auckland on 9 May. The theme was history of the Green parties and other green movements. We didn't get time to look at the whole spectrum of green movements but will save that for another evening. Chris Patterson, Rosalie Steward and Margaret Crozier provided lively histories of the Values Party, the Green Parties internationally and some of the more recent histories that have led us to our current form. It was a great chance for people to ask questions regarding some of the famous turning points and to understand how truly international the Green political organisations have become. There was very interesting discussion on the lessons and pitfalls of political parties and the relationships between the parliamentary and the grassroots people inside parties.
Next new members/supporters night is Wednesday June 21, the theme being, the Party itself how does it work? how can we get involved? Mysteries of the Province and the national scene will be exposed and activities that members might wish to support will be revealed.
We look forward to all and sundry, especially our Province officeholders attending this session. Catherine Delahunty and Chris Patterson
The rapid growth and change that the Green Party has experienced over recent times will be one of the subjects to be addressed by the guest-speakers at the Northern Province AGM.
The AGM will take place on Saturday 15 July from 11am to 3pm, at Seminar Room One, Auckland College of Education, 78 Epsom Avenue, Epsom.
Ian Stevens (retiring National Co-Convenor) will be speaking, together with prospective National Co-Convenor Margaret O'Brien. As well as hearing their insights ,we have also invited Ian Ewen-Street to join our local MPs, Sue Bradford, Nandor Tanczos and Keith Locke to share the perspective from the Beehive.
The AGM will be an important time for us to come together, so please bring a plate for a shared lunch. Bread, cheese, coffee, tea, and condiments will also be provided, so those travelling far to attend the meeting do not need to worry they will starve if they are unable to bring along a pot-luck offering!.
As there is building work at the college where we will be meeting, please note the following information: Enter the college through Gate 2 and park on the top level, walking across the bridge to the main building. (This is the best option for wheelchair access, as the retail centre will be open at this time. You may want to let the Green Office know if you require help, so that it can be arranged). Alternatively, park on the road and enter via Gate One, going down the steps and down the hill to the seminar rooms.
I hope that as many people as possible will come along on 15 July, especially new members who will be able to meet and hear about the Party from the our guests and those in the front-line of Parliament. Kia Ora, Janet McVeagh
Congratulations are due to new officeholders elected at recent provincial meetings, so please take a bow
Catherine Delahunty, provincial co-convenor;
Chris Patterson, male exec networker.
Well done and thank you both!
The Province issue groups continue to develop. They are involved in planning activities as well as input into policy. Don't forget that we need your involvement in these issues to make change happen:
Water and Toxics focused on Waikato pipeline, landfills and chemical sprays Catherine Delahunty at the office
GE and Organics the Royal Commission, the labelling fiasco, and because it is our survival Jon Carapiet (ph: 815 3370)
Transport the Green way project, stop the motorways, on your bike Hanafiah Blackmore (ph: 528 8811).
Disability Issues time for the TABs (temporarily able bodies) to be challenged Janet McVeagh (ph: 634 6116).
Restorative Justice what is it? what can we do to support it? Sue Wightman at the office.
Youth Issues Jessie Hardcastle (ph: 832 0723).
For futher discussion of some of these issues, see also below for reports from Hanafiah, Jessie and Jon.
Transport. Oh dear ... what a highly charged and overwhelming subject, particularly for those of us who live and work in Auckland. And tiring. I am so tired I sometimes wonder where I am going to find the time and energy to even think about how we can try and turn away from the cliff that, lemming-like, we are being driven over. How do we effect a change in direction, and manage to bring everyone with us?
At last weekend's Organics 2020 conference in Auckland there were some wonderful moments of such clarity for me that they set off trains of 'how to' thoughts and ideas I still haven't managed to bring under control.
In a workshop about Effecting Change, an inspiring and charismatic speaker, Dr Stuart Hill, a social ecologist from Australia, talked about how we make the mistake of trying to effect change by starting in the wrong place with plans. Plans come in the middle. We need to start with passion. From passion arises ideas which then lead to the planning.
Well I am passionate and I care deeply...
But hey! Passion is contagious. If we get together we infect each other and seed the ideas that will effect the changes in direction we must take. So find a little time and energy, come to the next Transport meeting, and let's see what we can come up with.
Next Transport Group Meeting: Monday 19th June, 7pm, Green Office. Hanafiah Blackmore
Before I joined the Greens I wanted a place to be heard, which seemed difficult in a world run by adults, who often are disconnected to the feelings and needs of young people. The Youth Issues group is an opportunity for young people to work together and sort out their issues, eg:
Youth with no place to go Many young people are slipping through the cracks. Kids not only chose to leave school, their parents pull them out, and sometimes schools even 'highly recommend' that some particular students don't sit School Certificate and just go and 'do a course or something'. These kids out of school often seem like they've grown up very fast, and in may ways they have, but in so many more they are years younger than their age. There are 14-year-old girls out of school and home living with 30-year-old boyfriends because they've been kicked out of home. This is not an acceptable way for these young people to live, yet a lot of organisations either haven't found these girls or the girls don't feel they'd suit the organisations available.
Youth centres There needs to be more focus on youth activities to encourage healthy young people, like youth centers for both study and recreation. Safe places for young people to go in the evenings to enjoy themselves. This would discourage them from unhealthy activities like drugs or vandalism.
Parents There needs to be more information available on parenting skills. There needs to be help for parents with children who are rebelling so that the parents can start to understand their kid and so they may have a better relationship. There needs to be support for families in need, things as simple as getting head lice treatment through schools.
Teachers High School teachers need to be updating their teaching skills. Methods used to teach kids thirty years ago may not teach kids today. Teachers need to motivate their students with interesting and positive techniques. They need to know alternative ways to educate children.
Heavy school bags Students in many schools are carrying bags heavier than the maximum legal weight for adults!
If you can relate to these issues or have some of your own please contact me for the Youth Issues interest group. Jessie Hardcastle Ph: 832 0723
Hot on the heels of its somewhat confused and misleading articles about GE, the New Zealand Herald has published the results of a Hort Research survey of over 900 people. The Herald's report was entitled "Price key to buying GE foods". An alternative, more honest headline would be "Denying choice key to selling GE food", especially as 13 May marked 18 months since the decision by health ministers to label GE ingredients.
Other propaganda against organics seems also to be increasing in some media (countered, hopefully, by those attending the Organics 2020 conference recently held at Unitec). The awful truth, so some anti-organic stories claim, is that organic-farmer-greeny-types have been using actual faeces from actual animals in some of their farming practices, and may have possibly been doing so (unlabelled) for thousands of years.
Meanwhile, discussions on foundation principles for developing a Green Party Water Policy have continued. The draft principles call for water to be recognised as a universal right, and for water supplies to remain in public ownership under the law. This is in contrast to the High Court ruling (being challenged by the Auckland Water Pressure Group) that the public have no special interest in water, but that water is a commodity like any other and subject to commercialisation and privatisation. This is a fundamental issue about which some 30,000 people wrote submissions to the Auckland City Council, only to be ignored. The foundations for a comprehensive approach to water and wastewater must be established now.
The next meeting of the GE Special Interest Group is to be held at 7pm on Wednesday 31 May. Please contact me on 815 3370 to check venue. Jon Carapiet
Kotare Trust offers this workshop to all interested Greens. The focus will be on why the Treaty is central to environmental issues, what does it commit us to, and how can we honour the Treaty and make environmental change.
Time: Friday 14 July, 6pm Sunday 16 July, 3pm Cost: $20.00 (food and accommodation provided)
Tutors: Tim Howard/Catherine Delahunty
To enrol, contact Catherine at the Green Office (336 1455) or at Kotare (379 8345). Please enrol asap as places are limited to 20.
Greetings from Parliament, on the day (May 23) I became Co-Leader, sort of. Rod gave up his seat to me so that I could represent the Greens in the "Party Leaders" response to Helen Clark's Notice of Motion condemning the attempted coup in Fiji. Five minutes explaining our support the the elected Choudry government and how to promote and entrench multiracialism.
It's quite an emotional issue for me, particularly after I had been on a march in Auckland on the previous Sunday morning with thousands of people (mainly former citizens of Fiji). I spoke at that march, introduced by the chair as someone who had been with the Coalition for Democracy in Fiji since the 1987 coups.
With the foreign affairs and immigration portfolios I've got to keep up to date with a lot of countries. Recently, it's been Algeria, where there has been a lot of violence between the military and Islamic militants. I discovered that an Algerian asylum seeker had been imprisoned in Mt Eden for two months. I visited him, found he had a good case, then promoted his cause in the media. I also asked a question in the House, only to get a disparaging answer that the guy came on a false passport, and he'd been deported from Australia on being refused status there. Two days later: victory. The man was given refugee status by the Refugee Status Appeals Authority and the government and immigration service is left with egg on its face. I'm doing a bit of work with refugee experts in trying to sort out the law for asylum seekers.
There was good public feedback on for my speech supporting the inclusion of de factos and same sex couples in the Matrimonial Property Act. I'm a
longstanding de facto myself. The present lack-of-law has causes problems for so many people. The issue will now go before a select committee, for fine tuning. Explicit contractual relationships will be given high status under the bill, for those that are worried about this.
The last newsletter came out when I was overseas with Speaker Jonathan Hunt and three other MPs visiting the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. The trip was very valuable.
Vietnam was fascinating for me, as a former anti-Vietnam war activist. We arrived just before the 25th anniversary celebrations of the end of the war, and they were chuffed when I gave a talk on the anti-Vietnam war movement and wrote an article for a major paper. It's quite an egalitarian country, even if not particularly open as regards political parties. Aucklanders could learn a lot about bike travel: about 500 bikes for every car (an inverse ratio to Auckland). And you'll be please to know the domestic market for organic produce is growing rapidly (although it's still small). Some good NZ-funded aid projects there too. One has supplied a cheap biogas vat, which turns pig and human wastes into cooking gas. We visited a village five months after a demonstration biogas model had been put in, and 40 households had already purchased one.
I won't go on about the all the formal stuff we did on the trip, particularly in Cambodia, where we met King Sihanouk, Prime Minister Hun Sen, and other bigwigs. However, it was interesting to see how diplomacy is done at this level, although I didn't get used to all the red carpets, flag waving crowds, receptions and motorcades.
All a bit strange for a Green. Regards, Keith
Keith has recently initiated an international human rights inquiry by the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. It provides the opportunity for a real discussion of what our human rights policy should be. Submissions (by 31 July) to David Sanders, Clerk of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Parliament Buildings, Wellington. (No stamp required.) The terms of reference of the inquiry are:
"To inquire into New Zealand's part in the promotion and implementation of international human rights, focussing particularly on the Asia/Pacific region. This inquiry to have particular reference to:
a) the debate on the interpretation of human rights, particularly in the Asia/Pacific.
b) the place of human rights in the relations between New Zealand and other countries.
c) the place of the debate on human rights in the debate on regional security and stability.
d) New Zealand's role in the establishment and strengthening of multilateral human rights instruments.
e) the extent of ratification of UN human rights treaties, particularly in the Asia/Pacific region, and the impact this has on the promotion and protection of the rights of children (including child labour issues), women, workers, indigenous people and minorities.
f) the role of existing New Zealand institutions, both governmental and non-governmental, and the means by which these might be improved.
g) the adequacy of existing mechanisms for the formulation, implementation and review of human rights strategy as an integral component of foreign policy."
Kia ora to all Northern Greens. Since Easter I have been flat out with the Employment Relations Bill Select Committee hearings, which have just about taken over my whole life. There are over 2000 substantive submissions and over 500 oral submissions to be heard as well as thousands of others on a piece of legislation that contains 264 clauses. Once we've heard all the submissions, we then go into a consideration process with the goal of reporting back to Parliament by 20 June.
National and ACT have run a real campaign of fear over the Bill particularly around the question of "dependent contractors" and liability of directors. I don't believe the Government ever intended to do the things they are being accused of, for example, forcing rural delivery owner-operators, IT contractors and many others into becoming "employees" but as the Green Party rep on the Select Committee I will be doing my best to ensure that these clauses, and others, are made a lot clearer in their intent.
Of course the vast bulk of this Bill is nothing to do with
these issues and is all about trying to install a fairer, more balanced industrial relations environment to Aotearoa compared to the one under which many ordinary workers have suffered over the last ten years of the ECA. It is not too late for you to have a say there is a paper circulating on the Bill within the Green Party asking for your comment on a number of issues. If you're interested, please do get hold of your Auckland policy networkers, or me.
Overall, all seven Green MPs continue to work night and day on a whole range of issues. We were all as upset as you over the Government's slow-down on the rimu logging contracts on the West Coast, exacerbated after the Coast was promised an extra $20million on top of the $100m already offered, while regions like Northland and the East Coast which have far higher unemployment rates are yet to see any substantive job creation/sustainable develop-ment input from the Government.
As with the GE issue, I would like to assure party members that at no stage did your MPs sell out on the rimu we fought every step of the way with Jeanette and Rod leading the charge. Just because we don't absolutely get our way doesn't mean we haven't had some effect, and it doesn't mean we've in any way retracted from our original position.
I hope a good number of you will be coming to the Turangi conference so that we can talk together about a number of issues, including tactics generally, and the need to begin preparing strategically for the next election. I look forward to seeing you there, or at one of the northern meetings in coming months. Sue Bradford
People often ask me what it is like being an MP. I think the defining characteristic is that time is tight, all the time.
Now that I have got used to the fact that it is physically impossible to do all the things I need to do, I am beginning to feel better about it all. And of course it is exciting, challenging and just wicked to be here in parliament, representing the Green Party and all the people that voted for us.
I guess that a lot of people want to see me as a single issue MP. The media's obsession with cannabis has led some to think that I don't campaign on any other issue. The reality is that actually very little of my time is spent on cannabis law reform, but there is little reporting of anything else.
Most of my time is spent on other things. The most interesting for me personally just now is the Justice and Electoral Select Committee Inquiry into the policing of the protests during the state visit of the Chinese president Jiang Zemin. Having been involved in a number of demonstrations and experienced excessive use of police force first hand I think that I am able to add an important perspective to the proceedings.
I have also been active in opposing the planned new regional prison at Ngawha in Northland. I have spoken with the Minister of Corrections on the issue, asked questions in the House, visited core activists in Northland and spoken on the subject during general debate time. I have also been talking with Janine McVeagh and others about a large public meeting on the issue in the near future.
There are a number of important specific points about the proposed site at Ngawha and its general unsuitability. It is a geothermal area with potentially dangerous gases, a high corrosion factor and important cultural considerations. A prison will destroy some the inspiring plans for the development of Ngawha as a tourist spot. Consultation appears to have been inadequate and the land to be used has been acquired after the owners were threatened with the Public Works Act.
We hope to use these points to highlight the broader issue that the locals don't need or want a prison. They are keen, however, in being involved in the development of small scale habilitation centres run by local communities, mostly in accordance with local tikanga.
I have been doing lots of other stuff too, appearing in debates and events around the country, visiting the new remand centre at Mt Eden and working away at my portfolio areas. Two major bills on the horizon are the Legal Services Bill, which is an attempt by the government to overhaul the legal aid system, and the Bail Bill, which reverses the onus on bail eligibility for certain groups of people.
The other major thing is a private members bill that Deb Moran and myself have been working on. It is called the Clean Slate Bill and seeks to wipe convictions for minor offenses where there has been no reoffending for 7 years. It goes into the ballot this Thursday if I can get a bit of Keith's good fortune it might get selected!
Probably the biggest problem for me at the moment is feeling a bit cut off from my support base in Auckland and the Green Party generally. Spending so much time in Wellington and in parliament itself makes it difficult to maintain contact. As a Green MP this makes me feel uncomfortable and also vulnerable, and so I hope that this can be remedied.
There is lots to do but it is early days still. Most important, in the face of a great deal of pressure and politrickery, the Green Party is proving to be a cool runner. JaH guide. Nandor
The Green Party described the government's announcement of two more years' rimu logging as a dangerous precedent showing that it will back off its environmental policies under pressure.
"This is very different from its staunchness under pressure on ACC and ERB reform," said Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons.
The Green Party released the paper it had put to Cabinet showing that there was no impediment, legal or moral, to ending the Orikaka logging next month and the rest at the end of August.
"The furniture industry has argued job losses but has produced no evidence that these are real," said Ms Fitzsimons. "In contrast, the conservation values of the forests are well proven. We are disappointed that the Government chose to listen to speculation rather than fact.
"There appears to be no argument about timber supplies as Pete Hodgson said in the House last week that alternative timbers for the furniture industry 'collectively are in more than adequate supply'."
Ms Fitzsimons said there was no doubt that the presence of the Greens in Parliament had affected the balance of arguments and helped counter the influence of senior ministers like Jim Anderton and Michael Cullen, who had been arguing for the contracts to run their full course. However, this decision will see 40,000m3 of native timber logged under this government. "Labour and the Alliance have missed an opportunity to make their mark on history as the government that finally ended the unsustainable logging of publicly owned native forest," she said.
"Instead the logging of Orikaka will continue until the forest is largely trashed." Timberlands' own surveys indicate the value of Orikaka Forest for wildlife, with 26 native bird species recorded including threatened species such as great spotted kiwi, falcon, weka, kaka and kakariki. The consent documents say "localised populations of great spotted kiwi and kaka are regarded to have national significance due to their relatively high densities".
"We feel the $120 million compensation package was a very generous offer, and justified only if the rimu logging was to end. The public of New Zealand voted for the parties that promised an end to native logging and given the u-turn by Jim Anderton and Michael Cullen, the Greens are the only party to have stuck to the letter of their pre-election commitments." Ms Fitzsimons said it was on issues like this that the public could see the clear need for a stronger Green presence in Parliament.
The Green Party AGM at Turangi over Queen's Birthday weekend (35 June) will be considering the following remits:
Remit 1: No bank accounts shall be operated in the name of the Green Party without the authorisation of the party executive. The names of all existing accounts, the banks and branches they are held with, and the names and addresses of the account signatories, shall be supplied to the party's National Treasurer as soon as practicable, and not later than 60 days after the passing of this remit, and shall be updated annually or whenever there is a change to those particulars.
Rationale: There are accounts being run in the Party's name that the National Office is not aware of. The Electoral Act 1993 requires the Party to report on all donations of more than a certain sum, without knowledge of all accounts the Party can not comply with its obligations under the Act. Should any of these accounts fold, the Party might be considered liable.
Remit 2: That the Party review the way in which the provinces contribute to the cost of running the national office and particularly consider funding on a per capita basis and that the party executive be authorised to put any such agreed method into practice.
Rationale: The provincial funding of the national office varies greatly from province to province, ranging from $2.36 to $0.71 per month, per member. A fairer, more equitable funding formula needs to be adopted.
Remit 3: That the old logo that was agreed on by the participants at the last AGM in Wellington, be adopted as an official logo as well as the current ones.
Rationale: several people have made strong comments about the loss of the koru part of our logo in the rush to 'brand' the green image for the election and the voting papers. The reasons for this were given as the lack of respect for the Maori component of the old logo in it being removed and that it was agreed upon by a lengthy consensus process at the time, but was removed by a select committee of a few people. Whilst they had good reasons at the time, they did not give enough consideration to this previous process.
Remit 4: We propose that the following passage be adopted in the preamble to the Green Party Charter.
Ko Te Roopu Pounamu, ka tu hei kotahitanga mo taua ko te tangata whenua me ona wairua me ona tikanga Maori hoki. Kia whakaihingia, kia whakamauringia nga take Maori e Te Roopu Pounamu, mana e tautoko nga tini take e pa ana ki te Maori ki enei wahanga:
Te Roopu Pounamu signifies the wairua for the mana of the Tangata Whenua to work in partnership alongside the Green Party to uphold Maori values. In doing so, we ask the Green Party to tautoko any issues pertaining to Maori and give ihi for mauri, as Te Roopu Pounamu will for the following:
[Glossary: wairua spirit; mana respect; tangata whenua people of the land; tautoko support; ihi/mauri - wisdom of life force to the charter.]
Remit 5: That Executive be expanded to include 4 Counsellors (2 male, 2 female) who shall be experienced members of the Green Party, to act in an advisory capacity [no voting rights] and who shall be elected annually at the AGM starting from Conference 2001, subject to this clause being added to the constitution at Conference 2001.
Explanation: A constant turnover of Executive Networkers has resulted in a considerable loss of institutional memory from the Executive. We used to have 4 such people on the Executive [known as Councillors] who were our representatives on the Alliance Council, and the demise of this position has been a loss. Exec has recently co-opted members to remedy this problem. We believe that election by the membership is more democratic and will avoid a risk of Exec becoming dominated by a 'clique'. However, we do not suggest that election should take place at this AGM, as there will not have been time for a full procedure of nominations and branch discussion.
Note: specific policies are not under consideration at this conference.
Female Co-Convenor: Dr Margaret O'Brien (Picton)
Male Co-Convenor: Richard Davies (Takaka); Steve Hart (Raglan)
Male Co-Leader: Rod Donald, MP
Female Co-Leader: Jeanette Fitzsimons, MP
The Green Party delivered their submission on same sex couples and the law at the end of April, saying the Party supported the Human Rights Act applying to all aspects of the social and legal framework of New Zealand. The submission was made on the discussion document from the Ministry of Justice entitled 'Same Sex Couples and the Law'.
Rainbow Greens co-ordinator Richard Davies said the Green Party believed the Human Rights Act must apply fully to all people, including same sex couples, and that the right to marry should be applied to all couples, regardless of their sexual orientation.
"We understand that the likely outcome of this consultation will be the recommendation of registered partnership provisions for same sex couples," said Mr Davies. "This will achieve the legal protection for gay and lesbian couples which will be a huge advance on the present situation, for those who want their relationship registered. The Greens will support this development only as a step towards full legal and social recognition of same sex relationships in New Zealand," he said. "There is absolutely no justification for any institutional discrimination in this country."
Mr Davies said Green Party policy was to fully uphold the rights of gay and lesbian couples in matters of child care and adoption.
"The criteria for child care and adoption has nothing at all to do with the gender of the couple," he said. "It has everything to do with security and love."
In their submission the Green Party said the issues surrounding partnerships for both different sex and same sex couples clearly indicated that the law was not coping with the diversity within our society.
"The Greens hope that the Ministry of Justice will continue the process begun with this discussion paper by examining the whole area of partnership law as it applies to all couples and relationships," said Mr Davies.
The text of the submission reads as follows:
"Submission from Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand to the Ministry of Justice on the 'Same Sex Couples and the Law' Discussion Paper
It is a matter of principle for the Green Party that the Human Rights Act should apply to all aspects of the social and legal framework of New Zealand.
There is no place in our society for personal or institutional discrimination. Indeed Greens believe that the variety within our country on which discrimination is based should not just be tolerated but positively celebrated.
We embrace diversity. Its experience enriches us all. Present day legal discrimination is nowhere more noticeable than in the treatment of same sex couples. The Green Party regards this as a shameful blot on the laws of New Zealand.
The Greens support same sex couples being given the full protection of the law. The promotion of equality implies that the identical criteria must be used irrespective of the sexual orientation or gender of the partners. The most direct and simple way to achieve this is the alteration of the definition of marriage to include same sex couples.
Gay and lesbian couples should be given legal and social recognition for all purposes in exactly identical ways as heterosexual couples are at present. In this way, the expectations of the Human Rights Act would be fulfilled, discriminatory laws would be overturned, and justice would be done.
The Green Party recognises that the most likely outcome of this submission process is strong pressure for the introduction of a system of registration of partnership for same sex couples. We consider this a definite legal improvement on the present situation. However, in principle it is less satisfactory than changing the definition of marriage as recommended above.
The Greens support equal criteria for both same sex and heterosexual couples in their assessment of suitability and eligibility for parenting. This statement covers guardianship, adoption and child care.
The Green Party believes that the legal and social treatment of all partnerships in a strictly identical manner to be a human rights issue within the civil society of this country. At the same time we acknowledge that religious groups may continue to promote other marriage criteria for their own adherents.
An examination of the issues surrounding partnerships for both different sex and same sex couples clearly indicates that the law is not coping with the diversity within our society. The Greens hope that the Ministry of Justice will continue the process begun with this discussion paper by examining the whole area of partnership law.
The path Parliament should follow in the matter of same sex couples is both clear and urgent. We intend collaborating closely with members of other political parties who think similarly to us on this matter."
PARTY DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATOR (name still to be confirmed) This will be a new, full time, salaried position based at the Green Party National Office, Wellington. This person will implement the decisions of the National Executive of the Green Party and support the National Co-convenors. The job description had been drawn up and up to its final review stage. Many thanks to Judy Bischoff, Chris Marshall and Sue Bradford from Northern Province for their input at the drafting stage.
EXECUTIVE MANUAL Chris Marshall has led the development of an Executive Manual which will record the way in which the Executive operates.
PARTY/CAUCUS AGREEMENT It is intended that the agreement will be available at or before conference to give members an opportunity to review the document and provide feedback to the Executive.
AGM A remit from Te Roopu Pounamu (prepared by Jenny Lloyd) was endorsed at the May Northern Province meeting and submitted for consideration at the AGM. On behalf of the Province, I would like thank all those involved in its preparation offer our appreciation for your Koha to the Green Party.
PARTY REPRESENTATIVE ON CAUCUS This position still needs to be finalised.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS Thank you everyone for your continued support, and a reminder to everyone who has not yet done so to respond promptly.
Janet Anderson and Chris Patterson
This is a story about my waking up to the man-made plight of the world, and introducing my family to "the real world" during 1979 and 1988.
In January 1972 I read The Ecologist's "Blueprint for survival", which awakened me to a concern for the future of the world. Its doubtful future is caused by the product (a mathematical term) of the number of people in it and their individual consumption-and-waste-production, which exceeded the world's carrying capacity some decades ago.
I realised while back-packing one of my sons 25 years ago (i) that there was a large excess of people in the world, so for an increasing number of people there is at least one other person able to do what that one was doing (leaving practicalities out of it), so no ordinary person needs to feel they are indispensible, for the first time in the history or pre-history of the human race!; and (ii) that do-ing less was a good thing, since resource consumption is involved in most of the things that people do.
My wife and I spent two years from 1968 to 1970 as teaching volunteers in Ghana. We gained great fellow-feeling for the ordinary Ghanaians; we travelled around by "mammy-lorry", ate similar food and knew their hopes and fears they're some of the best people I know we were homesick for West Africa after we'd left. They had very little and yet they were happy.
After getting advanced degrees in Canada, during which time we had our three children, all five of us returned to West Africa Nigeria this time to take up one-year contract posts at Ahmadu Bello University, in Zaria in the arid north of that big and diverse country. Our work in the Physics and Biochemistry Departments was much appreciated, but we particularly remember the daily experiences. Taking our oldest son to school for the first time; filling the clean bath-tub with drinking water during the two hours a day of piped water, to last the rest of the day; getting up before dawn for our daily walk while it was still cool, and resting in the early afternoon. Basically, cutting our coat to fit the cloth. And learning the great value of water.
After teaching at Auckland University and at a private school back in New Zealand during most of the '80s (Bera did research at the University), I found it necessary to ease the pressure, so took a year off without pay and we all went to Malaysia, India and Thailand. We took the cheapest accommodation that would allow our three children (10, 14 and 16 years old) to do their Correspondence School study effectively. Generally this meant we stayed in one guest-house for three to four weeks, exploring the area and getting to know the locals to some extent.
In Malaysia we stayed in Melaka (Malacca), finding out some of its ancient history (there was a Chinese colony there 600 years ago, providing protection from the Siamese and trading by sea), while our two boys made friends with some local boys. In India we started in Shimla (Simla), going through the usual "tummy upset" as we got used to the local restaurant food, and climbing the local "mountain" where monkeys hold sway. It became obvious that keeping ourselves healthy was the best protection we couldn't rely on easy medical access if we really got ill. From our experience in Ghana, we knew the importance of a good immune system.
Then we took a local plane over the Himalayas to the Ladakh valley where we stayed in a guest house in Leh, the main (but small) town. The Himalayan central valleys are desert-like; Leh is built on the outwash fan of snow-melt rivers, and everyone's water comes either from a pipe coming out of the ground (for drinking) or from whichever of the multitude of small runnels goes near your house; you would dam it up temporarily to wash your clothes. Our family did the same. We were all in one large room there were several other guests there during their short summer.
We all gathered in the other large room for the evening meal together excellent food. The toilet was upstairs: there was a hole in the floor and after you'd finished, you scraped soil off the thick layer on the floor and pushed it down the hole. At ground level underneath was the compost room; animal shit and straw was also added frequently. When the compost was mature, it was shovelled out and mixed in the soil around the house: the kitchen garden. This was the source of those excellent vegetables we ate in the evenings fresh out of the garden! In their long winters, the animals were kept in rooms on the ground floor (literally) of the house, as mountain people in Switzerland also did until recently.
Later in the Kashmir (Cashmere) valley, we stayed in the houseboat Bilqees, moored alongside the grassy "hithe" at the edge of Nagin Lake in north Srinagar. Our 10-year-old daughter became good friends with the owner-families who lived in a shed on the land; when they had no tenants, they lived on the boat themselves. They invited her into their home partly to play with their same-age daughter Mahbulba Shera, and partly because she was female and so young: they would have been embarrassed to let any of the rest of us see their poor summer living conditions. After a few weeks, one of the two owners Gulam and Aziz said to me: "I think our families are similar, and could be called struggling middle-class" and I very much agreed. David MacClement
Part two of this article will appear next month.
David MacClement can be emailed on d1v9d@bigfoot.com.
Green Party Office: 26 Anzac Ave, Auckland City
postal address: PO Box 5381, Wellesley St
LOCAL GREEN CONTACTS
Northland
Jon Field
Wayne Parsonson
Whangarei
Diane Kerr
Rodney
Andrew Rochford
Albany/Northcote/North Shore
Barry Larsen
Waiheke Island
Rebecca Potts
Auckland Central
Helen Jermyn
Waitakere/Te Atatu/Titirangi
Clive Taylor
Tamaki/Maungakiekie
Hanafiah Blackmore
Mt Albert
Susie Brown
Pakuranga/Hunua
David Rose
Port Waikato
Judy Bischoff
PROVINCIAL GREEN CONTACTS {for e-mail etc, see: www.greens.org.nz/office/regions/auckland.htm }
Bera MacClement [was: policy networker & Auckland email list]
Bruce Thorpe - policy networker (Northland)
Carolynne Stone - waitakere city councillor
Catherine Delahunty - provincial deputy convenor
Chris Hay - Wild Greens co-ordinator
Chris Marshall - provincial membership secretary
Chris Patterson - exec networker
David Clendon - provincial treasurer & local govt and urban sustainability spokeperson
David Parker - provincial newsletter
Karen Davis - policy networker
Janet Anderson - exec networker
Janet McVeagh - provincial convenor & disability spokesperson
Janine McVeagh - rural affairs spokesperson
Jill Whitmore - policy networker
Jon Carapiet - GE campaigner
Judy Bischoff - infrastructure auckland member
Melvin Webb - auckland uni greens
Paul Ketko - policy networker
Steve Abel - GE campaigner
Stuart Young - unitec contact & website manager, email: say.map@ihug.co.nz
GREEN PARTY CO-LEADERS
Jeanette Fitzsimons
Electorate office: Box 766, Thames
jeanette.fitzsimons@greens.org.nz
Parliamentary office: (04) 470 6661; fax (04) 472 6003
jeanette.fitzsimons@parliament.govt.nz
Rod Donald
Electorate office: 108 Wilsons Rd, Chch
rod.donald.mp@chch.planet.org.nz
Parliamentary office: (04) 470 6660; fax (04) 472 6003
rod.donald@parliament.govt.nz
MPs FROM NORTHERN PROVINCE
Sue Bradford (in Wellington)
sue.bradford@parliament.govt.nz
Sue's Rodney office: 1st Floor, Jackson Building, Kapanui St, Warkworth
postal: PO Box 661, Warkworth
email: suebradford.warkworth@xtra.co.nz
Sue's Whangarei office: Civic Arcade, 41 Bank St, Whangarei
email: suebradford.whangarei@xtra.co.nz
Nandor Tanczos (in Wellington)
nandor.tanczos@parliament.govt.nz
Keith Locke (in Wellington)
keith.locke@parliament.govt.nz
Keith and Nandor's Auckland office: 26 Anzac Ave, Auckland
postal: PO Box 1553, Auckland City
email: keithandnandor@xtra.co.nz
NATIONAL OFFICE
Executive Secretary: - -
Street address: 1st Floor, 1620 Cambridge Tce, Wellington
Postal: PO Box 11-652, Wellington
ph: (04) 801 5102; 025 211 0173
fax: (04) 801 5104
email: greenparty@greens.org.nz
Green Party Website: www.greens.org.nz
May
31 GE group meeting
June
3-5 Green Party national AGM, Turangi
12 Provincial meeting
19 Policy meeting
19 Transport group meeting
20 Deadline for copy for next newsletter
21 New members' evening #3
July
14-16 Treaty workshop
15 Provincial AGM
Northern News is the newsletter of the Northern Province of the Green Party but doesn't purport to represent the Green Party.
Contributions are welcomed from all members of the Green Party. Local news, meeting reports, discussion of issues this is your forum for communicating with your fellow Party members, or telling us about your events. It's easiest if you email your contribution, but if you don't have email just post it to the editor at the address below.
Editor: David Parker
post: 13 Sylvia Rd Northcote, Auckland
email: cddm@ihug.co.nz
Proofreading by Rachel Mackintosh
Deadline for next issue: Tuesday 20 June 2000
FINAL THOUGHTS
Around the world the Green banner is unfurling. In the United States, long-time anti-corporate power campaigner and "public citizen" Ralph Nader is looking to become the Green Party candidate in November's presidential election (although he faces interesting opposition for the nomination in the form of Jello Biafra, formerly lead singer with legendary punk band the Dead Kennedys). Remarkably, with almost no mainstream publicity, Nader has already broken 5% in nationwide opinion polls. The US presidential election might an interesting spectacle for once! David Parker
This is: http://davd.tripod.com/NthnNews00-06.html
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