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ANZAC DAY REFLECTIONS

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I find ANZAC Day creates a dilemma for me, consequently I rarely attend dawn parades. I fully support people recognising the human cost of wars and remembering family members who lost their lives on battlefields. A grandfather of mine fought in WW1 and was gassed in the French trenches, which compromised his health for the rest of his life. His wife (my grandmother) lost her young brother in WW2. The sacrifices and human costs of war should never be minimalised. However, while speeches at ANZAC parades are full of statements promoting peace and the futility of war, those who campaign hardest for peace, promote nonviolence and call for weapons reductions are often treated like criminals. Anyone who dares to mention our own war crimes or that of our allies are generally shut down or demonised. It has become a sort of cultural heresy to question the reputation and glorification of the ANZACs.  I would love to see greater balance in how we talk about war and properly recognise those who ha
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Is 3 Waters entrenchment really a stupid idea?

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The 2023 elections will potentially be one of the most ideologically divided elections we will experience. The real solutions for most pressing social and environmental issues confronting us at the moment will involve systemic change and will necessarily challenge the neoliberal mindset that has dominated governance over the last four decades. The 3 Waters debate is a good example of how difficult introducing systems change is and how partisan politics limits productive discourse.  Nanaia Mahuta's intent when developing 3 Waters was to address a rapidly growing crisis. The demands on local government to provide clean drinking water and manage human waste and storm water was becoming too great a financial burden. There have been numerous examples of whole communities experiencing serious health consequences because of contaminated drinking water and for some time local authorities have struggled to maintain core water and waste infrastructure from a limited rates base. The status q
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 CLIMATE CHANGE UPDATE IN IMAGES 2022 I am just wondering how hot is too hot before we commit to real global action to reduce our emissions and save our climate and natural environment. The images below are what has occurred in the northern hemisphere summer and it is likely we will experience something similar in the southern hemisphere in a few months.  The Loire River is the longest in France and in 2022 it has almost disappeared.  The source of the Thames dried up.  Lake Mead The United States' largest reservoir is at its lowest level since first filled in 1937. The Great Salt Lake in Utah is disappearing. Heat wave in Europe breaks all records. The Arctic is heating up 4 times faster than the rest of the planet. Italy has declared a state of emergency in its drought stricken north. East Africa is suffering from a severe drought. Almost 16 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are in need of urgent food assistance. Southwest China is suffering from the worst drought in
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Climate Crisis Intensifies Dramatically in 2021

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In 2007 an organisation  chose its name based on the scientific consensus that 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was the uppermost level to avoid a climate tipping point. We are currently just short of 420pp of carbon and the last seven years have been the hottest on record. 2021 is breaking more records of extreme weather events and the rate of climate change is occurring faster than scientists have predicted. We have clearly passed the tipping point and the impacts are increasingly obvious. Here is an attempt at an overview, using reputable links (click on them for more detail), of what we are experiencing in 2021 as we move well beyond the tipping point towards a climate armageddon: RATE OF CHANGE Faster pace of change is 'scary', former chief scientist says. New Study Warns: We have underestimated the pace at which the Arctic is melting New study warns that sea levels will rise faster than expected Loss of ice, melting of permafrost and other climate
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Polls show regret for not voting Green

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I have looked at election polling for the last four elections and have noticed a concerning pattern. The Green Party's polling leading up to each election is stronger than what they actually achieve, then the poll immediately afterwards is always considerably higher. For most parties the opposite is generally the case. For New Zealand First and Act this is especially true.  In 2008 the Green Party's vote was 6.72% and the post election poll showed 9.5% support, almost 3 points higher. However, NZ First lost 1.2% in the after-match poll. In 2011 the Green vote was 11.06 and post election it jumped to 14.5. NZ First dropped 1.59 points and Act dropped by 1.4. In 2014  The Green vote was 10.7 but post election it leaped to 17.5. NZ First dropped 1.66 points and Act dropped .19 after not even getting 1% support.  In 2017  The Green Party vote was 6.3 and post election it jumped to 11. NZ First dropped .7 and Act remained the same at .5%. I remember in 2014 that Labour was doing p
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Judith Collins' little green lies

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New Zealand is not the United States, thank goodness. We don't have the same level of political partisanship nor public media outlets that blatantly display political bias. However, during the closing weeks of this campaign I do feel an infection of trumpism is evident. Judith Collins and her National Party are clearly struggling in the polls, there have been a number of campaign clangers  and she has resorted to personal attacks. Attacking a popular Prime Minister who is globally revered has been problematic so she has resorted to venting her spleen at the Green Party instead.  According to Collins the Green's dreaded wealth tax is the biggest threat to the world as we know it, most of the Greens are unemployable and god help our country if James Shaw or Marama Davidson became Deputy Prime Minister. Her ludicrous assertions reminded me of when Bill English, several elections ago, asked an audience to imagine a Green Minister of anything, clearly implying that it would be a na
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School decision tests Green principles

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I was appalled when James Shaw announced the $11.7 million funding for a private school. The fact that it was a 'Green School" promoting strong environmental credentials made no difference to me. Having worked in education for most of my career, and many years on the executive of NZEI Te Riu Roa , the value of a strong public education system was a fundamental concept. I spent many years fighting against the destructive, ideological policies of the last National led Government and its wasteful spending on Charter Schools. Any support of private education is an anathema to me. Clarence Beeby's 1940's vision of a quality education was one where teachers were expected to meet the individual needs of each child in equitably resourced schools ensured New Zealand was a world leader for many decades. "Every person, whatever the level of his academic ability, whether he be rich or poor, whether he live in town or country, has the right, as a citizen, to a free edu
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