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Women’s Day of Action for Pay Equity – NZCTU
Source: NZCTU
This Saturday 20 September, 132 years after women secured the right to vote, thousands of women and allies across the country are taking to the streets to rise up against the Government’s gutting of the pay equity system.
Unions, women’s organisations, and community groups have come together to organise the Women’s Day of Action for Pay Equity, a nationwide celebration of working women whose rights are under attack.
More than 20 events are being held from Whāngarei to Invercargill including marches, rallies, family friendly events, and community gatherings.
“132 years after women secured the right to vote in Aotearoa, we gather again in strength and solidarity,” said NZCTU Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges.
“Government has cancelled pay equity claims that would have eased the cost of living and lifted pay for more than 180,000 people. These are the people who provide the services that make life possible, such as schools, libraries, hospitals, aged care, and disability support.
“On Saturday we will make it clear that pay equity will be a central issue at the next election. No government can dismantle pay equity – we have won it before, and we will win it again.
“This is more than a protest – it is a celebration of the women who nurture, lead, and resist. It honours the suffrage legacy and amplifies our collective power to shape the future,” said Ansell-Bridges.
Details of nationwide events:
|
Whāngarei |
Laurie Hall Park |
11.30am |
|
Auckland |
AUT to Britomart |
11.30am |
|
Thames |
Cnr Pollen St & Pahau St |
10.30am |
|
Tauranga |
Mt Drury Reserve |
10.30am |
|
Hamilton |
Te Kura Nui O Rototuna High School |
11.00am |
|
Whakatāne |
The Gap – Whakatane Town Centre |
11am |
|
Gisborne |
Gladstone Road at the town clock |
10.30am |
|
New Plymouth |
Puke Ariki Landing |
12pm |
|
Napier |
Napier Soundshell |
11am |
|
Whanganui |
Whanganui Market Stall |
10am |
|
Palmerston North |
Clocktower in the Square |
1pm |
|
Levin |
Cnr Queen St & Salisbury St |
11am |
|
Masterton |
Town Hall Square |
11.30am |
|
Porirua |
Te Rauparaha Arena |
10am |
|
Wellington |
Midland Park to Parliament, followed by Wellington Cathedral |
10.30am |
|
Nelson |
Carpark between Burger King & Library |
11am |
|
Greymouth |
Dixon Park |
12pm |
|
Christchurch |
Victoria Square |
10am |
|
Timaru |
Artisan Market |
9.30am |
|
Dunedin |
Market Reserve |
11am |
|
Gore |
Eccles Street Playground |
12pm |
|
Invercargill |
Gala Street Reserve |
11am. |
First Responders – Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews respond to multiple fires across Canterbury region
Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews are battling eight vegetation fires across the Canterbury region.
Strong winds across the region are fanning fires and the public are being asked to check burn piles are extinguished.
Fire and Emergency crews are working to bring a large vegetation fire in Southbridge under control.
Eleven ground crews supported by two helicopters are battling the blaze, which is approximately 30 hectares in size.
Fire and Emergency crews are also fighting at a vegetation fire in Springfield.
Nine trucks and two helicopters supported by heavy machinery are fighting the blaze, which is approximately 10 hectares in size.
Crews are working to contain the fire and bring it under control.
The public is being urged to check any burn piles.
Hot windy weather is the perfect condition for old fires to reignite and escape.
If you’ve been burning vegetation any time in the last few months or so, check the fire is completely extinguished.
If there’s hot ash, and it’s safe to do so, dig into it, spread it out and pour water over it.
Fire and Emergency – King’s Birthday Honours recipients recognised
Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Fire and Emergency New Zealand volunteers from Oxford, Fox Glacier, Matatā, and Taihape were presented with their Royal Honours by Governor-General the Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro at Government House in Wellington today.
“These four recipients have dedicated years to supporting their communities to become stronger, safer, and more resilient through their roles as volunteers for Fire and Emergency, and through all their other community contributions. It is wonderful to see their efforts recognised today,” Fire and Emergency Board Chair, Rebecca Keoghan, says.
“On behalf of Fire and Emergency and the people of Aotearoa New Zealand, we wish to thank you for your outstanding service – your communities are richer for your work.”
Congratulations to the four recipients. Read more about their achievements here: https://www.fireandemergency.nz/incidents-and-news/news-and-media/fire-and-emergency-kings-birthday-honours-recipients-congratulated-2/
Ronald (Ron) Ealam (Oxford) – Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to Search and Rescue
Marius Bron (Fox Glacier) – King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to Search and Rescue and the community
Gavin Dennis (Matatā) – King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community
Alan (Curly) Troon (Taihape) – King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
Politics and Policy – Former Prime Ministers and young MPs unite at Parliament for launch of "Tomorrow Together", a call for better long-term decision-making in Aotearoa
Source: WEAll Aotearoa New Zealand
On Wednesday 17 September, Tomorrow Together, an initiative of WEAll Aotearoa, is unveiling a national discussion document at Parliament, asking Kiwis how our country can get better at long-term decision-making, to ensure fairness for future generations.
Hosted by the youngest Members of Parliament across the political spectrum (National, Labour, Te Pāti Māori, and the Greens), the forum will also feature reflections from former Prime Ministers Jim Bolger and Sir Geoffrey Palmer, who are urging bold, cross-party dialogue and action.
“Everyone knows Aotearoa has been bad at thinking long-term,” says Gareth Hughes, Director of WEAll Aotearoa. “You can see it in our infrastructure, the environment, and policy flip-flops.”
“We are highlighting practical policies that can address our challenges and move us beyond the type of short-term politics that enable poor decisions,” adds Hughes.
One of the flagship proposals in the discussion document is a Future Generations Act, a piece of legislation that could embed long-term thinking and intergenerational fairness into all public decision-making.
Similar models are already gaining traction internationally, including in Wales, Scotland, Australia, and through initiatives led by the UN and EU.
“Too often, it feels like our leaders make decisions without considering the interests of my generation, and those following. But it is within our power to change this. We can refuse to accept a future marked by decline,” says Sophie Handford, Future Generations Lead at WEAll Aotearoa.
Sophie adds, “It’s time we made a conscious choice as a country, to be guided by a deep sense of responsibility to current and future generations and to put the wellbeing of our mokopuna and te taiao at the heart of our decision-making processes.”
“It’s time for a serious and collaborative national conversation about how we make decisions that serve an ideal long-term vision for Aotearoa, not just short-term interests.”
About the Discussion Document
The event and discussion document aim to spark public engagement and political collaboration around policies that prioritise wellbeing over the long-term. It poses eight key questions to help collectively determine which policy levers are best for Aotearoa to use.
About WEAll Aotearoa
WEAll Aotearoa is a non-partisan and independent ‘think and do’ tank working to redesign Aotearoa New Zealand’s economy around the wellbeing of our people and te taiao. We use an evidence-informed approach and focus upstream to develop practical, long-term solutions for the public good.
Local News – New green space for Pukerua Bay in Porirua
Source: Porirua City Council
Work will begin next week to remove the old Plunket building from Wairaka Park in Porirua's Pukerua Bay and restore the land to grassed open space for community use.
The building is located on reserve land between the Wairaka Road Playground and the Pukerua Bay Library. It is in poor condition and would need extensive work to make it safe and usable. After community consultation and considering various options, Porirua City Council made the decision that the building should be removed.
Council also agreed to seek proposals in the future from community groups that may wish to lease the bare land.
Work to remove the building is scheduled for 22 to 26 September. During this time there will be no access to the library or the reserve.
Parks Manager Julian Emeny says removing the building will really open up the space and make it an even nicer spot for community use.
“Wairaka Park is surrounded by bush, the library is right there, and the upgraded playground is super popular. Restoring the building site to grass will extend the green space and connect everything really nicely. We think this is a great outcome.”
As part of the demolition, as much material as possible will be recycled. All glass from the windows and doors will be made into new glass bottles and glass wall insulation, the concrete slab will be turned into aggregates, metals will be recycled where possible, non-treated, non-native timbers will be converted into biochar (much like charcoal), and any treated timber will be repurposed as much as possible.
GAZA: Leaders of major aid groups call on world leaders to intervene following UN genocide conclusion – Oxfam
Source: Oxfam Aotearoa
The leaders of over 20 major aid agencies working in Gaza are calling on world leaders to urgently intervene after a UN commission concluded, for the first time, that genocide is being committed.
The statement is below:
“As world leaders convene next week at the United Nations, we are calling on all member states to act in accordance with the mandate the UN was charged with 80 years ago.
What we are witnessing in Gaza is not only an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, but what the UN Commission of Inquiry has now concluded is a genocide.
With this finding, the Commission joins a growing number of human rights organisations and leaders globally, and within Israel.
The inhumanity of the situation in Gaza is unconscionable. As humanitarian leaders, we have borne direct witness to the horrifying deaths and suffering of the people of Gaza. Our warnings have gone unheeded and thousands more lives are still at stake.
Now, as the Israeli government has ordered the mass displacement of Gaza City – home to nearly one million people – we are on the precipice of an even deadlier period in Gaza’s story if action is not taken. Gaza has been deliberately made uninhabitable.
About 65,000 Palestinians have now been killed, including more than 20,000 children. Thousands more are missing, buried under the rubble that has replaced Gaza’s once lively streets.
Nine out of 10 people in Gaza’s 2.1 million population have been forcibly displaced – most of them multiple times – into increasingly shrinking pockets of land that cannot sustain human life.
More than half a million people are starving. Famine has been declared and is spreading. The cumulative impact of hunger and physical deprivation means people are dying every day.
Throughout Gaza, entire cities have been razed to the ground, along with their life-sustaining public infrastructure, such as hospitals and water treatment plants. Agricultural land has been systemically destroyed.
If the facts and numbers aren’t enough, we have harrowing story upon harrowing story.
Since the Israeli military tightened its siege six months ago, blocking food, fuel, and medicine, we witnessed children and families waste away from starvation as famine took hold. Our colleagues too have been impacted.
Many of us have been into Gaza. We have met countless Palestinians who have lost limbs as a result of Israel’s bombardment. We have personally met children so traumatized by daily airstrikes that they cannot sleep. Some cannot speak. Others have told us they want to die to join their parents in heaven.
We have met families who eat animal food to survive and boil leaves as a meal for their children.
Yet world leaders fail to act. Facts are ignored. Testimony is cast aside. And more people are killed as a direct consequence.
Our organisations, together with Palestinian civil society groups, the UN, and Israeli human rights organisations, can only do so much. We have tirelessly tried to defend the rights of the people of Gaza and sustain humanitarian assistance, but we are being obstructed every step of the way.
We have been denied access, and the militarization of the aid system has proved deadly. Thousands of people have been shot at while trying to reach the handful of sites where food is distributed under armed guard.
Governments must act to prevent the evisceration of life in the Gaza Strip, and to end the violence and occupation. All parties must disavow violence against civilians, adhere to international humanitarian law and pursue peace.
States must use every available political, economic, and legal tool at their disposal to intervene. Rhetoric and half measures are not enough. This moment demands decisive action.
The UN enshrined international law as the cornerstone of global peace and security. If Member States continue to treat these legal obligations as optional, they are not only complicit but are setting a dangerous precedent for the future. History will undoubtedly judge this moment as a test of humanity. And we are failing. Failing the people of Gaza, failing the hostages, and failing our own collective moral imperative.
CEO SIGN OFF (alphabetical)
- Arthur Larok, Secretary General of ActionAid International
- Othman Moqbel, Chief Executive Officer, Action For Humanity
- Joyce Ajlouny, General Secretary of American Friends Service Committee
- Sean Carroll, President and CEO of Anera
- Reintje Van Haeringen, Executive Director CARE International
- Jonas Nøddekær, Secretary General of DanChurchAid
- Charlotte Slente, Secretary General of the Danish Refugee Council
- Manuel Patrouillard, Managing Director, Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International
- Jamie Munn, Executive Director, International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)
- Waseem Ahmad, CEO, Islamic Relief Worldwide
- Joseph Belliveau, Executive Director of MedGlobal
- Joel Weiler, Executive Director of Médecins du Monde France
- Nicolás Dotta, Executive Director of Médecins du Monde Spain
- Christopher Lockyear, Secretary General of Médecins Sans Frontières International
- Kenneth Kim, Executive Director, Mennonite Central Committee Canada
- Ann Graber Hershberger, Executive Director, Mennonite Central Committee US
- Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council
- Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International Executive Director
- Simon Panek, CEO, People in Need
- Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International
- Donatella Vergara, President of Terre des Hommes Italy
- Rob Williams, CEO of War Child Alliance.
Greenpeace applauds ECan for declaring nitrate emergency, calls for candidates to pledge real action
Source: Greenpeace
Greenpeace is welcoming Environment Canterbury’s decision to declare a nitrate emergency, calling it a long-overdue acknowledgement of a worsening health crisis. But the organisation warns that real action must follow, and is urging election candidates to commit to stronger freshwater protections.
Greenpeace’s Canterbury-based spokesperson Will Appelbe says, “Canterbury is facing a nitrate emergency and today, Environment Canterbury has listened to the voices of their constituents and finally acknowledged the seriousness of this issue.”
This morning, frustrated Cantabrians rallied outside ECan to demand urgent action to defend fresh water from nitrate contamination. Residents with high levels of nitrate ‘returned to sender’ jars of their drinking water, while speakers called on incoming councillors to reduce nitrate pollution at the source.
Appelbe says, “Up until now, Environment Canterbury has completely failed in their duty to protect lakes, rivers, and drinking water from pollution from the intensive dairy industry. Their actions have meant that many families in Canterbury cannot safely drink the water coming out of their kitchen tap.”
“It’s great to see ECan finally acknowledging the scale of this escalating health crisis, but the work doesn’t stop here. It’s one thing to sign onto a pledge but another thing entirely to meet it.”
Today ECan councillors will leave their headquarters for the last time before jumping on the campaign trail to try to win Cantabrians’ votes.
“Candidates in the Environment Canterbury election must defend Canterbury’s freshwater by ending dairy expansion and phasing out the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. The question is, who will step up to the task?”
Federated Farmers slam ECan’s shameless political stunt
Source: Federated Farmers
Federated Farmers say Environment Canterbury’s decision to declare a ‘nitrate emergency’ is a shameless political stunt that won’t help anyone.
“It’s incredibly disappointing to see Environment Canterbury (ECan) playing these kinds of petty political games,” says Federated Farmers vice president Colin Hurst.
“Declaring a nitrate emergency isn’t helpful or constructive. All it will do is create unnecessary panic and drive a wedge between our urban and rural communities.
“I think most reasonable Cantabrians will see the declaration for what it is: a cynical and alarmist stunt from a group of councillors trying to score points during the local body elections.”
Hurst says ECan’s decision is divisive and risks undermining the good work done by farmers, councils, iwi and the wider community over the last few decades.
“What I want to know is why this is suddenly an “emergency” for ECan? The data shows the trends have been consistent for decades. That just goes to show it’s all politically motivated.
“Nobody is disputing we have an issue with nitrates in Canterbury. It’s a longstanding challenge that our community have been aware of, and working on, for some time now.
“To suddenly come out and call it an emergency is political theatre.”
He says the situation hasn’t been helped by extreme anti-farming activist groups like Greenpeace spreading harmful misinformation about nitrates.
“Greenpeace have made a lot of false claims trying to link nitrates in drinking water to colon cancer – but that’s just politically motivated misinformation.
“It’s outright scaremongering and simply doesn’t line up with what the credible experts are saying on this issue.”
Federated Farmers say New Zealanders should take their health advice from medical professionals, not environmental activists with an anti-farming agenda.
“The nitrate situation in Canterbury is incredibly complex and hasn’t arisen overnight – and unfortunately it won’t be solved overnight either,” Hurst says.
“Despite a huge amount of work already done to improve the situation, it takes a long time for nitrate-rich water to work its way through the groundwater system.
“Farmers are stepping up and showing real leadership on this issue. It’s just a shame we aren’t seeing the same kind of leadership from our elected councillors.
“Instead of showing real leadership on this issue, ECan councillors are grandstanding, scaremongering and acting like political activists.
“That kind of behaviour is divisive, dishonest, and does absolutely nothing to actually address the issue. Canterbury deserves much better leadership than what we’ve seen today.”
More information about what the experts are saying:
– Bowel Cancer NZ: “The weight of evidence strongly suggests that nitrates in drinking water do not cause bowel cancer, and it is not currently understood how dietary nitrates could cause bowel cancer”. Read more here.
– Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor: “In recent years, an association between nitrate levels in drinking-water supplies and bowel cancer risk in adults has been identified in some overseas studies, but the evidence base is not conclusive with respect to whether the relationship is causal or coincidental”. Read more here.
– ECAN Director of Science Dr Tim Davie: “For drinking water, the New Zealand Drinking Water Standards set a Maximum Acceptable Value (MAV) of 50 milligrams per litre (mg/l) for nitrate, which is equivalent to 11.3 mg/l nitrate-nitrogen. This is based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard. A 2018 review of the science behind the WHO standard, which included the Danish study, concluded there was not enough evidence to change those limits. Read more here.
– The World Health Organisation: “There is no clear evidence of carcinogenicity from nitrate per se in humans.” Read more here.
Minister must back online safety bill to protect Kiwi kids from online predators after reckless cuts – PSA
Source: PSA
The Minister responsible for online safety must support Labour MP Reuben Davidson's Online Safety members' bill launched today if she's serious about protecting children from online predators and extreme content.
“New Zealanders, including our kids, should be able to go online without being exposed to extreme and harmful material,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
The Online Safety (Duties for Providers of Internet-Based Services) Bill seeks to hold platforms accountable for harmful content by setting out three duties for online service providers in the interest of creating safe online environments. These are duties regarding the safe use of services, safety by design, and duties regarding transparency.
“Minister van Velden slashed funding and jobs for the very public workers at DIA's Digital Safety Team who are working hard to keep kids safe from online predators and other bad actors.
“Now she has a chance to show she actually cares about protecting children by supporting legislation that makes digital platform companies step up and do their part.
“It's time for the Government to stop expecting our public servants to do more with less and instead make the companies running these platforms take responsibility for the harmful content they host.
“These are the dedicated public servants the Government has been cutting while the problem gets worse. The evidence is clear – online harm is rising and becoming more sophisticated with the explosion of AI.”
DIA told the Minister in November 2023 its Digital Child Exploitation Filtering System had blocked 4.6 million views of child exploitation in the last five years. The Department received 238,000 reports of potential scams to their 7726 service in 2022/23 – that's ninety times more than in 2019/20.
“The Government promised evidence-based policies,” said Fitzsimons. “Well, the evidence is clear. If Minister van Velden genuinely wants to keep our kids safe from online predators and violence, she will support this bill instead of leaving overstretched public workers to fight this battle with one hand tied behind their backs.
“The Government's priorities are all wrong – cutting the very services that protect New Zealanders while expecting the same outcomes. It's another short-sighted decision that puts our children at risk.”
Background: Online Safety (Duties for Providers of Internet-Based Services) Bill. The bill can be downloaded at this link.
PSA statements on DIA cuts to digital safety team
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.