A major new report has outlined the biggest and most pressing risks New Zealand faces from climate change, and they go well beyond the science of changing weather patterns. What’s all this then? One of the most dangerous and concerning aspects of climate change is the unpredictability of it all. Some activists even joke about … Read more
New short film Rise profiles some of the country’s youngest protest organisers as they take to the streets to lead one of the generation’s biggest protest marches. It’s only 16 minutes long, but Jess Feast’s new documentary elicits a sense of climate anxiety that lasts much longer. Filmed on September 27, 2019, the day of … Read more
David Goldsmith is a 52-year-old father of three and a very hungry man, currently on day 13 of a three-week hunger strike on parliament grounds. He talks to Mathias Corwin about the strike and his mission to raise awareness about the global climate and ecological crisis. It probably won’t come as a surprise to learn … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: National announces its plan to charge returnees $3,000 and the government indicates a policy is coming soon, Judith Collins’ first weekend as National leader, and Northland reels from flood damage. The days of free hotel stays for all returning New Zealanders appear to be drawing … Read more
For the next 10 weeks, the Vote Climate 2020 campaign will be looking to build momentum behind climate change as a key election issue. With the campaign launching today, organiser Sophie Handford explains why a vote for the climate is a vote for saving the future. Right now it’s 2020 and we have until just … Read more
Combatting climate change as a healthcare organisation involves more than simply reducing its carbon footprint, writes David Galler. It means seeing climate change and wellbeing as intertwined – and that what’s good for the environment is always good for health. This pandemic, as overwhelming as it is, will eventually pass. But before too long there … Read more
New polling shows New Zealanders expect to see the environment take a back seat to economic recovery, little change in fortune for low-paid essential workers, and a long wait for tourism to return to pre-Covid 19 levels, writes Stephen Mills of UMR Research. There’s been a lot of speculation about what changes the Covid-19 pandemic … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Repeated blunders shake faith in quarantine system, report finds ministry was unprepared on PPE, and trade negotiations with Britain begin. New measures will be taken around the border quarantine system after a series of idiotic failings. Our live blog has the details, including the news that the health … Read more
Based on the latest Kiwi Economics data, Kiwibank senior economist Jeremy Couchman explores what fresh economic shoots could be growing in the fertile ground left by Covid-19. New Zealand has done extremely well to crush the Covid-19 curve and allow the rapid reopening of the economy. At Kiwibank we have been pleasantly surprised at the … Read more
Not only could carbon-neutral dairy farming be a sustainable way to mitigate climate change, but it could also be a profitable enterprise for New Zealand’s farmers, writes Prem Maan from Southern Pastures. The Covid-19 crisis has shown us what can be achieved in New Zealand if we work towards a common goal rather than wholly … Read more
With shovels preparing to break ground on Covid-19 recovery projects, Mark Thomas writes why the rebuild should focus on addressing New Zealand’s systemic challenges. When the government put out a call for shovel ready projects on April 1, it was inundated with about 1,800 initiatives worth many billions of dollars. Not surprisingly, most of these … Read more
With the coronavirus putting a halt to in-person gatherings, climate activists are having to get creative to keep up the momentum from last year’s hugely successful strikes. In Lambton Quay, Aotea Square, the Octagon and dozens of other hot zones across the country, 170,000 protestors packed together in intergenerational crowds to chant, hug and share … Read more
With Ardern and New Zealand in headlines for what promises to be a successful elimination strategy, we have an opportunity to use that influence in international relations, write Nina Hall, Max Harris, Evelyn Marsters, Thomas Nash and Arama Rata of New Zealand Alternative. The international praise of Jacinda Ardern’s response to Covid-19 means that New … Read more
The new fast-track process for major projects will need careful drafting to balance the short-term gains with the long-term effects on climate change, writes planning expert Hamish Rennie. David Parker has announced that some large, “shovel-ready” projects will begin sooner than planned, bypassing public consultation processes under the Resource Management Act. The aim is to … Read more
When we emerge from our Covid-19 lockdown will we still listen to the scientists, the statistics and the stories of the past? Will we listen to the lines? An essay by Paul Ward. Nearly 15 years ago, as part of research for a sci-fi film script I got in touch with epidemiologist Dr Michael Baker. … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Global context for NZ’s climate change review, new media support package announced, and Wellington’s council looking increasingly dysfunctional. New Zealand’s carbon emissions cutting pledge will be reviewed by the new Climate Change Commission. As Eloise Gibson at Stuff reports, it may result in the target for 2030 – … Read more
Every pair emits 7kg of carbon. They’re putting it on the shoe so no one can miss it. Allbirds founder Tim Brown tells Duncan Greive why it’s making the move, even in the depths of the Covid-19 crisis. “We’re right in the deep darks at the moment.” Tim Brown, former All Whites footballer and co-founder … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Questions over how environmentally friendly Covid-19 recovery will be, consistent daily updates of new cases, and repatriation flights from India organised. There has been an increasing amount of commentary about the state of the environment during and after the pandemic. Air quality in cities has improved dramatically, … Read more
The Overstory, the winnner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, is an engulfing, worldview-shifting novel about climate catastrophe and hope, writes Susan Wardell. (Photographs are from a photo essay on kauri dieback by Michelle Hyslop; captions by Andrea Ewing). The year before last, I spent the month of January hugging trees. I picked a … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Quarantine announcement expected today for arrivals, John Tamihere accused of test-seeking dishonesty, and Cyclone Harold smashes Pacific. An announcement is expected today on mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arrivals at the border, in an effort to prevent outbreaks of Covid-19. That comes from Newshub’s political editor Tova O’Brien, … Read more
The response to coronavirus should give us hope that we are able to tackle climate change, writes behavioural scientist David Comerford. Coronavirus has disrupted everyday life throughout the world through travel bans, flight restrictions and the cancellation of sporting and cultural events. More than 10 million Italians have been banned from travelling, and all public … Read more
The debate about methane emissions from farming is both ongoing and polarising, and many are pinning their hopes on scientific advances to avoid both de-stocking and climate breakdown. But how effective can these measures actually be? Alex Braae visited a research lab on the front lines of this fight. At a sprawling campus on the … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Robertson announces shape of Covid-19 economic response, National grabs matches for regulations bonfire, and land use change laid bare. Cabinet has approved a package of measures designed to take some of the economic pain out of the global Covid-19 outbreak. Around the world right now, markets are … Read more
A climate change court challenge against some of Aotearoa’s largest corporates will go ahead after the High Court on Friday refused to strike it out, reports Cat McLennan. Over the past few years, court proceedings have been mounted in a number of countries to challenge lack of action on climate change by both government and … Read more
Generation Zero and the School Strike 4 Climate movement have helped put climate change permanently on New Zealand’s political agenda. But here, two leading figures explain why they won’t be telling young people how to vote in the election. Aotearoa’s environmental movement has a proud and long history of remaining nonpartisan. It is something that … Read more
These activists are not above the law. But where does the moral line lie in a global emergency, asks Environment Canterbury councillor Lan Pham. * Be good citizens. Use your manners. Abide by the rules. They’re messages that are drilled into us from an early age, and form part of the social “contract” most of … Read more
Scary amounts of food are being dumped by the commercial food industry on a daily basis. In 2014, Katy Barfield decided to do something about it by founding Yume, an online B-to-B marketplace for surplus food. Here are five important points from her recent talk in Auckland. Three thousand cartons of Coco Pops. Nearly five … Read more
Fossil fuels and illegal weapons get the boot as the government announces changes to default funds. What’s the news? KiwiSaver default funds are set for a major overhaul as the government rules out investments in fossil fuels and illegal weapons for future funds. It also announced it would be switching default fund settings from ‘conservative’ … Read more
Welcome to the Bulletin World Weekly, an email exclusively for The Spinoff Members. As a one-off, we’ve put today’s edition up for everyone to read. If you want to get this every week, sign up to The Spinoff Members here. In the last week, outbreaks of the Covid-19 coronavirus have shaken countries well beyond the … Read more