A new poem by Waiheke poet Rata Gordon. Pacing A deep bow to Neruda It so happens I am sick of being a woman. It happens that I walk into BP stations and supermarkets greasy, swollen, like a cow made of soap, losing my way in a field of placentas and pesticides. The smell of … Read more
Among the hundreds of local government races under way, just over a dozen could have an outsize impact on environmental issues. Alex Braae explains why Regional Council elections matter. At the start of this month, aerial surveys showed more than 100 farms around the Waikato were a long way away from complying with environmental rules. … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Josie Adams eats packing peanuts. To avoid a lawsuit, let me first state that Pop Starch packing peanuts do not call themselves edible. The word “edible” is nowhere on the product. In fact, the product description says “not meant … Read more
The government have announced plans to reform the Resource Management Act, a hideously complicated piece of legislation that gets a bad rap for all sorts of reasons. Here’s what it all means. What’s all this then? Imagine a set of laws which covered pretty much all of the physical space in New Zealand, and how … Read more
Sephora store employees may have swept some confetti down Auckland city’s drains on Saturday, and people got angry… at an entire generation. On Saturday, French cosmetics giant Sephora opened its first New Zealand store on Auckland’s Queen Street. Excited makeup enthusiasts queued overnight for the honour of being the first through the doors to get … Read more
Imagine if we treated our native birds with as little care as we do our precious fish stocks, writes ecologist Stella McQueen. Earlier this year, 900 at-risk native mudfish were relocated to make way for a wastewater development. But despite a huge amount of planning, volunteer hours, and a $160,000 bill, only a handful survived. … Read more
A team of Kiwi scientists is using pictures taken by satellites in orbit to enable farmers to spot pollution on their land. New Zealand scientists are looking to put satellite imagery to good use by identifying pollution on Kiwi farms, helping make tomorrow a tiny bit greener. University of Auckland’s Intelligent Vision System lab (IVS) … Read more
I have worked for the last 15 years or so as a professional in various parts of the environmental movement. And I’m sorry. I was one of the people who told you changing your light bulbs or buying organic couscous would make things OK. I was wrong and I knew I was wrong at the … Read more
Concern about nitrates in Canterbury municipal water supplies emphasises the need for new ways to solve the nitrate problem, and Dr Anna Garden might be the scientist to do it. Dr Anna Garden is not your typical chemist. You won’t find her in a laboratory. She sits at a computer imitating experimental conditions unachievable in … Read more
Aotearoa finally heard the announcement about the Zero Carbon Bill earlier this week. Maulik Thakkar of climate action organisation Generation Zero explains how the time to begin reducing our emissions is now, rather than settling for a slow reduction in emissions over the coming decades. We have repeated it again and again, like a mantra: “The … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Major biodiversity report paints bleak picture, Victim Support strongly rebuts claims about donated money, and expect a reeferendum announcement today. An alarming report into biodiversity loss and species extinction has stark implications for world. Globally, the IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystems has found that a … Read more
Reducing food waste is a win-win solution for everyone as less food goes to landfill and more food goes to those who need it. So what’s being done to make this a reality? And what can you do to help? In 2020, New Zealand will vote in a general election with poverty and climate change … Read more
Scientists say that gene editing is the same as selective breeding, and could make a big difference in combating our environmental challenges. But the government refuses to listen, argues Opportunities Party leader Geoff Simmons. We are facing some enormous environmental challenges over the coming decades, in particular climate change, waste, and water quality. Meanwhile, we … Read more
Millennials and post-Millennials continue to have it out with the ever defensive Baby Boomers over the environment. Jai Breitnauer asks where are Gen X and what can they offer? It’s 1987: my parents have just traded their old fridge for a CFC-free version. Roll on deodorant is now a thing. The phrase ‘global warming’ is … Read more
Despite all the evidence of climate change and environmental degradation, and the clear need to take action, we just aren’t taking action, writes James Renwick The Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ have released their latest report on New Zealand’s environment: Environment Aotearoa 2019. It’s great that government agencies are informing us so clearly … Read more
A major new report on the environment delivers a grim summary of the challenges faced. Among them is the impact of growing cities, writes Alex Braae. New Zealand’s cities and towns are expanding, putting an increasing amount of pressure on both agriculture and biodiversity. That’s one of the key conclusions of the Environment Aotearoa 2019 … Read more
Living in a city polluted with dirty air is among many facts of life that Londoners pay for, not just with money but with our health, writes Elle Hunt. There is a company that sells aerosols of “100% pure Australian air”, “farmed” from pristine locations including Tasmania and the Blue Mountains, for AU $246.24 for … Read more
Two decades on since ‘100% Pure’ New Zealand is slipping behind in environmental innovation. We need to act now to preserve our hard-won global image, writes James Araci. This year will be the 20th anniversary of New Zealand’s ‘100% Pure’ tourism campaign. Whatever you think of that slogan, there’s no doubt it has created billions of … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Offcut founder Adrien Taylor whose company takes fabric scraps destined for landfill and turns them into hats instead. ONE: How did Offcut start and what was the inspiration behind it? I started the … Read more
Employee subsidies for public transport, less tax on KiwiSaver: There are some gems in the government’s latest tax report other than the capital gains distraction, writes tax expert Terry Baucher. For over 50 years a variety of tax working groups have pondered the greatest philosophical question in New Zealand tax: Should we tax all capital … Read more
Composting plays a huge role in the fight against climate change, but how do we inspire people to actually do it? Dr Niki Harre doesn’t talk about behaviour change when it comes to sustainability. Instead, she talks about cultural transformation, the likes of which we’re seeing play out before our eyes. This transformation is what … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: National plans approach to regaining government in 2020, fishing industry letter about onboard cameras to Stuart Nash revealed, and unemployment up. The National Party are off on their caucus retreat to start the year, and are already promising more policy will be rolled out well before … Read more
Henry Oliver spends the night at an island bird sanctuary to experience the dawn chorus. This story originally ran in Barker’s 1972 magazine. It starts early. I’d set my alarm for 4.45am, but by four everyone in the DOC bunkhouse is awake whether or not they want to be. The birds are singing. On Tiritiri Matangi, … Read more
A stream of overseas visitors has shown me how the NZ tourism industry needs to encourage more environmentally friendly behaviour, writes Jai Breitnauer. “If you don’t want them, I guess just chuck them out,” my friend told me, gesturing to the pile of stuff on the deck. “That’s what we would have had to do … Read more
A property developer and a restaurateur have spent $10m purchasing a Queenstown mountain they plan to turn into a commercially viable eco-haven. Want to buy an affordable house with a native forest outlook in the tourist mecca of Queenstown, and do good for the planet at the same time? Treespace has the solution for you. … Read more
If you’ve felt like this year has been one bad news story after another then you’re not alone. Let’s face it, things have not been great for the environment and the many species that live on this planet for a while now, writes Waikato University researcher Raven Cretney. Over the past year I have collated … Read more
Think you’re helping the planet by chucking that sushi container in the recycling bin or dutifully using your local cafe’s compostable takeaway coffee cups? Think again, writes Greg Roughan for RNZ. So the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) puts out a 47-page report on New Zealand’s plastic packaging system, and there’s a line that leaps out: recycling … Read more
Is there a single answer that addresses all the freshwater and environmental problems? Yup: it’s fewer cows, writes ecologist Mike Joy in this extract from his new book Mountains to Sea: Solving New Zealand’s Freshwater Crisis The problems faced by New Zealand’s environment, particularly freshwaters and soils are wicked, complex and intertwined. After struggling with … Read more
A long time before being green was cool, and sustainability was a buzzword, ecostore was committed to looking after the planet. Henry Oliver talks to the founder, and the new CEO, about how to run a successful business at the same time as protecting the planet. A lot has changed in the 25 years since Malcolm … Read more