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Environment and Conservation Organisations of New Zealand weekly e-bulletin to the ECO community.
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Tieke 9 August 2017




News of environmental, heritage and conservation happenings brought to you by the Environment and Conservation Organisations of New Zealand.

Kia Ora <<First Name>>

News from ECO:


Please join us in Nelson.

We have put together a fantastically interesting programme of speakers in a Conference which aims to find ways through the sometimes bewildering maze of crises we face: climate change, water quality, resource and biosecurity management.

There are solutions, and we will hear from and talk with people who are working hard on making great things happen.  Ample time for discussion and meeting others over planet-friendly kai which is included in the fee.

Come and be a part of it.  

We would love to see you there. We have kept conference fees very low!


ECO Conference Stoke, Nelson, 25-28 August.

Please register now.  LATE FEES APPLY AFTER 13 AUGUST

The full programme is now on the website.


Registration fees are very affordable and include most meals. $95 for the full weekend including lunches and Saturday dinner for members and friends and $125 for non-members and friends, and just $60 for unwaged/seniors.


Friday: field trips to Brook Waimarama and Paremata Flats followed by dinner at Stoke Hall and an introductory session.

Saturday . Start time 8.30am. Keynote presentations. The evening, after dinner, will be a session with politicians representing the political parties on their solutions to the issues.  This is open to the public.

Sunday: 
Annual General Meeting 8.30am for ECO members. Sessions resume at Stoke Hall at 11am and end by 5.00pm.


Monday:
We have a field trip to Golden Bay planned for Monday 28th.  Please let us know if you are interested in coming on this trip.  We have arranged transport for the day which will leave from Nelson at 8.30am and return to Nelson about 5.30pm. The aim is to visit sites of interest particularly related to water.  Friends of Golden Bay will be our hosts for the day.  Cost likely to be $15-$20 for the day.

 

REGISTER HERE
 

Check out the full information on the Conference Information Page.

If you have any questions please email the ECO office.  We look forward to seeing you at Conference!

 


ECO recent submissions

ECO has made a submission to the Ministry for the Environment proposed national standard for the outdoor storage of tyres.  
We also submitted on the MPI national fisheries plans for highly migratory species, and on deepwater fisheries.
We can send a copy of these submissions on request and all submissions are posted to our website.


Other news:

Soil and Health says it's time to phase out glyphosate

The use of glyphosate in even small quantities has been found to be a threat to human health and should be phased out beginning immediately, says ECO member group Soil and Health. The residue of the chemical is in many foods that New Zealanders eat every day, unless it is organic food.   A recent paper by the Green Party has asked by our EPA is ignoring the advice of groups such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer which has found that glyphosate is a carcinogen.  Despite the IARC findings, the EPA declares that glyphosate, found in common garden products such as Roundup, is not a cancer concern. 

Mangrove Bill will destroy mangroves

A bill has been introduced to parliament that will enable the destruction of manawa/mangroves in the Firth of Thames and around Coromandel Peninsula. The Thames-Coromandel District Council and Hauraki District Council Mangrove Management Bill will enable the district councils to maintain "appropriate" levels of mangroves in their coastal areas. Mangroves are an essential habitat for shellfish, fish and seabirds.  Their spread is a natural response to the increased sediment in our harbours, itself caused by decades of mis-use of the land which has exacerbated erosion and run-off.   The bill gives wide-ranging powers to the local councils to carry out mangrove destruction, and is ill-conceived. Mangroves are endangered everywhere and are facing destruction every day globally.

ECO Supports the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 

Each week we consider one of the Goals, which aim collectively to transform our world by 2030 to ensure that a habitable, just and safe world is the legacy we hand on to future generations.  All governments, and civil society and individuals have a role in ensuring the goals are met.

Today we consider Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning


Some facts:  
Access to education, particularly for girls, is the foundation to improving lives, by improving employment prospects and reducing fertility and poverty. Globally 57 million children remain out of school. Many of these are in sub-Saharan Africa, and as we have mentioned already, in conflict-ridden areas. Of those who lack basic literacy skills, more than 60% are women.
For each additional year of education there is a 10% reduction in fertility, says UNESCO.


Some solutions
Simply, the world needs to invest in safe education for women and girls - where they can learn free from threats of violence and intimidation. We can do this through supporting the UN agencies and civil society which are dedicated to this work.   But we must also work for stability in those conflicted parts of the world, and that requires a real commitment to peacemaking and resolving the causes of conflict in sub Saharan Africa.  This way, we will also help to deal with the causes of climate change.

The United Nations Association of New Zealand has put together a list of questions to ask the political candidates on what cross-party actions they intend to take to meet the government's 2015 commitment to fulfilling the SDGs. The Association reports that sadly their experience to date with questioning the parties has been far from reassuring. It is up to us all to keep the pressure on.  Here is the question sheet.

The Way Forward:

Global Treaty to recognise fundamental environmental rights is coming

A preliminary draft of a “Global Pact for the Environment” – which aims to serve as a basis for a new UN treaty to define fundamental environmental rights – was launched in June at a high-level event in Paris, with the backing of French President Emmanuel Macron, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and IUCN President Zhang Xinsheng.

The Pact synthesises fundamental and common principles of environmental law, including the 1972 Stockholm Declaration, the 1982 World Charter for Nature, and the 1992 Rio Declaration. It sets out principles which compel States and other legal persons to protect the environment, promote sustainable development and intergenerational equity, and ensure the right of access to information and environmental justice, among others. The draft will be presented to the UN General Assembly by President Macron this September. Should the treaty be adopted at the United Nations, it will be the first time environmental rights will have legal and binding power at national and international levels, and will be able to be used in courts. 


Go Green short film contest now open

The Go-Green Short Film Fest competition invites entries from around the world.
The contest aims to showcase creative minds by the production of movies that raise awareness about specific problems or show solutions. Now in its 7th edition, this successful contest has reached 9 million people, with applicants from more than 40 countries. This year's categories are listed below, all targeted towards environmental issues and the Earth's future
 
1. Build Green, Live Green (Green Infrastructure)
2. The Last Day On Earth (Earth Overshoot Day)
3. Your Europe In 2050 (EU Budget).

Go to their website for more information.



Toyota plans long-range, fast-charge electric cars by 2022.

Toyota says it will have a new generation of electric car available in 4 years that will charge in only a few minutes. It will effectively extend the range of the vehicle indefinitely as users need only stop briefly and then keep going for another 300 kilometres, or more. The new cars will use solid-state rather than lithium-ion batteries.  The cars will be built in China.  The EV industry is changing fast.  Read more.

Our Changing World on Radio New Zealand had an interesting item last week on a citizen science project to gather data on how EVs perform in New Zealand. Listen here.


Spotted on the net:

Trump's wall is bad for wildlife and the environment

President Trump's proposed border wall will stop black bears, ocelots and other species from travelling for food and mating say US scientists. The production of cement to build the wall is environmentally damaging - the cement industry accounts for 5% of CO2 emissions globally, more than aviation.  Trump has given an executive order to build a wall which will be 60 feet high.  Dozens of environmental laws are being over-ridden in order to get the wall built.

As environmentalists point out, acting on climate change and poverty is the best way to curb illegal immigration, but sanity and rationality are not the characteristics of the current occupant of the White House.


Trump Trump by planting a tree in Trump Forest

New Zealander Adrien Taylor, along with others, has founded a native forest which aims to help offset carbon emissions.  The aim is to absorb the carbon impact of Trump's cancellation of the Clean Power Act, which would have saved 650 million tons of CO2 from reaching the atmosphere over the next 8 years. Trump's actions are a devastating blow to our prospects, but this effort aims to do something about that.  We need to cover an area the size of the state of Kentucky to do this, but it does not have to be all in one area.  75,000 trees have been pledged so far and the first 1,000 have been planted in New Zealand.

Find out more about this effort, buy a tree or three, and help trump Trump.


The staggering human footprint that will outlast us all: 12 billion tonnes of plastics in the oceans, landfills and environment by 2050
 

From the 1950s to today, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced, with around half of it made since 2004. And since plastic does not naturally degrade, the billions of tons sitting in landfills, floating in the oceans or piling up on city streets will provide a marker if later civilisations ever want to classify our era. Perhaps they will call this time on Earth the Plastocene Epoch.

new study in Science Advances published last month offered the first analysis of all mass-produced plastics ever manufactured: how much has been made, what kind and what happens to the material once it has outlived its use.  The study authors calculate that by 2050, around 79% of plastic ever produced will be sitting in the natural environment or landfills, with only 12% recycled. Perhaps this is the biggest environmental calamity out of all those humanity has produced, because it essentially is around forever.

Air conditioning has enabled urban sprawl, shopping malls, and shaped our modern world

We know from the Drawdown list that air conditioning tops the list of climate change agents that we must remove in order to combat dangerous levels of GHG emissions. In the US and other countries, more people are buying air conditioning units as they have become cheaper and summer temperatures have soared.  These all require energy to power them - often energy derived from the same fossil fuels that are warming our world.

As this article explains, urban scholars have calculated that one of the top influencers on American cities in the second half of the 20th century has been air conditioning, enabling people to be comfortable in warmer areas and move around in giant shopping malls - and in the cars we use to drive there.  As we built more buildings with air con, so regulations changed to prevent windows from being opened - which defies common sense but is now standard.  China and other rapidly-developing nations are now unfortunately following this trend.

___________________________________________
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ECO

Noticeboard

Member News

Resources and information for our member groups:

Submissions:
We welcome input from Members and others on all submissions.  
There are currently reviews of the status of threatened marine mammals and freshwater fish.  Also on a proposed environmental standard for marine aquaculture, and the Urewera National Park Conservation Management Plan.
We are keen to hear from you if you wish to submit of any of these, or others.

Email ECO.  See more on submissions below.


The IPENZ Rivers Group Public Project Grant - funding opportunity for restoration groups
 

Funding Opportunities:

Grants of up to $3,000 are available to support public sector groups (e.g. local government, community groups, not-for-profit, iwi/Maori) in works related to river management and restoration for one year, depending on the merits of the project proposal and the level of competition in a given year.

What IPENZ will Fund:

The research grants are aimed at supporting projects that are focused on improving New Zealand’s rivers, catchments and management of flood risk. Projects that seek to improve management of rivers, public education and/or further our knowledge of rivers, their values or processes are encouraged. Please review the key objectives of the Rivers Group when preparing your submission.

The fund is also intended to foster links amongst public sector groups and partners in government, academe and the private sector.   More info.


Christchurch Enviro Hub: Message from the Organising Working Group:

As you may know, ​we are part of a working group​ to bring back a Christchurch environment centre (the Christchurch Enviro Hub). We are currently setting up the charitable trust and trustees amongst other things.​ To help us see who is interested in the Christchurch Enviro Hub, we are asking for environmental organisations to register their support with us.

We would love you to register if your organisation:​
  • Supports​ ​the Trust​'​s vision​; and/or​
  • Be interested in ​visiting or using the Hub when it is open
​When you have registered your organisation, you ​will be able to (if desired):
  • Vote in any elections held
  • Help develop the strategic direction​ and planning​ of the Trust
This involves no cost or commitment​.

Simply fill out this form or email your details to info@chchenvirohub.org to register your interest.

Organisations​ can deregister at any time.

For more information on the project please read the project proposal

Or visit our Facebook page: 
www.facebook.com/christchurchenvirohub

To subscribe to these newsletters, please click on this link: http://eepurl.com/cU_a_b

Please pass this information onto anyone else you think would be interested!

Yours sincerely,

The Working Group;
Terra Dumont, Sophie Allen, Rose Phillips, Karen Whitla, Emma Gondwe & Sharyn Barclay 

Conferences and Hui

ECO annual conference and AGM, Nelson, 25-27 August: "Environmental Responsibilities and Democracy for the Future: Limits, Pathways and Actions".
 

The annual conference of ECO, which incorporates the Annual General Meeting for member groups, is to be held this year at the Stoke Memorial Hall in Nelson in August.

Detailed information and registrations are available on the ECO website.  Great field trips are planned.

The Inconvenient Conference: business leadership in a changing climate

The 2006 award-winning documentary ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ drew global attention to the urgent need for action on climate change. More than a decade later, the sequel has been released. Yet climate change and other sustainability issues are more pressing – and more inconvenient – than ever.

The need for business leadership during this changing climate has never been more urgent.

The Inconvenient Conference will take place on 29th August 2017 following an exclusive screening of Al Gore’s 'An Inconvenient Sequel' for conference ticket holders on the evening of 28th August. Full programme and more information at this link.

NEW Maintaining a social licence in a changing world: Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching conference.
 

Part of Queenstown Research week.
An interesting line-up of speakers including Mike Joy on freshwater, and Prof Phil Seddon on the possibilities of bringing back extinct species such as the huia.  Read more.

Deep South Challenge Symposium, Te Papa, Wellington, 4-6 September
 

Keep up to date with the details of this Symposium on the Facebook page.

NEW Koanga Health week and ongoing events coming in September

Five weeks of intensive learning at Koanga. First up is Health Week, 18th-22nd September. Tutors Kay Baxter and Tes Rae and others from Kotare Village who all eat a Weston A Price diet. 
Following that is Koanga Food Security week, then Koanga Tree Week, Koanga Animal Week, then Urban Farming Week. Five weeks of fascinating and Earth-centred learning!  See here for more information.
Tonic Conference for NGOs, New Plymouth, 9-10 November

Tonic Conference is like an annual check-up for your organisation and is full of practical ideas for becoming stronger, smarter and better equipped. If you want ideas and information about fundraising, volunteer management, governance or non-profit marketing, Tonic Conference is your one-stop shop. Truly practical workshops delivered by people who really know their stuff.  See more here.

Joint Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia and the New Zealand Ecological Society, 26 November to 1 December, Cypress Lakes Conference Centre, NSW.

The theme of the conference is "Putting ecology to work" so there will be a strong emphasis on applied ecology.

More details on the website: http://ecotas2017.org.au

Current Consulations

New assessment of the threatened status of New Zealand marine mammals

Submissions close 30 September 2017

See this link for more information and how to submit.

New assessment of the threatened status of New Zealand freshwater fish.  Submissions close 31 August and you can find out more here.

 


The Department of Follow-Up

Law changes to enable land swaps is against good governance

So says Assoc Professor Christine Cheyne of Massey University in a recent article on the Ruataniwha Dam Supreme Court decision, and the government's response to it. She writes:

"Amending the Conservation Act to allow land swaps involves a significant discounting of the future in favour of present day citizens. This is disingenuous and an affront to constitutional democracy. It would weaken one of New Zealand’s few anticipatory governance mechanisms at a time when they are needed more than ever."  Read the full article.


Tunisia takes long stride for gender equality

We commenced our weekly look at the UN SDGs by focusing, rightly, on gender equality.

Tunisia has just taken a big step in the right direction by passing new legislation aimed at tackling violence against women. Half of Tunisia's women are victims of violence. Men who have sex with underage girls will no longer be able to escape prosecution by marrying their victims, and marital rape will now be criminalised.
The new laws are a huge step forward in the Arab world and the hope is that such protections can be extended to women everywhere, improving their prospects for education and employment and enabling them access to full participation in life. An early marriage dooms women - after being the victim of rape - to a life of servitude and not fulfillment.  That has to change.

 




Share your news with ECO

Contributions to this Noticeboard are very welcome from the ECO community.

Email eco@eco.org.nz with news of your event or other news you would like to share.


Share & Follow

Please share this news with others -
find out how below:

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Events

TODAY Climate change and coastal Maori communities, Wellington, 9 August, 12pm to 1pm

A presentation on research into how iwi and hapu may survive and adapt to rising sea levels, coastal erosion, salinification and extreme weather events.  This will be presented virtually via a number of physical hubs.  More info here.

NEW Political forum on Government as a funder of science and employer of scientists, Wellington 10 August

Put questions to the politicians and hear about the parties' attitudes to science funding in New Zealand.
 

  • Hon Paul Goldsmith, National Party, Minister for Science and Innovation
  • Gareth Hughes, Green Party
  • Tracey Martin, New Zealand First (to be confirmed)
  • Geoff Simmons, The Opportunities Party
  • Megan Woods, Labour Party
Dr Simon Chapple, Director of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University will chair.
  • Thursday 10 August
  • 12:30pm - 1:30pm (bring your lunch)
  • St Andrews on the Terrace hall - entry on the left-hand-side of the building if facing the building

Organised by the PSA.  Let them know you're coming, or to submit a question go here.

NEW Improbable futures forum, Wellington 12 August, 4.30pm

Beyond left and right? Future citizenship, its forms and responsibilities.

Join Wellington-based writer, Tim Corballis, who chairs the second of three forums organised in association with the Adam Art Gallery's The Tomorrow People exhibition. With Morgan Godfery, Laura O'Connell Rapira, Dylan Taylor, and Faith Wilson, Tim will debate the future forms and responsibilities of citizenship beyond the traditional parameters of 'left' and 'right'. This forum is a partnership with the Cultivating Creative Capital theme at Victoria University.

Venue is the Aro Valley Community Centre. Details.

NEW Rangituhi Planting Day at Colonial Knob, Porirua, 15 August

Conservation Volunteers NZ is looking for workers to help out with planting native plants in one of the last remaining remnants of the tawa/kohekohe bush in the Tawa/Porirua Basin.
Zealandia is also running volunteer days every Thursday over August.
Book for these via Conservation Volunteers.  Plenty of projects running all over New Zealand every week. 
World premiere of Seven Rivers Walking - film on the rivers of Canterbury, Christchurch 19 August

In the polarised political environment of 2017, this film is a disarmingly peaceable one. It places the hope of change in a shared love of Canterbury’s rivers and riparian environments and a profound appreciation of their ecology. Filmmakers Gaylene Barnes and Kathleen Gallagher have taken their cues from the diverse collectives of Cantabrians who have been walking and rafting the length of the rivers, from the mountains to the sea, to educate themselves and others, about the damage done and the opportunities available for remedial action. Part of the Film Festival. Find out more.
NEW Action on plastics and supermarkets, Christchurch, 23 August, 1pm.

Come along to hear how representatives of the two supermarket parent companies answer questions posed by the Innovation and Sustainable Development committee of the Christchurch City Council. Come along to show the supermarkets we want them to ACT NOW to reduce plastic pollution.

What: Innovation and Sustainable Development Committee meeting

Where: Civic Offices, 53 Hereford Street, Christchurch  (one of the committee rooms upstairs; check on the day).  Organised by Plastic Bag Free Otautahi.

NEW Congestion free Wellington meeting, 28 August.

Hear how everyone benefits from a sustainable transport plan for Wellington - walkers, cyclists, public transport users, and yes, car users too. Venue is Mezzanine Room at Wellington Public Library, start time 6pm.  Follow this event on Facebook.  Read Michael Barnett's call for a liveable city sustainable transport plan here.

Honest leadership in a post-truth world, Wellington, 31 August

We live in a “post-truth” world dominated by “fake news.” Anyone with a Twitter account is a pundit. Everyone with a blog is an expert. If our challenge in the past was having too little information, our challenge now is having too much information. There are facts and figures at our fingertips, but are they reliable? Our leaders are more accessible to us than ever, but are they truthful? How can we, as citizens, cut through the spin and get to the bottom of things?

Spend an hour with Megan Whelan (Radio New Zealand) and Ministers and Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum as they take up the challenge of honest leadership in a post-truth world.   Venue is St Andrews on the Terrace.  More information.

How sustainable are our seas? Wellington, 4th September

Is New Zealand managing our oceans effectively enough to meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14)? Are we doing enough to provide a healthy marine environment for future generations? What is happening globally?

Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge director, oceanographer Dr Julie Hall explores our relationship and responsibility to South Pacific marine and coastal ecosystems.
Additionally, Aotearoa Youth Leadership delegates Emily Frost, Daniel Davis and Tegan Arnold will report on the recent UN Ocean Conference in New York.  More information here.

Marketplace

Donations to ECO:


You can donate to ECO via our Givealittle page or directly via internet banking to our account:
38 9016 0185477 00.  

Volunteer for ECO:


Help is needed with research, writing, clerical work in the office and other tasks, either in Wellington or wherever you live.  

Get in touch with us to find out more.

Totara: new book by Philip Simpson.

Special offer for ECO supporters

Totara: a natural and cultural history, by Philip Simpson

Richly illustrated with archival, current
and scientific images – botanist and best
selling author, Philip Simpson combines
the ecological, historical and cultural stories
of one of New Zealand's most famous trees
and identifies the important role that tōtara
played in building New Zealand Aotearoa.

 10% discount for ECO supporters and Tieke readers and ECO receives a commission too.  The book can be ordered now at the special price of $67.50 incl free postage within NZ (normally $75). Go here to find out more and to order.

Pohutukawa Steam Cream

Only $15 for an 80g jar - all natural moisturiser and New Zealand made.  Ingredients: avocado oil, almond oil, harakeke, jojoba, rosemary, pohutukawa. Steam is used to fuse the ingredients - no nasty chemicals and not tested on animals, paraben free, no artificial scent - the scent is pohutukawa.

Send us an email to order or to find out more.  $3 to send one or two tins anywhere in New Zealand.

Kiwi Karma Accommodation: choose ECO as your charity 


Book your accommodation through Kiwi Karma and not only do you pay no credit card or commission fees, but you can select ECO as your nominated charity and up to 8% of your booking fee goes to ECO as a donation!

Check out all their listings at this link.

Stonearrow Jewellery


Nick Feint of Stonearrow in Takaka makes beautiful jewellery from used bottles taken from the waste stream.  
By using the code ECO2016 when you shop via the online store, 20% of your purchase price will go to ECO.  

Click here to take a look at Nick's website.

The Drama of Conservation: The History of Pureora Forest


This fascinating book is for sale via ECO at just $30 per book, reduced from $60.     
This 357 page book offers a sweeping history of the forest - its geological history, flora and fauna, utilisation by humans, and the conservation efforts to save the forest in the 1970s and 80s.
Contact ECO to purchase a copy.  Postage anywhere in New Zealand is $5.50  or if you are in Wellington you can collect a copy from our office in Vivian Street.  We will post copies immediately on receipt of your order.  Read more about the book here.


 

Bad Oil and the Animals - special offer


Linda Hansen, Wellington-based author of books for teenagers and young adults, has just published her latest novel, "Bad Oil and the Animals". Sixteen-year old Heidi always dreamed of being a society photographer for the rich and famous. Instead, her first film project plunges her into a world of subterfuge as she joins an audacious group of teenage protesters committed to stopping factory dairy farms.

This book has been well reviewed and has been described by Ben Dowdle, Director of Unmask Palm Oil, as "A fast paced and exhilarating read on an important issue. Well researched and well written, it puts a spotlight on activism, encouraging any young person into action."  

More about the book here.

Copies are $19.50 each, plus $2.50 p and p, and a share of sales is donated to ECO.

 
Advertise in the ECO Marketplace for just $20 per insertion.  Tieke goes to around 1,000 environmentally-conscious readers every week.   Email the ECO office to find out more.

Tieke


Tieke is compiled at the ECO Office in Wellington by Michael Pringle.  

Get in touch with ECO to discuss ways you can help us - fundraising, volunteering, office work. 
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