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Govt doesn’t know if emissions will fall

Source: ACT Party

Headline: Govt doesn’t know if emissions will fall

“Despite much fanfare over its decision to ban offshore oil and gas exploration, the Government doesn’t know whether it will lead to lower global greenhouse gas emissions”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.

Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods confirmed in response to a written parliamentary question from Mr Seymour that no “specific estimate” of the impact of the Government’s decision on global greenhouse gas emissions had been made.

“Jacinda Ardern has said climate change is her generation’s ‘nuclear-free moment’.

“Yet, when she announced her Government’s decision to end offshore oil and gas exploration, she didn’t actually know whether it would help in the fight against climate change.

“An end to exploration and production in New Zealand will just mean those activities shift to other countries, doing nothing to reduce total emissions.

“The Government has decided to gut an industry that pays $500 million a year in taxes and royalties, and employs 11,000 people at peak times, without knowing how it would affect global greenhouse gas emissions.

“That is economic vandalism of the worst kind”, says Mr Seymour.

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Woods caught telling fibs on oil and gas consultation

Source: ACT Party

Headline: Woods caught telling fibs on oil and gas consultation

“Industry was kept in the dark over the Government’s oil and gas decision, despite claims to the contrary”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.

In response to a written parliamentary question from Mr Seymour, Energy and Resources Megan Woods said no “formal consultation was undertaken with PEPANZ.” 

PEPANZ is the industry association for the oil and gas sector.

“Woods’ confirmation there was no consultation conflicts with her previous statements.

“On Q+A on 22 April, Woods was asked by Corin Dann: ‘Did you consult with them? Did you talk to them? I mean, the argument is that you didn’t.’ Woods replied: ‘Oh, well, that’s simply not the case.’

“We now know that statement was false.

“This Government is currently consulting dozens of industries, but it was too arrogant to talk to the oil and gas sector for fear that would spoil its publicity stunt.

“Instead of facing up to the people of Taranaki, or talking to the industry, Jacinda Ardern swanned off to London and Paris to gain the approval of her fellow world leaders.

“That symbolises perfectly the arrogance of the Ardern administration”, says Mr Seymour.

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‘A spiritual connection’: Fate of the SS Ventnor links Chinese with Māori

Source: Asia New Zealand Foundation – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: ‘A spiritual connection’: Fate of the SS Ventnor links Chinese with Māori

In 1902, the SS Ventnor, a ship carrying the remains of hundreds of Chinese gold miners, sank off the coast of Hokianga. In the years after, local communities gathered bones washed onto shore for safekeeping. After three days in the Far North paying respects to ancestors and those who cared for their remains, James To reflects on the ways the historic event has connected Māori and Chinese.

(continue reading below)

There’s nothing quite like that typical Kiwi experience of kicking off your socks and shoes at the beach, and running out in your bare feet.

This is the stuff of childhood memories, family holidays, or just escaping the rigours of city life and becoming one with nature. At first, you bounce gingerly along the hot fluffy sands that has been baking in hours of summer heat; but as you approach the shore line, the transition to the squelchy, wet ground offers a most delightful sensation: soft grit squishing between your toes; your tired soles enjoying the cool, rolling sensation that comes with each step; and then finally what you’ve been waiting for – complete relief as you hit the surf.

I was soaking all of this up out in the Far North with my wife and two kids at the end of a late summer. 

But this wasn’t your average family getaway; we were with 50 others on a three-day trip. We travelled in a big bus that took us across some of the most luscious rugged scenery you’ll ever see in Godzone; enjoying a brief ferry ride across the waters of the Hokianga Harbour, and finally arriving to warm pōwhiri welcome by our Māori friends in Rawene, then by Te Rarawa on the next day at Matihetihe Marae at Mitimiti, and finally by Te Roroa at Kawerua near the Waipoua Forest.

At each pōwhiri, we were more than just a bunch of curious tourists or visiting guests. The greetings we received with a big smile, warm hug and hongi were a hearty and sincere “kia ora whānau!”. 

For once, as a Chinese-New Zealander, I didn’t feel like an outsider anymore.

And it didn’t take long to realise why. We had “returned” to possibly the most significant place in Aotearoa for Māori-Chinese relations.

Spiritually linked

On a fateful night in 1902, a vessel named the SS Ventnor bound for Canton (now known as Guangzhou), sank off the Hokianga coast, claiming the lives of 13 crew members.

What made this tragedy more significant was the cargo on board. Apart from items such as coal, dried fruit and tobacco, the ship was chartered to transport the remains of about 500 Chinese gold miners back to their homeland for burial.

Over the years, local Māori communities have been gathering bones washed onto shore for safekeeping – and this story has served to connect Chinese with Pākehā and Māori symbolically and spiritually ever since.

Some in our group could claim direct ancestry to the bones themselves, and others shared iwi relations.

The kaumātua spoke of intermarriage between Māori and Chinese in his own extended Te Rarawa family. And overlooking the urupā (burial site) at Mitimiti was the Red Gateway – a bold red wooden arch nestled amongst the gently swaying toetoe that recalled these connections and history with strength and serenity. So yes, we really were whānau.

It then occurred to me that this was not so much a visit, but more a pilgrimage in many respects.

In fact, the timing of our travel up north was specifically planned to revolve around Qing Ming, a traditional annual occasion where Chinese families head out to the cemetery to tend, clean and sweep the tombs and gravestones of their forebears.

And so back to the beach where we were looking far out into the horizon. We offered incense with three deep bows and burnt notes to honour those who had passed; we conveyed to their spirits our thoughts and prayers.

It was also our moment to pay tribute and thanks to those who have cared for our lost ones with dignity and respect. In our hands were long bamboo poles, for scrawling messages to our ancestors into the wet sand.

This was where earth and sea met, a final resting place to remember and connect to a moment that occurred more than 100 years ago – and at the same time ponder our past, present and future relationship with the land and its peoples, and how we all fit into that.

So for myself, my family, and certainly those who travelled with me to Mitimiti and Kawerua – those wonderful sensations of running onto the beach now evoke not just the nostalgia of long hot summers, but a completely new set of emotions and recollections that is forever woven into our social tapestry – adding to a rich history of intercultural connectedness, and pointing a way ahead for establishing a powerful shared identity as New Zealanders.

It’s amazing what a day or two at the beach can do.

James To is National Secretary of the New Zealand Chinese Association. Views expressed in this article are personal to the author.

This article was first published by the Foundation’s Asia Media Centre

The legacy of the SS Ventnor

  • The SS Ventnor sank off the Hokianga Heads in October 1902, after striking a reef off the coast of Taranaki. The steamship had been carrying the coffins of about 500 Chinese men, mostly goldminers in Otago and Southland, back to their homeland. Thirteen crew members and passengers died.
  • The boat had been chartered by a Chinese community group Cheong Sing Tong to send to remains back to China for reburial in their home villages – mostly in Poon Yu, Guangdong.
  • Otago businessman Choie Sew Hoy was the first president of the Cheong Shing Tong group. Through his arrangements, in 1883 another ship had safely carried 230 exhumed bodies to China.
  • Sew Hoy died in 1901 and his body was among those lost on the Ventnor.
  • In 2007, New Zealand-born Chinese researchers learnt that members of Northland iwi Te Rarawa and Te Roroa had grown up with stories about human remains washing up on beaches and being buried in urupā (burial places). In 2009, Chinese New Zealand Ventnor descendants were invited to Te Rarawa and Te Roroa marae (Matihetihe Marae in Mitimiti, and Matatina Marae in the Waipoua forest) to pay their respects.
  • Since then, several ceremonies have been held to honour the dead. In April 2013, plaques were erected to mark gratitude to the Māori who had cared for the remains.
  • In early 2014, a diving group, the Project Ventnor Group, began to examine the 150-metre deep wreckage., having confirmed its location the year before. They retrieved five objects from the wreck, causing the New Zealand Chinese Association and the Human Rights Commission to express concern about a “lack of respect” and consultation. 
  • In May 2014, the wreck was given legal protection. It is now covered by archaeological provisions of the Historic Places Act 1993.
  • Planning is underway for a Chinese Historic Ventnor Trail in Northland and work is underway identifying a site for a memorial.
  • The sinking of the Ventnor inspired Renee Liang’s play The Bone Feeder, later made into an opera.

24 April 2018

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Mid-Canterbury community involved in upcoming road safety project

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Mid-Canterbury community involved in upcoming road safety project

The NZ Transport Agency has been looking at ways to make a stretch of the highway, from just north of the Selwyn River Bridge to Racecourse Road, north of Ashburton, safer. 

Between 2007 and 2016, 13 people were killed and 49 were seriously injured on this stretch of road. Many of these crashes involved drivers running off the road and hitting something like a pole or tree. There have also been head-on crashes on the highway. 

Transport Agency System Manager Pete Connors says the team held a series of community events in Ashburton, Rakaia and Dunsandel in December to share their ideas and find out more from people who use the road. They also invited feedback online and by mail.

“We asked people what makes this road feel unsafe and what worries them the most,” he says.

“About 80 people came to speak to us at the events. We also received 113 feedback forms and a number of letters, emails and phone calls. Since then, we’ve continued to have constructive conversations with people in the community and commuters about making the road safer.

“People have told us the high traffic volumes made them feel unsafe and some felt nervous turning onto or off the state highway. They also feel unsafe walking and driving across the highway at Rakaia and Dunsandel, and many were worried about drivers crossing the centre line.”

Three-quarters of people who responded support the installation of flexible safety barriers or wide centre lines to reduce head-on crashes. They also like the idea of more rumble strips and wide sealed shoulders to create room to recover if drivers drift out of their lane or lose control.

Mr Connors says feedback from people who know the road well is really important.

“We use this information alongside our research to make sure that the safety improvements respond to the needs of the community using the road every day,” he says. 

The project team will finalise the design of the safety improvements for this road and share them with the community later this year.

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Milestones coming up on Waikato Expressway

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Milestones coming up on Waikato Expressway

The southbound lanes are almost ready to open.

Construction started in early 2017 on widening the 5.9km section of SH1 between Rangiriri and Hampton Downs to create the new highway. The south-bound lanes are being built first, and when two-way traffic switches to the new lanes it makes room for construction of the north-bound lanes.

The NZ Transport Agency says the first staged switch over 1.4km is expected to happen on Friday, weather permitting, then another bigger section comes into use next month.

“Everyone connected with the project is looking forward to this milestone,” says NZ Transport Agency Delivery Portfolio manager, Peter Simcock.

“People using the road will see the progress and it shows the Longswamp section is on track, weather and other factors permitting, for completion next year.”

Only south-bound traffic will switch to the new lanes on Friday, south of the old Hall Road intersection with SH1, around noon. After some central median barrier work, north-bound traffic will move over the following week.

A second major switch is scheduled for a 2.5km section further north in late May. Both lanes will move at the same date, from 1km north of the old Whangamarino Rd intersection to just south of the new Paddy Rd overbridge. 

“People travelling through the site since work began last year have been very patient and it’s great to start seeing this sort of progress,” Mr Simcock said.

“We now have the local road extensions open at Whangamarino and Rodda Road and they will be joined up later this year when we can open the overbridge now under construction at Paddy Road.”

The entire route remains under a 70km/h speed restriction.

Meanwhile another traffic movement is looming, on the Huntly section of the expressway.

Currently north and south-bound traffic is sharing what will be the Huntly off-ramp. Later next month traffic will move over to the future on-ramp, creating room for the project team to build the bridge over the adjacent railway line.

The 15km Huntly section is due for completion in 2020.

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Government to compensate Tyson Redman for wrongful conviction, imprisonment

Source: New Zealand Government

Headline: Government to compensate Tyson Redman for wrongful conviction, imprisonment

The Government has provided Tyson Gregory Redman more than $500,000 in compensation for wrongful conviction and imprisonment, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today.
Mr Redman was convicted of wounding and injuring in August 2007 and spent two and a half years in prison.
In December 2013, the Court of Appeal quashed these convictions without ordering a retrial and Mr Redman applied for compensation in July 2014.
In July 2015 the then Justice Minister, Amy Adams, instructed Dr Donald Stevens QC to provide independent advice on the application.
Dr Stevens’ first report in early 2017 concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, Mr Redman was innocent of the wounding and injuring charges.
Dr Stevens completed his second report assessing an appropriate amount of compensation just after last year’s General Election and the report was considered by the incoming Government.  Dr Stevens recommended Mr Redman be paid compensation covering his pecuniary and non-pecuniary losses.
The Government accepted Dr Stevens’ advice and offered Mr Redman an ex gratia payment of $551,017.16, representing $475,722.75 for non-pecuniary losses adjusted for inflation, and $75,294.41 for pecuniary losses (including his finalised legal costs).
The Government also adopted Dr Stevens’ recommendation to provide financial support should Mr Redman wish to receive professional counselling and therapy to help him deal with the mental and emotional impact of his experience.  Reimbursement of these costs would be for a two-year period and up to $21,700.
Mr Little said the Crown accepted Mr Redman’s innocence and apologised unreservedly for his wrongful convictions and imprisonment.
“I recognise the Crown’s offer of compensation will never completely correct the wrong that Mr Redman has suffered, but I hope it will help him and his family recover from the distressing experience they have been through.”
Mr Redman has agreed to accept the Government’s offer of compensation.
The Cabinet paper and Dr Stevens’ reports is available here.

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Exploring the colourful world of skinks

Source: Massey University – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Exploring the colourful world of skinks

Dr Marleen Baling graduates in Auckland. 

Dr Marleen Baling has shown to be just as adaptable as the skinks she has been studying in pursuit of her doctorate degree.

Graduating last week at Massey’s graduation ceremony in Takapuna, Dr Baling has delved further into our understanding of the shore skink, Oligosoma smithi.

These skinks have the greatest variation in body colouration of all our native lizards and can be found with pale colours through to very dark colours and can also have highly patterned colouration.

When Dr Baling was a research technician within the ecology group at the University’s Albany campus between 2005-09, she saw this dramatic colouration in shore skink populations at various mainland sites and offshore islands in Hauraki Gulf and Whangarei. So, as part of her PhD thesis in 2012, she decided to find out why that was under supervisors Professor James Dale, Professor Dianne Brunton and Associate Professor Devi Stuart-Fox.

In general, animal colouration can serve several biological functions, a key one being camouflage. Dr Baling investigated factors that can affect camouflage colouration in this New Zealand native skink, and if it conflicts with conspicuous colouration for social interaction (e.g., breeding) or thermoregulation.

She found that degree of camouflage colouration was influenced by microhabitat and predator search image, and that colouration for social signalling did not affect camouflage within a population. However, the influence of thermoregulation on colour was stronger among populations. Dr Baling’s thesis provided new insights on how different selection processes maintain dramatic colouration within a species, and marks the first quantitative research on colouration in New Zealand reptiles.

The four dorsal body pattern types assigned to shore skinks at Tāwharanui Regional Park.

Tāwharanui Regional Park

She conducted her research at Tāwharanui Regional Park to collect information on colouration trends within a wild population of shore skinks, at Tiritiri Matangi Island to assess any change in colouration in a translocated population as a response to a change in habitat, and a multi-population survey to determine colour variation between different locations.

During her thesis study, she had the opportunity to visit many locations during her surveys, and some of her highlights included visits to Poor Knights Island, Korapuki Island, Rurima and Motouki Islands.

However, conducting research is not without challenges, and she had to source her own funding for research and stipend. Her hard work paid off though and she was awarded various grants and fellowships, including the New Zealand Federation of Postgraduate Fellowship, Claude McCarthy Fellowship, and the Lovell and Berys Clark Fellowship. 

When she’s not conducting research, Dr Baling spend her time rock climbing, which that helped her to stay connected with friends and blow off steam especially during the writing stage of her thesis.

Graduating today not only represents an important stage in Dr Baling’s professional life but also a cultural one. She is only the second person from her ethic group, Berawan (a tribal group from Borneo, Malaysia) to have graduated with a doctorate degree.

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Govt puts regions on the backburner yet again

Source: National Party – Headline: Govt puts regions on the backburner yet again

The Government continues to undermine regional New Zealand, with the Conservation Minister scuttling a plan to extract waxes and resins from a wetland in Northland that would create jobs for locals, National’s Regional Development Spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.

“For all its talk about helping people in Northland to get ahead, Eugenie Sage has put politics ahead of creating jobs in the region.

“The joint venture by Ngai Takato and Resin & Wax Holdings to extract valuable waxes and resins from a peat wetland in the Far North would help secure the iwi its economic and environmental future.

“But Ms Sage is now getting in the way of that and appears to be doing all she can to stop it.

“She is making no attempt to strike a balance between managing our environment and responsible economic growth.

“The iwi themselves have said that while the venture would provide jobs and opportunities for its people, the environment is also a primary focus for them. The consented area for extraction avoids conservation land.

“Ms Sage needs to let them get on with it but so far, this looks like another win for the Greens over NZ First.”

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The Ben Bohane photo that Facebook censored on an article about Indonesia

Source: Dr David Robie – Café Pacific – Analysis-Reportage:

Headline: The Ben Bohane photo that Facebook censored on an article about Indonesia

The original version of this photo, of West Papuan nambas (traditional penis gourds), which was published
in the weekend edition of the family newspaper Vanuatu Daily Post and then by Asia Pacific Report,
was deemed to have breached Facebook’s “community standards”. The photo was by award-winning
photojournalist Ben Bohane, who lives in Vanuatu.

BEN BOHANE: CHINA? NO, LET’S FACE THE

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Government to help fund services for Veterans

Source: New Zealand Government

Headline: Government to help fund services for Veterans

Minister for Veterans Ron Mark has today welcomed the announcement of $1.1 million in grant payments over the next four years for the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association (RSA) and No Duff Charitable Trust.
The funding will see $250,000 going to the RSA, and $25,000 to No Duff annually to help fund their support services for veterans.
“The RSA and No Duff are doing outstanding work supporting our veterans,” says Ron Mark. “Today’s announcement is an acknowledgement that their work is important, and will give both organisations assurances to continue their support services.
“New Zealand now has around 41,000 veterans, around 30,000 of those are contemporary veterans from conflicts such as Vietnam, East Timor and Afghanistan.
“We’re seeing cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI), and many of our younger men and women are returning from operational service in need of help.
“The RSA has worked hard to modernise its services to meet this emerging need. They are a great example of an organisation which has evolved and they are wonderful advocates for veterans. 
“Alongside them, No Duff have become valued and trusted first responders.  They’ve been there for many of our people in need and their reputation only grows by the day.
“As Minister for Veterans I’m focused on ensuring we have the right support in place for service people when they come back from operations.  Today’s announcement is a small part of the overall picture, but it’s significant.
“It shows this Government is concerned about the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders, but it acknowledges veterans have some complex issues which may need more specialist support services.  It’s heart-warming to see organisations such as the RSA and No Duff stepping up and making a difference,” says Ron Mark.
PTSI
Symptoms of PTSI include reliving the event, including nightmares, flashbacks, or intrusive thoughts. In addition, sufferers can experience avoiding thoughts, feelings, or situations that serve as reminders of the event, feeling numb or cut off from others, being easily startled and being vigilant for signs of danger.
Withdrawing from society and engaging in destructive behaviours such as problem drinking and drugs are other signs, which if not dealt with, can lead to self-harm.
If you are worried about you, or someone else’s, mental health contact your GP or local mental health provider.
Veterans can also contact the RSA on one of the local support numbers found here: https://www.rsa.org.nz/support/team
No Duff: 022 307 1557
Or they can access support through:
Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7)
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)Youthline: 0800 376 633Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm)Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7)Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155Samaritans 0800 726 666
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111