Risk management and deep water drilling
I had a bit of fun this week in the House, asking questions of the Acting Minister for Energy and Resources about some of the safety issues involved in offshore drilling in the Raukumara Basin off the...
View ArticleSubmission guide for Auckland Spatial Plan
I’ve prepared a submission guide on Auckland Unleashed, the discussion document that Auckland Council released recently to guide their spatial plan. The spatial plan is extremely important because it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Batteries and the Basel Convention
I asked some questions in the House on Thursday of the Minister for Environment, about how well (or more to the point how badly) we are meeting our obligations under the Basel Convention in regard to...
View ArticleCutting Canterbury Uni staff is short-sighted
In the aftermath of the Christchurch Earthquake, the University of Canterbury’s plan to cut more than 350 jobs over the next three years is a short-sighted way to cut costs. Documents released today by...
View ArticleEurope recognises deep sea oil risk
When we asked the Government last year how they would cope with a catastrophic oil leak from deep sea drilling, they proudly touted 400 Maritime NZ responders (over and over). Post the Rena, it is...
View ArticleChance to have a say on tertiary education in NZ
The Government have opened up public submissions on their proposed changes to the Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) for tertiary education. The PBRF is a funding pool of around $250 million per...
View ArticleMen supporting women’s suffrage in Aotearoa
Today is the 120th anniversary of Aotearoa becoming the first country where women won the vote. Often you hear people saying that we “gave” women the vote, but to me that sounds too passive. Women...
View ArticleMinister’s attack on the judiciary
Our justice system can be fair, accessible, and trusted, with a focus on preventing crime and strengthening our communities. Instead, our courts system is currently under huge stress and facing a large...
View ArticleClik here to view.
University of Canterbury critical to the future of Christchurch
While visiting Christchurch this week, I spent time catching up on how the rebuild is going for the University of Canterbury, and what the future looks like for this vital institution, its students and...
View ArticleChance to have a say on important education changes
Public submissions are now open on the Government’s changes to the Education Act. The bill makes a number of changes to the compulsory and tertiary education sectors. Most notably, this bill is the...
View ArticleGovt should go back to school on apprenticeships
Last night parliament debated the Industry Training and Apprenticeships Bill – a Government bill that makes changes to apprenticeships and Industry Training Organisations (ITOs), based on the findings...
View ArticleClear signal NZ’s universities need more funding
The rankings for universities around the world were released today, with disappointing results for NZ’s universities. Three out of five of our institutions dropped down the rankings from last year,...
View ArticlePolice Association off target with call to arm Police
Arming our Police will lead to more crime, more violence, and more killings – by criminals, and potentially even by police. The Police Commissioner is correct in pointing out that the Police...
View ArticlePrisoner voting in Key’s backyard
Last year, I wrote a blog on the High Court’s ruling about whether prisoners should be allowed to vote. The matter has come up again with Arthur Taylor having launched a case against John Key’s...
View ArticleElection Inquiry: Prisoners’ right to vote
This year’s election inquiry will look into 2014’s general election. So far, James Shaw has done a series of blogs on this issue, including a submission guide. Mojo Mathers has also written a blog on...
View ArticleCommunity Law Centres
In the last year, 24 community law centres across the country have given over 150,000 hours of legal advice and assistance to 48,527 people who could not otherwise access or afford it. Meanwhile, a...
View Article
