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4 episodes with Whanganui River
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2 episodes with Whanganui River
3 episodes with Whanganui River
6 episodes with Whanganui River
2 episodes with Whanganui River
Send us a textWhat happens when a non-veterinarian takes the helm of a veterinary practice? In this chat, Tom Dinwiddie reveals how his business background and people-first approach have transformed Wanganui Veterinary Services and Vets on Carlton into genuine Employers of Choice in New Zealand's veterinary landscape.At the heart of Tom's management philosophy lies a refreshing commitment to autonomy and accountability. "We allow people to make their own decisions and work autonomously," he explains, sharing real examples of team members who've flourished under this approach—from the young vet who researched and recommended dental X-ray equipment to the reserved nurse who blossomed into a confident leader. This trust extends to equipment needs and continuing education, with the practice generously supporting veterinarians' professional interests, whether in advanced dentistry, ultrasound techniques, or orthopaedic surgery.Beyond the clinic walls, Tom paints a vivid picture of Whanganui as "New Zealand's best-kept secret"—a place where veterinary professionals can truly have it all. With affordable housing, excellent schools, and boundless outdoor adventures from river kayaking to mountain climbing, the area offers the quintessential New Zealand lifestyle without the constraints of big-city living. The clinic's success in integrating international veterinary skills is exemplified by Hein, a Dutch veterinarian who joined after falling in love with the Whanganui River during a kayak trip and has now built a life and orthopaedic skills there over ten years.For veterinary professionals contemplating their next career move, this conversation presents a compelling alternative to the traditional vet-owned practice model—one where personal and professional growth go hand in hand, all within one of New Zealand's most liveable communities. Visit vetclinicjobs.com/vets-on-carlton to discover how you could be part of this exceptional team.Struggling to get results from your job advertisements? If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic. The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs
Rog & Mulls chat to Brendan Hawkins who is about his massive paddle his surfboard down the Whanganui River raising money for I Am Hope.
Taranaki Mountain, the second-highest peak on New Zealand's North Island, has been granted legal personhood, giving it the same rights and protections as an individual. This designation, deeply rooted in Māori beliefs, ensures that the mountain and its surrounding peaks are treated with respect, shifting the way natural features are viewed in law. Visitors will be encouraged to self-regulate their activities, learning to honor Taranaki as an ancestor. Geographically, Taranaki Mounga is one of the world's most symmetrical volcanic cones, towering over the Taranaki plains. It is also believed to be the country's most climbed mountain and a major tourist attraction. Culturally, this decision finalizes a 2016 settlement addressing the Crown's Treaty of Waitangi breaches, which included financial reparations and an apology for the 19th-century Taranaki wars. Taranaki now joins Te Urewera (2014) and the Whanganui River (2017) as New Zealand's third natural entity with legal personhood.
Lester Kiewit spoke to Katie MacDonald, our correspondent in Australia, for this week’s Pacific Dispatch, covering key stories from the region. As antisemitic incidents rise in Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed that perpetrators will be "hunted down and locked up," though many question whether he’s up to the task. Meanwhile, New Zealand is making moves to attract global talent by relaxing visa rules for digital nomads, positioning itself as a remote work hub. And in a landmark decision, Mount Taranaki has been granted the same legal rights as a person, following in the footsteps of the Whanganui River in recognizing the deep cultural and spiritual significance of natural landmarks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Rights of Nature movement wants to give inherent rights to nature - so forests, animals and rivers would have the right to protection. More and more countries are starting to adopt this kind of legislation. Ecuador became the first country in the world to codify Rights of Nature in its constitution in 2008. In New Zealand, legislation has recognised the mountainous region Te Urewera and the Whanganui River as legal persons. In 2022, the Spanish lagoon Mar Menor became the first natural entity to be granted legal status as a person within Europe. BBC Climate and science reporter Georgina Rannard explains how it works and whether the approach is helping to protect the environment. Another part of the movement wants to see nature recognised for the role it plays in music too. The people behind a track called The Song of the Cedars are petitioning Ecuador's copyright office to recognise Los Cedros forest as a co-creator, given it was composed there.Sounds Right is a global music initiative which encourages artists who use sounds from nature - like rain or animal noises - in their tracks to redirect some of the royalties they collect to help conserve and protect nature. Bill Sellanga, aka Blinky Bill, a musician and DJ based in Nairobi, tells us why he signed up, for his track OH WAH feat. NATURE. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Nathalia Jimenez Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Mora Morrison Editor: Verity Wilde
Olly Dow is an avid tramper who had an idea to cross the North Island from Cape to Cape. He met mountain bikers Will and Thomas and the teens started planning and training for this epic journey which began as a line drawn across a map. They share about the preparation, the most difficult days of the journey and the moments they loved the most - like walking the Tongariro Crossing with 20 mates. Their 900km expedition took them through the Waikaremoana and Whirinaki forests on foot, down the Whanganui River in canoes and included sections of biking. Completing this journey in 18 days makes this the fastest known time to do this crossing. The boys have raised funds for Child Cancer NZ, so support their kaupapa at the link below. KEA Outdoors is a kiwi brand, building great gear that you need to be fully prepared. Visit keaoutoors.com to see their full range of survival gear and outdoor accessories. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Donate to their Child Cancer Foundation fundraiser Follow Cape to Cape on Instagram: instagram.com/capetocape2024/ Follow Olly on Instagram: instagram.com/olly.dow/ Follow Will on Instagram: instagram.com/willdunn_mtb/ Follow Thomas on Instagram: instagram.com/twinter.cc/ Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/ Get my NZ Map & Guide
This episode is brought to you by Glacier Rifle Company Discover the precision and craftsmanship behind Glacier Rifle Company, a third-generation family business from Hamilton, New Zealand, with over 63 years of experience in the aerospace, satellite, and defense industries. Legacy of Precision: For over six decades, Glacier Rifle Company has been a leader in precision engineering, producing mission-critical components for various industries. Innovative Rifle Design: Their custom rifles, like the GRC Bush Hunter and GRC Mountain Hunter, are crafted using advanced materials like titanium and carbon fiber, ensuring unmatched accuracy, lightweight build, and reliability. Customization at Its Best: Glacier Rifle Company offers bespoke customization options to meet the specific needs of hunters and shooters, making each rifle not just a tool but a statement. Why Choose Glacier Rifle Company? Learn More and Connect: Website: Glacier Rifle Company Instagram: @glacier_rifle_company Facebook: Glacier Rifle Company Check out their innovative products and experience the perfect blend of tradition and modern technology. Thank you, Glacier Rifle Company, for supporting The Big Game Records Series. Explore more with GRC. JOIN THE STAG ROAR COMMUNITY
Whanganui District Council has voted 11-2 to keep Maori wards for the 2025 election. A Whanganui freedom camping site next to the Whanganui River has been shut down due to property damage, abuse and threatening behaviour. And a local tradie is having some success in the boxing ring. Mike Tweed is a Multimedia Journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle
River guide Willie Huch from Owhango Adventures gives Jesse the lowdown on how to enjoy the mighty Whanganui River.
Gerrard Albert had a lead role in the negotiations and discusses the legal settlement with Jesse.
Nicola and Deborah from the SafeTea Podcast, engage with Kara in an enlightening dialogue that traverses cultural enlightenment and empowerment. Kara, a staunch advocate for Māori excellence within Aotearoa New Zealand's public service, shares her personal journey. From her upbringing near the Whanganui River and transitioning from a Catholic school to Kura Kaupapa Māori, to achieving a significant position within the treasury, Kara provides an intimate look into a life where tradition and modernity converge successfully. Her discussion on the critical role of Te Ao Māori in both family life and the workplace highlights the importance of heritage and identity.This episode delves into the nuances of workplace dynamics, spotlighting the 'cultural tax' and the often unseen burden of non-promotable tasks that fall heavily on Māori and women. Kara's insights into social policy and justice present a fresh outlook on how organisations can genuinely incorporate Māori values beyond superficial measures. The conversation also touches on personal anecdotes about how our children's connection to their Māori and South African heritage enhances our lives, underscoring the universal value of cultural authenticity and diversity celebration.As the conversation unfolds, the transformative power of storytelling is underscored, showcasing its significant influence in both professional and personal spheres. From the role of language in overcoming cultural barriers to the recognition of cultural heritage in organisational events, this episode stands as a tribute to the impact of our stories on shaping both policies and personal relationships. Join Nicola and Deborah for a compelling journey into how embracing and respecting our diverse backgrounds can forge stronger, more inclusive communities and work environments.Looking for our LinkedIn Page? Find it here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/safetea-podcastWant to sign up for our newsletter or get freebies? Grab those right here: https://jolly-mode-586.myflodesk.com/safetea Please do leave us a review! It helps us spread the word and empower others!
Whanganui residents are being warned of the risk of more slips because the land remains saturated after flooding. About 20 people were evacuated from Putiki, a low-lying area next to Whanganui River, around 9.30pm on Saturday. Whanganui mayor Andrew Tripe spoke to Guyon Espiner this morning.
Jessica den Outer has a Bachelor degree in international & European law and a Master degree in international environmental law. She has been advocating for the Rights of Nature and the interests of future generations since 2017 and received several awards for her work. In 2019, she was recognised as one of the youngest Earth-centered law experts within the United Nations Harmony with Nature network. In 2020, she was part of the top 100 most sustainable young pioneers. In 2022 Jessica was nominated as one of the 10 green voices on LinkedIn and as as one of the 35 up-and-coming professionals under the age of 35 in the field of peace and security. In 2023, Jessica published the book 'Rights for Nature'. It is a book full of examples and stories of Rights for Nature around the world. From Mother Earth in Ecuador to the Whanganui River in New Zealand. This book shows that anyone can get started with the Rights for Nature, not just lawyers. Sources Jessica's website: https://www.jessicadenouter.com/en Rechten voor de Natuur: https://lemniscaat.nl/boeken/rechten-voor-de-natuur The article I mentioned in the beginning is H.O. Pörtner et al. (2023) Overcoming the coupled climate and biodiversity crises and their societal impacts. Science https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl4881 Sabine Winters interviewed me for her podcast Scientific Imagination: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7i2gCNFPQ82u5EeD9Tzrol?si=7VvmCWVOTNerEz-75zjP7w&dd=1 I published my first article as an independent researcher. It is about my vision on the climate crisis, and you can read it here: https://futurebased.org/topics/earthucation-using-interdisciplinary-philosophy-education-and-science-communication-to-understand-the-climate-crisis/ This is the Dutch column I refer to in the episode: https://www.bnnvara.nl/joop/artikelen/is-een-vervroegd-pensioen-de-oplossing-voor-de-klimaatcrisis This is an independent educational podcast. I hope you enjoy the episode! Mario http://lifefromplatoscave.com/ I'd love to hear your questions or comments: Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifeplatoscave Insta: https://www.instagram.com/lifefromplatoscave/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifefromplatoscave Illustration © by Julien Penning, Light One Art: https://www.instagram.com/light_one_art/
Becky Ripley and Emily Knight ask whether giving legal rights to things like rivers and forests changes how we think about the world that lives around us.The Whanganui River, in New Zealand, is a legal person in the eyes of the law. It is legally defined as a living whole, from the mountains to the sea, and two local Maori tribe members speak on its behalf as its legal representatives. Other nations have had similar thinking: the Amazon rainforest in Columbia, one of the Great Lakes in the US, and the River Ganges in India all have legal personhood, as does land in Ecuador and Bolivia, where Mother Earth is recognised as a legal person. Assigning personhood to non-human things is not a new idea. Since the late 1800s, corporations have been granted legal personhood, giving them the rights to hold property, enter into contracts, and to sue or be sued. Then in 1972, Christopher Stone, himself a Professor of Law, published the essay ‘Should Trees Have Standing?', arguing that if corporations can have personhood, why can't natural entities?Does the act of doing this reframe our relationship to the natural world, as something which lives not just for us, but alongside us in its own right? And as the law extents rights to nature, does that - in turn - extend our empathy towards the more-than-human world? Featuring Dr Rāwiri Tinirau, advisor on Māori and Indigenous human rights, and Anna Grear, Professor of Law and Theory at Cardiff University and founder of the Journal of Human Rights and the Environment. Produced and presented by Emily Knight and Becky Ripley.
447 - Dancing Bubbles of Regenerative Learning - Julie Crocker and Samuel Mann chat in the tree nursery on Pīwakawaka Farm, the Learning Environment, on the banks of the Whanganui River. This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - oar.org.nz
In this episode, Michael speaks with Julia Talbot-Jones, Senior Lecture in the School of Government at the University of Wellington. Julia studies how institutions solve environmental and natural resource problems, with a particular focus on rights of nature approaches. Julia collaborates with Erin O'Donnell, who is a previous guest on the podcast and has also written on this topic. The formal rights of nature approach is ideally meant to instill into our laws a more intrinsic value in our treatment of the environment, rather than only viewing it instrumentally. Julia has studied maybe the most famous case of formalized rights to nature, this being the Whanganui River, Aotearoa New Zealand. This has been used as the basis for other rights of river approaches in other countries, but Julia cautions against the application of formal rules without local cultural and context, which cannot be so easily copied. Julia's website: https://people.wgtn.ac.nz/julia.talbotjones References: O'Donnell, E. L., and J. Talbot-Jones. 2018. Creating legal rights for rivers. Ecology and Society. Talbot-Jones, J. 2017. The Institutional Economics of Granting a River Legal Standing. PhD Dissertation. The Australian National University. Talbot-Jones, J., and J. Bennett. 2019. Toward a property rights theory of legal rights for rivers. Ecological economics: the journal of the International Society for Ecological Economics 164:106352. Talbot-Jones, J., and J. Bennett. 2022. Implementing bottom-up governance through granting legal rights to rivers: a case study of the Whanganui River, Aotearoa New Zealand. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management 29(1):64–80.
A big weekend ahead for boat enthusiasts and history buffs. Whanganui is kicking off its Heritage Month with a river boat festival tomorrow. It is likely to be the biggest river boat festival ever held on the Whanganui River. Event founder Helen Craig talks to Jesse.
Matthew Jackson is serial entrepreneur from Aotearoa New Zealand (LinkedIn, Twitter, Personal Website). He is currently Founder and Commercial Director of Alimentary Systems, "a circular way to treat multiple & seasonal organic waste streams, that creates renewable energy. With an positive economic payback in 8 years."Matthew and I are both Edmund Hillary Fellows ('EHF'), a network for incubating solutions to global problems from Aotearoa New Zealand.Matthew starts with his Pepeha, "a way of introducing yourself in Māori. It tells people who you are by sharing your connections with the people and places that are important to you." Matthew gives his at 1:23 and explains a little more at 1:37.There's a deep background on why a non-Māori (or 'Pākehā') Kiwi like Matthew wants to give a Māori introduction. The short version is that many in Aotearoa New Zealand are trying to engage with the history of how the British entered the country. Key in this is a founding agreement, the Treaty of Waitangi, which has Māori and Pākehā in partnership. While for a longtime the Treaty was ignored, there has been a shift in recent times back towards partnership, or 'biculturalism'. Speaking your Pepeha at the start of a conversation is a way of supporting a bicultural nation, and addressing the colonial past.Themes of our conversation: -Respectfully having a relationship with indigenous knowledge, and using that wisely for a better world. -We are in a profound crisis because of how we have treated the natural world, which is deeply interrelated to how we treat each other, especially colonialism.-Accessing our common humanity through being vulnerable with each other is part of the way forward.We spoke at the end of March 2022. I had just had a period of illness, where I had lost 3kg in 3 days. This gets a small reference at 9:10. (Don't worry, it was a passing food poisoning and I soon put that weight back on!)LinksKaitiakitanga -- 'guardianship' hereTe Awa Tupua -- mentioned at 14:30, it recognises "the special relationship between the Whanganui River and Whanganui iwi. It also provided for the river's long-term protection and restoration by making it a person in the eyes of the law."Timings0:50 - Q1 What are you doing now? And how did you get there?15:38 - Q2. What is the future you are trying to create, and why?Q3. What are your priorities for the next few years, and why?34:29 - Q4. If someone was inspired to follow those priorities, what should they do next?41:24 - Q5. If your younger self was starting their career now, what advice would you give them?Q6. Who would you nominate to answer these questions, because you admire their approach?42:50 - Q7. Is there anything else important you feel you have to say?You can read quotes from the episode here.Twitter: Powerful_TimesWebsite hub: here.Please do like and subscribe, to help others find the podcast.Thank you for listening! -- David
A crowd of locals have given a behind the scenes look at Whanganui Port, ahead of its planned $50 million revamp. It's the first community-led management project since the Whanganui River gained legal status as Te Awa Tupua. Our Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.
Tom Oskam has built mountain bike trails in Australia and Canada and has returned to his family land on the Whanganui River to create tracks through the regenerating forest. The old woolshed is now used for fixing up bikes, the sheep dip's a shower and the former stockyards under the trees are a pleasant spot for MTB enthusiasts to cool down after a day on the trails.
Andy and his friends are going to canoe the Whanganui River, and we get talking about drinks that are purposely salted to quench thirst.LISTEN ABOVE
If corporations can be legal persons, why can't Mother Earth? In 2017, New Zealand granted the Whanganui River the full legal rights of a person. India granted full legal rights to the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, and recognized that the Himalayan Glaciers have a right to exist. In 2019, the city of Toledo passed the Lake Erie Bill of Rights with 61 percent of the vote, but then a year later, a federal judge struck it down. As Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, an attorney who represented Lake Erie, explains, the problem stems from a 500-year history of Western property law. Our legal system grants rights to property owners, but not to property itself. “If we're treating ecosystems as property, then ultimately, we as property owners have the right to destroy our property and that fundamentally has to change,” Schromen-Wawrin says. Rebecca Tsosie, a law professor focused on Federal Indian law and Indigenous peoples' human rights, says there are other rights frameworks to consider. “If we go into Indigenous epistemology, many times it's a relational universe that comes with mutual responsibility.” Guests: Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, attorney, formerly with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund Rebecca Tsosie, Regents Professor of Law at the University of Arizona; Co-Chair, Indigenous Peoples' Law and Policy Program Carol Van Strum, author of A Bitter Fog, activist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If corporations can be legal persons, why can't Mother Earth? In 2017, New Zealand granted the Whanganui River the full legal rights of a person. India granted full legal rights to the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, and recognized that the Himalayan Glaciers have a right to exist. In 2019, the city of Toledo passed the Lake Erie Bill of Rights with 61 percent of the vote, but then a year later, a federal judge struck it down. As Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, an attorney who represented Lake Erie, explains, the problem stems from a 500-year history of Western property law. Our legal system grants rights to property owners, but not to property itself. “If we're treating ecosystems as property, then ultimately, we as property owners have the right to destroy our property and that fundamentally has to change,” Schromen-Wawrin says. Rebecca Tsosie, a law professor focused on Federal Indian law and Indigenous peoples' human rights, says there are other rights frameworks to consider. “If we go into Indigenous epistemology, many times it's a relational universe that comes with mutual responsibility.” Guests: Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, attorney, formerly with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund Rebecca Tsosie, Regents Professor of Law at the University of Arizona; Co-Chair, Indigenous Peoples' Law and Policy Program Carol Van Strum, author of A Bitter Fog, activist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If corporations can be legal persons, why can't Mother Earth? In 2017, New Zealand granted the Whanganui River the full legal rights of a person. India granted full legal rights to the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, and recognized that the Himalayan Glaciers have a right to exist. In 2019, the city of Toledo passed the Lake Erie Bill of Rights with 61 percent of the vote, but then a year later, a federal judge struck it down. As Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, an attorney who represented Lake Erie, explains, the problem stems from a 500-year history of Western property law. Our legal system grants rights to property owners, but not to property itself. “If we're treating ecosystems as property, then ultimately, we as property owners have the right to destroy our property and that fundamentally has to change,” Schromen-Wawrin says. Rebecca Tsosie, a law professor focused on Federal Indian law and Indigenous peoples' human rights, says there are other rights frameworks to consider. “If we go into Indigenous epistemology, many times it's a relational universe that comes with mutual responsibility.” Guests: Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, attorney, formerly with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund Rebecca Tsosie, Regents Professor of Law at the University of Arizona; Co-Chair, Indigenous Peoples' Law and Policy Program Carol Van Strum, author of A Bitter Fog, activist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this month's episode, Bryan Gibson talks to 2015 Nuffield Scholar Dan Steele.Dan runs Blue Duck Station on the Whanganui River, with his wife Sandy, kids Blue, Snow, Forest, River, and the Blue Duck Team.Farming non-intensive sheep and beef, Dan has diversified to also offer tourist accommodation, hunting experiences, and manuka honey.Dan believes there's plenty of room for us to improve the way we protect and capitalise on our unique place in the world.
If corporations can be legal persons, why can’t Mother Earth? In 2017, New Zealand granted the Whanganui River the full legal rights of a person. India also recently granted full legal rights to the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, and recognized that the Himalayan Glaciers have a right to exist. In 2019, the city of Toledo passed the Lake Erie Bill of Rights with 61 percent of the vote, but then a year later, a federal judge struck it down. As Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, an attorney who represented Lake Erie, explains, the problem stems from a 500-year history of Western property law. Our legal system grants rights to property owners, but not to property itself. “If we’re treating ecosystems as property, then ultimately, we as property owners have the right to destroy our property and that fundamentally has to change,” Schromen-Wawrin says. Rebecca Tsosie, a law professor focused on Federal Indian law and Indigenous peoples’ human rights, says there are other rights frameworks to consider. “If we go into Indigenous epistemology, many times it’s a relational universe that comes with mutual responsibility.” Guests: Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, attorney at Shearwater Law, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund Rebecca Tsosie, Regents Professor of Law at the University of Arizona, Indigenous Peoples’ Law and Policy Program Carol Van Strum, author of A Bitter Fog, activist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If corporations can be legal persons, why can’t Mother Earth? In 2017, New Zealand granted the Whanganui River the full legal rights of a person. India also recently granted full legal rights to the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, and recognized that the Himalayan Glaciers have a right to exist. In 2019, the city of Toledo passed the Lake Erie Bill of Rights with 61 percent of the vote, but then a year later, a federal judge struck it down. As Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, an attorney who represented Lake Erie, explains, the problem stems from a 500-year history of Western property law. Our legal system grants rights to property owners, but not to property itself. “If we’re treating ecosystems as property, then ultimately, we as property owners have the right to destroy our property and that fundamentally has to change,” Schromen-Wawrin says. Rebecca Tsosie, a law professor focused on Federal Indian law and Indigenous peoples’ human rights, says there are other rights frameworks to consider. “If we go into Indigenous epistemology, many times it’s a relational universe that comes with mutual responsibility.” Guests: Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, attorney at Shearwater Law, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund Rebecca Tsosie, Regents Professor of Law at the University of Arizona, Indigenous Peoples’ Law and Policy Program Carol Van Strum, author of A Bitter Fog, activist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If corporations can be legal persons, why can't Mother Earth? In 2017, New Zealand granted the Whanganui River the full legal rights of a person. India also recently granted full legal rights to the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, and recognized that the Himalayan Glaciers have a right to exist. In 2019, the city of Toledo passed the Lake Erie Bill of Rights with 61 percent of the vote, but then a year later, a federal judge struck it down. As Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, an attorney who represented Lake Erie, explains, the problem stems from a 500-year history of Western property law. Our legal system grants rights to property owners, but not to property itself. “If we're treating ecosystems as property, then ultimately, we as property owners have the right to destroy our property and that fundamentally has to change,” Schromen-Wawrin says. Rebecca Tsosie, a law professor focused on Federal Indian law and Indigenous peoples' human rights, says there are other rights frameworks to consider. “If we go into Indigenous epistemology, many times it's a relational universe that comes with mutual responsibility.” Guests: Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, attorney at Shearwater Law, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund Rebecca Tsosie, Regents Professor of Law at the University of Arizona, Indigenous Peoples' Law and Policy Program Carol Van Strum, author of A Bitter Fog, activist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It had long been on my wish list to grasp a flavour of one of our most evocative rivers, carving its way through the heart of the North Island. The mighty Whanganui, New Zealand's longest navigable river, stretching for 290km from its genesis as an alpine stream on the slopes of Mount Tongariro. My first foray with the awa began by following its lower reaches, from Whanganui to Pīpīriki on the winding trail of the Whanganui River Road. It’s an intimate, authentic and picturesque 64km-long riverside romp that feels charmingly removed, aloof – even defiant to the bustle of modern life, where small river communities steadfastly beat to their own pace, while honouring their natural and cultural heritage. With the visual panorama of the Whanganui National Park enrobing you, there’s no other riverside scenic driving route in New Zealand quite like it. It took 30 years to construct and finally opened in 1934.An early frisson is driving over the crest of the hill from Upokongaro to be greeted by the Aramoana Viewpoint, serving up ravishing views of the grandeur of the river valley, the fiord-like march of the river, and Mt. Ruapehu, gleaming on the eastern horizon. You’ll pass by a multitude of Whanganui River marae starting at cute-as-a-button Pungarehu, where the whare tupuna was built in 1905 and houses one of the last historical waka used on the river. I shimmied by Oyster Cliffs, an aptly captivating name for the sheer cliffs that dramatically rise up from the road. They are layers of fossilised oyster shells, as the region was once seabed that’s been uplifted. Before long, I arrived at my riverside roost for the night, the Flying Fox Retreat. No accommodation experience that I’m aware of cuts such a striking first impression, quite like this place. After entering the driveway to park the car on the eastern banks of the river, your means of access to the retreat is by suspended cable car, strung across the river. Sound the gong and the cable car soon whisks across to meet you. Being hoisted across the moody waters, with my luggage in toe, is quite the opening act! Exceptionally hosted by Jane and Kelly, they took over the retreat five years ago, after it was originally established as an accommodation venture by the former Whanganui Mayor, Annette Main. Quirky, eccentric and rustic, there’s also a touch of the storybook to this whimsical retreat, wrapped in such a splendidly primeval setting. Gnarly chimneyed cottages are perched high on the riverbank, nestled by a mini-forest of fruit trees, groaning with avocados, figs and apples. Perky hens free-range the orchard, while Jane’s magnificent home-baking wafts on the breeze. I half expected to spot some forest goblins on the curving paths through the bush to the river.There are some venerable old buildings on-site, including the century-old Koroniti post office and the grand old homestead, where Jane and Kelly served up a hearty home-cooked dinner of wild venison. My fellow guests for the night were a vivacious group of women who were undertaking the Mountains to Sea Cycle Trail. The retreat is also popular with canoeists, whether it’s to drop in for the day or overnight. Jane and Kelly offer a variety of packages to incorporate those outdoorsy pursuits. There’s also a handy on-site shop selling food, treats, preserves, produce and the couple's artwork; Kelly paints, sculpts and carves while Jane felts and is a photographer. Do they ever rest in their oasis? The Flying Fox offers a variety of accommodation options, but it’s the three self-contained cottages that are prize draws, hand-built from reclaimed materials and comfortably furnished with carefully restored and upcycled items.I stayed in the Riverboat Cottage, which was originally conceived by the previous owner as a place to brew manuka beer. The cottage has now been recast to honour the venerable river boats that previously plied these waters, as a lifeline to the river valley. The cottage walls are lined with...
Episode 115: Chris Jeffords is an Associate Professor of Economics at IUP in Indiana, PA (US). His research focuses on the intersection of environmental and natural resource economics, environmental rights (both of humans and of nature), and (constitutional) law and economics. His solo and co-authored interdisciplinary research has appeared in multiple outlets including Kyklos, Empirical Economics, Global Environmental Politics, Journal of Environment and Development, Review of Social Economy, and Journal of Human Rights and the Environment. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jeffords-8a1a78132/ https://chrisjeffords.weebly.com/ Procedural Environmental Rights: https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/full/10.1162/GLEP_a_00445 Substantive Environmental Rights and Environmental Outcomes: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/kykl.12112 Working Paper on Substantive Environmental Rights and Sustainable Development Outcomes https://chrisjeffords.weebly.com/job-market-paper.html "Water rights and human rights: The poor will not need our charity if we need their water" http://ssrn.com/abstract=1549570 https://kysq.org/aguanomics/2010/12/gasland-the-review/ Whanganui river https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whanganui_River
Painter Peter McIntyre is best remembered for his work as New Zealand's official war artist during the Second World War, but a new exhibition takes us into the heart of the Central North Island rural community he loved. Kakahi lies 10 kilometres up the Whanganui River from Taumarunui and has changed little since Peter and his family first stayed there back in the 1960s. Peter painted many images of the village's people, marae and landscapes over decades until his death in 1995. Now the New Zealand Portrait Gallery is bringing together 21 of Peter's paintings and 22 photographs taken in Kakahi by his daughter Sara who moved there permanently in 2010. Sara tells Lynn Freeman why Peter felt deeply content at Kakahi. The exhibition Kakahi: Peter and Sara McIntyre opens on the 25th of February at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery in Wellington.
The Blissful Hiker completes the "thru-canoe" section of the Te Araroa on the Whanganui River, and meets "Guardian" Trail Angels before she returns to the Tasman Sea.In this episode:Blissful and her paddle partner Andrew leave Hipango Park for one final day on the winding chocolate-colored Whanganui River toward the Holiday Park and a short walk to town.On her own, Blissful heads to meet a trail angel named George who offers a room for the night. His partner Rob shares a whakatau, a Maori greeting. After a big Kiwi-style English braeakfast, George starts the trail with Blissful. It's road-walk all the way to Koitiata and there's no such thing as "share the road" in New Zealand. She picks up a lolly cake at Turakina Antiques and is invited by a trail angel for a snack and conversation before meeting the Tasman Sea again after 50 days of walking. The sunset is glorious and Blissful has it all to herself, but knows she is not entirely alone because people are looking out for her. MUSIC: Impresiones de la Puna by Alberto Ginastera as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, pianoSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/blissfulhiker)
The Blissful Hiker continues the section of the Te Araroa on the Whanganui River, learning that aiming your canoe – and life – straight into the V of rapids can give you a renewed sense of power and agency. In this episode:Blissful heads into the rapids on the Whanganui and her partner Andrew teaches her to ignore her intuition and head straight into the bubbling caldron – and never stop paddling. They lean in, knees against the gunwales, thwacking and bumping through as the water drenches them in a kind of baptism. Andrew empties 26 gallons of water, then another 15 in the next set, but they never tip. They stay all alone at the the quirky Flying Fox Retreat with some loud birds. There's no more rapids and it's a long, soggy day to Hipango Park where they camp high up on a bluff. Blissful realizes she may never see Andrew again after this shared journey, but thinks if this lovely partner can show up out of nowhere, so can others. MUSIC: Impresiones de la Puna by Alberto Ginastera as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, pianoSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/blissfulhiker)
I was scheduled for a final year interview but at the very last minute - it didn't happen, so this is an adlib broadcast which asks us to become mindful of that which surrounds us and to become conscious of the force that sustains our being. In today's broadcast I remind us that: Earth. A biosphere.A complex - subtly balancedLife - support - system. Et turtur nidum,Ubi reponat pullos suosAltaria tua Domine virtutum,Rex meus, et Deus meus (You will understand the above when you listen to the broadcast.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfHXfy9Fs5E Greetings to you all, from GreenplanetFM.com here in Nuclear Free New Zealand - and nearly GE & GMO Free NZ* - situated little over over 2000, kilometres from Australia in the South West Pacific Ocean and only 2.600 kilometres from the South Pole and the last major country to be colonised as well. So here we are in many ways isolated from the rest of our global kin. And what a year it was - and note … There is so much possibility … even in these tumultuous times and believe me - we can initiate conscious change and this opportunity is going to unfold all through this decade starting in early 2021 next year - that we are a global family awakening into being - but I am getting ahead of myself. So Kia ora and a warm hello to you dear breathers of the one breath that envelops our magnificent biosphere and home planet - mother earth - our great sustainer … Trusting that I find you warmly inner resourced, that at heart you are able to feel grounded and still. Being able to remain focussed yet fluid in your response to the winds of change buffeting the collective consciousness of the 7.8 billion of humanity - sharing the invisible breath at this moment. 2020 - sure has brought our perspective and vision into focus as humanity dealing with fragmentation and disfunction to realise the imperative that we have to come together as a species and a global family - because looking in at the earth from outer space - that is how we are being seen. We have to raise the platform of our viewpoint like that of the astronauts who journeyed to the moon 50 years ago. Remember what they said - we live on a floating blue and white pearl surrounded by the so-called emptiness of space. It’s home for us all. So every morning as our planet turns and the suns rays kiss the faces of us emerging from our sleep to engage in our daily tasks - as Mothers engage in caring for their babies and children and fathers go out working to bring in the cash for another day - (sorry about the stereotype) we must ask that there has to be something better for children for today and tomorrow - as we learn that every breath we take comes from the plankton of our oceans and trees and forests and grasslands of the vegetable kingdom of our biosphere. We also have to be grateful that it’s our planet that lends us bodies in which to live. This is so profound that Mother earth lends us our body, yes … and it’s our planet that lends us free air to breathe and free rainwater to drink and until recently a free food chain in which to eat and nourish our being … That we are taking in the three elements of air, water and the earth in the form of minerals - that there is also the 4th element and that is that of fire - and the sun which our planet orbits annually has another name - the Latin word - Sol - so there is an extension of light and fullness that shines 24/7/365 for millennia and eons - thus showing us that there is so much majesty in this world - that we have found ourselves surrounded in literally a garden paradise that to some remind us of a long distant mystery and story that we were once in another garden - one that was absent of anything that was not positive, optimistic of light and love … So in recognising ourselves - we are one species of many colours, creeds & cultures that for millennia has slowly evolved from tribalism to city states, to nations and empires … and now we are in need of both a change of heart to unity consciousness to jump the divide and realise that we are all intrinsically connected - as a planetary species. However … that to be conditioned and homogenised by the present global institutions (MSM) into the same swamp of sameness is not the answer to a free spirit. Remember we in Aotearoa NZ we used to have an educational system that encourages us to ask questions, and to be curious, to wonder. This goes back to the earlier times because NZ is an extension of the British education system which in many ways itself was founded on ancient Greek thought and knowledge, and I wish to focus here for a moment as I had the good fortune to go to Greece last year. Ancient Greece For such a small gene pool, the Greeks made very important contributions to life, especially philosophy, because Greek philosophers were "seekers and lovers of wisdom". They studied and analyzed the world around them using logic and reason. Although we often think of philosophy as religion or "the meaning of life", the Greek philosophers were also scientists, they studied the makeup of both nature and matter. They were also adept at mathematics and physics; they brought us the word atom - plus geometry, astronomy, and medicine, extending into anatomy, athletics and of course the Olympic Games . ... The Greeks were known for their drama and plays in their amphitheatres as well as sophisticated sculpture and architecture as well. More so, it was the birthplace of Democracy - and yes, they had slaves as well. Possibly one third of the population were slaves. The Greek culture influenced the Roman Empire and many other civilizations, and it continues to influence modern cultures even today. Note that the Greeks did not descend into the Roman darkness of humans killing humans in the Coliseum. Aotearoan NZ Maori However one of my main reasons for going to Greece, which was my third time, was that I have been a student of our living planet for 38 years, and it was the early Greeks who understood this - and they called her Gaia, the Earth mother - that’s over two and half thousand years ago and I wanted to see if their understanding, was similar to the Aotearoa New Zealand Maori - who here in this country have a very sacred connection to the earth - calling her - Papatuanuku. Recently, they have successfully engaged and secured the NZ Government to recognise a river, the Whanganui River (awa) as being a living entity that is embedded in the landscape of this country. Having a catchment area of 7,308 square kilometres. Furthermore, Maori have also worked with the New Zealand Government to have them bequeath, due to its geographical isolation Te Urewera of Tuhoi, the regional tribe or iwi - a national park that is essentially all forest that covers 2,127 square kilometres in size. Bestowing on this land to be a legal entity that has the rights, powers, duties and liabilities of a legal person. These are world firsts … Having lived near on 72 years of my life in New Zealand - hanging out on the underside of the curvature of our planet, and spending 17 years as Air NZ flight crew flying from the Southern Hemisphere up over the equator into the northern Hemisphere - I had also spent time with Dr Elisabet Sahtouris - who is a geo biologist (among many of her other scientific attributes) and she has studied our planet as a super organism - but I have also had the good fortune to interview Dr James Lovelock - a polymath, who through his research with NASA, the US Space Program - gave us a hypothesis that is now a theory - that our planet is a colossal living superorganism. That, in so many ways, has birthed life and as the ancient Greeks say - “from her - all things have issued.” And so I landed in Athens and set out walking to breathe in the magnificence of this ancient city and see the ordered splendour that they endowed to their civilisation. Yet, with one thing ticking over in my being - how did they come to an understanding that our planet was a living being? Then it hit me … A cat has kittens, a dog has puppies, a cow has a calf, a sheep has a lamb and a goat has a kid. Also, a bear has a cub and a horse has a foal … and they all come from a Mother. Then when I looked around me - in the street - I saw all of these people - men, and women, elderly, and teenagers and children - and they too - all came from a mother … so then the Greeks must have looked at their navel and their belly button and remembered that this is where they were connected to their mother, their grandmother and great grandmother …and in their mind traced back through the family tree and finally they must have deduced that in the mists of time - somehow, somewhere - their bodies must have come from mother earth - because - as in the introduction of this program I mentioned that we are made of the 3 main elements with the sun representing fire to show the four forces of nature. Now when I relate this to the Aotearoan Maori - a great many of them revere Papatuanuku. Quite astounding really - because when in their company all I have to do is mention Papatuanuku in a context of food, water, wind, fish whatever - I manage to get their focussed attention and a wonderful conversation ensues. And to anyone who understands Maori Lore - the belly button and umbilical cord to them is one of the most sacred connections they have back to source. They call it Whakapapa. Maori who have an oral language - have another unique way of singing their connection to source and so they sing their lineage - or bloodline to their babies - pe`pi and children, tamariki - that by the time the baby is 4 or 5 they know their lineage perfectly - completely and this takes them back via the 7 canoes, their waka that they sailed a thousand years ago - from Hawaiki - their mystical departure place within the Pacific ocean - (moana) and at a very basic level - they have a greater sense of belonging and a connection to a/the source. So this was part of my journey into Greece. I also visited Delphi - where the oracle was a very significant part of how the Greeks divined the future - This is where the rounded temple of Athena sat with the rectangular temple of Apollo. Two very different structures. Also, Delphi is known as the navel of the world - the navel of Gaia, such were the clairvoyants of that day able to see clearly - and for a certain amount of time - they nearly brought about a golden age - one that talks of Pericles and Athens. Also over a very small aperture of time so many great beings incarnated into the small Greek landmass that also straddled Western Turkey where the splendour of the 2nd Acropolis only to Athens was built at Pergamon during the Hellenic period and just 170 kilometres further south is the ruins of the once majestic splendour of Ephesus and one of the 7 Wonders of the World - the Temple of Artemis and the Sacred Feminine. Note the ancients knew about subtle energy. Our planet has energy lines and nodal points just like with acupuncture meridians. The British called them Ley Lines - Stonehenge, Glastonbury, the Great Pyramids of Egypt and many Cathedrals of Europe are situated along these Universal Lines of Invisible Force. They are in all countries, here in NZ too, right in Auckland. I would like to finish this little Greek, Maori discourse by mentioning Pythagoras one of the more mystical philosophers of ancient times when it is purported that when we sit really still and are in a quiet meditative state - we can hear the music of the spheres and the planets all spinning. For it was he who originally intuited that our planet was round. That some planets are larger than others - and all spin and hum to a series of musical notes - and thus when sitting and listening to all these planets are part of a musical sound system - a symphony if you will … that we still today are not aware of. We are beings of this planet awakening to a higher consciousness So here we are today living on our magnificent turning, living world atlas - of 4 seasons - that every 6 months tilts away from the sun until 182 days later - incomprehensibly turn back to another season of warmth and light - all in ordered splendour - whilst below on the planet floor and at sea level, the vegetable, animal and human kingdoms draw sustenance from the 4 elements of earth, water, air and fire that keeps all species proliferating whilst hidden within the web of life, our planet’s mysterious temperature thermostat embed in the atmosphere and connected to countless other physical conditions keeps this giant super organism in stasis - and balance - enabling all life to magnificently stay homeostatically alive in relationship to a tightly coupled sublime - life support system. So yes … we have to reconfigure our consciousness - our awareness of who we are … for there is a saying that the purpose for existence is to find out the purpose for existence … as to who we are - and that we are spiritual beings having an earth experience - here to fulfill our need to live gracefully as a global family awakening to our unknown potential, whilst in a world that is heaving in anxiety and un-fulfillment. The Awakening Earth This is our time and our incarnation to divine who we are and look within - knowing that we are surrounded in all 6 directions by infinity, coiling with suns through deep dimensions of time. It’s also our time to storm the inner self and recognise that we have been like dormant seeds nested under the ground and being like Gods of limitation, awaiting a new metaphor for ascension and to now burst out of our dark cocoon of unknowingness into the sunlight of a totally new day. Even more so - to ignite our innermost expression as embryo Gods and realise that every baby born into this realm is an energy bundle of exponential potential and love. If there is one thing that we’ve learned from global mainstream media is we’ve been conditioned and desensitised at the same time - being boxed into something like a self-limiting 6 sided cube or more precisely a rectangle - when at soul level we need to increase and extend our aura of consciousness that surrounds us all - to that of the fullness of an expanding sphere and see more degrees of arc and dimensionally as well … with 360 degrees of perspective in every direction, both horizontally and vertically. Pushing out the barriers. As we simultaneously - look deeply within as well. Sure - from our first breath in this lifetime we came in full of passion and imagination … our aim … extend the invisible envelope that surrounds our being … our auric field. But, that was for many of us during the last century - now we are realising that life for us is potent and full of possibilities … Now today, with instantaneous connection to nearly every human on earth we are only a moment away from a family smile and of a loved one - we are only a couple of degrees of separation and the way forward is to share the good and to spread that which will empower us as we realise our connection to 7.8 billion other possibilities - all endeavoring to find their way in life, where we can grow into the light of our own true self. https://www.ourplanet.org/original-site/gaia.html “Remember - when you were young … you shined like the sun - Shine on you crazy diamond …” Roger Waters of Pink Floyd when he once happily wrote ‘Wish you were here’ THAT YES, we do need to learn much, more about inner discipline and what that signifies and even more about loving our neighbour. Also, to remember our roots as sovereign beings yet realise that we are all neighbours and that goodwill has to flow over all borders in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration. One planet - one earth - from the grass roots up! ADDENDUM: You may wonder why there is no ‘recent’ emphasis on Climate Change and especially the so-called driver Global Warming on the front page of this web site. Well, originally when I started broadcasting in late 2003 I was very keen to be the Global Warming radio program for NZ. Those who remember will be aware that in 2006 icebergs could be seen from the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island, even from the hills around Christchurch. However, we have had no such increase in icebergs since then. https://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/11/25/iceberg.newzealand/index.html Yes - the glaciers in NZ’s Southern Alps are still receding and melting, the waters around the NZ coastline are warming especially in summer and as I always finish my hot shower with a cold shower every time I bathe - I notice especially this year that the water is not really cold but nearly lukewarm, because the water pipes that are in the ground coming to my home are showing that the ground is definitely warming. These three pointers are very serious. However, in this radio program, I call out that there are two other very problematic situations affecting the atmospheric envelope that surrounds our planet. These are geoengineering that includes solar radiation management, or SRM, ... SRM techniques include stratospheric aerosols, reflective ... composed of metallic aluminum, aluminum oxide and barium titanate and strontium. The other, is the use of electronic manipulation of the ionosphere by transmitting radio waves up into the atmosphere. It’s also called Weather wars and Frequency wars and also known as HAARP frequencies. The US is definitely doing this so are China and Russia. This is very serious - however you will never get Ecologists and Environmentalists to sit down and go through the science of what is happening with these two terrible technologies that have been forced upon us - the human species. As for academics and intellectuals in our universities - their job seems to come before any other moral or ethical considerations. https://www.geoengineeringwatch.org/ These two subjects are covered by this radio program and you can access them by looking at the ’slider’ on the front page. This state of affairs is a very sad and serious indictment by those in power and until ‘the swamp’ in the higher echelons of Governments globally, are collectively ‘drained’ - these deceitful and insidious acts will continue to the detriment of the biosphere, all biota and especially our children of today and tomorrow. I played this wonderful song: Lost in a Lost WorldThe Moody Blues Seventh Sojourn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80nUhHofw0U I woke up today, I was cryingLost in a lost world'Cause so many people are dyingLost in a lost worldSome of them are living an illusionBounded by the darkness of their mindsIn their eyes it's nation against nation, against nationWith racial pride sad hearts they hideThinking only of themselvesThey shun the light (Some of them shun the light)They think they're right (Some of them think they're right)Living in their empty shells (Some live in their empty shells)Oh, can you see their world is crashing? (So many people)Crashing down around their feet, angry people in the streetTelling them they've had their fill (So many people)Of politics that wound and kill (So many people)Grow the seeds of evolution (So many people)Revolution never won, it's just another form of gunTo do again what they have done (So many people)With all our brothers' youngest sons (So many people)Everywhere you go you'll see them searchingEverywhere you turn you'll feel the painEveryone is looking for the answerWell, look again, come on, my friendLove will find them in the endCome on, my friend, we've got to bendOn our knees and say a prayerOh, can you feel the world is pining? (So many people)Pining for someone who really cares enough to share his loveWith all of us, so we can be an ever loving family (So many people)Have we forgotten we're all children? (So many people)Children from a family tree that's longer than a centipedeStarted long ago when you and I were only love (So many people)I woke up today, I was cryingLost in a lost world'Cause so many people are dyingLost in a lost worldLost in a lost world(So many people, so many people)(People) Lost in a lost world(So many people, so many people)(People) Lost in a lost world Songwriters: Michael Pinder Wishing you a Merry Christmas and an empowering and fulfilling 2021 After this 1st half on the sacredness of our living planet, I then reviewed the last years radio interviews that went to air on GreenplanetFM.com The best quick synopsis of the interviews can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/c/OurPlanet/videos I then went on to mention the important issues that each interview covered, when I realised that if I gave each kernel an in depth insight that was expressed - all these together, would be so staggering for the listener to absorb that I instead ‘pulled my punches’ and - toned it down - so that for the first comer to the program to not be blown out with this information - solely because the ‘diluted’ MSM has not honestly educated the planetary public of the issues and challenges that we face. I wish to exhort and implore you to take some time out to play this below video. Because, what is happening is that the controllers of the City of London are endeavouring to lock down all of the disunited Kingdom as they see that Trump in America is slowly and methodically taking down the Deep State in Washington DC and it will not be long before he crosses the Atlantic and takes on the England and the EU - and drains the corruption there too. Check 27 minutes in and 40 minutes as well - but please take your valuable time to become savvy of the distortions that we are living around. https://www.ukcolumn.org/ukcolumn-news/uk-column-news-christmas-special-review-year I finished by calling All Crew of Spaceship Earth to ‘action stations.’ That we have to take care of the ships embedded operating systems like air conditioning, refrigeration, water and food producing facilities and that in the days and years ahead ‘Unity Consciousness’ is the only way we can take care of today and tomorrow. Meantime we at GreenplanetFM, wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and especially 2021 - because, we will have much to do to freely live as hearted centered beings - navigating time and space.
The Blissful Hiker begins the section of the Te Araroa on the Whanganui River, a body of water precious and deeply spiritual to the Maori.In this episode:Blissful begins paddling the Whanganui with her partner Andrew as captain, a young American exactly thirty years younger, who takes charge of steering.After a quick lesson, they're off mostly on placid water reflecting the clouds and cliffs dotted with waterfalls. At the John Coull Hut, she camps outside and watches rare pekapeka, short-tailed bats, the only endemic mammals to New Zealand.They take a break from paddling to visit the Bridge to Nowhere, built with high hopes o bring prosperity to the region, though no roads were ever built to it. The seven-year-old daughter, Maddy, welcomes them to Tieke Kainga, as the kaikaranga or caller in a powhiri to the Maori community, then gives her a pakohe , a healping stone, which Blissful carries on every hike thereafter. MUSIC: Impresiones de la Puna by Alberto Ginastera as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano***You can win a pair of Balega Socks! Like and share The Pee Rag on Facebook and you'll be automatically entered to win.***Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/blissfulhiker)
Dispatch from New Zealand: Maori Hakas, Sacred Rivers, and Jet-boat Evacuations. In this action-packed Dispatch episode, we join Ash in Aotearoa New Zealand's North Island. Ash tackles rapids, learns about Maori culture (including traditional navigational techniques) - and makes it back to the UK just before lockdown hit. Ash meets the captain of an ocean-going waka, who left the New Zealand Army to navigate oceans with just the stars, the weather, and the taste of the water. Then he canoes down the Whanganui River in the company of a man who teaches Maori heritage and history through a river journey. In this episode, discover: How the Maori people navigated to Aotearoa New Zealand from near the equator. The history wrapped up in Maori myth and legend. How the value of nature is communicated through metaphor. The historical importance and modern legacy of the Treaty of Waitangi. What the haka means. What European colonisation meant for indigenous peoples. Why the Whanganui River has the same legal status as a person. The geological representation of Maori familial connections. Links mentioned in this episode: New Zealand tourism board https://www.newzealand.com/uk/ Treaty of Waitangi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Waitangi Waitangi Treaty Grounds https://www.waitangi.org.nz The Bridge to Nowhere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_to_Nowhere_(New_Zealand) Whanganui River has the same legal status as a person https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/04/maori-river-in-new-zealand-is-a-legal-person/
The Blissful Hiker struggles with being a beginner at thru-hiking as she walks New Zealand's Te Araroa, but realizes that every step she takes brings her one step closer to being an expert. In this episode: Blissful leaves Ongarue in the North Island of New Zealand and walks toward Taumarunui, where she'll plan her canoe trip down the Whanganui River.She meets a Maori who shares sweet coffee and his philosophy, a mixture of matriarchal wisdom and Christianity and it tells her to "ask the mother for help." In town, the trail provides when she meets up with four hikers she likes who invite her to join them for the canoe trip after four days walking. It's an easy hike on country roads to the Whakapapa River where she spies two rare whio – or blue ducks – in the rapids, a good omen. The hike is along a mountain bike trail called the 42 Traverse, a sanctuary for kiwi and rare carnivorous plants.The trail cuts off for the Waione/Cokers Track, a muddy, deeply rutted trail where she meets a trapper who takes her on the ride of her life through bush on a 4X4.MUSIC: The music in this episode is Argentine composer Angel Lasala's Poema del Pastor Coya and Carlos Guastavino's Allegro as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, pianoSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/blissfulhiker)
The Whanganui River in New Zealand is the first river in the world to be granted the status of a legal person. But what does that really mean?In this episode, Andy talks with Jonny about the short documentary he produced on the Whanganui River, called Ko Au Te Awa (I Am The River). The film explores the concept of legal personhood from a Māori worldview.When the legislation passed in 2017 there was a lot of confusion around how a river could be seen as a living entity. In this conversation, we talk about how legal personhood isn't a Māori concept at all, the 150-year struggle by iwi to have their relationship to the river recognised at law, and what this potentially means for the health and conservation of the river going forward.//EPISODE EXTRAS//Watch the documentary Ko Au Te Awa here.Follow Jonathan on Instagram.//SUPPORT THE WILD PODCAST//If you like what we do, please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon.We've set it up so you can choose from:1. The cost of staying in a backcountry hut in New Zealand2. The cost of staying in a serviced hutWe thought that was cool because our goal with every episode is to transport you from wherever you are into the outdoors.Your support helps us to cover our costs and keep bringing you stories of explorers, adventure, and the great outdoors.You can also support the show by leaving a five-star rating and/or a short review on iTunes.Thanks heaps,-- Andy & Jonnywww.thewildpodcast.comThe Wild Podcast is produced by The Content Lab, content marketing, copywriting, and brand storytelling services for New Zealand businesses that want to build audiences and authority online. Visit contentlab.co.nz
Rihanna Flaherty got into travelling after university. Though her degree wasn’t something she used to travel. She actually fell in love twice. Once with the country of New Zealand itself—she eventually convinced a friend to...
Niki says that most New Zealanders across a whole range of political opinions think that this is a significant problem and that we actually do not have enough clean drinking water in this country. This statement is correct - in clean green NZ (hold your nose) she says there is an actual lack of good quality drinking water - and that local councils are having difficulty in providing fresh water for their communities. Plus, there is the added issue around plastic waste and these plants produce billions of plastic bottles over the lifetime of their operations. She says it is a huge issue for everyone across the country. That there is a range of issues: Councils across NZ don't have a lot of money to remedy this situation. A lot of Council water bores are from shallow groundwater. To get higher quality water you have to drill deeper and that is an extra cost. Nitrates, detrimental to health, that have dissolved in the water - cannot be filtered out. Some Councils take water closer to the surface and treat it and the condition of the surface water determines the treatment it requires. This is a growing issue especially in Canterbury into Christchurch - but the big issue is nitrates in shallow groundwater - and that these cannot be treated. This is an increasing looming issue right across New Zealand. Putting chlorine in the water supply to deal with viral bacteria etc is one thing but dealing with nitrates is a far more complex challenge. Being due to intensive farming over decades. That we will have nitrates passing down through the soil and they will continue like this for decades - so it is a problem that we cannot get rid of quickly. Water Going Off Shore. Niki says her concern is that water bottlers are coming into NZ and taking away our very best water, our cleanest water, our deepest water. Thus local communities are having to fork out a lot of money to 'treat' their water and potentially not be able to get healthy, clean, nitrate free water. Especially into the future and she says we have to think of the future because these bottling companies are being granted 'consents' for 30 years (because they want continuity of supply) as they are putting in massive infrastructure and they need that security - but it appears that no one is looking ahead 30 years - to the state of the groundwater, community supply or basically anything at the moment and essentially there are no controls and no thinking of future generations ... Tim asked - who are making these decisions in NZ? Who is allowing these water agreements to happen - especially when the community is kept in the dark? She says it is an interesting/complicated state of affairs, we have quite a few small water bottling plants and they do not produce a lot at the moment - but we are now having some larger companies coming into NZ. Listen - this gets interesting ... These corporations have been coming into NZ and talking with Government Ministers directly, such as NZ Trade and Enterprise - and supporting NZers who want to sell their land to overseas investors who want to bottle water and these Govt representatives have acknowledged doing this through their emails. That NZ Trade and Enterprise - supports the sale of land. It has supported about 8 overseas enterprises over the years. The NZ Taxpayer is helping finance these industries It is supporting 6 at the moment and the NZ tax payers are actually supporting water bottling companies (Just like the Film Industry is supported by NZ tax payer dollars) Some overseas companies do need Overseas Investment Office consent. Listen how there’s a number of tiers - with high end solicitors being engaged at the top by the overseas entities and the cash strapped communities and Councils at the bottom. At present: That Aotearoa Water Authority is in court with a Creswell Company at the moment. Plus Otakiri, water bottling is taking 1.1million cubic meters from a deep water aquifer per year near Whakatane. Link. www.Loveandcare.nz That the NZTE brought the Chairman out to NZ so as to help him find the water he was wanting ... So Niki suggests we need an entire country wide review to make everything transparent. The NZTE's job is to help NZ businesses to Grow bigger, better, faster ... but it can also be a NZ business that can be ultimately owned by a foreign company. With the case of Cresswell NZ that wants to run the Whakatane venture as well as Cloud Ocean Water which is a NZ company which has just been taken to court by AWA Aotearoa Water Action, but ultimately it is overseas owned as well. However recently (possibly due to NZ Community pushback) the NZAT have given up actively promoting water bottling to foreign investors. But, they will help a NZ land owner with a large water consent - a water permit - to sell their land to a foreign investor. Who are these companies? There are Australian Companies that are ultimately owned in Japan. That is Frucor Suntory See: www.Frucorsuntory.com/brands-nz But the big ones Aotearoa Water Action are battling in court are from China. Tim asks - shouldn't NZers need to know who is taking our drinking water offshore? Niki says it is more than this. It’s to see what impacts are on our aquifers, future supplies, what about the plastic - what are the recycling facilities overseas? Because, NZ water is now packaged in plastic to go overseas. Are we basically exporting a plastic tsunami overseas? The amount of NZ drinking water that leaves this country annually is a tricky one she says. In 2017, 28 million litres were being exported every year. In 2017 domestic use was about 158 million litres (packaged in plastic bottles) Last year 118 million litres was exported.(See TVNZ) they did a documentary. Local Push Back Some years ago, Ashburton in the South Island was going to have a large water bottling venture that essentially was going to sell some land called Lot 9, which had a large 'water permit' attached to it that gave ‘free’ access to huge amounts of water - to an overseas entity, but when people heard about this there was such a 'huge organised and fired up pushback from both the local and the NZ community that it was not allowed to come into being. Lack of Local and Central Government Oversight. Listen - Councils have no duty of care to put out to the community an expression of interest by an overseas company wanting to buy land and ultimately a water source. Thus commercial undertakings of NZ strategic interests have yet to be set in Law to make sure that we do not lose valuable resources due to the public not knowing what is being bought and sold. There is no obligation by the Councils in NZ to let the Community know about important issues such as this. Note that if you have a water right to the land you buy and there is a huge aquifer underneath - there is no Law in NZ stating that you cannot suck it dry! There is no limit on the volume taken out. (Thanks to the NZ Government still remaining conscious) Water is part of the 'commons' and Councils and Government can not charge for it, that can only charge for the council infrastructure to pipe it from place to place. Listen - Niki is a very good communicator. Strategically the water bottlers are looking at aquifers close to ports. Like Cresswell NZ Ltd. Especially in Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty and there are 3 water bottling plants within a two kilometre radius. Also the Whakatane Council was actively promoting the bottling industry and used rate payer funds on marketing the good value of water bottling. Maori Perspective. Tim asks are Maori and Iwi not upset? She says there are some Maori involved in bottling. One in Murupara was slated to start but it was abandoned because the iwi found that they were not going to have control of the water consent. We have yet not grappled with Maori rights over fresh water as the sovereignty issue naturally has to be addressed. Will we have to take our water, back from the company if our need in the next 30 years become urgent? What is the deal? OverseasTrade Agreements Trade Agreements that the NZ Government have signed. What are the sticking points if we want to break such deals? What is the punishment etc if we renege on a Trade Agreement? The cultural side is also important. Maori are deeply embedded in Papatuanku - mother earth - they see rivers as living entities they are an extension of the Wairua - just like the Whanganui River has living entity status sanctified by the NZ Government and thus many Maori are offended in the gross commercialisation of what they see as sacred and an extension of their tribal land and indeed the tribe itself. Listen .... the Government is in some ways boxed in due to Trade Agreements - as well as land use - and they were not conscious further back in time to classify water and give it a special status in its own right. The Government and Councils do not grok rivers and land from a holistic perspective and due to linear thinking, were incapable of seeing the big picture - that in Maoris eyes, we are dealing with a living being and water for want of a better expression is an entity within Papatuanuku and is akin to 'her' life blood. Other Subjects covered. Canterbury water allocation for dairy farms - after a certain level of use is reached - then farmers need to then buy it. Via in this case a company called Hydro Trader. If you are in Canterbury and have a water consent to pump out water on your land. It keeps your land value high - even if you do not utilise it. 34 Billion Litres Per Year. There is 34 billion litres of water per year that has been consented - but at present only 118 million liters are being bottled so the bottlers are still only doing millions .... just know that the water bottle industry in NZ is according to Niki - is not regulated. That there are no specific rules around water bottling - (thank you NZ Parliamentarians.) They are not classified in the RMA Resource Management Act or in the Policy statement for Freshwater Management - We can now see how ratepayers become the meat in the sandwich. A Royal Commission Required. We in NZ need a Royal Commission to sort this out. But, not just by industry and lawyers - but also land holders, ecologists, water specialists and health professionals too. Niki says we need to look at it from a holistic standpoint. This is a word and a concept, though first used 100 years ago by ex Prime Minister of South Africa Jan Smuts - it is still too intellectually taxing for politicians of today. At present we are bottling water and shipping all these plastic bottles overseas - and leave this plastic for some other nation to clean up. We export our environmental costs, under the pretext that what we are selling is pure water - pumped out of the ground for free! Plastic bottles - in sun - lot's of micro plastics - children drinking from these bottles - health challenges etc Niki says she doesn't want to see NZ farms dotted with water bottling plants. Speaks out against privatisation of water - it has to remain public owned. There is presently a court case against Cloud Ocean Water, who are extracting here in NZ. This is a very important interview for all NZers - our adult bodies are composed of about 70& water, babies about 85% water. We need the best and highest purity for us all We have to find out how land owners can obtain water consents and what is the process. That once a plot of land has a water consent - it has it for life? Who is the person/ organisation who gives this consent to the landowner? Can this consent be overridden? How much does a water consent cost, if any? https://www.aotearoawateraction.org.nz/ https://www.facebook.com/aotearoawateraction/
Water-Want to see how water responds to thought, words, movies, animals, music, even a verbal question? This 2 minute video has examples of all of these. The images you will see are water's artistic response photographed in ice. If you want to know more about this or would like to buy my ebook, here's the link - https://www.vedaaustin.com/ Feel free to share https://www.spreaker.com/show/kennel-kelp-holistic-healing-hour Cited Article-https://theconversation.com/for-native-americans-a-river-is-more-than-a-person-it-is-also-a-sacred-place-85302 The government of New Zealand recently recognized the ancestral connection of the Maori people to their water. This past spring, the government passed the “Te Awa Tupua Whanganui River Claims Settlement Bill,” which provides “personhood” status to the Whanganui River, one of the largest rivers on the North Island of New Zealand. This river has come to be recognized as having “all the rights, powers, duties, and liabilities of a legal person” – something the Maori believed all along. The United States does not have such laws. This new lawsuit hopes to change that and give the Colorado River “personhood” status. Indigenous people would add, a river is more than a “person” – it is also a sacred place. This is an updated version of an article originally published on March 21, 2017.-https://theconversation.com/for-native-americans-a-river-is-more-than-a-person-it-is-also-a-sacred-place-85302 https://www.brighteon.com/c24b8555-46df-4378-bd09-5b8fdeb71661 https://www.brighteon.com/8e717472-54b1-443d-8a3a-6491ee1dc1a7 https://www.brighteon.com/471ec367-e548-47a1-8363-0721e65abe5d https://www.brighteon.com/c3c229da-e75b-495e-91b1-5cf8878900f1 https://www.brighteon.com/ee8daae7-5e02-4dc7-9d23-38b11c90e0f1 https://www.brighteon.com/1f2ec02d-5949-422f-a9b0-c6b34207304c https://www.brighteon.com/6010034659001 https://www.brighteon.com/6010029458001 https://mbsy.co/teachable/55445564 https://bhsales.myctfo.com/boost.html#c2 https://bhsales.vpweb.com http://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/pain-management/understanding/types-of-pain.php --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bhsales/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bhsales/support
India's commercial capital, Mumbai, is now the city worst-hit by the coronavirus. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of patients in need. Even money can't buy you treatment. As a result, many are dying before they can receive medical care, as Yogita Limaye has found. It's a time of re-examining slavery and colonial history. Andrew Harding's grandfather was a young entomologist who moved from England to what was then Tanganyika to study termites to prevent them destroying crops. Have stories like his helped Britain to maintain a nostalgic, unquestioning attitude towards its former Empire? In the former coastal resort of Kep in Cambodia, local people are wary of a tourism development project with a marina and the hope of renovating old villas. The authorities claim the project will bring business and jobs, but many fear their way of life is under threat, as Michelle Jana Chan reports. In southwestern France, rugby is more popular than football, and fans have been feeling bereft since matches were stopped due to Covid-19. Rugby means so much, there's even a chapel called Notre Dame du Rugby, with stained-glass windows featuring Jesus holding a rugby ball. So how have locals been coping without their favourite sport? Chris Bockman has been finding out. The Whanganui River in New Zealand gained the rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person three years ago. This was for environmental protection, but to the Maori people it meant much more. They consider the river sacred, an embodiment of their ancestors, and young Maori travel it from source-to-sea to reconnect with their culture. Ash Bhardwaj paddled along. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius
This is the story of a river. Not just any river, but a very special river. One that has been given the same legal status as a living, breathing human being. In this episode of Bang & Olufsen’s Sound Matters podcast we meet the documentary film and audio maker, Rikke Hout, and travel down the Whanganui River in New Zealand. The Whanganui is one of the longest rivers in the country, and in 2017 was given the same legal identity as a person due to its importance to the region’s indigenous Māori people. Sit back, immerse yourself in sound, and float downstream into nature come alive.
New Zealand’s only coal fired paddle steamer the Waimarie takes International Broadcasters Stu Frith and Victoria Gaither on a two hour journey up the Whanganui River in the restored boat. On board, eat delicious food, hear narration of the sights, chat with skilled and knowledgeable crew, and just relax. Hear what Stu and Victoria have to say about their experience.
In July 2019 Bangladesh took the unusual step of granting all its rivers “legal personhood”. It was the result of a long fight by environmental campaigners, alarmed by the damage done to the country’s vital river system by pollution and the effects of climate change. But does passing a law recognising that nature has rights, just as humans do, automatically guarantee its protection? According to its supporters, the movement for the Rights of Nature is an expanding area of law, but are those laws anything more than just symbolic? We talk to Dr Mohammad Abdul Matin by the banks of the Buriganga River in Dhaka about the future for the country’s rivers and in New Zealand to Chris Finlayson, who was attorney general in the centre right government that in 2017 passed a law recognising the Whanganui River as a living entity. And Cardiff University law professor, Anna Grear, tells us why giving natural phenomena the same legal status as humans is no safeguard against exploitation. Join Tamasin Ford on the foreshore of the River Thames to find out more about the rights of nature. (Photo: Fisherman throwing his net into the Buriganga River, Credit: BBC)
With the modern environmental movement, which emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s, came a new term: ecocide. It means the deliberate destruction of the natural environment. It's not clear who coined the phrase, but it was then-Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme who first called for it to be declared a crime in 1972. Palme's call came barely two decades after the international Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide went into effect, and at a time when many nations, including the United States, had yet to ratify the Convention on Genocide. And yet, here was a head of state demanding that trees, rivers, and other inanimate objects be given the same legal protections that the civilized world had not yet fully extended to human beings. Sadly, that past is just a prologue. Just last month, a group called “Stop Ecocide” began to lay the legal groundwork for prosecuting Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro on charges of ecocide. The recent fires in the Amazon rainforest, the group argued, made Bolsonaro “a poster boy for the need for a crime of ecocide.” The effort is supported by the Hague's top prosecutor who wants to prioritize cases involving the “destruction of the environment, the illegal exploitation of natural resources or the illegal dispossession of land.” While there's no current legal basis for such a prosecution, it's not as much of a stretch as you'd think. Several countries have already recognized the idea of “environmental personhood,” under which rivers and other parts of nature have been given legal rights that can be enforced in a court of law. One recent example is the Whanganui River in New Zealand, which, in 2017, was granted the same legal rights as a human being. Actually, the Whanganui has more legal rights than some human beings in New Zealand. The unborn there can currently be destroyed there in cases of hardship to the mother, and new proposed legislation would effectively legalize abortion there right up until the moment of birth with no legal consequences. So, unlike the Whanganui and other rivers, the unborn there would not be entitled to legal representation or a day in court. The appropriate word for this would be “feticide,” but when was the last time you heard anyone who wasn't pro-life use it? The very idea of “ecocide” represents an enormous shift in our thinking about the relationship between humans and creation. Rather than embracing our role as “stewards” or “conservators” of the natural order, humans are most often today seen as nature's adversary. To badly paraphrase John the Baptist, we'll just have to decrease so nature can increase. After all, we are often told that the best thing for the environment is fewer people. Some environmentalists will even talk about “culling the human herd.” Of course, the more squeamish wouldn't quite go that far, but most would agree that humans are nature's biggest problem. So, it shouldn't surprise us when this new exaltation of nature and diminishment of man shows up in our language, like with the word “ecocide.” “Cide” comes from the Latin word meaning killer or slayer. Until now, it only applied to the killing of people: homicide, fratricide, and, more recently, genocide. It's never really been used to describe the death of an animal or an inanimate object, until now. Of course, some Christians have wrongly interpreted Genesis 1 to mean they can do anything to nature, but that's not what the Bible means by “dominion.” God's image bearers are to steward the creation in a way that protects it and promotes human flourishing. Our dominion over nature reflects God's dominion over us. But that's only possible if we begin with an exalted view of man. Of all the created order, only humans are even aware of how their actions impact the rest of creation. And only humans can tend to creation and undo any damage done. But reducing humanity's place in the world will just take away the only reason we have to even try.
The Klamath River has the same rights as people according to a new law passed by the Yurok tribal council. In 2017, a New Zealand court decision granted person status to the Whanganui River after the longest-running litigation in the country’s history. Maori tribal members consider the river their relative. Indigenous people all over the world praise efforts to grant legal person status to rivers. But it also sets the stage for environmental legal battles.
And so the messy two year saga that has been the appointment of Wally Haumaha to the #2 cop job in the country slithered back into the headlines one more time.This time the Independent Police Conduct Authority has upheld complaints from people under his command that he used bullying behaviour in the workplace. This sparked another round of people demanding he stand down from his job as Deputy Commissior, most vocally from Chris Bishop and the National Party.After consideration by the Government’s legal beagles Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern decided to take no action but expressed her disappointment in Wally’s behaviour. It was an understandable decision as the Commissioners behaviour was on a threshold and any attempt to remove him would have become an employment matter, which would have resulted in the loss of many taxpayer’s dollars into lawyer’s pockets, and you have to wonder the worth of that.I’ve always been torn about Wally Haumaha. He is one of the last remaining echoes from the days when men were men, cops were cops, and crims were crims, and the lines between them were blurred. When there was only a sliver of moral difference between the good guys and the bad guys.I remember talking to a gang member in the 80s in the Fosters Tavern by the Whanganui River and the guy telling me the gangs thought the cops were just another gang running their own rackets.The cops are our last defence line for civil order and in such a cauldron the men and women involved used whatever means necessary to uphold that order, and sometimes they got it wrong. And while this moral and physical battle raged the general law abiding population had no idea.During the Louise Nicholas saga most didn’t know that police involved were turning up to court from a jail cell. That case unveiled the culture of the police that seemed to come straight out of a gritty Chicago crime movie.From the latest allegations, you can almost visualise the scene where Wally bellowed at people while thumping his foot up on a chair being enacted by Robert De Niro highlighting that this was a tough man not to be trifled with.Since yesterday, I have had a steady stream of correspondence from people disappointed that Wally still has the job. They include all sorts of allegations about him, his wife and his involvement in politics.Here’s the thing. Wally was forged in tough times. He has worked his way up from the street beat to the back offices and now the top floor. He is now in charge of a highly complex multi-million dollar business under intense scrutiny. He’s done will. He’s worked hard and he’s been determined. So now it’s time to leave the street behind and win the battles not with your body but with your mind.It’s a tough transition but it has to happen. But yesterday Wally’s lawyer was asked if Haumaha was apologetic for the bullying described in the report. He said: "I am able to say he's been bewildered by the events as they have unfolded."Well, it’s time to de-bewilder yourself, Commissioner. You’re in the big leagues now and there will be no second chances.
Rivers in New Zealand, Australia, India and Colombia have all been granted legal rights recently. Environmental law expert Dr Erin O'Donnell explains to our reporter Dr Andi Horvath why granting nature legal rights is becoming more accepted. Episode recorded: 23 March 2018 Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath Producers: Dr Andi Horvath, Chris Hatzis and Silvi Vann-Wall Audio engineer and editor: Chris Hatzis Banner image: The Whanganui River in New Zealand was the first in the world to be awarded legal rights. Picture: Tim Proffitt-White/Flickr
Rivers in New Zealand, Australia, India and Colombia have all been granted legal rights recently. Environmental law expert Dr Erin O’Donnell explains to our reporter Dr Andi Horvath why granting nature legal rights is becoming more accepted.Episode recorded: 23 March 2018Interviewer: Dr Andi HorvathProducers: Dr Andi Horvath, Chris Hatzis and Silvi Vann-WallAudio engineer and editor: Chris HatzisBanner image: The Whanganui River in New Zealand was the first in the world to be awarded legal rights. Picture: Tim Proffitt-White/Flickr
Bruce Hopkins spends five fabulous days on the Whanganui River. He finds some amazing friends and (not-so-amazingly) retains his reputation for losing stuff.
In the Music 101 Pocket Edition, Sons of Zion play their first ever live session for us, Kirsten Johnstone meets the group Auaha who travelled the Whanganui River, Tony Stamp speaks with Bonobo in his one and only Australasian interview and we pay tribute to the late Glen Campbell.
This soul brother is ‘out there’ he is prepared to give it a go for all that he is worth. Upfront and into it, and a courageous willingness to ‘have a go’! Back in the 1990’s Rev Billy noticed a more overt method of marketing products that was being pushed into people’s lives and as a vulnerable consumer it engaged him by appealing to his status and power, good looks and youth – and he was tricked into it. And it kept turning his head. Then somehow with the help of friends and teachers and the fortune of the luck of the draw - he decided to resist! He was just tired of getting rolled over by the glam and whizz bang of seduction and the dazzle of neon super models when he walked through New York’s Time Square. So out of these circumstances he emerged out of the pavement - as a preacher on the Broadway sidewalks of Time Square. And with help of some cohorts created a theology in which Mickey Mouse was the antiChrist. Then he placed himself in front of the Disney store and began to encourage and exhort people, that if they entered the Disney store and shopped - they would be sinning! You will have to listen to Rev Billy rage against the machine – ‘that they are all sweatshop products’ – and that type of preaching would go on for hours and hours . And he received all sorts of different responses … and he got better at it. And he got what preachers got … your whoop – yes your whoop! …. And after some months he got his whoop up to speed and that he could preach at a thousand bored listless tourists, drifting like cattle and get them to consider to go into the Disney store - OR NOT. And this is when Billy’s Ministry began. It began in his own self-defence, but also a willingness to appear foolish and he encourages all his listeners (he laughs) to be foolish and we have to cross-over from that character that we have been ‘conditioned’ to be. The American comedian Steve Martin in the movie “Leap of Faith” came up and Billy said that he was influenced in this role by comediennes, rock and roll and jazz. He would also go to Evangelical and Pentecostal ‘performances’ where there would be grandmothers passing out on the altar and people screaming - and then he states that many of those churches were right wing in their content. So he turned off the content and just learned how to preach. Listen to Billy, wind up and show how it’s done! Yet Billy did not really want to be a preacher, because he was brought up by abusive right wing Christian parents. However he in the end could not resist, because having the backup of a choir and great music made the message even more compelling. So when he really got good at it – the Church of Stop Shopping had to have a choir – and he found many people who agreed with his contention that consumerism is the devil – starting to sing his lyrics. – He doesn’t really know how it actually happened - he said he was lucky – it was a blessing - out of the blue – it just became. Surmising that it was partly persistence, stubbornness and the willingness to let go and be foolish. Billy states that we have to be open to the mysterious and the earth telling us in whatever subtle ways we can perceive - that the indigenous peoples have been telling us from day one that consumerism and everything that it entails is not the way forward in our relationship to our great sustainer, our planet. It is not the indigenous people way to just make money and conquer nature. Visiting Standing Rock in North Dakota Listen to Billy tell us what happened up in Standing Rock in North Dakota where he took his Stop Shopping Choir and that so many other indigenous tribes from around our planet had converged in support of the First Nations of North America. He finds himself with the Aotearoa NZ Maori and in particular their haka - he realised that they had a deep connection to the earth. Listen to here his tell his story. He said all other tribes were singing water related songs that were so very moving – that he and his Choir started crying. He mentioned that the songs seemed to have Beethoven’s 9th beat - that he felt his life changing … And right next to him and the Savitri D were 15 Maori who when they dropped into their karakia (prayer) followed by a haka ‘it scared the hell out of Billy and his group” … that knowing about other first peoples from around the world makes a huge difference to how he saw life. That Rivers are becoming recognised as entities He then mentions the Whanganui River ( awa) as having recently been given living status and classified as an entity. This he said was wonderful and that other countries like India are following suit. http://www.ourplanet.org/articles/new-zealand-government-acknowledges-a-river-as-a-living-entity-and-a-park-as-having-human-rights He sees that the reengaging with this knowingness, that the Whanganui river is an entity – shows that the global neo-liberal economy has a limit. That this emergence of such an event means that indigenous cultures can now take the higher ground in seeing that the earth is both living and sacred. See India recently passing legislation as well as what has been happening in Bolivia and Ecuador etc. Billy sees this as an earth-aluya moment in our history -this is what we are waiting for … Billy states that he is very grateful for the leadership that has come his way. (It takes huge courage, especially in the USA). He is grateful that the indigenous – earth peoples have survived the extraction and murderous ways plus the diseases of our European culture. To still be here as carers of the earth – that which lends us bodies in which to live, plus free air, water and until recently a free food chain. We need to drop the old story of conquest and empire and consumers consuming our planet and allow the old stories of pre ‘city-state’ culture, to come in. That the word natural needs to been seen as far more sustainable than cultural and allow the earth to re-enter our consciousness. Being mindful in one’s actions Both Billy and Savitri D his dearly loved wife are very mindful and respectful of the lives of humanity and are very caring of how they language their connection both to people and our planet as a whole. He intuits that the uprising on earth today is more than a message to him it is an instruction – that the earth is giving a signal to join her – in this uprising … Covering Then present situation in America and what leadership is required. We have to come back to the living earth. I then interview for 25 minutes, Savitri D - Billy’s wife and leader of the ‘Stop Shopping Choir’ The Church of Stop Shopping is a radical performance community of about 50 people. Who are united around their values … And recently they have been going inside banks to show their resistance as consumer activists. For example they even travelled to North Dakota to the Standing Rock - access pipeline. In super of the First Nation peoples. Their strength is their creativity and communal energy which focuses on political activism, being radical earth activists with heart and soul. Being earth oriented they look at natural systems for clues - such as a healthy bio-system is diverse. They look for resilience in their human community as much as they do in their physical landscape – some would say a permaculture view – a very broad view of integrated designs of things. Yet a lot of their work involves standing on police lines protesting … and doing it with song and hilarious preaching plus ferocious preaching too. Disrupting the normal tone of protest – adding clever and artistic props that they make themselves. Plus, over the last 15 to 20 years they have developed a broad vocabulary to add to their protest and resistance – using every different strategy they can imagine. One continuous strategy is focus on climate change and to keep it in the public consciousness all the time. This with keeping fossil fuels in the ground, trees deeply rooted and animals healthy … to reduce human chauvinism in its industrial effort to extract the last of earth’s gifts out of her. Is what they are here to protect. Savitri says she and her troupe are wild people who live in the city – being the human wilderness of New York city. And New York is the entry point of the USA and the road is unknown – but people show up as they find a way to divine a way to survive and make a new life for themselves. As an artist it is very exciting but for an ordinary person too, just wishing to become financial stable. Cultural creatives hare challenged to come together. As the arts now are becoming very commodified and institutionalised – and it is difficult for an artist to be political – as sponsorship option evaporates instantly – and has always been that way. People in NY are in a hurry – but they are open … Some of the protests were: Singing about Monsanto and honey bees, neonicotinoids and pesticides, plus being pollinators where they dressed as honey bees – and the fact the the Stop Shopping Choir is so diverse that there are always creative input to their shows. BP comes up for some attention … Marktown East of Chicago – is supposedly a cancer cluster area – so they went and sung to the people of that area – about capitalism and the extraction the fossil fuel industry – and these people are going through hard times so ‘the choir’ has to communicate with them in a gentle and respectful way – without undermining the value of what they have put into their own life – albeit working for a corporation that is basically only profit motivated. That though in a hostile territory the payback was that they were very well received as they both educated and healed these workers by showing that they cared. What are we to do? Start sharing deep story with each other – being caring and insightful – be open to change and don’t get sucked in by mainstream media – it is not productive at all. What will make people more active and engaged? Community holds us up and supports us – community is powerful and capable of profound things – someone gets tired. But there is always someone having an up day and they come in alongside you and lift you up. Tend to your garden and nourish all your relationships. Gather together to work with you affinity groups = people you know and trust and build strong cohesive relationships. It’s a long game and the challenges are not going to go away tomorrow. Yet Billy states that in the USA things have never been darker yet things have never been brighter … yet we need Noble courage to stand up! The present president is showing to the public face that the macho fundamentalism is bulldozing and extracting every last drop of what the earth can supply. What was interesting was that Bernie Sanders presidential bid was largely an Occupy Wall St platform. http://www.revbilly.com
Creative Social Communicator with early history, first peoples and the awakening connection to the earth mother and the elements. Today she is a celebrated filmmaker, producer and director covering the canvas of earth, water, and sky and the growing people’s reverence of Aotearoa and our great sustainer Mother Earth - Papatuanku. Early Years: Born in Ōtautahi, Christchurch, whilst studying at Canterbury University she did the ‘poet rounds’ of local pubs with people such as Kerri Hume and other home grown celebrities. Then when visiting a playwright’s workshop in Australia she realised that only 1% of the world’s playwrights - were women this then inspired her to fire up and write. She then had a play produced on stage in Australia and in Christchurch help set up the Woman’s Action Theatre. Then for 8 years produced one play per year, ‘Mother Tongue’ being one of them and with the NZ Listener giving it an amazing review it ended up touring the country. Being based on the first stages of a woman’s life. Featuring chant, song, dance and scenes through different aspects of a growing woman – like Offspring – the first 6 months of the 1st baby – and then another of an older woman who was a successful gold miner in the West Coast - Buller region. That Christchurch Ōtautahi is where Kate Sheppard, who initiated the vote for women lived and was buried there. Kate also tells of her unique connection to the 1st vote by women in 1893. Nuclear Awakening Then to working in Free Theatre and Court Theatre and then onto radio drama which she loves. One of these was called Charlie Bloom, about blowback from a French nuclear test in Polynesia which went from East to West covering Samoa and affecting the the Samoan inhabitants 3,610 km from French polynesia and Mururoa. This bomb test was on the 12 September 1966. As a consequence of this test, called Betelgeuse, (named after the 9th brightest star in the night sky) in which a 120 kiloton bomb hanging under a balloon was exploded at a height of 600 metres in difficult wind conditions. Not long after this Kathleen was living for a while in Hakano St, Grey Lynn in Auckland and there were many Samoans living in that street and there was a disproportionate number suffering from strange cancers and odd diseases then she found a book by Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and also the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research entitled Environmental Effects of French Nuclear Testing. This exposed what was happening, including a map of the rain-out hot spots and rain-out dry spots all over this part of the Pacific. This was when leukaemia sickness was spiking at one of the worst rates at that time in this region. Her play was also broadcast in Australia and Kathleen’s parents were over there for a few days and just looking for a decent radio station to listen to, heard Kathleen’s ‘Charlie Bloom’ being broadcast – just out of the blue and this is a theme that runs through her life – many magical moments of synchronicity. Her most recent book is Earthquakes and Butterflies based on the Christchurch Earthquake and was played for a week on National radio here in NZ. Her book is a delightful, beautifully designed novel and photographic journal following Hone, Kara, Pieter, Hemi, Helena, Kay and Tess as they navigate their way through the tragedy of the Christchurch earthquakes. "This is surely one of the finest pieces of writing to come out of the Christchurch earthquakes. Kathleen Gallagher tells, with deep tenderness and compassion, the story and spirit of all that the moving earth laid on the heaving doorsteps of Christchurch... Jane Hole,"Tui Motu" Nov. 2015, Film The documentary Water Whisperers - Tangaroa the film – evidently, it just sort of happened. With no finances or major strategy, when some people came to her at the last minute and asked her to film a raft journey from Lake Sumner in the Southern Alps to the Pacific ocean, this was enough to pay for Water Whisperers – plus when it came to support with this production - she says “it just seems to show up!” This vibrant environmental documentary explores the healing and recovery of polluted and fished out waterways, and the conservation of wild water places - from mountain lakes, through rivers and out into the ocean. Subtle, sensitive and beautifully photographed - it is a quietly convincing voice amid the clamour of our fast paced society. People from very different backgrounds stand together - being real about the challenges they face, they show us there are solutions as well as problems that we have to address. This is an eloquent and utterly convincing call for greater protection and care of New Zealand’s lakes, rivers, coastlines and oceans. "This beautifully put together and refreshingly optimistic local doco is one of the most enjoyable films I've seen in months ... Seeing an eco-doco so informative, entertaining, light of touch and unashamedly Kiwi was a real treat ... Four stars, easy ... a very accomplished and compelling film." Graeme Tuckett - Dominion Post, Wellington When filming Sky Whisperers - Ranginui - she tells of a small number of large hawks or kea flying right in front of her car windscreen blocking her view that she had to stop the vehicle in a middle of a mobile phone drop-out area. Whilst stopped a very tuned in Maori friend phoned her saying she must come to where he was – as the film had to start from Lake Waikaremoana - stating that “ I am waiting for you!”. She had not planned on including him in the film and so due to the ‘strangeness’ of the moment, she then detoured to where he was some hundred plus kilometres away even though they were going to another destination to start the film. So driving through a storm she arrived at Lake Waikaremoana where he was standing waiting for her and her team, still in the middle of that storm. Where she proceeded to interview him then carry on back to the original destination. This fascinating environmental feature, calls us to a closer intimacy with our skies. Celestial navigators, climatologists, a Nobel prize winning scientist, biodynamic, Maori and radio astronomers, farmers, fishermen and business folk who observe the sky, the air, the stars, the moon and sun cycles. Together they show how we can establish a way of observing, living and doing business which results in non pollution of our skies. Tau Te Mauri - Breath Of Peace A fascinating story of effort towards global peace, featuring eight peace people of Aotearoa New Zealand - spanning some seven decades - peace walkers, petitioners, and folk in small boats and on the surfboards sailing out into the harbours in the face of huge warships. A unique documentary, embedded in the movement of aihe (dolphins), tohora (whales), kotuku (white herons), toroa (albatross) and with an original score blending contemporary waiata and traditional Maori musical instruments. This film tells the story of how Aotearoa New Zealand became nuclear free and anti-war. It is an inspiration for all people, young and old, and for peacemakers everywhere. Conscientious Objectors: The Peace People of NZ go back a long way – to the Chatham Islanders to Te Whiti go Parihaka in Taranaki - who it is recorded influenced Mahatma Gandhi in his expression of peace. Jack Rogers and the few who remain alive today … then Mary Woodward – protesting against the bombing of Hiroshima. Hautu Peace People of World War II “Hautu is the story of two WWII Conscientious Objectors put away in the rugged Hautu detention camp near Tūrangi on the Desert Road south of Taupo and their supportive womenfolk who were living in Christchurch and on the West Coast” in the South Island. Kathleen states that peaceful energisers come through in NZ, every decade and this ideal moves around the country as in George Armstrong up here in Auckland with the Peace flotilla and Bunny McDiarmid and her Greenpeace work. Especially with the Rainbow Warrior moving the people in the Marshall islands away from the radioactive island that the US atomic testers used and then sailed away from. The bombing in Auckland Harbour and all the other important Greenpeace issues that are still with us today. And Nicky Hager NZ’s top independent researcher and Kate Dewes - all have worked for decades, on peace issues, to bring more peace in our world. Kathleens Home Turf That Riccarton borough in Christchurch was the first Nuclear Free area in NZ. – That is where Kate Dewes lives and where Kate Sheppard once worked and lived. Deans bush there too. It’s a place of much change. Trees in the seven hectare bush include ancient kahikatea, totara, matai and hinau. The bush is now protected by a predator proof fence and is home to small populations of the Canterbury tree wētā and great-spotted kiwi/ roroa. Before European settlement, Pūtaringamotu was a valuable source of food and timber for the Māori. From the bush they produced carvings and canoes, and preserved pigeons. These trees, up to 600 years old, are the descendents of a podocarp forest established over 6,000 years ago. They are the sole Canterbury remnant of kahikatea floodplain forest and as such have national significance. Haharanga – Healing Journeys. He Oranga He Oranga Healing Journeys Many of Kathleen’s friends got breast cancer and numbers of them died. She talked to people who had terrible prognosis yet had survived and she found that it was in the quiet areas of place and the space – that healing took place. This inspiring feature documentary follows the journeys of eleven cancer survivors through - bone, bowel, breast, ovarian, prostate, brain cancers, Hodgkins and nonHodgkins lymphoma, and leukaemia - to better health. It begins where the boiling heart of the earth rises up to the surface. It climbs the mountain peaks, descends the valleys and flows through the bush and on out to sea, exquisitely blending taonga puoro - traditional Maori music, Celtic harp and flute, and contemporary waiata. She found that when people shifted to a more conducive environment their health improved immensely. That it was in the forest the ngahere the ancient forest - the puawai – the blossom of the ancient forest are very healing in so many ways same for the way – running water swift flowing water helps cleanse - plus mirimiri a rubbing motion this inspired her to do the film Earth Whisperers Papatuanuku. Earth Whisperers Papatuanuku. Starring Rita Tupe – Tuhoi healer Craig Potton EYEla burgess herbal, herbalist, Gerry Findlay talks with birds Alan marks the botanist, hugh wislon who has a thousand hectoer of regenerating forest Jim ogorman organic farmer in Omaru Charles Royal maori chef. Kay Backster Seed Saver Makere Ruka – Waitaha kuia. This film went all over the world. And going to the huge film festival in Abu Dhabi in the Middle East winning the Audience Award. Then around the world like wildfire. Yet to obtain funding is a major task … Then Water Whisperers Tangaroa Following the water from Mountains down rivers and out to the ocean – to the Poor Knights marine reserve area. Including Leigh as the oldest marine reserve in the world. Raglan Fred Lichtwark and Eva Rikards working on restoring nature in the spirit of kaitiaki went from lowest to highest fish count in NZ shoreline waters. Riparian planting changed it all around increases of Eels (tuna) whitebait (īnanga) and over marine fish. A great success. In this film there are lots of models for people to follow Muscles farms out in the bay in Takaka were being affected by chemical and nutrient runoff from farmed land – So Landcare a Government Department brought the two groups together and after challenging times have sorted out! A win win! Actions for today! Locking away huge areas to stop fish depletion and overfishing – Andy Dennis who died recently in Nelson states that half our bays need to be locked up all the way to the 200 mile fishing zone. He maintains that this would allow all fish to recuperate to the same numbers of fish, that were here when Captain Cook arrived. Yes, there are still vested interests who oppose this concept other than wanting to lock areas away – yet, when fishing sanctuaries a put in place the long-term results is for everyone benefits. This interview covers Te Urewera as a park now having human rights and the Whanganui River (awa) being classed as a living entity This opens up the narrative about Papatuanku the earth mother as a living super organism. That includes our intimacy with Papatuanku as a living being. http://www.ourplanet.org/articles/new-zealand-government-acknowledges-a-river-as-a-living-entity-and-a-park-as-having-human-rights Altered Realities That things happen ‘in the moment’ and time can alter and shift, it is not necessarily linear which we usually see from a rational standpoint. In Earthquakes and Butterflies Kathleen states that time can also expand & contract - especially when major earth moments are happening. The conversation then enters more non corporeal subject matter and the metaphysical connection to the land of Aotearoa. She mentions when Leonard Cohen when he last came to NZ fairly recently, said “you live in the is place that is magical – yet you walk around it as if it is ordinary!” Connection and intimacy with the land whenua. Some years ago American First Nation peoples came to NZ to apologise to the salmon that swim and travel up the Rakaia River in the South Island (Te Waipounamu - The Waters of Greenstone) They wanted to honour the fish, because their rivers are depleted of chinook salmon today. These South Island salmon were brought from America to NZ in 1867. They then spent 4 days and 4 nights at the top end of the river singing, praying, dancing, talking and listening to the river. Plus there other stories of Maori and kaitiakitanga - guardianship, protection, preservation or sheltering. Kaitiakitanga is a way of managing the environment, based on the traditional and cultural methods. Listen to this fascinating interview of a creative, inner-directed New Zealander http://www.wickcandle.co.nz/ http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/gallagherkathleen.html
Scientific research into the ocean and ocean floor is based on what we can exploit from the ocean. Yet, science is also unveiling the possibility as to where ‘ocean mind’ resides. Some researchers believe that bacteria in ocean sediments are connected by a network of microbial nanowires. These fine protein filaments could shuttle electrons back and forth, allowing communities of bacteria to act as one giant super-organism. In James Cameron’s movie Avatar, the inhabitants, the Na'vi people of Pandora, plug themselves into a neural network that links to all the elements of Pandora’s biosphere, from phosphorescent plants to pterodactyl-like birds. It turns out that Pandora's interconnected ecosystem may have a parallel back here on our planet: sulphur-eating bacteria that live in muddy sediments beneath the ocean floor, as a tightly coupled living mat or network. Going back 4 billion years where bacteria have been living in the ocean and creating the conditions for life to prosper on our planet – evolving the conditions for multi cellular life to eventually we humans. There is emerging evidence that bacteria in the oceans form massive mats connected with things called nanowires. These nanowires allow the bacteria to breathe externally from their bodies – so it is collective breathing – and that they could be connecting as a neural network – so it is possible that the ocean floor is a vast neural network or ocean mind, with deep thought – 10,000 years of thought process that we humans may only take a couple of seconds to grok. What kind of thoughts might the ocean be having? We are finding out that we live on a planet that is alive and that the ocean is a living being. Hence James Lovelock’s Gaia Theory that our planet is gigantic super living organism. Here is the original Our Planet description posted on the world wide web in 1996. http://www.ourplanet.org/original-site/gaia.html It’s only in the last 60 years has man created the tools to look around underwater – with masks, oxygen tanks and more lately bathyspheres. As we become more sensitive and knowing, immersing ourselves into the sea and becoming one with the marine environment and ecology - makes it possible to dissolve into a greater knowing of the ocean - to osmotically take in information. To address the big oceanic issues, in Glenn’s opinion - it’s about addressing our own personal relationship. Western civilisation including we here in NZ have over the years become more distant and separated from nature. We have in numerous ways become disengaged from natural processes and from our planet as a whole. Note NCEA -the National Certificate of Educational Achievement in high schools in NZ that they do not teach ecology. It is not part of the curriculum. Thus students are leaving school not realising that they are an intrinsic part of the web of life within the biosphere. Now we know why the young are disconnected – they are being deliberately severed from our planet. Whereas Maori children in many cases intuitively understand they are an extension of Papatuanuku, our planet. This interview covers: The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently passing a resolution to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 At this meeting 129 countries or 89% said yes – and signed. But 29 countries said NO. And 35 abstained from voting. Note that ‘Clean Green’ NZ was one of the countries that abstained. That NZ could not in this time of declining fisheries and in an ecologically challenged world, mindfully look at this important 30% protection, particularly for our children and grandchildren’s future, gives us cause for concern Yet, in Antarctica 24 countries and the European Union agreed to protect 1.5 million square kilometres of the Ross Sea - the largest marine protected area on our planet, so far. 1 million square ks will be a ‘no take’ marine reserve. This is worth celebrating. Yet it is set to expire in 35 years time. Why? The NZ administered Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will be possibly the 4th largest protected marine reserve on earth. Covering 620,000 square kilometres, and the most significant of a fully protected area. It will be 35 times larger than the combined area of all of New Zealand’s existing 44 marine reserves. The following activities will be prohibited in the sanctuary: commercial fishing and aquaculture recreational fishing fishing-related tourism oil, gas and mineral prospecting, exploration and mining. This is similar to prohibitions in place in marine reserves in our NZ territorial sea. Challenges to our Oceans Military testing sonar and microwave tech, even passing through some of these reserves! Plus electromagnetic energy that ships emit. These have been correlated to whale strandings and more science is needed? Covering Professor Daniel Pauly of Canada – who says that there is no fishery on our planet that we could consider as sustainable. In 2004 he came to NZ and mentioned that we need to lock up 25% of our fishing grounds so as to rebuild up our fish stocks. He was criticised vehemently by commercial fishing interests here in NZ, but remains focused and undeterred. In NZ, DOC, the Department of Conservation care for many offshore islands that are prohibited for humans to land on and they could in turn be extended to include fishing reserves around each island. So as to build up fish colonies again and create a “no take” marine reserve. The ancient Hawaiians had an understanding that from the mountain top, down the valleys onto the beach into the water to the reef and out beyond the reef as one living holistic system. They did not partition nature. Loss of NZ’s Endangered Maui Dolphin? There is a belief with ocean ecologists that we are going to lose the Maui dolphins to extinction, because the NZ Government has no will to change the current situation. (34 minutes into the interview ) cut out before we email). Possibly only 44 are alive today. They are found along the West Coast of the central North Island from Northern Taranaki in the South to Northland, just South of Opononi. In June 2014, the government decided to open up 3000 km2 of the West Coast North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary – the main habitat of the Maui's dolphin – for oil drilling. This amounts to one-quarter of the total sanctuary area. In May 2015, estimates suggested that the population had declined to 43-47 individuals, of which only 10 were mature females. Set netting in particular is seen as very problematic. The Maui dolphin is becoming a very charged emotional issue in NZ as it appears that we could lose them whilst on our watch, possibly by 2025 or 2030. In a country that brands itself as Clean & Green, if we lose the Maui’s dolphin this will be a disaster from the standpoint of lack of mindfulness and the precautionary principle. To add insult to this loss it would affect the Maori people, as it will be a slap in their collective face, as their oral history tells of the God Maui, fishing up the North Island (Te Ika O Maui) out of the sea. This loss would be devastating for both Maori and New Zealanders as a whole. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maui%27s_dolphin Government Changing the Rules. At present the NZ Government is taking away from DOC, the Department of Conservation many decision making processes and handing them over to the Department of Primary Industries, because DPI is more of a commercial concern, based around monetary policies. This is where the government, our elected political servants are taking their own Agenda. We as a people, need to instruct our government to do our bidding to enable 10% of our coastline to be designated as marine reserves and become far more informed. Here in Aotearoa NZ the Te Urewera Park and the Whanganui River have been designated as having special privileges and rights. This was Government sanctioned and is an exceptionally visionary policy. If it can be done on the land (whenua) then it can be accomplished on the ocean (moana). http://www.ourplanet.org/articles/new-zealand-government-acknowledges-a-river-as-a-living-entity-and-a-park-as-having-human-rights#at_pco=smlrebv-1.0&at_si=5819316157fd1305&at_ab=per-2&at_pos=0&at_tot=1 Interspecies Communication? Whales and Dolphin communication. By acoustics and sonar is covered. The www. - World Whale Web of Sperm whales connecting by clicks at deep ocean levels across the Pacific and deep levels. Telepathy and possibilities of instant connection with large brain mammals? Changing and cleaning up our oceans and our possible future. We once had pristine oceans? Prior to the 17th century. Will we (among our numerous and mounting challenges) realise our connection to the planet that loans us bodies, free air, free water and a free food chain? As oceans bear the brunt of wastewater, from our homes and from sinks and bathtubs, to pipes, drains, creeks, streams and rivers all eventually find their way to the ocean. One way or another. As we humans are composed of around 70% water and our bloodstream is about 3.5% salt - why have humans disconnected from our oceans? When in NZ the bulk of NZers are only 100 kilometres or less from the ocean. Today, ocean plastic is outnumbering plankton 6 to one. That is correct - In certain areas of the ocean, specifically the subtropical gyres, micro plastic pieces outnumber plankton by 6 to 1. In other words, for every individual plankton there are 6 pieces of micro-plastic (micro-plastic being any plastic fragment smaller than 2 mm in diameter). Micro plastic can now be found in every part of the Ocean, even in Antarctica, and on the ocean floor. The majority has already sunk below the surface and out of our reach the only answer to stop this plastic onslaught from continuing is to stop putting plastic into the ocean. Most of today’s challenges are extremely recent - especially in the last 70 years exponential acceleration and has grown across the whole realm of industry from products to pollution has escalated and the ocean is taking this all in. Including the nuclear radiation from Fukushima in Japan, that the world’s media and scientists remain tight lipped about. Humanity has much to do in a very small window of time. The imperative is to connect with other people in your locality and voice your needs to commit to organise. Write letters and phone you local MP and speak to them, either on the phone but better still with a small delegation of 4 or 5 of you and your friends. Let your Member of Parliament know your vote counts. Glens web site: http://www.oceanspirit.org
Years ago humans had no rights. In the times when slavery was legal, abuses to slaves were deemed an issue of property law, not an issue of human rights. From this relationship of owner to slave, you cannot have anything other than an exploitative relationship.In this interview, Carl Chenery explains that this kind of thinking of human separation from, and domination over nature itself, is embedded into the very structure of our western legal system. Through our legal systems we attribute all the rights to humans as subjects, and everything else (except companies) as being objects or property to be owned.Gaia, our living breathing planet that is home to all of us, does not have rights. And without rights, like an unfortunate slave, she, our only home, is being used and slowly destroyed.On September 28, 2008, the people of Ecuador voted by an overwhelming majority (64%) to approve a new constitution which included Pachamama, nature, in the constitution, which was then ratified on Oct 20th 2008.Carl Chenery went to Ecuador in 2012 and met with some of those who were central to the incorporation of the rights of nature into the constitution. He and others in the group from the organisation, Awakening the Dreamer, were keen to see if the ideas could be incorporated into a New Zealand constitution.This progressive and conscious move by Ecuador is something that New Zealand would do well to look at. Below are the Rights for Nature as written in the Ecuador constitution.Article. 1. Nature or Pachamama, where life is reproduced and exists, has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution.Every person, people, community or nationality, will be able to demand the recognitions of rights for nature before the public organisms (courts and government agencies). The application and interpretation of these rights will follow the related principles established in the Constitution.Article. 2. Nature has the right to an integral restoration. This integral restoration is independent of the obligation on natural and juridical persons or the State to indemnify the people and the collectives that depend on the natural systems.In the cases of severe or permanent environmental impact, including the ones caused by the exploitation on non renewable natural resources, the State will establish the most efficient mechanisms for the restoration, and will adopt the adequate measures to eliminate or mitigate the harmful environmental consequences.Article. 3. The State will motivate natural and juridical persons as well as collectives to protect nature; it will promote respect towards all the elements that form an ecosystem.Article. 4. The State will apply precaution and restriction measures in all the activities that can lead to the extinction of species, the destruction of the ecosystems or the permanent alteration of the natural cycles.The introduction of organisms and organic and inorganic material that canalter in a definitive way the national genetic patrimony is prohibited.Article. 5. The persons, people, communities and nationalities will have the right to benefit from the environment and form natural wealth that will allow wellbeing.'The environmental services cannot be appropriated; its production, provision, use and exploitation, will be regulated by the State.'As well as talking about the constitution, Lisa puts some hard-hitting questions to Carl around the commodification of nature, and the very real downsides of replacing conservation with market based environmental management. Does the role of the emerging multi-billion dollar per year ecosystem market assist or inhibit conserving biodiversity and natural geographical features?Carl works as a sustainability strategist, and has contributed to a range of local and national initiatives including 350 Aotearoa, Intersect, Awakening the Dreamer Aotearoa, and ReGeneration Networks.Carl was North & South Magazine Young Achiever for 2011, and finalist in Kiwibank Young New Zealander of the Year in 2011.Carl loves being in the outdoors and spending time with his family including his 9 month old daughter Abigail.Carl Chenery twitter: @carlcheneryHere are some excellent links to some web sites on topics that are mentioned in the interview.Pachamama Alliance / Awakening the Dreamer Symposiumhttp://www.uptous.org/symposium‘New Thinking on Sustainability’ Conference 14-16 February 2014 in Wellington, including speakers on Rights of Nature:http://www.victoria.ac.nz/law/about/events-old/nz-centre-for-public-law/new-thinking-on-sustainabil ityNZ Constitutional Advisory Panel Report on the 2012-13 ‘Constitutional Conversation’ (including feedback on Environment rights p51 and recommendations p48)http://www.ourconstitution.org.nz/The-ReportRecent Waitangi Tribunal settlement developments:Whanganui River Te Awa Tupua – “Agreement entitles Whanganui River to legal identity”http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10830586 Te Urewera-T_hoe Bill: "Te Urewera declared to be legal entity"http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2013/0146/latest/DLM5481637.html Blogpost: Latest on the First International Tribunal on the Rights of Nature:http://www.pachamama.org/news/latest-on-the-first-international-tribunal-on-rights-of-nature Rights of Nature Article - Quakers Newsletter November 2012https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r0yoz1a8jc0q77d/BI8UnEeTYyThis interview was sponsored by The Awareness Party
Seminar presented at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage on 3 July 2013 Coast is a novel from David Young after some decades as a writer of non-fiction, particularly in the field of history and environment. Exploring the effects of two world wars on three generations of men from the same family, Coast is also a meditation on the power of landscape. The east coast of Kincardineshire, Scotland and the North Island's Rangitikei coastline where a Scots community endures even today, anchor this story in psychological, as well as physical, reality. Told from the standpoints of the three related key characters, the narrative unfolds a male social history spanning much of the twentieth century. It embraces issues of identity, belonging and connection to place. Kin and romantic love, matters of class, the Depression, active service abroad – first on the Western Front, then through the air war in the Pacific – and of family life, reach out beyond Pakeha concerns to the circularity of history and the tangata whenua. The question of how much the writer brings to his fiction from his previous historical endeavours and from his own life is explored in this talk. The author's history of conservation in New Zealand, Our Islands Our Selves, his Whanganui River book, Woven by Water, and even his first book, Faces of the River, played a part in the genesis of this work. So too did oral and documentary historical research.
Cycling Without Age was founded by Ole Kassow; you can see his TED Talk HereThe supplier discussed in the episode is Christiania BikesThe Whanganui River has been granted the rights of a legal personLowe’s Hardware exoskeletonWhite Pomeranian PuppiesThis episode of Catastrophes Notwithstanding was recorded at the Forge Steamworks Studio in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Production Designer was Twig.
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