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Greens bring win-win for farming and freshwater

Yesterday’s announcement about a new policy framework for freshwater in New Zealand was a triumph of principled endurance over entrenched interests. So many economic sectors and interest groups are implicated in the crisis of freshwater. That’s why nothing has happened for years. National and Labour governments have kicked the water football to touch, time and time again. Yesterday’s announcement signaled not so much a resolution of the water crisis, but a clear statement that the journey to something better has begun. And in the very nick of time.

Let’s be clear that we’ve started this journey because of the Green’s role in government. Despite the strength of agriculture and its power to threaten both National and Labour-led governments, we saw yesterday the triumph of the Green’s approach. We went beyond hand-waving and vague injunctions that farmers should do better. Due to the Green’s agricultural policy, the government has provided money to back those requests. The $700m for riparian planting is exactly the kind of support that has materialised because of the Greens. We convinced the government to commit resources to control wallabies and wilding pines. The Greens have turned out to be the only party getting those win-wins for farming and the environment. (And at the same time, we’ve achieved the largest ever increase in conservation funding.)

Will these initiatives resolve all our environmental concerns? Absolutely not! But we’ve established the framework. And just as importantly, we’ve opened the door to farmers. We’re inviting the industry that dominates our landscapes to move beyond neoliberal voluntarism and engage with us to heal the land. To leave enough space for nature to recover. Our lives literally depend on it.

The Greens have long called for freshwater improvements, and we’ll continue to do so. We’re the only party with environmental protection at our core. Help us achieve more for freshwater and for practical improvements in farming practices. Party vote Green in September.

Meanwhile, it’s time to smile.

The Green Party Agricultural Policy can be found here: https://www.greens.org.nz/agriculture_and_rural_affairs_policy

For a detailed summary of what the new approach involves for farmers: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2020/05/28/1206166/govt-promises-clean-waterways-with-final-freshwater-plan

And just to remind us how far we still have to go: https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/29-05-2020/even-chinas-waterways-are-better-protected-than-new-zealands/

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Democratise our Energy Sytem

Energy Smarts: part 1

We all know that our planet is at risk because past governments have done very little to prevent climate change. James Shaw’s work on the zero carbon bill has now laid the foundation for us to turn this around.

Covid-19 has been a huge challenge. It has shown us we can pull together to overcome the threat of disease, but we still face huge challenges. The good news is we can fix things without going back to the polluting industries of the past. For example, I have a plan to democratise our energy system. By removing the barriers to community wind power and investing in energy efficiency measures, we can green our energy supply, reduce our power bills and return profits to local communities all at the same time. We have the blueprint. With your support we can make it happen.