Te Karaka solar farm funded to boost resilience in extreme weather
On Thursday, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts met locals at a site where a solar farm will be developed along Kanakanaia Rd.
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Scoop
2 hours ago
- Scoop
Three of New Zealand's biggest emitters no longer have to reveal their climate impact
, Climate Change Correspondent Three of the country's biggest greenhouse gas emitters no longer have to reveal how much planet-heating gas they produce. For the first time, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA)'s company-level emissions data doesn't include agriculture, after the government ended compulsory reporting for the farming sector. The change means companies responsible for around half the countries' greenhouse gases no longer have to supply information to the EPA every year giving a rough total of their methane emissions, unless they happen to be captured by other disclosure rules (for example climate disclosure rules covering stockmarket-listed companies). Meat processors Affco and Alliance no longer have to supply emissions data. Nor does Open Country Dairy, the country's second biggest milk exporter after Fonterra. All three were previously among the country's top ten emitters. RNZ asked Affco, Alliance and Open Country Dairy for their totals, but none had responded by deadline. The two biggest greenhouse gas producers in the farming sector - Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms - still disclose their emissions tallies in their own annual reports, as well as listing measures to reduce their impact. "It's critical that everyday people are able to find out who is responsible for New Zealand's climate pollution," said climate advocate Alex Johnston, of the Don't Subsidize Pollution campaign. "To not have big corporate from agriculture, the sector responsible for more than half of the country's emissions, required to report their emissions footprint is not responsible governing. "It's like closing the door on your kid's bedroom when they've left the heater on and then wondering why the power bill is so high." The change came about because the government removed farmers from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Agriculture was previously included in the scheme as a backstop in case voluntary discussions between farmers and government didn't result in an agreement to price methane. The backstop provision was removed and voluntary pricing talks were scrapped and re-started after the last election. Farming companies never had to pay for their methane emissions under the ETS the way petrol importers, coal miners and gas producers pay for their carbon dioxide emissions. However, until this year, they had to submit annual totals giving a rough estimate of their climate impact. ETS emissions reports were the only public information available for comparing individual companies, because some companies choose not to voluntarily disclose emissions. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts told Newsroom last year that officials had prepared an option to keep compulsory reporting while otherwise removing farming form the ETS. The government decided not to take it. He said the government was pursuing farm-level reporting instead. The change means reported emissions in the report have halved compared with last year, down from 65.7 million tonnes to 32.5 million tonnes. The difference is almost entirely because of the removal of the 33 million tonnes previously reported by the agriculture sector. When Fonterra is included, top 10 emitters collectively produce more than half the country's emissions, with Fonterra in the top spot followed by big petrol companies Z Energy, BP and Mobil. Farming companies - or their fossil fuel suppliers - still have to report and pay for any coal, gas or other fossil fuel they use in New Zealand under the ETS, for example coal used to dry milk or process meat. Affco reports its energy related emissions on its website, but not the larger total that comes from methane produced by farming the meat it processes. Alliance's website also discusses progress at reducing coal at its processing plants and said it completed a full lifecycle assessment of all its emissions last year, however doesn't appear to list the total. Open Country's website also discusses successful conversion of coal boilers to clean heat and said it is committed to reducing emissions from agriculture through the He Waka Eke Noa programme. He Waka Eke Noa was the programme scrapped by the coalition government after the election and replaced by direct engagement with farming groups through the government's Pastoral Sector Group. The new group is yet to announce a pricing plan or targets.
Scoop
5 hours ago
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Rights Aotearoa: Minister's Ban On Te Reo Māori In Year-1 Readers Breaches New Zealand's Human Rights Obligations
Rights Aotearoa condemns the Education Minister Erica Stanford's decision to exclude Māori words from new Ready to Read Phonics Plus books for five-year-olds (except for character names). This directive, confirmed in Ministry documents and ministerial comments, represents a retrogressive step that undermines children's cultural rights and New Zealand's international and domestic legal commitments. On a prima facie view, the policy conflicts with at least five UN instruments New Zealand has ratified. First, ICCPR Article 27 protects linguistic minorities' right to use their own language and, per the Human Rights Committee's General Comment No. 23, requires positive measures by the State to safeguard that right. A blanket removal of te reo Māori from foundational readers sits squarely at odds with that obligation. Second, ICESCR Articles 13 and 15, read with the Committee's General Comment No. 21, require States to make cultural life accessible and to refrain from measures that restrict participation—especially for minorities and indigenous peoples. Stripping Māori vocabulary from early-years materials narrows access to culture in the very context where language attitudes are formed. Third, the Convention on the Rights of the Child obliges that education foster respect for a child's own cultural identity, language, and values (Article 29(1)(c)) and protects indigenous and minority children's right to use their language (Article 30). The directive is difficult to reconcile with those aims. Fourth, CERD (and General Recommendation No. 23) calls for active measures to preserve and promote indigenous languages. A rule that singles out Māori words for exclusion from standard resources risks indirect discrimination and runs counter to that guidance. Fifth, the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education prohibits distinctions based on language that impair equality of treatment in education and recognises minorities' right to use and teach their own language. Domestically, the directive cuts against NZBORA s 20 (rights of linguistic minorities) and the Māori Language Act 2016, which affirms te reo Māori as a taonga and an official language and requires a Crown strategy (Maihi Karauna) to revitalise and normalise its use across public life. Schools are also required to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi under the Education and Training Act 2020. Paul Thistoll, Chief Executive of Rights Aotearoa, said: 'Language visibility in a child's first readers is not a matter of taste; it is a matter of rights. Removing te reo Māori from Year-1 books is a legally retrogressive measure that marginalises indigenous language in mainstream schooling and undermines New Zealand's binding commitments at home and abroad. The minister is engaging in cultural suppression.' Rights Aotearoa calls for the following immediate actions: 1. Rescind the directive and confirm that Māori words will continue to appear in all new early-literacy readers as appropriate to context and pedagogy; 2. Release the relevant Ministry papers in full and consult with Māori education stakeholders, literacy experts, and the Māori Language Commission; 3. Align early-literacy resources with obligations under ICCPR, ICESCR, CRC, CERD, the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education, NZBORA, the Māori Language Act, and the Education and Training Act.
NZ Herald
9 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Local elections 2025: Newcomer Greg McPhee makes bid for Whanganui mayoralty
McPhee said the council had done well to get the average rates rise to 2.2% for 2025/26. 'I reckon I can get it to zero or better, and still be moving forward. 'I'm here to break down some of the pomp and ceremony of councils. I'm definitely not here for the salary.' McPhee said he was a big advocate for mental health. Whanganui's homelessness situation deserved more attention, and he believed people needed to help themselves 'or they've got to want help'. 'All these church groups that play a role, and other groups involved in the whole mental health/homeless/kids-out-of-control situation, need to get down to the grassroots and be talking one-on-one. 'That's something I'm keen to get involved in. 'I also know there are a lot of lonely older people out there. Maybe we can set up a hotline so people can go and mow their lawns if they're struggling, on a volunteer basis.' He said the council owned a lot of buildings in the district and one could be turned into a community centre. There should be free parking in central Whanganui, McPhee said. 'Taking $70 out of the average family person's pay packet for a parking offence is pretty tough going.' Councils set the price for per-hour parking charges but the Government is responsible for setting infringements. He said he did not want to make big plans before getting his head around council facts and figures, and where its balance sheet sat. 'Getting good cohesion, teamwork and a good fun spirit within the dynamics of the council itself is a good starting point. 'Right from the lowest-paid council team member to the chief executive, everyone has a role to play and is equally important.' McPhee said he was not interested in putting up billboards around town during the campaign - 'that money is better off going to charity' - and would not participate in meet-the-candidates events. 'In some ways, it's a bit of an insult to people that are going to vote, they've got someone's mug thrown at them while they're going about their Sunday drive.' He ran for the Wellington City Council in 2010, in the Paekawakawa Southern Ward, but lost to Paul Eagle. He is also running for a councillor seat in Whanganui. 'I'm not really prepared to go along to residents [and ratepayers] association meetings because, when I've run [for council] in the past, it's usually family, friends or aligned party faithful who have already made up their minds. 'No billboards, no bulls***, let's get on with it.' A referendum on Māori wards will run at the same time as this year's election. McPhee said he would form his own opinion on their retention but it was up to the people to decide. If elected, there would be a revolving door policy, not an open door policy for his office, he said. 'If you've got something to contribute and say, you come in. 'If you're full of s*** and wasting my time, the door will flick you straight back out.' He said he had a long association with Whanganui, particularly through motorsport, which was a major passion. 'I've got a lot of mates who live here who retired from Wellington. 'You pop around for a cup of tea, then take the bike out through the Paraparas and down through Pipiriki and Jerusalem.' Voting in this year's local election begins on September 9 and closes at noon on election day, October 11. Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
