Prisoner numbers projected to increase by 36% in next 10 years
The coalition Government's laws targeting repeat offenders and sentence reform will cause the prison population to rise by more than 30% in the next decade, a report has found.
The Ministry of Justice's Justice Sector Projections report shows the prison population is expected to increase by 36% in the
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Scoop
an hour ago
- Scoop
Govt Cuts Will Undermine Access To New Zealand's History
The ability of New Zealanders to access and better understand New Zealand's history will be undermined by proposed cuts to the workforce at Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The agency is proposing a net loss of 24 roles or 16% of the workforce. This follows Budget cuts which slashed funding by $8 million over the next four years. The proposed job losses follow last year's cuts which saw the workforce fall from 182 to 155. The cuts, if carried out, will decimate the agency's workforce of historians, with six of the ten historians proposed to be shown the door. "How can the Ministry continue to do its important work of preserving our history and ensuring New Zealanders can continue to access to it? said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi. "This is yet another decision that exposes the short-sighted thinking behind the Government's funding cuts. "The proposal to cut historians threatens the existence of Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand, which is a vital online resource for New Zealanders and a window to the rest of the world to learn about our rich history. "For 20 years Te Ara has been the first port of call for information about New Zealand history. Millions of people visit Te Ara every year, including teachers, students, researchers, and New Zealanders with an interest in our history." Manatū Taonga is also proposing disestablishing the team that supports the website. Other casualties include those responsible for the education programme that supports Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, a resource schools depend on. A project to enhance understanding of the dawn raids following the official apology is also at risk. Manatū Taonga is proposing to disestablish the roles that enabled it to produce websites honouring the 28th Māori Battalion and recording the history of New Zealand's participation in the Vietnam war. "All these projects are vital for people to share their own experiences and for all of us to remember and understand our past and how it shapes us today. "The Ministry's purpose is to do work that 'enriches the lives of New Zealanders' - but the Government is clearly ignorant about how history and heritage contributes to that - it's appalling."
Otago Daily Times
10 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
The Regulatory Standards Bill is an attack on all of us
It is that time again. We have another big parliamentary Bill to submit on, the Regulatory Standards Bill. It is a complicated beast. I know this because I submitted on the discussion document back in December. I was one of the 20,108 not-bot submitters who argued against its complex and contradictory proposals. You might be one of the 76 people who supported the proposals. Good on you for having your say. You and I both get to do it again. I do not know anyone other than Act New Zealand who is providing advice if you are one of the 76 but there is a lot of support if you want to join the 20,000. A major concern is the explicit exclusion of Te Tiriti o Waitangi from the Bill's narrow law-making principles. The Bill excludes Māori perspectives in the law-making process, erodes Māori rights to self-determination and threatens te reo Māori. It perpetuates systemic racism and colonial structures of power. Lawyer Tania Waikato argues the Bill will lead to even greater legal confusion and uncertainty, and undoubtedly more litigation because it discards decades of law on the application of te Tiriti in New Zealand policy and legislation. Even the Ministry of Justice has said the Bill fails to reflect the constitutional importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The government wants to use the Bill to help it avoid having te Tiriti conversations, but it will only encourage and amplify them. There are other reasons too. The Bill will constrain the regulation and law-making of future governments. All laws and regulations will have to meet a set of principles that idolise individual freedoms and private property rights over everything else. That means, for example, over public services like a good, fit-for-purpose, future-proofed hospital for the South. You do not have to be a hardcore socialist to think public hospitals are a good idea. Or that it is good for governments, even ones we did not vote for, to be able to legislate for the public good over private interests. Academic Jane Kelsey describes this as "metaregulation", where the Bill will regulate the way governments can regulate. Because of this, the Bill has the potential to constrain parliamentary sovereignty, in practice if not in law. What about our environment? The environment has taken some big hits under this government and the Bill will make more of them more likely. Greenpeace is saying it will be harder for the government to address climate change and biodiversity loss. The Bill might require the government to compensate corporations for the impact of protective laws that affect their property. You do not get compensated when the law impacts your property: why should corporations? The Bill encourages deregulation which will compromise the health of the environment. It will encourage exploitation of natural areas and accelerate the loss of endangered species. It is very contradictory. On one hand the government is encouraging more tourists into New Zealand and on the other promoting legislation that puts our most valuable tourism asset, our natural environment, at even greater risk. Some are also arguing the Bill will disproportionately benefit wealthy people, widening the gap between them and everybody else. The Bill will prioritise individual's property rights over workers' rights to secure and safe employment or the rights of vulnerable communities. These are collective services, like social services and infrastructure. Collective services help to keep us working, support the elderly through superannuation, and provide the social safety net. As eroded as these services might be right now, it can still get much worse, for everyone. The Bill proposes having an unelected regulatory standards board appointed by the minister to oversee the regime. This is not a body representing the public. This is an elite group hand-picked by the minister to help put pressure on the government to follow the Bill's prescription. The board will be unelected lobbyists for the Bill's ideology and will not be accountable to voters. The submissions on the Bill close on June 23, so you have 10 more days. There is a good portal on the parliamentary website to make your submission through, so it is easy to do. You do not have to say much and you do not have to know all about the Bill's trickier details. ODT columnist Chris Trotter is right that no Parliament can bind a future one. A future government could, of course, repeal the Bill if it becomes law — but that is not a reason not to fight it. Putting your faith in the good judgement of a future government is, well, not good judgement. We have to keep up our side of our democracy and have our say, even more so as democracy comes under intense attack. Because that is what this Bill represents. It is not just an attack on Māori and te Tiriti. Or just on conservationists. Or just on the social safety net. It is an attack on everyone. ■Metiria Stanton Turei is a senior law lecturer at the University of Otago and a former Green Party MP and co-leader.
Scoop
17 hours ago
- Scoop
Government Backs Voluntary Nature Credits
Press Release – New Zealand Government The development of a nature credit market is important to investors and New Zealands reputation. Associate Minister for the Environment The Government is supporting the expansion of a voluntary credits nature market through the running of pilot projects across New Zealand. Establishing a market that is durable, measurable and transparent will help farmers, landowners, iwi, and conservation groups unlock new income streams for looking after nature on their land, Associate Minister for the Environment Andrew Hoggard announced today at Fieldays. 'We want to connect those caring for the land with investors who support conservation. Nature credit markets help fund trusted environmental projects that actively protect and restore ecosystems.' Mr Hoggard said international and domestic investors—including corporates, banks, and philanthropists—are seeking high-quality nature and carbon credits that meet global standards. The development of a nature credit market is important to investors and New Zealand's reputation. 'New Zealand companies spent millions on carbon and nature credits mainly offshore last year. With the right framework, we can keep more of that investment at home.' The Government moved quickly to repeal the previous Government's direction to Councils to identify and map Significant Natural Areas (SNA) by suspending parts of the National Policy Statement – Indigenous Biodiversity. 'Farmers and other private landowners are doing their part to protect native biodiversity and want to do more. Supporting voluntary natural credits markets is a chance for the Government to show them the carrot, not just the stick. Privately funded pilot projects are underway to test how nature credit markets can work in the New Zealand context. As part of these pilots, we will test the role for Government which may include setting principles, and a framework for standards, to build market confidence and ensure quality.' Further details on the Government's role and the design of the expanded market will be announced in the coming months. Information about voluntary nature credits market pilots The pilots represent different land conditions, locations, types of market participants, and activities. They will help the Government understand how to meet the high standards of international markets, the role of Government, and what works best in New Zealand. This real-life experience will provide valuable insights as we move to the next stage of market design. Te Toa Whenua Northland, led by Reconnecting Northland. Transitioning around 100 ha from exotic forestry to native including pest control on iwi-owned land. Waituna Nature Credits Prototype Southland, led by Whakamana te Waituna Charitable Trust (Awarua Rūnunga, Ngai Tahu, Fonterra, Southland District Council, Environment Southland, and Department of Conservation). Restoring 400 ha of farmland at lagoon margins to lowland forest & wetlands (RAMSAR protected site). Waimanu Forest Gisborne Led by Aratu Forests. Converting a commercial forestry block to 50 ha of natives for biodiversity uplift and increased recreational and educational values. Scope to expand to up to 5,000 ha. Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari insights Waikato, led by Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Observing the current process of issuing credits for conservation and protection activities within the 3,360 ha inland ecological sanctuary. Existing Biodiversity Credits Market (BCM) project standard insights Led by Ekos. Offering market insights from an existing BCM provider. Includes understanding the journey of Reconnecting Northland's proof-of-concept project through this process. Adapted nature credits international standards Led by Boffa Miskell. Testing at-place an additional NZ BCM project standard that is adapting UK methodology to NZ environments as a competitor to domestic or international project standard/certification providers. Voluntary carbon market standard with biodiversity safeguards insights Led by AsureQuality. Testing its carbon project standard, which requires native revegetation, designed to be more applicable and affordable for the New Zealand context. Nature positive credit programme pilot Led by Silver Fern Farms. Testing a processor-led programme for market attraction, and potentially third-party investment, in on-farm nature restoration and enhancement activities that support commercial 'nature positive' claims. Nature-based markets pilots for rural landowners Led by Pāmu Farms. Exploring pathways to make nature-based markets accessible to a range of New Zealand farmers and landholders.
