Latest news with #TomKay
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
'Don't Be Fooled': Govt's Freshwater Reforms Means More Pollution In Your Water & Commercial Control Of Public Resources
Press Release – Choose Clean Water Choose Clean Water says its important for the public to make submissions on the changes (these can be made until 27 July 2025) but its just as important for the public to contact MPs and Ministers directly to voice their opposition. 29 May 2025 Freshwater campaigners are saying 'don't be fooled' by the Coalition Government's rhetoric in today's freshwater policy announcement. What it really means for New Zealanders is more pollution in rivers, lakes, and drinking water sources and the handing over of more power to commercial interests to control a fundamental public resource. The Coalition Government made its long-awaited announcement on freshwater policy reform today and Choose Clean Water's spokesperson Tom Kay says it confirms what has been feared. 'Ministers are using comforting words like 'balance' but the details of this policy demonstrate that this is not about balance or protecting the public. The Government is proposing to remove existing bottom lines and change the long overdue prioritisation of the health of people and waterways provided by Te Mana o Te Wai.' 'Don't be fooled, this is a massive blow for the health of our water and the health of our communities.' Te Mana o te Wai is a vastly improved decision-making framework in the existing National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. It requires regional councils to provide for the protection of the health of waterways and the health needs of people (i.e. access to safe, good quality drinking water) before commercial uses can be considered. It was strengthened following the failure of previous National Policy Statements in 2011, 2014, and 2017 to improve the health of freshwater in New Zealand, and widespread public support for the Government to act. 'What Te Mana o te Wai finally provided, in the 2020 version of our national freshwater policy, was sufficient weight to the public interest and need for healthy water. Before this, people's drinking water and waterways were regularly losing out to commercial pressures, which we saw result in sick rivers and lakes, the drying up of rivers and groundwater, and undrinkable water sources around the country.' 'In the 2020 national policy statement, it was finally recognised that communities couldn't continue like that—it was unstable, unsustainable, and unhealthy.' The group says Minister Hoggard's ACT party has consistently misrepresented Te Mana o Te Wai and used race-baiting to generate misguided anger towards a policy that protects all New Zealanders. Leader of the ACT Party, David Seymour, has stated that Te Mana o te Wai is 'the same as waving crystals over the water to drive out evil spirits, and it's truly bonkers.' 'This is not only nasty and insulting but it's also plain wrong,' says Kay. 'Te Mana o te Wai is simply a framework that says we have to ensure our water is healthy enough to support itself and our people before it can support commercial interests. It doesn't rule out business—it just says that business can't occur at the cost of our communities' health.' Previous consultation on changes to freshwater policy under the Resource Management Act demonstrated most regional councils support Te Mana o te Wai. 'Not only that, groups from Water NZ to Seafood NZ to Forest & Bird to public health advocates support Te Mana o te Wai because it makes priorities clearer for decision makers and provides better protection for the health of waterways and people.' Minister Hoggard and Minister McClay's announcement is consistent with the Coalition Government's approach to handing over more power to extractive commercial interests and removing basic protections for New Zealanders. 'Polluting industries have massively influenced this freshwater policy. The Government is following the requests of groups like DairyNZ who have asked the Government to remove bottom lines and for industry control of instruments like farm plans. This Coalition Government is captured by big industries, we saw it with tobacco and now we're seeing it with agribusiness.' Choose Clean Water says it's important for the public to make submissions on the changes (these can be made until 27 July 2025) but it's just as important for the public to contact MPs and Ministers directly to voice their opposition. 'We have a good existing national policy statement for freshwater. It puts us all on the path to restoration and health over time and still allows for productive land use to support communities. The Coalition Government is making changes New Zealand simply doesn't need and that will take us backwards.'
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
'Don't Be Fooled': Govt's Freshwater Reforms Means More Pollution In Your Water & Commercial Control Of Public Resources
29 May 2025 Freshwater campaigners are saying 'don't be fooled' by the Coalition Government's rhetoric in today's freshwater policy announcement. What it really means for New Zealanders is more pollution in rivers, lakes, and drinking water sources and the handing over of more power to commercial interests to control a fundamental public resource. The Coalition Government made its long-awaited announcement on freshwater policy reform today and Choose Clean Water's spokesperson Tom Kay says it confirms what has been feared. 'Ministers are using comforting words like 'balance' but the details of this policy demonstrate that this is not about balance or protecting the public. The Government is proposing to remove existing bottom lines and change the long overdue prioritisation of the health of people and waterways provided by Te Mana o Te Wai.' 'Don't be fooled, this is a massive blow for the health of our water and the health of our communities.' Te Mana o te Wai is a vastly improved decision-making framework in the existing National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. It requires regional councils to provide for the protection of the health of waterways and the health needs of people (i.e. access to safe, good quality drinking water) before commercial uses can be considered. It was strengthened following the failure of previous National Policy Statements in 2011, 2014, and 2017 to improve the health of freshwater in New Zealand, and widespread public support for the Government to act. 'What Te Mana o te Wai finally provided, in the 2020 version of our national freshwater policy, was sufficient weight to the public interest and need for healthy water. Before this, people's drinking water and waterways were regularly losing out to commercial pressures, which we saw result in sick rivers and lakes, the drying up of rivers and groundwater, and undrinkable water sources around the country.' 'In the 2020 national policy statement, it was finally recognised that communities couldn't continue like that—it was unstable, unsustainable, and unhealthy.' The group says Minister Hoggard's ACT party has consistently misrepresented Te Mana o Te Wai and used race-baiting to generate misguided anger towards a policy that protects all New Zealanders. Leader of the ACT Party, David Seymour, has stated that Te Mana o te Wai is 'the same as waving crystals over the water to drive out evil spirits, and it's truly bonkers.' 'This is not only nasty and insulting but it's also plain wrong,' says Kay. 'Te Mana o te Wai is simply a framework that says we have to ensure our water is healthy enough to support itself and our people before it can support commercial interests. It doesn't rule out business—it just says that business can't occur at the cost of our communities' health.' Previous consultation on changes to freshwater policy under the Resource Management Act demonstrated most regional councils support Te Mana o te Wai. 'Not only that, groups from Water NZ to Seafood NZ to Forest & Bird to public health advocates support Te Mana o te Wai because it makes priorities clearer for decision makers and provides better protection for the health of waterways and people.' Minister Hoggard and Minister McClay's announcement is consistent with the Coalition Government's approach to handing over more power to extractive commercial interests and removing basic protections for New Zealanders. 'Polluting industries have massively influenced this freshwater policy. The Government is following the requests of groups like DairyNZ who have asked the Government to remove bottom lines and for industry control of instruments like farm plans. This Coalition Government is captured by big industries, we saw it with tobacco and now we're seeing it with agribusiness.' Choose Clean Water says it's important for the public to make submissions on the changes (these can be made until 27 July 2025) but it's just as important for the public to contact MPs and Ministers directly to voice their opposition. 'We have a good existing national policy statement for freshwater. It puts us all on the path to restoration and health over time and still allows for productive land use to support communities. The Coalition Government is making changes New Zealand simply doesn't need and that will take us backwards.'
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
National Direction Changes Expected To Advance Dangerous ACT Ideology At Expense Of The Health Of NZers And Environment
Press Release – Choose Clean Water Choose Clean Water says the cabinet papers prioritising of the enjoyment of private property rights in public policy is straight out of an extreme libertarian ideology and becomes incoherent and dangerous when applied to communities needs … Government changes to national direction relating to the country's resource management, expected to be announced this week, will advance ACT Party extreme ideologies at the expense of the health of the public and our environment, say freshwater campaigners. Campaign group Choose Clean Water says a close reading of the Coalition Government's cabinet paper on resource management reform provides a strong indication of what will be in the Government's national direction announcement, and shows the National-led Government is adopting the extreme and incoherent views of ACT in their approach to environmental policy. 'The changes to national direction signalled in the cabinet paper cover more than freshwater policy but what's proposed for freshwater is indicative of what's coming across the board. 'The Coalition Government is making sure commercial interests can trump the public's interests, and that supposed private property rights can trump the rights of everyone else in our communities to a safe, healthy environment to live in,' says spokesperson for the group, Tom Kay. Choose Clean Water says the cabinet paper's prioritising of 'the enjoyment of private property rights' in public policy is straight out of an extreme libertarian ideology and becomes incoherent and dangerous when applied to communities' needs and the natural environment. As the cabinet paper emphasises, the Coalition Government intends to ' replace the RMA with resource management laws premised on the enjoyment of property rights as a guiding principle '. It goes on to say, 'land use effects that are borne solely by the party undertaking the activity would not be controlled'. 'The cabinet paper ignores reality. Prioritising ownership as it exists right now ignores the fact that property changes hands over time—so one landowner's actions will affect a future property owner or community. 'The reality is that most land use activities will have an impact on the rest of the community and wider society, even those that may be confined within a property boundary. 'That's why we have rules about what people can and can't do, so that the needs of everyone—including future generations—can be managed and communities aren't harmed by one person's poor decision making.' Additionally, Choose Clean Water says any national direction announcement that highlights 'environmental limits' should be met with skepticism. It appears as though the Government has already agreed to take away existing essential environmental limits for freshwater. The cabinet paper states, ' Limits to protect human health would be set nationally, whereas limits to protect the natural environment would be set by regional councils, who may incorporate sub-regional perspectives (such as catchment groups) '. 'We have existing protections for rivers and lakes in the form of national bottom lines (environmental limits). The National Party introduced these in 2014 and they've been refined since. 'But the cabinet paper proposes to remove these existing bottom lines and throw this decision-making back to regional councils again. This means communities will be vulnerable to more pollution of their rivers, lakes and drinking water, such as from another predicted 'dairy boom' in Canterbury.' 'It's dangerous to disconnect human and environmental health, and unrealistic to imagine you can protect people's health without protecting the waterways they swim in, fish and collect food from, and rely on for their drinking water.' Kay also says the group can also see the influence of commercial interests over public policy, such as allowing catchment groups to set limits as another way of weakening or removing limits. 'It just opens them up to industry capture, where agribusiness exerts massive influence to set weak standards that work for them. Catchment groups are currently largely dominated by these interests and aren't set up to allow for what downstream communities might want or need to protect their health and livelihoods.' 'This is only a small example of what's in the cabinet paper and there is more to be alarmed about in the Coalition Government's proposals for our environmental policies. ACT's dangerous ideology should not be the basis of our resource management system, and National Party leaders must push back on them.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Memories of families and how they've been our foundation in life
Tomorrow is International Day of Families and we're remembering times spent with our nearest and dearest. Teachers performed as the Addams Family at Workington Academy's Gruesome Gothic Day (Image: Tom Kay) The day is organised by the United Nations and aims to raise awareness about the economic, social, and demographic issues that affect families all around the world. It highlights how important families are in the fabric of international communities and the foundation of society. A baby shower and swap shop event for families at Millom Library (Image: Newsquest) In recent years, the International Day of Families has commemorated all families, both traditional and non-traditional, to illustrate the fact that there is no blueprint for what a family is meant to be. A family is simply a group of people who love and support each other and are connected by a strong bond. A Family Business Network and Cartmell Shepherd insight event at Stoneybeck Inn, Penrith (Image: Newsquest) In 1983, the Economic and Social Council of the UN highlighted to the secretary-general the importance of drawing attention to the problems and needs of families around the world. Two years later, the UN was asked to consider starting a global campaign aimed at governments and other organisations, as well as the public, to focus on the issue of 'Families in the development process'. An unidentified family wedding group from the 1920s by a Carlisle photographer (Image: Newsquest) Eventually, in 1989, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution proclaiming that year as the International Year of the Family. This inspired the United Nations to establish the International Day of Families in 1993, and it has been observed every year since. Owner's family Beverley-Jane Kelly, Nicole Watts, Natalia Kelly and Flory Kelly at the grand re-opening of Carpet Ways in Carlisle (Image: Newsquest) This year marks the 32nd celebration of International Day of Families. Ten-year-old Harry Ward with one of the horses his family was selling at Wigton horse sales in 1982 Since the campaign began, many family-oriented policies and programmes have been organised by the UN, helping to achieve its goals of ending the demographic, social and economic problems that affect international families. The playbarn for families at Greystone House Cafe and Farmshop in Stainton near Penrith (Image: Newsquest) Every year, a different theme is chosen to highlight some of the issues that are the focus of that particular year. This year's is 'Family-Oriented Policies for Sustainable Development: Towards the Second World Summit for Social Development'. May Langston celebrated her 100th birthday with a party for family and friends at the Holmehurst Residential Care Home in Carlisle (Image: Newsquest) It highlights the crucial role of family policies in achieving sustainable development, particularly in the context of the Second World Summit for Social Development in November 2025. The event will emphasise the importance of family policies in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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Travel + Leisure
11-05-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Coastal English Area Is Known for Stunning Beaches—but It's Home to a Community of Artists, Too
I suppose there was a moment when someone hiked this cliff, above this opal-colored sea, for the very first time. Humans have occupied Cornwall, in southwestern England, since the Mesolithic period. Back then, however, they wouldn't have seen the town of St. Ives in the distance, with its tiered cottages and fishing boats. I imagine they might have admired the purple heather on the hills, like I did, or maybe noticed a pair of gannets, like the ones I saw plunging into the water for fish. 'This is an ancient area, a Celtic area,' Tom Kay, my hiking companion, told me—a fabled land of mermaids and giants. 'There's old myths everywhere.' Kay is the founder of Finisterre, the Cornish outdoors brand. An ardent surfer, he started making fleece sweaters in St. Agnes in 2003, because nothing in the local wave shops suited the Cornish climate, so often windswept and cold. Finisterre now has stores in St. Ives and London, as well as 12 more across the U.K. The label is still headquartered in Cornwall, with the region's history of craft woven into the designs. From left: The beach in St. Ives; low tide in St. Ives harbor. Hayley Benoit Cafés along the St. Ives waterfront. Hayley Benoit Kay held out a navy sweater he'd brought for our hike, made in collaboration with Britain's Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The pattern is inspired by the Cornish gansey, which was originally knitted by fishermen's wives and daughters: a tightly woven woolen style designed to keep out the wind and saltwater spray, with a pattern of chevrons above the chest. 'In the 18th century, the nearby villages each had their own knit pattern so, if you got washed overboard or were lost at sea, they could identify where you came from by the pattern,' he said. This was my first time in Cornwall, and I had only known the region for its greatest hits: beef-filled pasties, seaside holidays, a cultural identity that carries an independent political streak. (Cornish, a historic Celtic language, is now taught in some primary schools.) From left: Shellfish traps in storage at Porthmeor Studios; Philip Medley at Porthmeor. Hayley Benoit From left: Tagliatelle at the Harbour View House restaurant; a guest room at the Harbour View House. Hayley Benoit But St. Ives, which has a population of about 11,000, is also the region's creative hub, and has deep artistic ties. J.M.W. Turner, the Romantic artist, painted some of his best-known works in the area. Barbara Hepworth, the 20th-century British sculptor, lived in town, where a museum and sculpture garden preserves her studio and works. Cornwall has suffered from long declines in the fishing and mining industries, but the arts community remains strong. In recent years, a new group of craftspeople and artisans—'makers,' basically—have hunkered down and are reviving old traditions. 'There's a lot of opportunity for creative work here,' Andrew Todd, a fashion designer and mixed-media artist, told me one morning over coffee. 'It feels like Cornwall is building on its legacy of arts, crafts, and niche businesses.' From left: Works at Leach Pottery; Roelof Uys at Leach Pottery. Hayley Benoit From left: Tom Kay, the founder of Finisterre; a Finisterre vest. Hayley Benoit So what is it about the area that people find so inspiring? I flew in to London's Gatwick airport last July and took a quick flight to Newquay, followed by a 40-minute drive down the coast. It was an easy trip, but a long one—I was traveling from Los Angeles—so when I checked in to the Harbour View House, I gratefully accepted a Negroni. Then I started to look around. With some surprise, I noticed the staff was young and the décor rustic and sunny. The vibe was kinda Melbourne, kinda Malibu. To discover the next morning that there was a surprisingly good breakfast burrito—well, if I hadn't known St. Ives was a beach town, I did now. My first outing was the cliff hike with Kay. He thought the coastal vistas were key to understanding what stirs creativity—the ruggedness of the hills, the soft colors. Afterward, I continued walking, but in a more urbane fashion: strolling the streets around my hotel. St. Ives is hilly, and filled with cottages, tiny shops, and art galleries, all of them overlooking a bay of fishing boats. In the summer, it's also smashed with tourists. I was lucky to snag a table for lunch at St. Eia, a chic wine bar and coffee shop that served me a delicate, delicious sandwich filled with Cornish crab. A short walk later, I arrived at Leach Pottery, a town institution that's both a museum and a working studio. Founded in 1920 by a pair of ceramists, Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada, it continues to draw potters from around the world to learn from its unique melding of British and Japanese traditions. 'Getting all this knowledge is highly coveted,' Callum Cowie, one of two current apprentices, told me. The restaurant at Harbour View House, in St. Ives. Hayley Benoit Roelof Uys, the studio's lead potter, said generations of artists had traveled to Cornwall for its scenery and rustic, small-town culture. 'It's about a way of living, and living in a beautiful way,' he said. Historically, rent was also cheap. But that is no longer the case—especially since the pandemic, when Londoners snapped up coastal homes and prices spiked. Uys, who has lived in Cornwall for 26 years, worries that his children won't be able to afford to stay when they grow up. Leach Pottery has persevered, he said, because of its devotion to the craft. 'It's about continuing the tradition of Cornwall being a place for creativity.' St. Michael's Mount, near Penzance. Hayley Benoit For a fuller picture of Cornwall's creative pedigree, I headed back toward the sea, to the Tate St. Ives. What other beach community can claim a major museum with ocean views? Opened in 1993, the Tate celebrates the area's artistic legacy. One gallery had a special display of five abstracts by Mark Rothko. The paintings were originally commissioned for the Four Seasons restaurant in New York. But Rothko, who took a break from the murals in 1959 and visited St. Ives, decided they weren't right for the Four Seasons and donated them to the Tate Gallery shortly before his death in 1970. I was able to sit quietly for 10 minutes and absorb them; for a moment, I honestly felt like they were speaking to me. From left: The studio of Andrew Todd, Finisterre's head designer; Andrew Todd in his studio. Hayley Benoit I dined that night at the Fish Shed St. Ives, a light meal of oysters and french fries, and on a recommendation from my bartender, I finished the evening with a hike up to St. Nicholas Chapel (in the summer the sun sets as late as 9:30 p.m.). The church has been there since the 15th century, overlooking the beach. It made me wonder if the light had always been so sumptuous, and if it had seemed that way to people centuries ago. My second day started at Porthmeor Studios, possibly the oldest artists' studios in England. It has provided workspaces for fishermen and artists since the 1880s—a truly Cornwall-esque combination—which meant some rooms were full of nets and buoys and others stocked with art. The artists I met were all professionals represented by galleries in London, New York, and beyond. I asked one painter, Philip Medley, if the ocean inspired him. His abstract work did not look remotely nautical, but his studio had massive windows that faced the sea. 'Subconsciously it gets in,' he admitted. 'Especially in the winter, when the weather kicks off. I'm not conscious of it, but I suspect it's there.' From left: The Roundhouse, in Penzance; baked goods at the Roundhouse. Hayley Benoit Perhaps that was the key. Cornwall is more than just a place—it harbors a mystery and mystique that stir the imagination. I spent my final afternoon in the nearby town of Penzance, where I visited a modern art gallery called the Exchange. Lunch was a Cornish beer and a superb mortadella sandwich at the Roundhouse, a tiny café housed in a Victorian-era toll booth whose owner bakes his own focaccia. I felt nourished—by art, by nature, by the spirit of people creating with their hands. To live and work in Cornwall has probably never been easy, but its tradition of resourcefulness and artistry is thriving more strongly than ever. A version of this story first appeared in the June 2025 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline 'Dyed in the Wool.'
