Climate change is real, the evidence is there in black and white, it is no 'hoax'. The US is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions through its ongoing focus on burning fossil fuels. New Zealand must make a stand for the rest of the global community and send a message to the US Government: "your reckless and ill-thought through decisions impact all global citizens. We will not stand by and let this carnage carry on."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjX954J1zjI Watercare is proposing to build a new massive water treatment plant in Manuka Road and Woodlands Park Road, Titirangi, next to the existing plant. The construction of this plant will destroy more than 1000 trees over four hectares of significant native mature bush – including a large part of the very popular Clark Bush Track, bring an industrial sized plant to within four metres of local residents and put untold strain on roading and other infrastructure in surrounding communities including Titirangi, Woodlands Park, Waima, Laingholm, Glen Eden and beyond. The ecological assessment of the proposed site has been limited to minimal vegetation and bird count surveys, with no assessment of the other flora and fauna that might be present, including bats, lizards or insects, and no considerations of impacts on fresh water ecology. If this project goes ahead in Titirangi, it would be an ecological and social disaster, an insult to the environmental pioneers that helped create the essential character of Titirangi and an absolute disgrace for the green image of New Zealand. Phil Goff promised Aucklanders to protect our native heritage trees. Now he has the chance to stand by his word when both our native bush and community are under threat. We call on him and Auckland Council to reject the environmental consent to clear the bush for a Water Treatment Plant in Titirangi and send Watercare back to the drawing board. Help us stop Watercare now. For additional information, please check our Facebook page and website below: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TitirangiPG/ https://protecttitirangi.org/

Valuable public open spaces are now under threat from this Government, which wants to carve up and sell our parks for housing developments. Once it’s sold, it’s gone forever. Save Our Reserves (SOR) emerged as a response to a proposed housing development on Point England Reserve, Auckland. We thought this reserve would be a reserve forever. It’s a wonderful open space with rural character, playing fields and endangered birds. However the Government plans to sell 11.69 hectares (28.88 acres) of the land to Ngāti Paoa (or other developers) for a housing development as part of their Treaty settlement. We support iwi in getting fair treaty settlement but do not agree to public reserves being used as commercial property. We realise that this sets a dangerous precedent for other reserves, and have formed a group to help other communities who will face similar losses under this Government. This petition is a push back to say NO to housing on parks, sports fields and public reserves across New Zealand so communities don’t have to fight individual battles. We don’t want central government forcing local councils to rezone public open space for housing. The development will destroy the primary roosting habitat of 50-90% of the remaining wild shorebirds in the Tāmaki Estuary. The development proposed in this Bill covers 50% of the endangered New Zealand dotterel nesting ground. This intensive housing development will bring cats and dogs and people into the nesting ground, evicting the birds. For explanatory notes and background to the petition visit http://saveourreserves.org.nz/petition/

This road hugs the steep coast and twists and turns sharply. It is lined with Pohutukawa trees and has unique scenic beauty with every turn as hidden bays and vistas emerge. It is a popular destination for weekend picnicking and fisherman. The volume of weekend traffic on the coast is rising exponentially each year and is a detriment to the coastal experience. A balance between the weekend motorist and outdoor activity is a sensible solution. By sharing the road with one way traffic and a cycle/ pedestrian way it will enable greater access overall. Currently it is difficult for vehicles to pull over to the shoulder to enjoy the view. Giving pedestrians and cyclists greater access and freedom will make this site a must do activity in the Auckland region. This section of the highway is not a commuter road and is in fact a slower route to Clevedon so the one way aspect will not have any negative affects to locals or tourists.

Everyone deserves to know if the product they are consuming or using contains palm oil. Palm oil is impacting our environment/climate/animals/human health and safety: causing deforestation; habitat degradation; climate change; animal cruelty; indigenous rights abuse and people have been found to be allergic to palm oil. WE deserve to ask for choice.

Carnivorous pets have a high "ecological footprint" The over-breeding of pets in NZ has a high cost to our environment, to voluntary organisations such as the SPCA and has an impact on wildlife as well as global fisheries. Pet numbers are already limited by a maximum by most city councils, so over-breeding of pets means we have a large number of animals that need to be fed or put down every year. Pet food often contains palm oil and GE ingredients. A rating system that takes into account the use of meat not suitable for human consumption and improved farming practices can promote the reduction of the carbon footprint of pet food. While most pet owners find the feeding of ex racing horse, kangaroo and vermin to pets disgusting, it is more environmentally friendly to do so than to farm beef or chicken. Calculations by Deakin University researchers show an estimated 2.48 million tonnes of forage fish are used each year by the global cat food industry. Fish are a biological resource that is becoming scarce. Unsustainable fishing practices including human slavery are part of the cat food industry.

The TPP destroys our Democracy, our Sovereignty. The ISDS os a corporate coup d'etat. We cannot have the government sued in a rigged tribunal for acting in the interests of the people! The UN Human rights expert has found the TPP at odds with human rights treaties making it in breach of international treaties! http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17006 The majority of New Zealanders oppose the TPP, by signing this petition you are making it highly desirable for a political party to act in the public's wishes & best interests and agree to put their money where their mouth is and exit the TPP! We did it with a Nuclear free stance, we can do it again and be TPP FREE! If you want to be our representatives, then represent us! Not the US! Note: The party must be registered, active and must make the statement loudly, clearly and publically.

Recently glyphosate was classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Class 2A carcinogen, meaning, it probably causes cancer. (1) Glyphosate is the world's most commonly sprayed weedkiller and is the active ingredient in RoundUp (2) It is a product most Council contractors use in keeping both urban and rural public areas weed free. With cancer the leading cause of death in New Zealand, accounting for 29.4% of all deaths (3), it is important we protect the public, particularly children, from exposure to this chemical. The damning conclusion by the world's leading health experts means that the Council needs to take responsibility for protecting our health and making our beautiful district healthy and safe for all by completely stopping the use of glyphosate. The public spraying of this carcinogenic chemical is a violation of our human rights. We have already requested the Kapiti Coast District Council consider chemical free alternatives,. And research has proven cost effectiveness of hot water and foam treatment which is almost equal in cost to chemical spraying. In 2009 French Professor Séralini's two year study on glyphosate found it produced large cancerous tumours in rats (4). Because its effects are cumulative and not immediate (that is they only show up over a long period of time) people generally think it is safe. Dr. Don Huber, an award-winning, international scientist, microbiologist and professor emeritus of plant pathology at Purdue University (US) who has 55+ years experience in research and expertise in the area of plant pathology, says that contrary to the common claim of safety, a large volume of peer-reviewed scientific information clearly demonstrates that Roundup herbicide is chronically toxic to human and animal tissues and leads to cancer, premature death, kidney and liver failure, blood disorders and a host of other diseases (5). Dr Huber considers glyphosate is worse than DDT (6), and that there's also a correlation between glyphosate use & bee die off (7). Our environment has long been subject to frequent spraying of this toxic chemical. In 2009 France's highest Court ruled that Roundup (active ingredient glyphosate) is not biodegradable nor does it "keep the soil clean" as Monsanto had previously advertised. (8) It has now also been found present in human blood, urine and breast milk. (7) Help us make all public areas in Kapiti towns both glyphosate and chemical free now. [1] and [2] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150422-glyphosate-roundup-herbicide-weeds/ [3] http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/cancer-new-registrations-and-deaths-2011 [4] http://www.gmoseralini.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/GES-final-study-19.9.121.pdf (5) http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/roundup-herbicide-most-toxic-chemical-environment [6] http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/15/dr-don-huber-interview-part-2.aspx [7] http://www.gmoevidence.com/dr-huber-glyphosate-and-bee-colony-collapse-disorder-ccd/ [8] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8308903.stm

New Zealand wide, urban trees are now grossly unprotected due to amendments to the Resource Management Act (RMA). 'Blanket tree protection' has now effectively been removed allowing for indiscriminate felling of our urban forests. Urban trees make enormous contributions to society and the environment and are an integral part of urban infrastructure, helping to create liveable cities of the future. REVERSE THE RMA CHANGES! Please sign this petition and fight to protect one of our most valuable resources and show the world we are serious about the issues that face our environment.   Nick Smith, National's minister of the environment, set about making amendments to the RMA that were enshrined in the Act by 2013. Prior to these amendments, councils only had to list trees by species, and for the trees to be above a certain size to be protected which created ‘blanket’ protection. After September 5th 2015 the following protections applied: - Individual, or groups of identified trees may be scheduled on a list of ‘Notable Trees’ by councils.  The trees first have to be nominated and pass a set criteria devised by councils in order to gain this ‘protected’ status. - Significant Ecological Areas (SEAs) and other similar categories identified as an overlay on a council plan prohibit the removal of vegetation from these areas.   Trees on an urban plot that don't fall into any of the above categories are able to be pruned or felled without resource consent from council.  These trees may be of any age and species - native or not. There are significant shortfalls to this strategy: - Nationally only a small percentage of urban trees on private land are currently protected. - These forms of protection can be removed if council consent is granted. - Additional trees and SEAs can be nominated but but can only be protected after acceptance in a future plan change of current Unitary or District Plans. In Auckland's case this won't take place for several years.What will we lose in the meantime? - Nominations for additional Notable Trees face tough eligibility criteria by Council, including crucially the property owner's decision to agree to the nomination. - The Resource Management Act currently prohibits a council’s attempt to create any form of general or blanket protection. THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN A RAPID DECLINE OF OUR URBAN FORESTS! Evidence suggests ONE THIRD of urban forest in Auckland has already been removed since blanket tree protection was removed in 2015. With grave implications faced by global warming due to excessive CO2 emissions, the Government has made a bold commitment to reducing national levels. This fact bestows an even greater value to trees, urban or elsewhere. It is therefore absurdly contradictory that the previous Government took such a relaxed stance on protecting the very resource that serves us in this regard. The new Government must make every decision regarding climate change count.   All around the world there are strategies that have been created by Governments and organisations to increase urban tree density in order to meet air quality and temperature targets, reduce erosion, increase biodiversity, improve the mental health of populations and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. New Zealand needs an holistic urban forest management strategy that: - adequately protects and nurtures our existing urban forests; - allows councils to implement sound protection laws with practical consideration given to pruning, maintenance and mitigation planting; - sets a precedent on urban biodiversity for our expanding and intensifying cities. A recent Auckland University study headed by Margaret Stanley shows the current dilemma: central Auckland tree cover (over 8 metres tall) is only 6% of the land area, 63.2% of which was on private land. Of these trees, approximately 15% were protected. Link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204615001127 ) Forests are the lungs of the world. We need to nurture and protect our urban forests as much as possible to play our part as responsible global citizens and enable our growing cities to be truly liveable for future generations.  I urge you to encourage the Government to review the RMA and re-introduce blanket tree protection to protect our urban forests before it is too late.   Please sign this petition and keep NZ green.   Ross McCreadie https://www.facebook.com/protectoururbantrees/ For further action visit the Forest and Bird website and click on ‘Take action’ to join the fight to save the RMA. Link: http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/savetheRMA

We the petitioners assert that in a democracy the government cannot sign away our sovereignty that is a contradiction of the very basis for their power, Democracy! Currently there exists the distinct likelihood of politicians against our wishes permanently and forevermore (they intend) giving away to international parties all or much of our ability to self govern, our sovereignty, or to continue as a democracy except in name only. It is illegitimate and abhorrent to democracy for a democratic, limited-term government to sign any anti-democratic agreement to -FOREVER- irrevocably circumvent democracy! Or even to grant a term exceeding theirs. However we need the government to get this message in no uncertain terms and make it a fundamental document of our Democracy! That there must be the ability to exit any agreement (except in the next clause) if the public protests it or if the government believes it should be exited in our best interests either immediately or at worst when the government that signed is voted out. Reluctantly if an agreement (or law) must be binding for a time, the people must agree by voting in a referendum to an agreement with no details withheld that cannot be exited for any period, and that period must not exceed a generation and win at least a 60% Majority to pass although a higher minimum could be set. Ideally even if an agreement seeks to exist for minimum term it is better that there be a valid escape even it it must be financially costly though not actually prohibitive. And that even if 100% of the current population agrees to it, no agreement should ever be binding on all future generations, the limit should be at maximum when most everyone who agreed has (or would have under a natural life span) died of old age if not before. There is no need that exists in our interest for our Government to make any agreement that exists forever without the possibility of ever getting out of it. Except in the event of a military surrender by an invading force. Indeed even many/most countries that have lost to an invading force later regain sovereignty. A Democratic Government cannot be anti-Democratic and still be either Democratic or even be the Government unless it is a Coup d'etat, setting it's self at war with the Democracy of New Zealand an action by force that must be met by necessary force by our uncorrupted Military, Police, Public and Politicians and which is defined in New Zealand law as Treason as it would be an act by force not power! Something you are lured into but can't ever get out of and kept ignorant of the details of is called a trap! If you are a Lawyer please help write a more legally sound draft and offer your opinion. If you know how to get a law passed or an article added to our constitution please help! If you can bring this to sympathetic members of political parties, ones that oppose the TPPA as it stands please do so. Hey, I just got to tick every category because the TPP or an agreement like it could negatively impact our ability to have any law passed on Animal Rights, Forrest, Oceans and water, Climate Change, Health and Safety, Peace and Disarmament, Equality, Human Rights, and Toxics (pollution, toxics products etc.) and much more. Addition: Any agreement that conflicts with the above would be invalid however that might have occurred. Including even probably already established agreements as a consequence of it being knowingly a democracy when any such democratically incompatible agreement was signed. Exemption would be given to any preexisting agreement that the public and government agreed was not onerous for as long as that remains the case. Save our Democracy from Illegal circumvention, don't give in to naysaying disempowering thoughts. This is in the interest of everyone you share it with, if the person is offline we can accept physical signatures also! Join the Facebook group to make this go Viral! https://www.facebook.com/groups/NZDemocracy/ Answer a single question poll of what kind of LEGITIMATE power you think Democratic Government has (when I asked in person I got lots of silly questions so I have been very specific). https://aether22.typeform.com/to/lgdbIz Also sign the Second MORE POWERFUL Petition HERE: https://community.sumofus.org/petitions/tell-labour-greens-nz-first-they-must-announce-voiding-the-tpp-when-they-get-in

We must look after and protect our precious mature trees whatever they are. The local community must be consulted before any of these trees, particularly Notable trees, are destroyed because of the direct affect they have on our local air quality. The two Notable Magnolia Trees on Ponsonby Road represent an urgent need to change our behaviour towards more tree-friendly design. Building for the future must include retaining the best of the character of Ponsonby Road and doing the best we can for future generations. Sign the petition to help save the trees and ask the Owners and Auckland Council not to de-list these Notable Trees. Summary: These Listed trees do not meet 'current' Notable Tree criteria but the Owners reasons for wanting to de-list them are not in the public interest. The Owners want to re-develop the site and cut down the trees because planning requires them to put an awning across the pavement which cannot be done, they claim, if the trees remain. Is this really a good enough reason to destroy two mature, historic Notable trees that are part of the character of Ponsonby Road, are net oxygen producers and managing our local biosphere ? A clever designer could design around the trees to ensure their survival and produce a tree sensitive building that would enhance the character of Ponsonby Road rather than turn it into another shopping precinct like any other. We need to be making the effort to think outside the box to do this throughout Auckland why not start in Ponsonby? There is precedence for this on Ponsonby Road near Bhana Bros shop, the awning has been built around a tree and near Shanghai Lil's there is another. We have precedents let's build on that and encourage and require more tree-friendly design in Auckland. Facts: The true import of the loss of Auckland's Urban Forest which is currently under threat from property development is as follows: 1. De-listing, cutting down and destroying Auckland’s Urban Forest is detrimentally changing the character and environment of Auckland. 2. 60% of Auckland's Urban Forest is on private land. These trees contribute hugely to cleaning the air of Auckland, managing storm water, sequestering carbon, and, producing oxygen which we breathe. Sadly, Auckland Council have done an Air Quality Report completely ignoring the part played by Auckland's Urban Forest in managing the Air Quality of Auckland. This is a life threatening omission. 3. When the Earth was formed the atmosphere was full of poisonous gasses. Plants through their evolution and processes cleaned the biosphere, sequestering the poisons into the soils creating an environment where animals and humans could live. The mature leafy trees are the large oxygen producers. They manage the biosphere both locally and for the Earth. All mature oxygen producing trees are connected to biosphere management of the Earth. 4. We have destroyed 80% of the Earth's Ancient Forests replacing them with low oxygen, high carbon producing activities. The Oceans, where most of our oxygen is produced, are becoming dead. UN estimates there are 150 Dead areas in the Oceans which are directly related to Our pollution. The plant phytoplankton (oxygen producers) in our Oceans are being reduced by our activities. 5. There are fewer and fewer oxygen producers and our Urban Forest is becoming vital to the future survival of our species. 6. The oxygen contained in our air is 19-20% and reducing yearly. Before the Industrial Revolution it used to be much more. We cannot live on Earth if the amount of oxygen in our air falls below 7%. Already in some parts of the Earth there are cities with oxygen levels of 14-15%. 7. When we burn fossil fuels and create carbon dioxide we sequester 2 x oxygen molecules for every 1 x of carbon produced. These oxygen molecules can only be released by being taken up by an oxygen producing plant. 8. Humans need trees which is why we instinctively know it is wrong to cut them down. We need the oxygen they produce, they use the carbon we produce, we are physically connected. To continue to ignore this FACT, as we are doing, is to steal the future from our children and destroy our Home.

Mass deforestation and devastating climate change threatens survival of all the species, including us. The facts: - Next 5 years are critical. 80-90% of tropical rainforest systems will be destroyed by 2020. ( Source: http://www.custommade.com/l/deforestation/ ) - Rainforests regulate the Earth’s climate, storing 1 trillion tonnes of carbon. That is twice the amount than in the atmosphere. ( Source: http://newsroom.unfccc.int/ ) - We have lost the equivalent of 50 football pitches of rainforest every minute since 2000. ( Source: www.theguardian.com ) - Every year we lose 7.3 million hectares (50 football pitches every minute) of forest. ( Source: www.inhabitat.com ) - In 1950, 15% of the Earth’s land was covered by rainforests. Today (2015) only 6% are covered. ( Source: www.inhabitat.com ) This is a simple idea to show how one of the biggest global brands could connect with its roots to tackle one of the biggest global problems. The video explains how this campaign will boost Coke’s global brand equity, turn passive consumers into loyal followers, increase marketing reach (and help save the world).