The Portfolios that Steffan held in the NZ Green Party were:
In this interview many subjects were rapidly covered so as to give an overview of what are the possibilities of a free, truly green, healthy and independent country - one that is happily embedded in the biosphere.
Organic Food Growing
Steffan says that in relation to our small organic food growers - we have to make sure that they can survive as we are asking of them to grow the finest quality and healthiest, highest - nutritional food. So it is imperative that our growers survive economically too.
Steffan who for 15 years was an organic producer says organic growers have to be able to survive themselves and put a roof over their head and feed their children - and they are up against industrial food production which is produced cheaply by using in his words - some very ugly chemicals and ugly fertilisers as well.
These then degrade our rivers and that the chemicals are impacting on our health - that there are a considerable amount of chemicals in our food - so how do we compare our food? What is cheap food? Because the cost of these chemicals on top of our national health system and into our environment are not considered in NZ’s industrialised retailed food prices.
Whereas, organic producers holistic perspective does not, in most circumstances pollute waterways or the air with chemical sprays - and there are no known health and hospital costs as a result of eating organic food.
Steffan says there is a problem with costs - but as an organic producer - he at the peak of the season for a number of weeks - could and did sell organic food at the same price of industrial vegetables. He also mentioned that industrial farming is also subsidised in the form of cheap chemicals.
Steffan produced capsicums, tomatoes, aubergines (eggplant) beans, cucumbers, basil and chilli peppers - these were his primary crop.
By blanket use of heavy chemicals across a whole farm - all pests as well as benevolent insects are killed - it’s an easy fix. Whereas organic farmers target what needs to be curtailed and do this with traps, and other noninvasive chemical means.
Loss of Insects
There is a world wide decline of insects. Where 50 years ago if you drove 50 kilometers through a rural setting there would be huge numbers of dead insects splattered on the window screen of your car. Today - basically none - zilch.
Steffan says there are two reasons that he knows of.
1) Habitat has gone - bare earth actions be it farming and urbanisation - take away diversity - less trees, wetlands, shrubs, scrub and herbs.
2) Chemicals nicotinoids - the ‘neo nix’ - is what they are called for short - is known to kill bees and affect their health including other beneficial insects - plus there are also fungicides and herbicides as well.
France in Europe is an excellent example of push back against these sorts of chemicals - having kicked out Monsanto as they restore ecological balance to their environment.
France too has a huge number of organic food outlets right across the country - and are far more conscious of their food production and consumption. Food that is close to ‘use by’ date is never incinerated or sent to landfill - but sent to hospices and other needy outlets and possibly prisons etc = far less waste. Also Supermarkets will not buy from farmers who use nicotinoids. This is due to commercial outlets across France listening to consumer demands.
Steffan goes on to say that our NZ regulators - our ‘environmental protectors’ as in the likes of Government - need to say that we are going to do the right thing … and bring in the ‘precautionary approach’ but, instead - our regulators are turning away and ignoring their social responsibility.
Ministry for Primary Industries - need to have vision and courage.
New Zealanders have to keep the pressure on the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Regulators - where he says we need some major changes - especially in the Ministry for Primary Industries, particularly their lack of vision and their lack of courage in not standing up to industry There are also conflicts of interest - especially around GE & GMO’s and the release of these materials. That some of these officials have actively promoted GE and promoted chemicals when their job is to be a watchdog - for our NZ environment!
Especially when they are actively wanting easier access for GE materials to be released into the NZ countryside - and this message is coming from the CEO of the EPA - which is extremely concerning.
The community and the environment have be at the forefront - before the economy.
Steffan then mentions that he has just been elected back onto the Soil and Health National Council again. https://organicnz.org.nz
Steffan talks about the recent breakthrough that brought about a ‘GE Free Northland’. Plus the Soil and Health Association working with these Northern Councils enabling them - along with a huge number of ordinary NZers who volunteered their time to do submissions and rally to this cause - etc.
That the Soil and Health Association was able to get NZ’s High Court to back them in making sure that Councils such as Northland, Hastings, Hawkes Bay and to a certain extent the BOP - Bay of Plenty - the power to keep out experimentation from GE corporations. These biotech entities always wanting to release GE organisms into the environment, any environment.
Also covered. ‘Gene editing and CRISPR, also called CRISPR/Cas9.’ - etc so as to manoeuvre to find loopholes to let these experiments into the environment - but fortunately the EU has come out and said they are the same as genetic engineering! Which is a blessing for NZ.
The Precautionary Approach - is not anti science -
It takes our children’s future into consideration.
Steffan goes on to say - he is not stalling innovation There are many ways that scientists can use these tools in labs to research both plants and animals that can be used in non GE settings - He said we must not release these products into our environment - it’s very reckless to do so.
New Zealand can still be the clean green 100% direction that at heart - we want.
Our overseas consumers expect high quality food products - pesticide free - GE FREE - and leaving our country in a pristine state at the same time.
NZ organic production is growing.
Our growth in organics is increasing rapidly - and exports enable us to obtain premium returns.
As a result of regenerative agricultural systems, biological farming offers a prosperous future.
Bailey Perryman in Cultivating urban farming and Penelope Bundy have joined Organic NZ https://organicnz.org.nz so we can look forward to a sustainable drive towards organics here.
The Urgency of Training Soil Scientists
Hear how successive NZ governments have taken away the funding for ‘soil science’ in our major universities - and it is the soil that is the backbone of our country.
Air in NZ what is the quality?
Depends on where you live.
Marlborough for example - far to much chemical drift from viticulture - exacerbating cancers and degenerative diseases.
However in Marlborough there is now a significant growth in organic wines - so no chemical spray are used by them. HOWEVER - there is also an increase in non organic vineyards in the region as well, which continue to spray.
But there are now ample organic wines available to drink here in NZ.
Water
Rivers - nitrates and very poor forestry practices - or soil erosion have been deteriorating the water course right out to estuaries and sea. The fishing grounds are suffering major problems but as it has been politicised - it is now getting the NZ public’s attention.
Education comes through time and again in this interview - education is the answer.
BioSecurity
NZ allowed a whole host of pests to be brought in the country 100 to 150 years ago and this has caused problems that still have to be urgently addressed.
1080 is a very cruel death … listen to Steffan, who does not like it. Listen
He is very concerned.
We need hunters to go out and cull pests and also utilise the skins and meat if safe to do so.
Mycoplasma bovis in cows - we needed to cull them straight away. It’s a huge health problem for cows.Bio security was very slow at waking up to this outbreak!
National Security
5 Eyes Echelon listening and recording station in Blenheim - close it down is his statement.
It persists regardless of who is in Parliament. No NZ Government seems to have the power to close it?
Geo Engineering
Finally the air above us - what is Geo engineering - vapour trails, contrails and chemtrails?
The fact that analysis of the particulates are Barium, Aluminium and Strontium - what are these minute chemicals? And what is solar reflection? Solar radiation management (SRM) projects are a type of climate engineering which seek to reflect sunlight and thus reduce global warming.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11940711
Nov 5, 2017 - A new study has lifted the lid on chemtrails. ... The chemtrails conspiracy says that airliners are deliberately spraying chemicals.
This interview is definitely worth a listen. - Tim
That in most cases human health has been discarded or given a low priority. This rampant technological push continues to affect human health and wellbeing, influencing our very roots that connect us to nature - the source from which we spring.
Intuitively we know this, as our health is being affected and cancer and many other types of illness skyrocket. GreenplanetFM is by no way anti science - we are satisfied with 3G and 4G technologies - however when there is a constant push for more efficiencies overriding the health of the community - the inevitable push back occurs.
Corporate profits versus human health?
With humanity appearing to be the canary in the coal mine.
This very insightful interview tells us of what it is for a biological being having to live in an increasing world of oscillating frequencies that are continuing to intensify to the detriment of the natural world.
The vegetable and animal kingdoms are being affected. That means you and I and especially newborns, vulnerable babies, infants and children.
Humans are more than cellular bodies. The human body is composed of molecules, atoms and subatomic particles. There is a large body of literature that exists on the response of tissues to electromagnetic fields, primarily in the extremely-low-frequency (ELF) and microwave-frequency ranges.
In general, the reported effects of radiofrequency (RF) radiation on tissue and organ systems have been attributed to thermal interactions, although the existence of nonthermal effects at low field intensities is still a subject of active investigation.
This means that as new technological frequencies are deployed across cities, countryside and whole nations etc - we are in many ways an experiments in real time. We are the proverbial laboratory rats, that like GE and GMO foods, we are test cases for new technologies.
Smart Meters
The interview starts off with smart meters that are now becoming ubiquitous across NZ. Many people may not be aware that they are already in place at their power switchboard somewhere on a wall of your house. Your power company may have already installed one. Yet, certain people are very sensitive to the subtleties of a steadily increasing frequency spectrum and may not understand why they are unable to sleep or they may continually be restless. Reason being, that they are being affected by frequencies coming off their undisclosed smart meter.
There is no legal obligation for NZers to have a Smart Meter.
In NZ there is no legal obligation to have a smart meter … you can refuse to have a smart meter …
If you have one - you can get them removed in NZ. It may require a change in company - but you can remove them.
Though if you are living in blocks of flats or apartments there are challenges.
There are a variety on ‘non smart meters’ on the NZ market so do not believe the company line that some power retailers may tell you! Get more information from Legacy Metering Group
legacymetering.nz/ or www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
This is the best option.
Smart meters have a lot of computer power basically, the equivalent of a modern mobile phone - and it is able to tell where certain lights and power plugs are turned on at certain times in a 24/7 cycle - like every utensil in the whole house. You are being monitored. Every electronic item use is being recorded.
Check the web site: Environmental Health Trust
https://ehtrust.org/
Education, Research, and Policy to Reduce Environmental Risks.
The interview leads into this; which gives you an understanding of how frequencies work.
Frequency weapon systems called Active Denial A US system.
The Active Denial System (ADS) is a non-lethal, directed-energy weapon developed by the U.S. military, designed for area denial, perimeter security and crowd control. Informally, the weapon is also called the heat ray since it works by heating the surface of targets, such as the skin of targeted human subjects.
https://www.rt.com/news/weapon-us-microwave-cannon-363/
What are 5th Generation Technologies?
They are more ubiquitous and powerful transmitter technologies!
A result of intensifying use of transmitting frequencies in telephones and complementary technologies - people can end up with electro sensitivity - or EHS electro hypersensitivity - or electromagnetic sensitivity - or EMS - or ES electro sensitivity.
The interview then covers the fact that the NZ Government - both Labour and National are wanting to phase out and take down copper wire telephone transmission lines. They now see them as an unnecessary cost, due to the roll out of fibre. But this means that people - especially older people possibly in rural areas will have to use mobile phones and it is known that there are instances of cancerous growths on the same side of the face that people hold up their smartphone to listen.
Katherine mentions the : save our landlines.nz - a petition …. www.saveourlandlines.nz/uncategorized/welcome/
Taking away copper lines - leaves us all open to either only fibre or mobiles ….
Back to Five G technologies https://whatis5g.info/ - website
The 5th Generation Radiation Frequencies Influences all creatures of the living ecology.
Birds are being affected so is urban wildlife, cats, dogs, guinea pig and pet rabbits. As for vegetation - over successive generations we will see for ourselves what happens.
https://es-ireland.com/5g-5th-generation-greater-dangers/
Over 240 scientists and doctors from 41 countries have signed a declaration to officials of the European Commission demanding a moratorium on the increase of cell antennas for planned 5G expansion. Concerns over health effects from higher radiation exposure include potential neurological impacts, infertility, and cancer.
Experiments in China - show that rats heavily irradiated - can basically be all dead in 10 minutes. Listen to the interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLXfegUXlyo 38 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AYRWvjiVg Only 3 minutes
The SCARIEST 3-1/2 Minutes EVER! - 5G will Weaponize Everything
Olga Sheehan - who once worked for the World Health Organisation wrote a book called “no safe place” - saying beaming microwave radiation from space - leaves all of life vulnerable.
https://olgasheean.com/who-harm/
There are 20,000 research papers on microwaves so there is no shortage of data - however there is a shortage of 2018 data going forward, which is understandable. Hence the precautionary principle.
All biota is affected - except certain bacteria and microbes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwyDCHf5iCY Dr Devra Davis
Remember:
We are dealing with a cascading multiple electronic microwave escalation - with wifi, cell phones, cell towers, smart meters, baby monitors and now 5G technology - We as a human race can be likened to living in a microwave oven that is slowly intensifying
Up before the time that electricity and wireless technology came into being - our planet was near on - a paradise!
Barrie Trower former Royal Navy microwave weapons expert says that the scientists who are producing this technology have absolutely no idea of the mathematics of the waveform that is being produced - but they know it is in the gigahertz range - he stated there are no safety tests on this tech but they know that these frequencies can interfere with the cellular structure of the human body - that it is not just one wave but several waves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGW62yuy7w8
Tom Wheeler - Active Denial the new microwave weapon - use for crowd control - to subdue an bring down crowds of people in a demonstration or rally.
https://www.ancientpurity.com/blog/5g-coming-soon
Neo liberal economics, turned loose on New Zealand by Roger Douglas and Labour in 1985 (and still adhered to by both Labour and National today) has failed. The results speak for themselves - hundreds sleeping on the streets, in cars, in sheds and garages, hundreds more living in taxpayer funded motel units because they have no homes, full time workers unable to afford their rent, a health system in crisis, inequality at its highest level ever, roads, sewage systems, water supply and other infrastructure in disrepair, our "clean green" country under threat.
We need an economic system that works for people and the country, not for a favoured few. Such a system exists. It's called Social Credit. It has been tried before in New Zealand and other places and worked brilliantly. It is being increasingly talked about internationally. It could work for us again.
"Funny Money", once used in a derogatory way to describe Social Credit, is a term that would best describe the stupidity of our government borrowing the money it needs from private financial institutions when it could borrow from the country's central bank (the Reserve Bank), which it owns.
This means that $4,500,000,000 of taxpayer money every year goes to pay interest when it could go towards things that benefit Kiwis.
Social Credit is committed to fixing that, and putting in place a financial system that works for New Zealanders.
Imagine if the government could create all the money that is needed.
“Our own history offers us one of the most important instances of this being done. In the 1930s in the middle of the Great Depression, the great Labour Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage authorised the creation of new money so that thousands of new state houses could be built, thereby providing jobs for the unemployed and homes for the homeless and – incidentally – an income-producing asset for the government."
Quote from Brian Gould, “Creating Money for the Good of the Country”.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/thecountry/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12006636
Chris Leitch is Leader of the Social Credit Party and its finance spokesperson.
Has been a campaigner for monetary reform since 1972.
He stood as candidate in Whangarei in 1984 and 1987.
He became the Party’s National President in 1989.
After his party joined the Alliance, he became the first ever Alliance Candidate to stand for parliament – in the Tamaki by-election in 1992 after Rob Muldoon stood down, coming in second. He and the team reduced an 8,500 majority down to just 1,200.
Elected to the Auckland Regional Services Trust in 1992, Chris fought efforts by the government to force the Trust to privatise and was successful in keeping revenue-earning assets in public ownership.
Elected to the Waitemata Electricity Trust, Chris helped resist attempts by a foreign company to get full ownership and asset strip the company.
He has served as Board Chairman of the Whangarei Youth Centre, and the Onerahi Primary School.
He has been deputy leader of the party for two periods, once commencing in 1993, and again in 2014.
He was elected leader last month.
Social Credit’s web site is http://www.socialcredit.nz
Crime and family breakdown is seen as Gross Domestic Product
Household and volunteer work is seen as Gross Domestic Product
Pollution and its consequences is seen as Gross Domestic Product
Long term environmental damage is seen as Gross Domestic Product
Even War goes through the books as Gross Domestic Product!
So all of the above, don’t really benefit society at all - as they are all major losses yet, Governments globally have always classified these as a measure of economic growth!
In this interview which becomes quite riveting in the end - Dr Coleman talks of the challenges of putting GPI in place within the government economic apparatus. That prior to the 3 term National Party Key administration, that Labour Minister of Finance Michael Cullen was very interested in this concept - but Labour was voted out of office - and he was not able to follow through in taking this forward.
But in the meantime these losses are costing society and the country dearly!
Genuine Progress indicators is a ‘holistic’ way of seeing a more integrated bigger economic picture, that factors in the environment, as well as the community as a whole.
Holism
A holistic way is to view all the various facets to life in a more homeostatic way. As in a integrated whole of interconnection and interrelationships. In this interview he mentions that when he engaged the leaders of the NZ Maori Party they instantly and intuitively grokked his reasoning as applying to our planet - Papatuanku as alive - or the earth acting as one great superorganism.
This was then extended to the Whanganui river being classified recently by the NZ Government as a living entity that has a vast catchment area of some 7,000 square kilometres. - The next question is, do we have the will to see the far larger picture as we further our knowledge of the interconnection of life. (James Cameron in the blockbuster movie Avatar, introduced the moon Pandora as a living being and that all the tree roots interconnected in one vast - neural network). See the Gaia Hypothesis - James Lovelock
One of the larger challenges is that both in business and in Government there is compartmentalisation. Where there is very little to no ‘cross fertilisation’ or sharing - people are often in positions of ‘need to no only’ so they only understand a very limited perspective of how the whole organism/organisation works. That the company or the Department is not acting as a ‘dynamic whole’ and thus efficiencies as well as enthusiastic participation - is throttled back. When in a very connected electronic world - the imperative is energetic team spirit, that on a grander scale then spontaneously engenders novelty and innovation.
Bhutan
This subject came out of the blue in that I was wanting to see what country was further along the ‘conscious journey’ of seeing the world in a more futuristic and caring perspective. So knowing that Bhutan was a country that had a ‘happiness’ indicator I threw in a the comment - what about Bhutan?
Well Ron came back to me and said he had lived there for 5 years - and so could tell us far more than virtually anyone in the West has heard.
He said that they had a fairly enlightened King who wanted to gauge the feelings of the mainly Buddhist inhabitants of that small kingdom. With initiating a Gross National Happiness (GNH) goal.
What comes out of this discussion is that the Bhutan government wanted to float this idea through the UN so that other countries could participate. When this happened - and though a lot of countries thought this was a good idea, there was pushback especially as this would have had to deal straight at face value - with other countries poverty and all the other contingencies like clean air, water, land and food production, housing, education and health. You name it.
Synchronicity with what’s happening in New Zealand
Fortunately, this goal is still alive and well today and the present NZ government is putting a lot of attention into it..
The Government's plan to announce the world's first "wellbeing" Budget next year resonates with business people if a big Waikato Inc turnout to hear Finance Minister Grant Robertson is any gauge. NZ Herald 10th July 2018
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12086507
Then Ron takes his attention to what’s happening in the biosphere and the overlapping challenges and tipping points as to what we as a humanity are doing to our planetary ‘life support system’.
Bangkok under water by 2033, which I question him about - because Al Gore said that the Arctic would be ice free in summer by 2013, and it has not happened. Yet, the warming continues - see the temperatures in Europe over the last month.
Shift in planetary consciousness -
The interview moves on to talk about planetary leadership and there is a vast vacuum in all governments globally. The fact that people are rebelling against neoliberalism and the status quo and that of the whole Brexit domino situation etc etc. Listen
Empowering Youth and Women
There is an acute need for empowering of the worlds youth and especially woman (and their reproductive rights) - to nurture their/our common future. Plus, for them (that in this somewhat tumultuous world) to be in a healthy position to make this change possible. This is an area that we all intuitively know that as a human society, we need to engage in - and urgently.
Though we still have to trust that the top down model of leadership ‘may’ engage the population with an enlightened approach - the thrust of this whole interview is about grassroots movements. An energised bottom-up regeneration and metamorphosis movement. This interview carried on to include many small towns, villages and regions in NZ consciously coming together as small focussed communities. See main page GreenplanetFM.com
These are about farmers markets acting as a catalyst to bring the community closer together so as to have access to cheaper, healthier organic food as well as to network together plus organising a of time banks. Especially that volunteerism can be rewarded by time bank credits.
Other Initiatives
In Auckland the Manukau District Health Board now has worked alongside the championing of 70 community gardens in the area. The benefits are many, and this can only encourage the community to healthily become more engaged and connected.
This was a very lively and empowering interview. We both came away ‘happy and empowered.’
This subject of the horrors of child abuse has not been covered by GreenplanetFM, as this program is basically premised on environment, health and consciousness.
However a ‘chance’ meeting of Ludovic C. M. Romany the author of the book ‘Innocence’ shifted my perspective so as to tell the NZ public that there is a major problem ‘lurking’ under the radar across this most fortunate yet unknowing nation.
With challenges coming to us daily via the worlds media - Child abuse - is an overwhelming subject and when we are bombarded with all the other horrors that the world media-corporations seem to hurl at us, I felt to go more public on this important issue.
When a baby is born into the world, we at heart, want that baby to be loved and cherished, to be wanted, by both its mother and father - however if this baby is unwanted and is instantly perceived as a burden - this can become hell on earth for this newborn. This in essence - is the story of Wi.
However there is a happy ending to this interview of Wi, coming through this harrowing journey in his 47th year - he is healing a broken heart and a shattered upbringing. This allows us the public to realise that we can always in the end, save the day. That against the odds, we can all come out - ‘sunny side up’
A profound account of how a little boy can come through this saga and still carry love in his heart gives us hope for all children who may have been born into a world of abandonment and suffering.
REVIEW
Jim & Helen Moriarty
In one solid committed sit down, I was able to ingest the weight, the daunting but inspiring tasks of opening myself to the Mauri of Innocence.
Innocence without question is a testament to the mana, the resilience, the survival of Wi Peepe in post-colonial New Zealand, against a backdrop of an upbringing, that defies belief. A New Zealand where the horror of Wi’s childhood, the guilt and blame is attributed to none other than the monster, the demonic force that is his father. So graphically detailed and truthfully portrayed.
This is a harrowing, yet ironically beautiful account of Wi’s deep connection to his wairua, and emancipation from a life that leaves many dead in its wake. That the occasional right kind word and action, amidst his nightmare existence coupled with a deep knowing of the healing, found in the constant of the river and nature, were enough to feed the soul of a child. A child who fought the complexities and distortions of those around him, themselves products of post-colonial alienation and cultural disenfranchisement….It is a window into Wi’s determination to fix the things himself and be accountable, into societies shifting lens around the intolerable, and at times over zealous reporting and response to family violence and harm. ‘Thank God for that.’
In the end, it is about Wi’s purotu, the magic within, that never deserts him. That equips him along the way, that is part of his whakapapa, that is recognised and supported by others, who could see beyond the battered exterior into Wi’s loving sacred self.
Thankyou Wi and to your whanau for letting us in.
Nga mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa.
Jim and Helen Moriarty
Though overstated, it has also given New Zealander’s a wake up call - as to what do we want for our families and particularly our children in our country so as to make our communities more resilient, and viable, but more so - economically, more friendly, as well.
Towns, Villages and City Suburbs are becoming closer and safer.
From ‘transition everything’ to, farmers markets, time banks, permaculture, holistic health, homeschooling, garage sales, and food buying co-ops - Communities are realising that localising as much as possible especially around food, learning and backyard growing activities …. Is making small towns, city suburbs and small rural villages far more cohesive and enjoyable. People are discovering their neighbours and creating deep connection and relationships.
It’s about innovation and integration of small business modals and setting the template for a regenerative 21st Century where families and communities can thrive together.
New Zealand hasn’t been a social-democratic paradise since Rogernomics’ deregulation, selling off public assets, and slashing state investment.
“Over the past 30 years, more than $350 billion has flowed out of New Zealand's economy to overseas banks and foreign owners of our assets.
At the same time, the share of the economy going to working people has fallen from over 50 per cent to just over 40 per cent, cutting NZ $20 billion a year from pay packets.
That's not a coincidence. Reducing employment rights and, more specifically, reducing the rights of New Zealanders to build economic power has led to a massive transfer of wealth away from the majority of Kiwis - our families, our communities and small businesses.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11987935
New Zealand needs to move away from our reliance on a low-wage economy where companies compete by paying people less.
We need to remove the temptation to throw more cheap labour or longer work-hours at a problem, and make investment in skills, productive capital and innovation the better option.
The situation that New Zealand currently is in can be directly related back to the National government’s Employment Contracts act of 1991.
The Employment Contracts Act (ECA), once it passed, had a devastating effect on workers’ rights and living standards in New Zealand. It dealt a body blow to the trade union movement, one from which we’ve never recovered.
Union membership almost halved between 1991 and 1995, with union density going from 41.5% to 21.7%,
The ECA gave employers the right to refuse to negotiate with unions, and made it much easier to use lockouts and ‘scab’ labour or migrants to break workers’ resistance.
It eliminated hard-fought reforms like compulsory union membership, compulsory employer-employee bargaining, and unions’ special place in this process.
Listen to Robert’s interview including a shocking revelation about how New Zealand employers have been caught treating migrant workers, that feels like the final nail in the coffin of assuming New Zealand is the world’s best place to live and work in.
Robert Reid is President of the 28,000 strong FIRST Union after retiring as General Secretary in November of last year.
He talks about his life, his work in trade unions, the community and the role of trade unions today.
Robert has recently been appointed to the NZ Government’s Welfare Experts Advisory Group.
From school age Robert was an organiser, forming a Students Union while still at High School, starting the Organisation to Halt Military Service to get rid of conscription during the War on Vietnam and becoming the International Vice President of the NZ University Students Association in his first year of university.
Dropping out of university and starting a family at a young age, Robert worked at General Motors in Petone for 10 years where he learnt his trade unionism until, like tens of thousands in the manufacturing industries was made redundant as Rogernomics named after Roger Douglas the radical monetarist Minister of Finance in the 4th Labour Govt. With its neo-liberal trade policies kicked in.
Robert spent the next period of time working with unemployed and community employment groups until returning to union work with the Council of Trade Unions as a regional organiser out of Palmerston North.
With the Employment Contracts Act of 1991 decimating the trade union movement, Robert worked in Asia for 6 years helping in the establishment and growth of independent and genuine trade unions across the region.
Robert came back to the NZ trade union movement helping to rebuild it again by being part of the formation of Unite and with roles in the Trade Union Federation, the Footwear Union, the Clothing Union and then as President, then General Secretary of the National Distribution Union which together with the Finance Union FINSEC, became FIRST Union.
During this period Robert also completed a Graduate Diploma in Economic Development and worked in the Green Party Parliamentary office for 2 years on the Buy Kiwi Made campaign. Robert has also served on “industry good” boards such as Textiles NZ and the Forest Industry Safety Council.
Robert lives with his partner, Maxine Gay in Mangere Bridge and is a doting grandfather to 6 grandchildren.
It’s about individuals coming together to localise, in creating business around farmers markets, food growing, timebanks and cooperating at numerous innovative tiers and levels.
Many more NZer’s today are talking among themselves that there has to be a far better way for us to live, especially for our collective planetary future.
Up and down and across New Zealand, many 'kiwis' are slowly but methodically going about integrating with their local community - wishing to share at a deeper level, values that are expressed from the heart and from a place of honesty and courage.
From little villages, districts, towns, to suburbs in cities, farmers markets seem to be a key ‘nodal point’ where people can congregate and cross pollinate news and views of how community can come together - so as to become self reliant, and resilient as well as creatively taking innovation to a new art form.
Are you one of these cultural creatives? Who enjoys meeting people to talk deeply about how we can address the urgent needs within the biosphere of today. I trust that you are as the following interview I feel, will fill you with optimism and dear I say it, joy, which as you inherently know - we need to experience far more of - especially if we are aware of current world news.
Juliet Adams became a volunteer in Lyttelton (just beyond Christchurch) in the South Island, just after the earthquake that affected so many people’s lives. This came about because Project Lyttelton had a ‘Time Bank.’
A Time Bank - is a system that helps people to help each other, without money changing hands.
To join a local time bank - there needs to be a basic program on a small computer system so as to record what exchanges are being made. When you join you list the ‘skills’ you can offer towards the community and any other ways of helping people in the community to do things.
Plus, you will also ‘have some needs' as well where you would like some help.
For example if you spent one hour minding a friends children, they will credit you ‘one hour’ on the time bank records. Then you can use that credited ‘one hour’ on your account to pay someone to do something for you. Like fixing the broken fence or mowing the lawns. etc.
So it’s a matter of people exchanging their abilities and their time to help one another - without money changing hands.
What ‘time banks’ do is bring people and connection much more closer together. Where as money can be over convenient as in the human equation it may not play a ‘closer quality’ in reaching out to people and their inner needs. i.e good relationships that are far more healthy … where you spend time talking and making sure that everyone is warmly satisfied with the ’transaction’.
In Lyttelton there is over 750 members in their time bank - so if these 750 people congregated all togther in a hall - there is huge potential and possibility with the collective skills that are there. Thus a time bank like this has 'vast social capital' that can be unleashed and put to good purpose.
Community Treasure Chest.
The ‘community treasure chest’ - is where people who belong to a time bank, donate and credit their ‘one hour’ to the community treasure chest - which allows other people who are going through a tough spell and need a hand up, can avail themselves of accumulated gifted ‘one hour' credits from the Community Chest.
So that people who are not even time bank members can receive community assistance.
This is the difference between a system that is built around people - rather than money.
Project Lyttelton is based on many projects.
Having many community gardens - you give some work time and you can walk away with some of the fresh produce.
Garage Sales - about 4 or 5 a week - are all organised through Project Lyttelton - having a well organised, publicised outreach.
Saturday Farmers Market - which is a huge success - and this is where town and country meet and much sharing and networking takes place.
Helen Dew of Carterton and and Living Economies, North of Wellington and Margaret Jeffries of Lyttelton went to ITHACA in New York in the US many years ago and learnt about ‘time banks’ and brought the concept back to NZ. http://livingeconomies.nz
Today more and more Councils and Central Government are actively supporting communities to assist them to become more cohesive and healthy to improve the lives of their citizens. Healthy, happy people, as a result are not dependent on health services and do not draw down on the community or economy.
Locally there are Time Banks in Christchurch, Sumner and New Brighton areas.
Minimisation of Waste
Saturday markets - you can borrow a cup - take it away full of a hot drink or soup and carry it with you, refill it and later on in the day drop it back at the market and one of the staff will happily wash it at the end of the day.
Same for plates, knives and forks - you can enjoy food and have no concern about disposing anything in the rubbish - food scraps go for compost etc. A very clean thought out action plan to minimise waste. The idea of washing up is easily achieved and you have no concerns either.
Festivals
Many festivals are run in the town that bring people together.
Group Truck
Bertie the truck, can be hired off Project Lyttelton PL for localised use.
Fruit and veggie crates of fresh food are available every week.
They have a Library where many leading edge books on community building, finance and success stories of what is happening around our planet are available. This is where Juliet volunteers her time. As volunteering is a large part of PL.
Volunteering is the glue to keeping the community cohesive and flowing.
They also have shares in a health food shop that is owned as a coop called ‘Harbour Coop -, Selling healthy and organic food see - harbourcoop.co.nz
Project Lyttelton is a wonderful fulfilling experiment of people working and playing together.
It is also emotionally healthy as well as providing physical health for ones body.
It in many ways is the microcosm of the NZ macrocosm - where ideals and warm hearted values coalesce into unfolding a better tomorrow.
https://www.lyttelton.net.nz
NZ prides itself as country that has been a prolific food bowl for fresh quality food produced from family farms for over 130 years. ‘It’s in our bones.’
Now with the increasing rush of new technologies, many of these developments are being pushed on to ‘the market’ with a good number not being tested over a longer period of time or over a succession of for example seven to ten generations. (Glyphosate and GE organisms being the case in point).
This is where ethical considerations are being left behind in the haste to profit at all costs and in the process - overtaking or bypassing the code of - duty of care and the precautionary principle.
Farmers and people who work the land are by their nature conservative and do what they know has successfully worked for them in the past - and they are weary of smart young technocrats who may have never got dirt under their fingernails, selling them yet another device or method that takes them further from what they intuitively feel is natural.
So the saga of GE and GMO’s is now taking a turn for the better in NZ, especially for consumers in our country, as well as globally and in particular the ecology of this country.
This dialogue with Mark is a continuation of interviewing NZers around the country based on ‘pulling the strings of localised community together’ and linking them across the nation.
Mark is a passionate change agent and realises the importance of having robust and resilient communities founded around: Farmers markets, permaculture, organics, green dollars and Time banks as well as building shelter and sustainable buildings, holistic health, homeschooling, mensheds and women’s cooperatives, plus other regenerative initiatives.
That all of these connect the community into a vibrant, self reliant organism.
For many years in some cases decades there has been a growing awareness by NZers - especially away from the largest cities that in small towns and villages across the country, people still have a sense of community.
That people seeking both better connection, and environmental quietness away from the pace and size of urban conglomeration have gravitated to the rural setting, that is always accompanied by being close to the sea or ocean in some way.
So apologising in advance, I trust that you forgive me and advise me accordingly if I have committed your town, village of region below.
From Kaitaia up North, to Kerikeri, Hokianga, Whangerei and …..
To Thames Coromandel, Raglan over to Gisborne, the Hawkes Bay Hastings region. To Wanganui, Masterton
To the Soul Island of Nelson, Motueka, Takaka and Golden Bay, to Kaikura and Lyttelton, the West Coast and further South - people have steadily built a cooperative commercial understanding around markets and now farmers markets are a key hub to community getting to gather to cooperate in other ways as the threads of community tie in so many other aspects from holistic health, to shared working bees, permaculture, organics, recycling etc see list at the bottom of this article.
Marks interview on what is happening in the Thames Coromandel starts with how people are addressing housing and shelter.
Having many differing forms of life style, and various forms of building homes - Cobb houses , rammed earth, straw bale, lots of permaculture permutations - people living ‘off grid’ and largely self sufficiently - other people living semi on grid whilst developing organic businesses - green businesses, lots of sole traders - that is sort of going on at one level.
At another level also grappling with how to connect up with other parts of the community that are more traditional - who have come there to retire and live in peace by the sea but are now becoming alarmed by sea level rise and climate change - eroding roads as over the last 18 months massive storms have come up the Firth of Thames and the Coast road up to Coromandel has been taken out. Plus lots of flooding on the other coast and at Whitianga as well.
There are some intentional communities, as well as spiritual communities that are rarely well integrated into the larger community running meditation courses as well as extending into town as a shop presence.
People looking at ways of cooperating to group together on the land and adding tiny houses etc
But in a sharing of care, Mark mentions there is also now on the other side of the situation about 30 homeless people living in Thames - sleeping in cars - or sleeping out at the back of the community garden etc and some of them have various addictions of some kind or another so there is still growing challenges around the dispossessed that needs to be addressed.
Why? Because these people don’t have that sense of community and connection … and access to the resources to be able to change their lives - like to buy some land you are talking half a million dollars so there is definitely a different social strata
around different degrees of wealth, resources and affluence involved and amidst all this correct choices that have been taken.
Mark shares from a humorous perspective how the people strive for success and then laughingly asks how does one define success?
He says how do we equate neo liberal economics with half a dozen people sleeping in a car outside your house …?
That neo liberal perspectives are so interwoven into our society that often we all don’t realise how embedded we really are inside this economic model. Like a goldfish may have no concept of water!
All the sounds of nature coalesce and vibrate, in one vast symphony as in, for example, the dawn chorus of birds.
The human contribution to this living, nourishing element we call sound very often shows a lack of awareness, similarly to other aspects of the environment.
A mindful use of sound can be of great help in these turbulent times.
55 Palestinians have been killed and over 1,000 injured by Israeli forces since the ‘Great March of Return’ protests began on March 30 2018.
The rallies are part of a six-week protest to mark what Palestinians refer to as the Nakba" or "catastrophe" - a reference to Israel's establishment in 1948 and when 750,000 Arabs were forcibly removed from Palestine.
Roger will be covering a number of topics that include
*Israel’s continuing lethal attacks of unarmed citizens gathering in Gaza,
*Political prisoners, detention of children,
*House demolitions on the West Bank,
*Author Dr Ramzy Baroud’s speaking tour of NZ talking about his new book “The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story”.
* The upcoming 2018 international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza which will again include a prominent human rights advocate from NZ.
Roger’s bio:
Roger Fowler is a veteran activist & community organizer, and played a prominent role in building the local protest movement against the war on Vietnam and South African Apartheid in the late 1960s & 70s.
He was manager of Auckland’s Resistance Bookshop and coordinator of the inner-city People’s Union community organization throughout the 1970s, an active supporter of the protest occupation at Bastion Point, and union delegate in the car assembly industry.
Roger is director of the Mangere East Community Centre, and organizer of Kia Ora Gaza which has sponsored NZ involvement in several international solidarity convoys to break Israel’s inhumane siege of Gaza.
He has led two Kiwi humanitarian convoys to Gaza which was featured in an interview on GreenplanetFM in 2016.
You can DONATE to this and other fundraising for Palestine on the web site:
Kia Ora Gaza: www.kiaoragaza.net
This interview was sponsored by The Awareness Party.
He has lived in the New Zealand bush and studied the wairua, the spirit, of the plants of Aoteoroa, he has taught and tested New Zealand bush medicines, he has created beautiful art based on the plants of our bush so that the pictures and splashbacks he produces will positively affect the energy and resonance of the homes and offices in which they are installed.
He writes books and songs and musicals based on those same healing resonances, and his passion is to help young and old have a sense of belonging to each other and to Mother Earth, our Papatuanuku, our Source.
He believes that all dis-ease is from lack of connection and his work here is to help turn that around.
For any information about his homeopathic practise, bush walks, art and designs contact:
09 2835214
vandertouwrobert[at]gmail.com
Website: www.vandertouwdesign.co.nz
He is available for homeopathy on his Facebook page: The Homeopath. And his personal Facebook page: Robert van der Touw
His art and design is available in postcards, bookmarks, art cards, t-shirts etc on: artandsoulnz.com
His nature retreat place is open for visitors and guests on personal arrangement (guided bush walks, homeopathic consultation):
26 Kahikatoa Rd
Umawera, Okaihau
Northland 0476
Sage-ing is a spiritual practice that involves harvesting the wisdom of our lives and finding ways to transmit that wisdom as a legacy to future generations.
In developing an elder spiritual practice we pursue the path proposed by Rabbi Zalman Schacter in his seminal book From Age-ing to Sage-ing which involves, through introspection, the following:
There is even more to this nuclear episode - that we are allowing concentrated uranium oxide shipments into NZ ports en route to other countries, for maximising.
Denys says that changes have to take place in the ‘consciousness and the sentiments’ of near on 5 million New Zealanders as well as the rest of the world’s population to address what is really taking place today.
In 1974 FOE - Friends of the Earth started up in NZ so as to speak up for most environmental issues. Stating that social and ecological consciousness has to grow to be able to counter these increasing trends of disconnection from the planet that sustains us … and that we are also running into a generational problem that Bob hinted at in the introduction - of unknowingness of the issues by our youth.
Irradiated food entering NZ with poor or microscopic labelling.
Yet, during this time NZ also became the first country on Earth to ban the irradiation of food - However in the 1990’s because we lost our ‘ sovereignty’ through the CER - Closer Economic Relations with Australia - when both countries merged their regulatory authorities thus Food Standards NZ and every Australia State and Capital Territory got one vote only. It’s not like one vote one country like with the United Nations and so NZ had to go along with Australia’s Pro Irradiation stance, being out voted every time.
The result means that a whole range of exported Australian fruit and vegetables are imported into NZ and becomes our diet - which is irradiated with caesium 137.
First they started off with mangoes which was regarded as a sweetener - and now tomatoes and capsicums are irradiated so are grapes, pip fruit and citrus fruit.
Yet the labelling of such treatment continues to be poorly addressed and most people do not know that they could be eating nuclear irradiated food.
Concentrated uranium oxide shipments entering
Another large but silent issue is about concentrated uranium oxide shipments through NZ ports en-route to other countries.
This contravenes our Nuclear Free policy.
Up to 800 ton shipments of ‘concentrated uranium’ have been coming through the ports of Auckland - and the NZ workers at the port working on these ships were never told of these shipments - and this was completely under the public radar and unknowing NZ has no capability to deal with an accident or spillage inside these ships. The uranium is stored in the bow of the ship at the lowest levels and when asked why, was told that it is the furthest from the crews quarters - but that section of the ship is also the most affected area with storms at sea. FOE say that they have been shown photographs of containers of other goods that have been damaged by storms at sea and Bob says they look like they have been attacked by giant can openers.
So these two issues are ongoing.
Logging of old growth forests
Most of the important matters of FOE are long term environmental challenges that are almost hidden from the NZ public attention - they are background issues and yet are of critical importance - for instance FOE’s first involvement was to halt the logging of vast beech forests in the South Island that has actually been an ongoing process of 30 years of activism. The fact that this indigenous forestry project that was halted took 30 years of focus to bring the worst aspects of that to a halt. But there are still dangers of that type of project happening again as there are signs of the reemergence of the idea that it is legitimate to log forests that are on public land.
Another silent issue is: Gene Editing
Gene Editing and Gene Drives and an acronym - CHRISPR which are now wedging their way into NZ and FOE says they are probably perilous technologies - they may have some uses - though it is surmised that this is going to be used for military application and the research is going to be financed by DARPA - as there is a weaponised dimension to this technology - and used on human populations in a negative way.
Government complicity forces punitive costs to lodging appeals
Today to appeal against any environmental or ecological assault in NZ has become very expensive - where it once cost $50 to lodge an appeal to save some ecological treasure in this country some years ago, the previous National administration made it more punitive to take an issue to court, that it now costs $500 under the Resource Management Act to protect our ‘taonga’ (treasures) - our heritage and for a small volunteer ecological group, it is debilitating. Then they have to put up surety of costs - that could then be up to $10 - 20,000 - but first the Government will take your $500 and you may never get to court. The game is rigged. It’s stacked against the people - by ’the system’.
Being so, that both overseas and local business interests have been far more successful than environmental protectors. It’s unfortunate - yet that is the reality. There is no legal aid for cases brought about for the public interest, this needs to be addressed.
Note that a good judge and magistrate can determine in 5 minutes if this is a genuine case. Wherever an environmental case being brought is merely vexatious or important, Denys says it would not cost the Government very much at all to set up such a system, where important and authentic cases are heard with the help of legal aid.
This will allow the people’s voice to speak and to be heard in our own court system. Note that we NZers pay through our taxes for this court system as well as pay the salaries of the judges as well as the court rooms - as they are our courts.
Government Organisations not doing enough?
Just as the officials who are meant to be safeguarding the environment employed by organisations like DOC, (Department of Conservation) Ministry for the Environment, Land Care, etc- all these large Government organisations - we taxpayers already pay for them.They are actually our employees however they act as if we are asking them a special, favour to merely humbly knock on there door.
1080 another bogey that won’t go away
At present there is a new exposee on 1080 and insect death - originally it was designed as an insecticide - yes it does cause insects to die - DOC knows this is so and this information has been suppressed - but under the Official Information Access - recently a researcher was able to get information released. The original scientist Dr Mike Meads was going to present some of these findings to the NZ Royal Society but 10 days before he was going to do his presentation DOC fired him and closed down the whole story.
Here is Mike Meads telling us prior to his death.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixvo1DemwE4
NZ was the first country to introduce an Atomic Energy Act not long after the end of the 2nd World War and the DSIR (Department of Scientific Industrial Research) produced a booklet on it.
Atomic Energy Act 1945 – Radioactive minerals – Te Ara ...
https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/4781/atomic-energy-act-1945
Jun 12, 2006 - The purpose of the Atomic Energy Act 1945 was 'to make provision for the control in New Zealand of the means of producing atomic energy and for that purpose to provide for the mining and treatment of the ores of uranium and other elements which may be used for the production of atomic energy,
This insightful and shocking interview covers many other subjects as well.
If you have questions about Friends of the Earth you can contact our Auckland co-director, Bob Tait at the office by phone, Auckland 360 9149 or email, foenz@kcbbs.gen.nz. You can contact, denys.trussell@gmail.com, or on the Auckland landline, 308 9940.
If you want to underwrite what we do you could send a small monthly payment to our bank account: ANZ 06-0158-0081074-03, Friends of the Earth New Zealand Limited. If you prefer, you can make a one-off payment to the same. Our present subscribers pay us on average $20.00 each a month. Even $10.00 a month will help pay the bills.
We do not have charitable status and these payments are not tax-deductible.
Like GreenplanetFM.com - Friends of the Earth are a volunteer labour of Love that continues by gifting of the self, as there are basically no other avenues for financing ourselves.
Bruce begins the interview with an introduction to his work and then moves on to speaking about the nature of vaccines and why he thinks there are problems with them.
The nature of vaccinations and the role of our immune system is a topic that is not really understood by the conventional public. It is generally accepted that controlling the immune system to create antibodies against
germs or parasites that try to attack us, is successfully done by vaccines. Parents are pressured to vaccinate their children. It is accepted that we can create an immune response by taking foreign elements, bacteria, viruses, and parasites, or pieces of these elements, and putting them into a solution, and then injecting it under our skin.
This is to invoke the immune system to make a response against these invasive foreign materials or antigens.
Generally we believe that the vaccines are the way to program the immune system to protect us from environmental parasites, bacteria and viruses. Therefore we have bought into the system of artificially putting these antigens under our skin to invoke an immune response. The question of whether this is beneficial or not, is now coming into the open.
Bruce address this issue from the point of view that immunology has made a misunderstanding about something very important called the tonsils!
He says, “If you recognize the nature of infants and their behaviour you realise that infants put everything they can find and fit into their mouths. Their own fists, arms, feet, anything they find in their cot, anything you hand them they will instinctively put it into their mouths.”
This is not an accident this is nature's natural immune vaccination system. What the baby is doing is sampling the environment. Everything it can reach will inevitably end up in its mouth! By this process the infant is actually introducing antigens into the immune system and initiating an immune response.
Bruce expands on this, drawing on his extensive scientific background. He also speaks candidly about the role of the pharmaceutical companies in this.
Currently we're finding an epidemic in regard to allergic reactions or hypersensitivity. We're also finding that people are bringing in the concept that autism is seems to be associated with the widespread use of vaccines, so there are very profound questions out there as to the safety of using vaccines to create immune responses.
In infancy when we give a large amount of vaccines to the child their immune systems aren't tooled up to handle so much, especially coming from an introduction that is not normal in any sense of biology, so basically forcing the immune system to respond to these vaccinations in an abnormal way is not in the best interest of the body’s system.
It is not the way it normally deals with it, and therefore that we are beginning to find that vaccines are very likely causing many kinds of problems. What is introduced into the system is not just the foreign cells and bacteria and the viruses or pieces of the parasites that they use, but also the chemistry in which the vaccines are created, which include a lot of mercury and aluminium and a lot of other things such as formaldehyde, which are poisons.
This is an attempt to enhance the immune system, but at the same time it is essentially overpowering it with poisons and toxins.
So Bruce has come to the conclusion that if we want the best vaccine system in the world we should actually focus on creating oral vaccines in nature's original way.
Bruce H. Lipton, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit. Stem cell biologist, bestselling author of The Biology of Belief and recipient of the 2009 Goi Peace Award, he has been a guest speaker on hundreds of TV and radio shows, as well as keynote presenter for national and international conferences.
Dr. Lipton began his scientific career as a cell biologist. He received his Ph.D. Degree from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville before joining the Department of Anatomy at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine in 1973. Dr. Lipton’s research on muscular dystrophy, studies employing cloned human stem cells, focused upon the molecular mechanisms controlling cell behavior.
He speaks about vaccines in this short video : https://youtu.be/U6QMYiiqXL0?t=1
Dr. Lipton has taken his award-winning medical school lectures to the public and is currently a sought after keynote speaker and workshop presenter. He lectures to conventional and complementary medical professionals and lay audiences about leading-edge science and how it dovetails with mind-body medicine and spiritual principles. He has been heartened by anecdotal reports from hundreds of former audience members who have improved their spiritual, physical and mental well being by applying the principles he discusses in his lectures. He is regarded as one of the leading voices of the new biology.
Dr Lipton’s work summarizing his findings, entitled, The new updated 10th Anniversary Edition of The Biology of Belief, (Hay House Publishing, softcover, ISBN 978-1-4019-4891-7).
His second book, Spontaneous Evolution, Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here. (Hay House Publishing, ISBN 978-1-4019-2580-2) and his third book, The Honeymoon Effect, The Science of Creating Heaven on Earth. (Hay House Publishing, ISBN 978-1-4019-2386-0)
In our society most of the models given are by media or peer groups or sports stars and they are very one dimensional - and young men are doing this in an unhealthy ways - drinking a lot, doing drugs, a lot of sex with a lot of women and a lot of men, driving their cars fast and basically acting out of integrity and being foolish.
Being aware of this the Mankind Project came about in the early 1990’s in America, where three men got together wanting to take the conversation further, on men - especially around men’s masculinity and have men connect with their deeper purpose.
For indigenous cultures over millennia have had ceremony and initiations to bring young men into adulthood, to become responsible and accountable for their actions. This included being an integral member of the tribe and taking their rightful place within that community.
The Mankind Project knowingly acknowledge this saying, there is also another way - a more relevant and conscious way to become a man in the modern world.
As against a sensitive new age wuss or limp wrist response, they take young men through a rite of passage where men learn how to become responsible as to how we show up in the world. That our relationship to ourselves becomes very important
Part of an initiation is an ordeal. MKP takes men deep into their psyche to see what really makes them tick … and it is done through the new warrior training adventure the ‘hero’s journey’ - a gateway to a whole new paradigm.
Situated near the centre of this huge area sits the Cook Islands, Rarotonga and Atiu the tiny island that Captain Cook first visited in 1777.
Tui is a descendent of a paramount chief, who in turn is a descendent of a paramount chief of the island of Atiu, in the heart of the Polynesian Triangle.
The island is about half the size of Rarotonga. Legend says Tangaroa, the divine god of the sea, was the first inhabitant.
The first recorded European to arrive at Atiu was Captain Cook. He sighted the island on March 31, 1777 and made tentative contact with some of the people. Captain Cook never knew about the larger island of Rarotonga.
In this interview we learn about a way of life that is very different to present day ways in the West and especially about what is culture and what is custom.
As the Cook Islands are situated in the centre of the Polynesian Triangle Tu shares with us his heart felt cause for unifying the Polynesian peoples across the expansive Pacific ocean.
Pacific - Mid 16th century: from French pacifique or Latin pacificus ‘peacemaking’, from pax, pac - ‘peace’.
So he has localised his action and focus, to ‘pulling the strings of individuals into both unity consciousness and community’ - by bringing us cohesively closer together. In doing so, expanding outward yet recognising our inner world - the core of our being.
When I first met Will here in New Zealand, his relaxed manner made him easy to talk and engage with. I felt him as considerate and able to listen to who I was. I also got that he was focused - that he really meant that his ‘Now of Never’ call for humanity is both urgent and valid. That if children of today and tomorrow want a future of freedom, peace and prosperity - we have to start now.
Not only that - he is calling us all to participate. All of us who realise the precarious state that we have on our planet, be it environmental, economical and societal. Why? Because at heart - we intuitively know that what is happening to humanity goes against the grain of how a human being lives on a planet. Especially in a family context where love and connection need to be the foundations of a healthy existence.
So how are we going to ‘take back our planet and biosphere? This interview touches on many subjects - that of being how to focus and also how to flow and be one with nature. It also calls on us to be not only mindful and compassionate - but also to be courageous and show strength of purpose.
In this interview you get the measure of the man - by his vision, commitment and his sensitivity to take a stand and walk his talk.
Whilst the US, has been distracted and immersed in ‘Neocon’ wars, especially in the Middle East and elsewhere it basically has no money to upgrade its own countries infrastructure.
Tim gives us a brief summary of his recent visit as to what is happening across the ever changing face of China and what portends to the future of quite possibly the human endeavor - in a world that is in need of wisdom, consciousness and leadership.
Right from the start both of these very articulate communicators share their knowingness as to the challenges and opportunities to heal what is becoming the affliction of the human race. Cancer!
What I like about them is that ever since knowing them - they have been focusing on encouraging us to see our body in a new light - to see that we need not be a victim of our genetic make up and that when we look beyond, into the quantum levels of the subatomic realms - new possibilities come into being.
This requires a shift in awareness, in consciousness - that we are energy fields in a localised planetary field that is embedded in a universal energy field - is opening up new vistas of not only health and healing, but living, our philosophy in life and indeed - our cosmology.
If perhaps you are aware of what’s happening in the realm of health and healing, there are some exceptionally unique perspectives being offered.
Speakers at this symposium include leaders in their particular fields, from the United States, Australia and New Zealand:, Jack Tips ND PhD, Dr Allan Frankel MD, Ty Bollinger, Glen Gillard ND, Greg Fredericks NMD, Dr Robin Kelly MD, Prof Bill Watson, Katherine Smith, Jon Eisen and Kim Knight.
The International Holistic Cancer Symposium (IHCS) is a regular conference organized by health professionals, the purpose being to share scientific evidence-based research on cancer prevention, treatment, management and support, and providing knowledge that encompasses treating the whole person, not just cancer tumours. It is a resource for all those who are interested in an evidence-based holistic approach to cancer.
The IHCS is for Governmental Agencies, Medical, Allied and CAM health practitioners, Cancer Support Organisations and Cancer NGO’s and Cancer patient lobby groups.
Regenerative & (Biological) Agriculture
Regenerative & (Biological) Agriculture can be and needs to be initiated very quickly over the face of all arable land in all the major countries on earth. This common sense system needs to be championed by all academics, farmers, and environmentalists - then the human society - if we want a future for our children.
Regeneration of the soil
The regeneration of soil through non chemical fertilisers with the conscious choice of mineral applications using regenerative and biological agricultural practices, can be and has to commence as soon as possible - it need not be delayed any longer.
What Phil Gregory PhD is saying has already been initiated by pioneers Graeme Sait, Ardern Andersen, Susan Jones and Elaine Ingham. We now have the answers - what we need now is the education and the will to implement this model of land management - and finally take down this C02 bogey - once and for all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3rhjqzVrRc
Taking down sequestering Co2 and building up soil
This is no longer a problem without a solution - Regenerative and biological agriculture is the solution and formula to global warming including soil loss and unhealthy animals and food chain.
The time is to start as soon as possible - with Government support across all levels of agriculture - and this needs trumpeting at the highest levels of government, business, and especially the media.
Pushing back the barriers of unknowingness.
Phil, Gregory was an astronomer who as part of a large scientific team used to study the night skies and during his later years was part of a huge awakening that there were planets orbiting stars in our galaxy. That in the last 25 or so years astronomers using the latest technological breakthroughs have found thousands of new planets - which is a gigantic step in breaking out of the isolation of the scientific mindset that did not or could not believe that there would be other planets circling stars not only throughout our galaxy of a 100 billion stars, but all the other billions of galaxies in existence as well. He also surmises that in 30 years time we may know if there is life on these planets.
Only 60 years of Farming Left if Soil Degradation Continues
After retiring from his chosen profession of Astronomy, one day whilst browsing through a Scientific American journal he read a piece by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation that there is only 60 years of farming left if soil degradation continues ! 60 Years - that’s no time at all, he exclaimed!
So this immediately caught his attention - for having 14 grandchildren he realised that we would be leaving them in a very unstable world and so he committed to finding a way to taking carbon out of the atmosphere and sequestering it into the soil - that in turn supports the microbes which then assists in roots growth and plant life prospering.
Global Food Security - what are the issues
This 60 year only timeline lead him to also research all aspects of desertification and animal grazing - that are all imperative issues towards global food security.
Accessing Free use of Global Data
As an ex university professor he had free access to all the global literature on earth - so has been able to cast a wide net that enabled him to work out what is happening with the soils, the atmosphere including rainfall, erosion etc, etc.
Whereas all the professional agronomists he came across, unless they are affiliated directly with a university - it costs them hugely - up to US$17.00 to read just one paper - whereas to become more knowing you need to read hundreds of papers - so this means that the agronomists are so far behind in their understanding of nature and in particular soil science and microbial activity.
Professional Agronomists lack knowledge on micro flora and soil
This shocked Phil, because in the process in communicating with them, he found them woefully ignorant about current knowledge. Especially, of how soil bacteria and fungi actually work with plants, in taking out of the atmosphere carbon and the mechanisms of breaking down soil compounds making them more available for roots hairs to feed plants the required food for growth, etc
Soil structure and micro-organisms and what they do - (has been a complete eye opener for Phil)
Even if we stop burning fossil fuels today - the gases (including methane escaping the permafrost) are still going to remain in the atmosphere for a long time. - They are still going to continue warming our planet for hundreds of year into the future - so not are we having to stop putting gases up into the atmosphere - we have to bring them back and get them out of the atmospheric envelope that surrounds our planet.
There are Natural Solutions that can Solve Global Warming.
Once he stumbled into the literature he started making connections and one link lead to another and as he followed these ’natural’ connections he became very excited - and though he found very little info from the Canadian authorities - he found a large amount of interesting information and material within the branches of the US Department of Agriculture especially in the natural resources - services section where they had many tutorials on the soil food web by Doctor Elaine Ingham one of the pioneers.
This video link is of Phil Gregory telling his important story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWILIYSf5ts
He also found on Ted Talks - Allan Savoury from Zimbabwe - it made sense - it is not necessarily animal numbers - it’s the timing of the seasons that is important.
The US Department of Agriculture - especially in the natural resources - services section made a large contribution in the connection in the dots for Phil.
Don Rocoski - no till no Till - Washington Post 11.9.13 by BraD PLUMBER No till farming is on the rise …don rykovsky No turning of soil at all
Don Rykovsky powerpoints
This link - that is a power point is a superb contribution and statement as to what needs to be done http://www.phas.ubc.ca/~gregory/papers/GregoryBowenIslandPresentation24Jan2017sht.pdf
Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Society
Also early on in his research he found that in Saskatchewan up to 60% of the framers were engaged in no till farming - which means no turning over or ploughing the soil - Now today nearly 100% of them have gone no till.
This was also seen as a possible avenue of obtaining Government subsidies for soil sequestration - even though they were a little way ahead of the govt at the time. So spent a lot of time in measuring how soils carbon could be requested and they now have good data from 167 farms over a span of 14 years and these farms are fairly large. What they have deduced is that the farmers can sequester around 1 tonne of carbon per hectare per year. Which translates to the equivalent of taking 21 million cars off the road.
Thus the Saskatchewan farmers who only had one cash crop every two years were able to then have one cash crop per year and they went from the red into the black - and making money
This took Phil deeper into his quest for regenerative agriculture - where you not only sequester carbon from the atmosphere but you restore the biology to the soil, the microflora - and you move away from the chemical paradigm to a biological paradigm, which after all - this is how nature evolved . Nature has all the microbes in the soil and that hidden universe which as up until very recently has been a hidden universe. These microbes mine all the nutrients that these plants need - from the rocks and silt and clay - and nitrogen from the atmosphere - you get the works - all for free -without having to pay money to plough your fields or pay money for the chemicals - if we are conscious enough to learn and copy nature.
The next step is to inoculate the soil with a real good fertiliser and get those microbes back active again.
By only putting NPK - nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium the plant (sort of) thinks that it has some ‘party food’ here, that I do not need to share with the microbes and any of my root exudates - I can instead hold onto those, because I am addicted to NPK. So that the barter system that existed between the plants feeding the sugars and the carbon - the energy pills to the microbes starts to fracture - And the microbes in return supplying all the other trace minerals and all the other elements that the plant needs - that barter system is ‘now broken’ - its interrupted because the plants become addicted to the easy life - but of course these salts that have been put on - these fertilising salts that have been put on, dissolve in water and 80% of them wash off into the rivers causing all kinds of problems - algae blooms - nitrates in the water are very dangerous - they reduce the amount of oxygen that the blood can transfer through the body - that there was a Nobel Prize was won when they realised that this was the basis of cancer - and Phil goes on to say that we have created mountains of problems basically though ignorance with the use of these chemicals.
Listen to Phil talks about the predators and prey and even predators that prey on the predators - in a very dynamic system at a micro level - which is natures way - this high diversity of creating stability.
So the bacteria and the fungi they are at the base of this system - they are being fed ‘carbon pellets’ (if you like) - through the sugars from the plants- who are attracting them to their root system - so the bacteria and fungi they will - if there is any NPK nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium they will love that - they will just gobble that up and store that in their body together with the4 carbon that they are receiving from the plant - and they will also take in any dead plant or matter and recycle that - plus they secrete also biotic glues as enzymes and organic acids. These organic acids in the case of fungal hyphae - these invisible strands that spread outward everywhere as mycelium networks - hold for example is a myclillium network - whist the individual hyphae are quite invisible - but if you take some common rock like feldspar and slice it - then polish it and you look at it under the microscope you will find all kinds of tiny microscopic tunnels - these are tunnels that have been made by the fungal hyphae - they are actually burrowing in to the rock - and mining the elements - the basic elements that that rock is made of - pulling these laments back into their bodies and they eventually transfer these elements to the plant. Which in Phil’s words is quite magical.
In 2015 Scientific American article states that in its title - the Biggest mining operation in the world is carried out by fungal networks.
So all these fungal networks are pulling in all these resources and in return for the carbon - but you have to keep it mind that those fungi and bacteria - they like the elements as well and they need them in high concentrations to exist in nature. So they are also not readily wanting to pass on these or give them up - and this is where the predatory protozoa of bacteria and fungi come along and feast up - and they end up with an excess of nitrogen - too much is toxic so they excrete it out - poop it out and they happen to be right next to the plant roots - because the plants are attracting and feeding their prey and all are in extremely close proximity - as they are wanting carbon that the plant extracts from the atmosphere.
So that at any given time in an agricultural field - 99% of the elements that the plants need are locked up in the bacteria and fungi - and only at the rate that which the plants need it (as the plants are orchestrating all this) do the predators come along and covert by eating right amount of bacteria and fungi - create the correct amount of poop with is then taken up by the root hairs and feed the plant.
So this is one of the mysteries that the chemical world has not appreciated (Big Pharma) because they do not really want to know the biological understandingof how to unlock the secrets of the soil. They just want sales of nitrogen and chemicals to drive these into the plants - so that they can up production - and eventually get their money back - with zero respect of the land, soil and the microflora in the soil. Which degrades the soils that eventually either erode in floods or is blown away by the wind.
Bacteria and fungi help open up the ground so that both air and water can percolate deeper allowing for roots to penetrate down to greater depths into the soil - thus able to withstand drought and flooding
Listen this is fascinating stuff that every farmer and gardener needs to get their head around if they wish to become far more self reliant and resilient in the face of rapidly changing climate change and weather fluctuations.
Covering how microflora create soil structure - to get oxygen and water deep down into the ground - because plant roots will only grow deep if they have access to wattle and oxygen. Plant roots can grow well over a metre deep - thus can resist long periods of drought as there will be both food, oxygen and moisture down there. So the imperative is for NZ farmers to study and research this and not be talked into continuing the old paradigm of more chemicals being added to their farmland.
When North America was being opened up in the pioneering days of colonial expansion the farmers dug down following certain grass roots to over 3o feet down .
Dr Rlaine Ingham - the soil food web inc -
Listen how trees can have 150 foot deep roots and that a tree fed on the surface can transport this liquid matter down to its roots 150 feet down in a matter of 10 minutes!
Plough causing a compaction layers just below the depth of the plough and this hardens the soil. At the same time when ploughing you ares slicing and dicing the fungi networks destroying all the magnificence of soil structure - what the bacteria and microflora have magically put in place.
These are like underground cities and as Phil cals them buildings and networks that the microbes have created - were annihilated and the soils loses its integrity as all the fungi and biotic glues from the bacteria just dry up - so that it is free to be both blown and washed away!
its only in the last 30 years have we realised the damage that we have been doing … added to this it is only via microscopic instruments have we been able to study also what these microbes are doing - what is theirtr role in nature.
This was in 1985 when Elaine Ingham and her husband in 1985 exposed this knowledge to the world.- And that paper was not received immediately very well. Many did not beleive that nature had this ‘bartering system’ that was going on. It was not dod eat dog and survival od the fittest - but a more cooperative notion that old ideology refused to acknowledge.
then in 1991 others rediscovered their work and it has expanded vastly since then.
Phil did a university search on root exudate or plant exudate which is a key part of she discovery - now 2016 over 2000 papers on this coming to light.- focussed on the bartering system
Dr Teage and 14 orhwr authors - sequester carbon in the soil
Soil erosion resulting form agriculture is actually a large contributor to greenhouse gases = 28% of the problem of greenhouse gasses
Agriculture is producing 14 - 15% of greenhouse gases - but soil erosion
but what about the rest - 72% - thats fossil fuel burning?
yet regenerative agriculture in all its aspects - animals and crops - not mono culture but diversified crops - including cover crops so that there is always green material with roots in the ground - plus old farms had orchards, gardens pigs goats cows, sheep and horses - very diversified - resulting in the regenerative management of animals
if we did regenerative agriculture planet round we would instantly remove that 28% - but you would ake down 120% of the greenhouse gasses from all sources that are being released - back into the ground so under modest assumptions over the entire earth - we would be requesting 150% of the GHG we are currently putting up now!
To the degree that water a time we would have to slow this down so as to not have our planet cool too much - a delightful dilemma to be in
Listen to Phil spell out the maths and the assumptions that include all forms of GHG from transportation - energy lighting - you name it - deforestation and methane expelling.
Based on 3 tones of carbon sequester for every hectare - every year
*Gabe Brown - browns ranch.us
*Dr David Johnson in Arizona - rapid sequestration up to 24 tonnes per hectare - with the US Department of Ag doing the measurements for carbon - maybe only 20% of the arable land needed to pull this carbon out of the atmosphere.
Singing Frogs Farm - California.
listen - the French scientists are very switched on a bout regenertative agriculture
Why are academics sleeping this one out? They are a collection of specialists - suzanne simard fungi network
YouTube "the magic of soil - by Phil Gregory"
In 1990, the answer to her final prayer for true help came unexpectedly, taking her to India. There on the banks of the river Ganga, she met Papaji, who opened the floodgates of her self-recognition.
Today, Gangaji travels the world speaking to people from all walks of life. She powerfully articulates how it is possible to directly experience the truth of who you are and in that, discover true peace and lasting fulfillment.
Her books include: The Diamond in Your Pocket: Discovering Your True Radiance; Hidden Treasure: Uncovering the Truth in Your Life Story; and You Are THAT! Satsang with Gangaji.
Taking a Stand
We know that we have to take a stand. Why?
Because there is no leader - particularly in the political domain calling for and standing up for the future of children and the biosphere.
We are realising that we must be the ones to take this stand. At the deepest level of soul - this is the incarnation that we have committed to - to make the shift of the ages and take back our planet as a bio harmonic living Gaian system as well as integrating and dissolving into a loving, holistic global family.
Will Wilkinson who has been a dynamic community activist on the West Coast of the US ever since the late 60’s has said - ‘enough of the old paradigm’ and is visiting NZ, which due to its geographical location ‘sees tomorrow first.’
Another Way of Seeing Who We Are
Will is here to explore and share how we as ‘cells of the planetary body’ can connect with other localised cells and clusters of cells - and self organise our way to creating the trim tab factor* and finally break free of the old thought patterns of dysfunction and fragmentation. By dynamically awakening possibilities within our own being - and across our nation - especially in small clusters of cells ‘we finally come together’ and become an inspiration for the rest of the world - hungry for positive community based change, peace and perpetual optimism.
The imperative being we must break free of dystopian movies and propaganda and instead plant and germinate seeds of heart oriented change and connection - that we intuitively hold so dearly - and we need to do it now.
This very short 55 minute interview with Will, will allow you to feel his sensitivity and his inherent knowingness that this is a time for service to the greater good and the larger whole.
Now or Never - the Book.
His Now or Never book puts a stake in hallowed ground - to gracefully initiate change at multiple levels. With Sacred Activist - Andrew Harvey’s gripping Forward and acknowledgements by numerous holistic and transformational leaders of North America - Will’s lead-in - captivating first chapter - sets the template for enabling this long awaited global transfiguration to finally show up and take place.
Will is taking a workshop on the 10th and 11th of February 2018 here in Auckland including a free evening info talk prior to this event.
Wednesday 7 February OR Thursday 8 February 7.00pm to 9.00pm at 137 Hinemoa Street Birkenhead Auckland.
To Register for any of these events people can PHONE 09 418 2971 or EMAIL nowornever2018nz@gmail.com
In reading his book -and talking with Will, I can easily feel that Will is a fellow traveller - a Renaissance initiator, journeyman, crew member, Gaian, inner voyager and lover of the natural world and all biota.
He is happily married and his wife will be accompanying him on his trip around the curve of the great mother - to be with us.
To me it will be well worth being in Will's orbit whilst he is here in Aotearoa - he having journeyed here twice before.
For those anywhere in NZ beyond Auckland - please click on Planetaudio.org.nz - and play ‘listen now’ at 8am Thursday the 25th NZ time and it will stream direct to you.
The Trim Tab Factor
* The Trim tab - is a very little rudder that is embedded in a larger rudder on say a yacht - whilst the main rudder is used to ‘point the yacht into the wind, it then sets the course, but by having this tiny little ‘trim tab’ rudder - set at a deeper angle/degree - what this does its subtly point the yacht ‘higher’ into the wind that it will not be noticed over say 10 to 20 kilometres but over a hundred to two hundred kilometres the yacht is seen to be half a degree more into the wind’ Hence getting ‘a jump’ on the other yachts that do not have a trim tab rudder - it then is at a greater advantage in taking the lead. - This is where NZ can position itself when we have ‘conscious’ governance.
We Are All Nerve Endings of Mother Earth - Gaia
James Lovelock who reminded us of Gaia - intimates that we 7.6 billion human beings are the nerve endings of Mother Earth. (i.e cells) That when someone stands up in the Amazon basin with a sign that says ’No more deforestation’ they are a nerve ending of the planetary body stating that this part of Mother Earth is suffering hugely. Same for a person standing with a sign in Palestine - stating ‘ Peace Not War” - they are telling all other nerve endings globally who see this, that this part of Mother Earth is in horrific trauma and needs healing.
Will is here as a ‘conscious nerve ending’ - to share with us ways to bring a greater consciousness to the other 7 billion plus nerve endings - and who all share breath.
Question?
Do you wake up in the morning happy with the world and thrilled to be alive?
Well that may have been the case a long time ago - yet we are witnessing daily a world in turmoil with no respite whatsoever in sight.
Answers?
Have you any answers to this situation we have all found ourselves in?
With 7.6 billion humans living on a spectacular planet that lends us bodies, free air, free rainwater and until recently a free food chain, how is it that as inhabitants on this tiny blue planet - orbiting a moderate size sun, midway on the outer arm of a medium size galaxy we call the Milky Way - have found ourselves captive to a deceptive psychological mind game that instead of realising that we all share breath as a global family - we have been programmed and polarised into fortified areas of us versus them.
Every major country is building up arms at increasingly costly levels - as military industrial machines compete with each other in an escalation that defies description.
Over one $trillion a year is being thrown into death and suffering and yet humanity have no say as unconscious governments pretending to be democratic - are not interested in resolving conflicts across borders - and instead obstinately dig in and ramp up fear.
Well as in the introduction - it’s time for a stand - and to hold the line.
‘We’ Are a Grass Roots Evolution
Yes, this is a grassroots evolution - it's the only way we can displace and grow around the top down pyramid model that has set the template of control for millennia. Localised grass roots networks are the key to claiming back ‘the commons’ and it is with your help and commitment it can be achieved. Hence Will’s fortuitous arrival here in NZ.
By being an activated conscious cell (nerve ending) - communicating and connecting with other cells and allowing synergistic energies to synchronistically come into being - this is when intuition and group dynamics inspire us with innovative and novel ways of growing into a greater dynamic whole.
Connection is everything
Connection is everything, just like shared breath - and as we know many trees have deep rooted systems that connect like gigantic mycorrhizal fungal networks of underground hypha - that link with other tree roots which commonly knit as the ‘world wood network’ - They can communicate and collectively manage resources, thanks to “some kind of electrochemical communication between the tree roots”
We now have to become this knowing and resourceful, if we want our children and grandchildren to have a free prosperous and peaceful future as we are at multiple tipping points within the biosphere’s increasingly delicate ecology. Nature does not have anywhere near enough time to evolve systems of balance, change and compensation - due to the increasing global population that has been programmed to own more and more planned obsolescent material products and things.
What Will is here in NZ for is to take willing self motivated us, through three powerful stages of learning.
He has the skills and the know-how to teach us and empower us make this jump in changing old habits and patterns.
With the people that he trains - they can go out and train another group of people - replicating his methods and inspiring us. This is how we can be change agents of conscious evolution - and take us into a new paradigm of mindfulness goodwill and global family.
To do nothing is not an option.
It’s ‘Now or Never’
It’s 'Our Place’, to do our thing. Kiwis can put quality-made programmes up on the site. He says it asks of Kiwis “What are you going to DO with this new resource? You can MAKE things with this. You don’t have to ask permission” .
At 6.24, Bryan explains the problem with our current NZ media: a producer has to go through the gateways of the commercial television channels who really are trying to assess your programme on the one question of : “How big an audience can you bring to the commercial gaps?”.
It has always been thus. And if you’re good at that, then they will buy your next programme. It’s not about how good a programme is, it’s about what kind of audience? and how big will it be? to cater to the advertisers in the commercial gaps - and it all comes down to producing money instead of quality.
At 7.16, Bryan says the main channels are going to self-edit. They re not going to take a programme that is not going to fit well with their sponsors.
The other side of it is we tend to think of government- funded broadcasters as being more independent, but that is not true either, because they are not going ‘to bite the hand that feeds them’ and stand up to their government money-source.
If mainstream media gets money from a business, then that piper calls the tune.
At 7.46, Bryan explains that the idea for this came up about 3 years ago when he walked out of TVNZ one day having had it explained to him that his programme on health was probably going to get lots of ratings but “Really we’re not necessarily into the business of doing programmes in the public good. They have to be commercial because we might sell ourselves off one day” .
Bryan walked out of that building and thought: “ Well, if these guys aren’t going to do NZ public television, maybe I can.”.
Bryan registered a company called ‘NZ Public Television Ltd”, and he talked to friends: “ If you were starting television today, you wouldn’t do it in the way that the BBC told us how to do it all those years ago - no big dishes, sky satellites, large building. How would we do it today ?”
At 8.43, he says the answer is clear: we’d use the World Wide Web.
And how would we put our programmes up?
When Bryan talked to servers , they had gleeful visions of making lots of money out of this being a version of Netflix. But Bryan instead saw it as a bus station. You, the viewer, come to NZPTV to be pointed in the right direction of a programme that someone else is hosting on Vimeo or YouTube or other sites. So NZPTV is a curator of quality programmes with NZ content. And at 9.13 he says the producers and their websites - the people who own the copyright to their own work- will be acknowledged .
At the same time, NZPTV will also make its own programmes and put those up on NZPTV Vimeo and direct viewers to that content also. So Vimeo might be the host of a programme but NZPTV will direct traffic there.
At its core, the aim is to work out how to make cost-effective television and then also make it a People’s Channel which says - Look , you might see Bryan Bruce or others doing an introduction but it’s not his channel, it’s OUR channel. NZPTV will also help producers. Bryan says he has been to see NZ on Air and asked how many eyeballs a week does NZPTV need for independent producers to be able to be funded to make and put their programme up on this new platform. “ They couldn’t tell me” he says.
At 10.07, he says “ This is a new world for them !” NZ on Air don’t know what the numbers might be so NZPTV will educate them on what the numbers CAN be.
At 11.30, Bryan talks of his own motivations in programme making: “ What I try to do in a programme is say “ Here’s a problem. How did we get to this? Let’s unpack it a bit and look at some solutions”. That’s where hope arises - rather than leave people in a dark place with overwhelming negative story-telling “
When he made ‘The Investigator’, each case involved some element of The Law that needed further examination - for example- David Tamihere was identified while wearing handcuffs outside the courtroom . Was this a correct identification? And what are the rules for identifying someone? The Defence said this was unfair. The Court allowed it- so now there are new rules that apply to each of us. At 13.20 Bryan says when making a programme it’s important that you’re not just doing ti because ‘crime rates’. Why are you upsetting people and going through all of this misery again for the families that were involved for no good reason?
At 13.39 Bryan says he encourages producers to ask ‘Why am I making this? What is the outcome I want to have from it?”.
At 14.41 he says the question we all need to ask is “ Who owns the media now? Who owns the way that our attitudes and our opinions and our thoughts about life are formed?” .
The Big Questions to ask are “ Who -How-What -Where- Why”. He says those questions are often not being asked in journalism today. “ It worries me. I watch reporters ask very simple questions - even , are you having a nice day ?”.
At 16.14 he says he sees Free Media and True Democracy as connected .
At the start of the last century, the total number of people you could address verbally was on a street corner through megaphone. But the end of the 20th Century, you could address the whole world through the various media and now with the internet, you can reach places that don’t even have broadcast facilities but have telephone lines. At 17.01, he says “ If you can control the means of talking to people, whether for your private ends or for the government’s ends, that’s a lot of power. That’s actually a means of accumulating power.
And now what NZPTV does is give the power BACK to the People and says “ YOU are in control of the stories” .
At 19.05 he says this is a Wake Up. it’s more than just a channel. “ We’ll grow as much as the People want to do it. My call is out to independent producers. Our gateway is much wider than any of the public or private broadcasters. You can come to us with a programme provided that it is professionally made , something you might see on a commercial channel in terms of its quality of production. For example, if you have made a programme about the TPPA or Water Issues, and you’ve done your homework and kept to the Broadcasting Standards Authority issues of fairness and balance .
At 21.04 he explains balance in the context of his programme 'Jesus, the Cold Case' which was criticised because Bryan talked to certain theologians but not others. He says that the ‘balance’ is that, on any given day, a viewer can turn to the Christian channels and hear the opposite view.
It’s equally so for NZPTV, which would make sure that, with a controversial programme, then somewhere there is the counter view shown, or NZPTV itself would run the counter view so the viewer could see both sides.
At 22.00 he says that it’s not true to say there are NO editing gateways to go through, but they relate more to the legal ones- you cannot defame people , and if it’s an argument for one viewpoint, it must be well though out , or if it’s science-based, it must be peer -reviewed.
But at 22.19, he says NZPTV is not going to say to a producer “ It doesn’t quite fit with our sponsors” (because there are no sponsors of the channel)- or “It doesn’t quite fit with our ‘brand’ “ (which is commonly heard in Mainstream Media ).
In fact The NZPTV ‘Brand’ is Independence ! “ If it fits with that, we should have it “.
At 23.23 Bryan underlines that “ If we don’t hold on to life rafts like this , we’re all going to drown”. At 24.19, he says public education has taught questioning and yet we have a media that tried to manipulate popped who are actually very intelligent .
“ I’m always amazed at the wisdom that comes out of people from whom, at face value, you wouldn’t assume that wisdom”. At 24.50, he gives an anecdote from a programme he made called “Stand By Your Man’ about three women whose partners had committed major crimes. “ And she said “ They never fixed his drug and alcohol addiction - and that was his problem” And you’re just about to move from this interviewee, when suddenly they come out with this absolutely insightful gem about what we’re NOT doing for men or women in prison. We’re not addressing the issues that have led to them being IN there!”
At 27.55 Bryan outlines that one of the ways that governments gain power over us is: if they don’t collect data on, for example, how much Chinese money is coming in to the country, then they can pretend it isn’t a problem. No one knows! “ Oh”, they say “ it’s all just anecdotal. You’re just bashing the Chinese”.
Bryan says "NO! I’m saying: let’s collect the data! You’re giving away visas to very wealthy people - gold visas. If you have ten million you can buy a residency in our country . But what are these people DOING for our country ? And where is that money going ?”. And the answer comes back from the government: “I’m sorry we don’t know because we don’t follow the money trail” . At 29.10, Bryan suggests that one of the roles for NZPTV is to encourage independent producers to pick a topic, investigate it, and bring us the data that the government is not collecting because it’s' inconvenient ‘. “ The last thing that governments want is inconvenient truths”.
At 29.58 he says that if you DO your homework and collate the data, then policy changes” .
At 30.23 he talks of the effect of his programme ‘Inside Child Poverty” which went out on TV3 the week of the election in 2011. "There was a debate about whether it should have been screened in election week, driven by right wing commentators like Sean Plunkett who said Bryan Bruce should not be funded to make programmes like this! Then a marvellous thing happened. The National Government which had initially said “ This is made up by a left wing journalist”, then started to change its tune and admitted “ Well it might exist but we can’t measure it”. Then the Children’s Commissioner Russell Wills said “ Ok, I’ll get a group off academics together and we WILL measure it” They put out an amazing report. It could not be ignored any more. The word “child poverty’ became part of our vernacular. And by the NEXT election it was an election issue” .
So Bryan uses this example to say that this is what we can do as media people: we can investigate, we can collate data, we can inspire people. He credits The Child Poverty Action Group with inspired him to make the programme . He says they had been doing their work for years and he thought “ Well maybe I have few skills in terms of taking complicated things and trying to make them understandable - and that was my role. Something like 580 thousand Kiwis watched that programme and then the Public started asking questions. I had offered the programme to TVNZ and I seem to remember someone saying “ Who’s going to watch a programme with ‘Poverty’ in the title?” ( and 580,000 viewers is up there with All Black fixture numbers in terms of ratings ) “ .
At 33.17, Bryan says NZPTV is not competitive- but rather, co-operative. “ We could make a programme that is of great public interest and make it in a dynamic way. We could take the online rights and a mainstream media outlet could take the broadcast rights. That would be an adult way of dealing with different kinds of distribution “
At 34.48, Bryan says it’s no accident that one of the longest running programmes in this country is called ‘Fair Go’. He feels that deep down, most Kiwis believe in a fair go and many of felt terribly betrayed by 1984 and the adoption of Neo Liberalism and being told it was the only way we could go. “ Well it wasn’t. there are about 30 different kinds of capitalism in the world and if you look at what happened in Scandinavia, they took a deep breath and paused - and then they adopted certain elements ONLY. They fenced off policies to do with children, the elderly and housing, and then they said they would allow OTHER policy to be more entrepreneurial .
Whereas in New Zealand , the government said “ ALL of that is wrong and this new evangelistic way is right, and there is now only ONE way to do this”. Bryan cites David Lange’s book which shows he later realised this was the worst thing he did. In fact, he may not have fully understood it and “ To be fair, I’m not sure that many of us understood it at the time. I certainly didn’t” says Bryan. “ I did up one house and sold and got a better house. What I didn’t think about was that 20 years down the track, other people’s children would not be able to afford a house because of what I was doing - and many of us were doing. We were just doing the best by our families and we were encouraged to think that that’s what you should do. Even Roger Douglas may have thought he was doing the right thing. I’ve never spoken to him. I’d like to interview him. But the reality is; it WASN”T the right thing. It created a HUGE inequality. When the National Party came in afterwards and created The Mother of All Budgets under Ruth Richardson, then ALL of the childhood diseases that relate to poverty, skyrocketed. And that’s nothing to be proud of. That should have told anybody who had social concern that there is something fundamentally wrong with this economic system that is creating this.” .
From 40.30 in, Bryan discusses the structure of NZ Public Television.
At 50.09 he says one of the way it will benefit producers who have good product, is that they give that programme to NZPTV for free for 7 days and then it goes to the ‘Pay Per View’ section . But all that money goes directly to the producers, not to NZPTV. (This is also a reminder to viewers to check the weekly offerings on NZPTV as there is a brisk turnaround of programmes).
At 53.07 Bryan says the whole idea of New Zealand Public Broadcasting is to return to an early idea of television: namely , using it to communicate with one another , to talk to each other.
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