It’s just the thing for reducing our leftovers and slops – a trough which has provided almost $1.6m for food waste and composting

The Government has announced funding aimed at reducing food waste, which – according to the United Nations Environment Programme’s 2021 Food Waste Index – is well on the way to becoming a billion-tonne problem around the globe.

In this country, we have a Love Food Hate Waste campaign run by Councils nationwide.  Its activities are  based on research that included surveying 1,365 New Zealanders, examining the contents of 1,402 household rubbish bins and giving 100 families diaries to record food disposal for a week.

Among the findings:

• Kiwis spend an estimated $872 million a year on food that is thrown away uneaten.
• We dump over 122,547 tonnes of food a year – enough to feed around 262,917 people.
• The average household sends around 79 kilograms of edible food to landfills every year.

The UN environment agency’s 2021 Food Waste Index  found an estimated 931 million tonnes of food around the globe ends up in the trash every year.

Most of that figure, 569 million tonnes, falls under the category of household waste.  The food service and retail sectors account for a further 244 and 118 million tonnes, respectively.

Eroad is on the right track – but NZ needs many more such companies to make up for the regulatory drag on dairying

According  to   Fonterra  executive  Marc  Rivers, NZ  has  reached  “peak milk”  and  is entering the  era  of “flat milk”.

It’s  a  warning  particularly  apposite  as  farmers  throughout  the  country  mount  a  protest against a  government  that  has  saddled them with unnecessary regulation  and other burdens as  they work  at producing  the exports  which  are NZ’s  mainstay.

The  broader  question  is   where NZ can turn to  lift or  even maintain  current living standards.

Some  would see   a  salvation  in  the  hi-tech  sector.  Companies  like  Xero, founded  in 2006   by Rod  Drury,  have shown  the  way. It  surpassed  more  than  1m global  customers  in 2017, employs  more than  3000  people,  and  is  a  leading  company  on the  Australian  stock exchange.

Remarkable  tech  companies listed on  the NZX include  Pushpay,  Serko, Gentrack, Enprise, Vista, Smartpay.

Over $1bn is invested in renewable energy but meanwhile NZ must import coal to generate electricity

Two   of  the  Labour  government’s  major  policies are  to reduce  carbon  emissions  in the  battle against  climate change, and  to   produce 100% of  NZ’s  energy from renewable sources.

So   are those  policies   going?

Reports  this week make  it  clear:  poorly.

So  badly,  indeed, that  Energy  Minister Megan  Woods  could be  living  in  la-la  land.

This  was  her  response  to RNZ’s finding  that in the same year  the government declared a climate emergency, imports of an especially dirty type of coal from Indonesia topped a million tonnes for the first time since 2006:

“This government is not been [sic] satisfied with this reliance on fossil fuels and last year we backed up our goal to have a fully renewable electricity grid with a $30m investigation into solving the dry year problem.

“The NZ Battery project is investigating the country’s potential for pumped hydro, as well as comparator technologies, and is progressing well but will take time.”

Hipkins’ officially announces “partnership” plans for research funding but Jackson didn’t post co-governance discussion agenda

Here at Point of Order we first learned – in an emailed press statement from Maori Development Minister Willie Jackson – about the Government’s determination to press on with plans intended to fundamentally change the country’s democratic systems of government and further politically empower Maori.

The objective is to “enhance our partnership with Māori”, which is another way of saying it is is to promote co-governance arrangements whereby the leaders of around 15 per cent of the country’s population are assured of the same decision-making rights as the elected representatives of 85 per cent of the population (although elected representatives are supposed to serve all of their communities).

Jackson  insists it is not a done deal – it will be discussed.

But first it will be discussed among Maori.      

Significantly, Jackson’s statement can not be found on The Beehive website, the official website of the Government of New Zealand which boasts it is

“.. the best place to find Government initiatives, policies and Ministerial information.”

Education Chris Hipkins has been doing his bit for a Maori-Crown partnership, too, but at least The Beehive website does record his intentions.

He has announced race-based changes to the way the Government funds the country’s scientists and researchers.

He said the Government is building on the successes of the Performance-Based Research Fund “to ensure a stronger, fairer, more diverse tertiary education system”.

He is vague about what the changes will be but all too clear in advising us they are being based  on the government’s highly contentious ideas about the Treaty partnership.  

In the upshot, it’s not the merits of a project that matter and Maori researchers can count on being given a bigger share of the funding than they are getting now.   

An independent review of the fund settings and targeted consultation with the research sector has resulted in changes “to ensure the fund is fair and best represents New Zealand”. 

These changes

“… will better recognise the range of research excellence our tertiary education organisations produce,”

And:

“The more holistic approach favoured in the review and through the feedback received will see the partnership between Māori and the Crown better provided for, with greater recognition of the contributions of Māori researchers and research.

“It will also better reward research that has important implications for Māori communities, and wider New Zealand society.”

Strengthening funding for research that reflects the growing diversity in New Zealand is another key component to the changes, with additional credit for the work of Pacific, disabled and early-career researchers and research.

“These changes [the details are absent from the press statement] reflect our commitment to equity and wellbeing outcomes, and our vision for a sustainable, diverse and representative research workforce.”

  Hipkins’ statement is consistent with the progress towards co-governance signalled in Jackson’s announcement.

The emailed statement headed Next steps for Declaration plan on indigenous rights was sent from Jackson’s office at 12:01 pm yesterday under an embargo permitting its publication at 1.30pm.

But many members of the public who do not have Jackson’s statements emailed to them might have learned first about the latest manoeuvrings on the gradual dismantling of our democracy  in a National Party press statement posted on the Scoop site:

He Puapua Is Not The Way Forward For New Zealand

Thursday, 1 July 2021, 3:28 pm

Press Release: New Zealand National Party

The Government has tried to down play Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson’s announcement today as a simple consultation process, but in truth it is an indication of what is to come, Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins says.

Ten minutest later, Scoop posted this:

 Next Steps For Declaration Plan On Indigenous Rights

Thursday, 1 July 2021, 3:38 pm

Press Release: New Zealand Government

Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson has today announced the next steps in developing a national plan to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (the Declaration).

In this statement, Jackson said this builds on the previous National Government’s decision to sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

“… and will enhance our partnership with Māori”.

This is the partnership that – look as hard as you might – can not be found in the Treaty of  Waitangi.

In the next phase of the exercise in fostering co-governance the Government will work through a two-step process, which will begin with “targeted engagement over the next few months” with “key” tribes and “significant Māori organisations” on how they wish to be involved.

And then – hurrah – Jackson assures is there will be “wide public consultation with New Zealanders on a draft Declaration plan”.

Jackson assures us:

“As we have previously said He Puapua is not government policy nor the basis of a declaration plan. Instead it is a starting point for discussion.”

He further said New Zealand’s position has continued to be that the Declaration must satisfy several fundamental requirements including:

• Being consistent with international law, and New Zealand law and policy;
• Protecting the rights of all citizens; and
• Safeguarding territorial integrity and political unity, as well as the responsibility of all democratically elected governments to govern for the welfare of all their citizens.

This doesn’t sound too threatening, constitutionally, to people who have fought for democracy and their descendants who want to preserve democratic governance arrangements.

But then Jackson says: 

“This Government is focused on improving the wellbeing of Māori communities, addressing inequity issues for Māori and fulfilling our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and this is one part of that mahi.”

Those obligations are constantly being re-written by judges, politicians, academics and the Waitangi Tribunal.  

Under this government they have provided the rationale for a raft of divisive policies that split the country into a Maori constituency and a non-Maori one.  

 Latest from the Beehive 

 (at time of writing)

Covid-19

More vaccinators coming on board for COVID-19 campaign

Retired and overseas-trained health professionals and the wider health workforce can now join New Zealand’s expanding vaccinator workforce, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced.

After the Government changed Medicines Regulations to allow more health workers to be trained to give vaccinations, Health Minister Chris Hipkins called on retired nurses, people who have trained overseas but are not registered here, and those in the kaiāwhina workforce – who work in our health system already in roles such as healthcare assistants – to join the vaccinator team. 

More than 12,500 people have already logged their details in the Hands-Up database, which is designed to capture a broad range of skills and backgrounds for different roles.

DHBs have been following up with potential candidates to recruit people as the government scales up the vaccination programme.

The Immunisation Advisory Centre has trained more than 8,100 COVID-19 vaccinators from across the health sector since the beginning of the year.

Current projections are that the government will need 1,600 full-time equivalent vaccinators at the peak of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out. This means 6,000 to 6,500 people will be needed. 

Holidays

Matariki holiday dates for next thirty years announced

The Government has released the recommended dates for the Matariki public holiday for the next 30 years to give communities and businesses certainty.

New Zealand will celebrate Matariki as a public holiday from next year, beginning on 24 June 2022. The calendar date for the Matariki public holiday will shift each year to align with the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar) and will always be on a Friday.

Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades, and refers to a cluster of stars that rises in mid-winter, marking the start of the Māori New Year. Some tribues name this time of year Puanga, after a bright star that is above and to the right of the Matariki constellation.

 Research funding

Performance-Based Research Fund to be fairer, more diverse

 The Government is building on the successes of the Performance-Based Research Fund to ensure a stronger, fairer, more diverse tertiary education system, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says.

Following an independent review of the fund settings and targeted consultation with the research sector, changes are being made to ensure the fund is fair and best represents New Zealand. 

The changes will better recognise the range of research excellence our tertiary education organisations produce, better provide for “the partnership between Māori and the Crown”, and give greater recognition to the contributions of Māori researchers and research.

The Tertiary Education Commission is appointing a Sector Reference Group. It will be made up of members from across the tertiary education sector who can contribute critical sector expertise and knowledge to implement the changes.

More information about the Performance-Based Research Fund can be found on the Ministry of Education and TEC websites:

https://www.education.govt.nz/further-education/policies-and-strategies/review-of-the-performance-based-research-fund-3/

https://www.tec.govt.nz/funding/funding-and-performance/funding/fund-finder/performance-based-research-fund/

Transport

New ferries to reduce emissions and strengthen link between islands

Investing in two new, rail-enabled Interislander ferries will help reduce transport emissions and support more goods and people crossing the Cook Strait, Transport Minister Michael Wood said.

KiwiRail has formally signed a contract with Korea’s Hyundai Mipo Dockyard to build two new Interislander ferries which will replace the existing, ageing fleet. The new ferries are expected to arrive in New Zealand in 2025 and 2026. 

The new ferries will reduce the Interislander’s carbon emissions by 40 per cent with initiatives like using battery power for manoeuvring. They are also “future-proofed” so that more batteries can be added over time and they can be modified to run on other low-carbon fuels like hydrogen as they become available in the future.

 

A matter of the right connections – Robertson tells of his digital discussion with APEC politicians and business leaders

We do admire the language employed by our Ministers – and/or their spin doctors – for their pronouncements.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson, for example, tells us that finance ministers and business leaders from across the APEC region “have connected” to discuss the ongoing response to COVID-19.

It was a connection facilitated by the internet and digital technology.

The session was an innovation introduced for APEC 2021, making best use of the digital format to bring together people from across the region for an informal discussion.

“This encouraged an open conversation between participants who might not otherwise have had an opportunity to come together during the APEC year. It enabled attendees to gain a deeper understanding of the issues affecting the region and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead,” Grant Robertson said.

“The views of business leaders and the discussions at this meeting have been valuable and will feed into conversations between Ministers at the Finance Ministers’ Meeting in October.”

Bad weather and travel plans – Faafoi visits Canterbury (and announces modest help) but Woods’ event is postponed

A fresh announcement from the Beehive hadn’t actually been posted on the website, when we checked this morning.  It announced government help (modest) for flood-stricken Cantabrians.

Another unposted statement was weather-related, too, and came from Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods.  In this case, the statement was followed by advice that the event which triggered the statement had been postponed due to “weather events,  

We shall dutifully observe the embargo and keep the news under wraps until the event has been rescheduled.

Other weekend statements announced the opening of Samoa language week and brought news of a digital training programme for elderly Kiwis winning an overseas award. 

And today we have been apprised of two new reports which deal with emergency housing.  

 The Acting Minister for Emergency Management, Kris Faafoi, has been in Canter bury where he announced the Government has contributed $100,000 towards a Mayoral Relief Fund to support Canterbury communities impacted by the weekend’s flooding.

The dragons-and-taniwha speech isn’t being quickly forgotten – and Mahuta is getting support from some Aussies on Five Eyes

It’s the speech that keeps on giving.

This gives the lie to advice we were given on the art of delivering a memorable speech: an audience remembers best the first five minutes of a speech and the last five.

In the case of Nanaia Mahuta’s dragons-and-taniwha speech, at Point of Order we reckoned only a few of the audience would have understood the first five minutes and most wouldn’t have been awake to hear the last.

If they did stay awake (we reasoned) they would have struggled to comprehend some chunks between the introduction in te reo and the “thank you” with which the speech ended.

For example:

Pacific Connections – Ngā Taniwha nō Te Moana nui a Kiwa

I want to briefly go back to the whanaungatanga New Zealand has to the Pacific. In many respects one could surmise that we share common Taniwha.

How many members of the audience speak te reo?

Some impenetrable stuff was reported by news media for the edification of those who weren’t in the audience.

Here’s something from the Dom-Post, for example,

You tell ’em, Andrew – this country will not tolerate Russian mischief with malware

OWell, well, well.

New Zealand its expressing its indignation about something the Russians may or may not have been doing.

But this expression of the nation’s indignation comes not from Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta but from Andrew Little, our Minister of …

No, not Health on this occasion.  Nor Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Pike River Re-entry or the NZSIS.

He was giving the Russians a blast as Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau.

In that capacity, he was adding New Zealand’s voice to

“ … the international condemnation of the malicious compromise and exploitation of the SolarWinds Orion platform.”

GDP slump will jolt Kiwis who thought the economy was doing nicely, thank you (but maybe not until America’s Cup euphoria fades)

Nobody  raised  an  eyebrow  at  the  latest political polling by Colmar Brunton.  Labour had  eased   back  just four points  since  December, National  was  up  only  two.

In  the  preferred  PM  stakes  there was a more  significant  movement.  Jacinda Ardern was  down 15  points at  43.  Even so, this registered  a  popularity  that  many  of her predecessors in  their  fourth year  in office  would have  given their  eye  teeth  for.

Nevertheless  Labour  stalwarts  won’t  want  to  see  any  further  slippage  in the PM’s rating.  They  may  blame  the  backlash from the  most recent Auckland  lockdown  and  Ardern’s  mis-steps  over  the  cause  of it   for  the  glitch.

Maybe   the  government’s  sails  will fill again as  the   national euphoria spills over  from  Team NZ’s glittering  America’s Cup victory.

More  likely, however, there  will be a  re-focus  on Covid  issues as  the euphoria  fades,  particularly  the  vaccination  programme.  At  this point  there seems  to be little concern  that the  programme is  proceeding in a   very leisurely  fashion.  But  that  may change  as New Zealanders  discover  other  countries  are fully  vaccinated  before  they get their shots.

Fonterra milk price forecasts give a fillip to farmers and the regions – the co-op has become an NZX favourite, too

Fonterra has  confirmed  what  most analysts  had  been predicting and lifted its 2020/21 forecast farmgate milk price range to  $7.30 – $7.90 kg/MS, up from  $6.90 – $7.50. This should  send a  further surge of  confidence  across  NZ’s  rural regions, hopefully in  a  wave  strong enough to encourage  farmers  to plan to  increase production  next  season.

As  a  result  of  the  higher  payout, the co-op  will be  pumping $11.5bn  into the  rural economy, well ahead of the $10bn predicted  last year. Although  farmer-suppliers  to Fonterra  are paid off   the mid-point  $7.60  of the new range, most analysts  believe the final payout will reach $7.90.

That  should  ensure a  handsome  return  for most  suppliers,  whose  cost  of  production averages  around $5.80-$6 kg/MS—and for the  highly  efficient, at below $4, an even   better one.