Tag Archives: Greens

GARDENING FOR HEALTH (Wally Richards)

I am very conscious of people that have only small sections or live in flats, retirement villages and apartments which means they have either no land or very little land to grow food in.

For people in those places they need to make the most economical use of their land available and also to grow the most highly nutritious food possible.

This is particularly so now as a draconian Government has passed the therapeutic bill which means they control what natural remedies, vitamins, minerals and supplements that you are allowed to purchase and use for your well being and health.

Traditional remedies that their parents and grandparents used to keep them healthy is now only available at the whim of some bureaucrat whom likely has a big Tax Paid salary and less knowledge about health than most of us gardeners.

So far they have yet to try and stop us from growing our own healthy food and high health products.

Recently I wrote about growing sprouts on a window sill and using Magic Botanic Liquid (MBL) in the water that you are sprouting the seed with.

Spouts are very nutritious and when you sprout the seeds with MBL they become super nutritious.

Now let me tell you a little story about what I discovered over 20 years ago that made a big difference to my health and well being.

I had learnt about MSM (Organic Sulphur) which is a white crystal powder from pine trees that you dissolve in a vitamin C fruit juice and take morning and night.

Your body needs a regular amount of sulphur daily and back 40 plus years ago you would have got your daily sulphur dose from your purchased (once upon a time) very healthy food chain.

(Not any more unless you are growing your own vegetables naturally and putting sulphur into the growing soil in the form of gypsum).

MSM I learnt about from an authority on the subject who is living in America and was sent 500 grams to try it.

I did and the first thing I noticed was that my memory improved significantly to the point that I could go into any room and know why I was there.

Reason being is sulphur helps carry oxygen to the cells and they function better.

Great relief for sore joints, arthritis and many other health issues.

Sulphur is also nature’s beauty element and often women that take MSM notice an improvement of hair, nails and complexion. It is also anti-aging. (I think mainly because of the continual detox MSM does when taking regularly).

I also learnt about that same time, after reading about Sea 90, that wheat grass and barley grass are two plants that will take up all the 114 known minerals and elements if they are present in the growing medium.

(Tomatoes want 56 different minerals and elements which they take up)

I was well aware of the fad referred to as drinking wheat grass juice for health and had even tried some once from a juice bar and found it bitter and not nice to drink.

But if the wheat grass takes up all the minerals and elements given to it when it grows then there is some great benefit in growing it and juicing.

There are four sources of mineral rich products, Ocean Solids being the minerals from the ocean along with the sodium chloride (salt which is about 95%) and the other 5% is the other 113 minerals and elements.

Minerals from powdered rocks which is called Wallys Unlocking your Soil and the MBL which contains the minerals from prehistoric times when the young planet was mineral rich.

BioPhos for the phosphate which we use as a building block for several important substances including those used for cell energy, cell membranes and DNA.

I then started growing wheat grass with all the above minerals and even if you do not have much land to grow stuff you can do this also.

I obtained some polystyrene boxes from a fish wholesaler (Also some supermarkets give them away)

I filled the boxes which are about 400mm by 28 mm wide and about 200 mm deep with Daltons Value Compost to about two thirds full; after putting some drainage holes in the sides of the box

(just up from the base. Reason being is some water will be under the mix as a reservoir to help keep mix moist.)

Over the compost I sprinkled Ocean Solids, BioPhos and Unlocking your Soil; then just covered that with a little more compost.

On top of that I spread the wheat seeds very thickly like many were touching each other then I sprayed them with the MBL mix.

I watered down with non chlorinated water and placed a sheet of glass over the box to keep mice and birds from getting in and eating the seeds. Keep the mix moist with regular watering.

When the box had a good show of germination of the grass I then did the same process to a second box to enable more grasses to be cut and used continuously.

When the grasses were well established I then removed the glass cover and once they reached a height of about 150mm it was time to harvest and juice. You can spray the grass with MBL for added benefit.

Now this is very important you need to use a manual type juicer which you turn the handle to squeeze the juice out of the grass.

Electric ones will destroy some of the goodness and antioxidants as they heat up while juicing and are hard to cleans because the green juice really stains.

With a pair of scissors you a couple of handfuls of grass off just above soil level and run them through the juicer. The liquid will be sweet as it has a high brix level which also indicates its full of goodness.

I started juicing once a day and it made a big difference to my well being.

Back then I was still a smoker and  would over indulge in my favorite spirit at times.

I used to suffer from chronic indigestion if I ate ice cream in the evening and pastry foods before bed, waking up later, in a bad way.

The wheat grass fixed that completely which I figure was caused by an unbalance in my body and I have hardly ever had indigestion since.

Some people prefer barley grass to wheat grass and there is no reason not to grow both together for added benefits of the barley. You will find barley juice is a little bitter when compared to the wheat juice.

I wrote about juicing many years ago after having found great health benefits from it.

One chap told me that he took the wheat grass juice 3 times a day while under going chemo and he did not lose his hair and sailed through the treatment with little side effects.

Many people have improved their health from this easy to grow grass.

An alternative to juicing is to put the grass into a high speed blender with other things to make a super healthy smoothie.

If you prefer; you can grow in a raised garden or open garden simply follow the instructions for growing it in the boxes.

I have on our mail order web site at www.0800466464.co.nz made a new category link called Wheat and Barley Grass products.

In there you will find a kit with the wheat, barley and minerals all in a polystyrene box which you can use to grow the grass in.

I have also ordered from overseas some manual wheat grass juicers which should arrive later in August.

Beat the Government’s therapeutic bill and grow your own healthy Vitamins and Minerals.


Phone 0800 466464
Garden Pages and News at www.gardenews.co.nz
Shar Pei pages at  www.sharpei.co.nz
Mail Order products at www.0800466464.co.nz

New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Part II of the Act covers a broad range of Civil and Political Rights. As part of the right to life and the security of the person, the Act guarantees everyone:

1The right not to be deprived of life except in accordance with fundamental justice (Section 8)

2The right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, degrading, or disproportionately severe treatment or punishment (Section 9)

3The right not to be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation without consent (Section 10)

4The right to refuse to undergo any medical treatment (Section 11)

 Furthermore, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 guarantees everyone: Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion.
This includes the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief,
INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO ADOPT AND HOLD OPINIONS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE (Section 1)



WEEDS – A NEW WAY TO DEAL TO THEM (Wally Richards)

This week I received a book from an old friend of mine, Julia Sich which she has written and called ‘Julia’s Guide to Edible weeds and Wild Green Smoothies’.

Many of you will know the ‘Weed Lady’ through her previous book and workshops.

In your gardens you will likely have a number of plants we call ‘weeds’ which are of benefit to your diet and health.

The definition of a ‘weed’ is simply ‘a plant that is growing where we do not want it to grow’.

Many of the plants we grow for food or for their flowers; when allowed to self seed they become weeds.

I recommend that you obtain a copy of Julia’s book and learn to your benefit, many of the plants you pull out, kill and compost which could be better off been cultivated and consumed.

The book is available in two formats as a down load E Book or as a printed publication.

The web site is https://www.juliasedibleweeds.com/

and the book is available for NZ$19.95 for the Ebook OR $34.95 plus postage for the printed version.

The book gives you both the common names and the Botanical names as well as coloured pictures to assist in identification.

Each weed has a written description along with its nutritional values and how to use them for your benefit.

Mind you if the Government had its way it would ban the use of these natural plants and their ancient uses if favour of Big Pharma’s bottom line. (Therapeutic Products Bill)

Pharmaceutical companies hate natural remedies even though many of their concoctions were originally derived from plant’s properties.

If you have the knowledge such as given in Julia’s book then you can look after your own well being as our fore fathers did from all races on the planet. (And at no expense if out of the weeds in your gardens)

We have to read and learn about the advantages of these plants but in Nature animals know what is best for them as far as their well being is concerned.

For instance if you place cattle into a paddock that has a wide range of plants including weeds, the cattle will consume the ones that they need for better health beside eating a lot of grass.

Which is an interesting point in so much as grass is also very good for your health and in particular, wheat grass and barley grass.

That is if you apply all the known minerals and element to the growing medium.

Reason is that grasses will take up all the minerals available where other plants such as tomatoes only require 56 of the known 114 mineral and elements.

That is why some farmers will apply what we sell as Ocean Solids to their paddocks to the great benefit of their stock’s health.

I remember a farmer telling me one time about his practice of spraying diluted sea water over his paddocks which was much to the annoyance of his farming neighbour,

because a certain amount of the sea spray would fall onto the neighbors side of the fence and when the neighbour let his stock into that paddock they would rush over to the  area by the fence line and demolish the mineral rich grasses growing there.

Julia mentions ‘your’s truly’ in her book and in particular in regards to ‘Smoothies’

I presume many of you have or still do on occasions, if not regularly, go out and pick a range of greens and put them into a high speed blender with a banana and wizz up a very beneficial brew.

The banana addition takes away some of the unpleasant taste of some plants and makes your drink very palatable.

Julia tells the story of how smoothies solved health issues that she once had as I found the same many years ago when I first started making smoothies from as many different plants as I could get my hands on.

Some plants are nice to eat raw and have flavors that make them appealing such as salad crops.

The rest including grasses are better taken raw in a smoothie.

Besides being of great benefit to your health another very good reason to find out what weeds you can eat is the unusual weather that has affected New Zealand recently.

Here is a update from a Food Producer in the Hawke’s Bay: ‘Hi everyone, food producer here. Just wanted to write an easily digestible post so people can understand how severe the destruction in H.B is for the whole of N.Z

The media aren’t really discussing it fully and people I speak to can’t seem to wrap their heads around how serious this is for us as a country.

What’s been lost: It’s called the fruit bowl for a reason, not just grapes and apples but also pears, onions, corn, carrots, blueberries, strawberries, honey, dairy, beef, sheep products including wool and also apiaries, nurseries and seed banks.

Wineries and orchards have had heritage trees and vines utterly wiped out. We’re talking 30-40-year-old plants gone. Countless bee hives and fields of crops buried under a metre of silt.

These aren’t just for fresh produce but also wine, vinegar, honey, bread and processed fruit and vegetables for things from muesli bars to ice cream and condiments.

The layer of silt now covering the once fertile land has been completely smothered. There’s so much cleaning up to be done before people can replant and fertilize it will take years to get back even close to normal.

In that time we’ll see massive shortages of all the above, affecting almost all food items you can think of.

A very apt warning and not only in NZ but also in many major food producing areas of the world, either through Floods or Droughts millions of acres of crops have been lost..

Think about that. You might want to start cultivating a few weeds for a ‘Rainy Day’.

Of course as we have seen this spring and summer a lack of blue skies with nice fluffy white clouds which has also greatly affected us home gardens as well as commercial growers.

Direct sun shine is what all plants use to create carbohydrates which is the energy that makes them grow, flower and produce seeds.

Hazy skies and cloud cover that prevents direct sunlight being available for plants and solar panels is a very big concern.

In 2006 this matter was brought up at the United Nations and the speech about it can be heard here

VIDEO LINK

Well worth 18 minuets of your time to be better informed. (Now days they talk about ‘Planet Shading’ which would be a bit like a ‘Nuclear Winter’ no sun plants don’t grow.

Playing with weather or the ability to produce or prevent weather patterns is a fact and now days it is harder to determine what is natural and what is man made.

If severe weather events we have experienced are not natural then a lot of people that have been badly affected would not be very happy for sure.

Phone 0800 466464
Garden Pages and News at www.gardenews.co.nz
Shar Pei pages at  www.sharpei.co.nz
Mail Order products at www.0800466464.co.nz


New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Part II of the Act covers a broad range of Civil and Political Rights. As part of the right to life and the security of the person, the Act guarantees everyone:

1The right not to be deprived of life except in accordance with fundamental justice (Section 8)

2The right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, degrading, or disproportionately severe treatment or punishment (Section 9)

3The right not to be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation without consent (Section 10)

4The right to refuse to undergo any medical treatment (Section 11)

 Furthermore, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 guarantees everyone: Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion.
This includes the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief,
INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO ADOPT AND HOLD OPINIONS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE (Section 1)

Top 11 Leafy Greens (& Their Benefits)

From draxe.com

Diets rich in antioxidants — which help to fight against free radical damage that contributes to aging and disease — are recommended for people of all ages. One group of foods that provides some of the highest contents of antioxidants, in addition to many other essential vitamins and minerals, is leafy greens, such as popular types like kale and spinach.

Researchers have found that a diet inclusive of dark leafy greens can defend the body against experiencing cellular damage, which is associated with health problems, such as:

  • neurodegenerative diseases
  • heart disease
  • diabetes
  • certain types of cancers
  • earlier mortality

Top 11 Leafy Greens

Which are green leafy vegetables?

Leafy greens are considered to be any type of plants with leaves and/or stems that are eaten as vegetables. This category includes various types of salad greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens and microgreens.

Which are the best leafy green vegetables?

“Dark leafy greens” are among the healthiest because a rich/deep green color indicates a high level of antioxidants. While there isn’t necessarily just one type of green veggie that is the best, some of the richest in nutrients include:

  1. Watercress
  2. Kale
  3. Swiss chard
  4. Microgreens (like broccoli, kale and cabbage sprouts)

READ AT THE LINK

https://draxe.com/nutrition/leafy-greens/

How to Grow Sprouts: The Ultimate, Home-Grown, Nutrient-Packed Food

From foodrevolution.org

Summary

When it comes to growing your own food, it’s hard to find anything easier, quicker, or more nutritious than sprouts. If you’re thinking about how to optimize your immune system, balance your blood sugar levels, improve your digestion, support your heart and liver health and function, or enhance your family’s food security, then sprouts could be just the thing you’re looking for. Here’s what you need to know about the different kinds of sprouts, how to put them to use for more nutrition in your home, and how to avoid bacterial contamination.

READ MORE

https://foodrevolution.org/blog/how-to-grow-sprouts-the-ultimate-home-grown-nutrient-packed-food/

Grow nutritious microgreens for better overall health

Microgreens are all the rage right now, and for good reason. These edible seedlings are excellent sources of fiber and essential micronutrients, as well as powerful plant compounds.

Usually, microgreens are enjoyed as part of salads because of their fresh flavor and crisp texture. However, they can also be added to soups, pasta, sandwiches, meat mains and even smoothies.

Microgreens are available in most supermarkets and farmer’s markets. But they’re pretty easy to grow, even for beginner gardeners. The best part is, you can grow them indoors.

Read on to learn more about microgreens and how to grow them.

What’s so special about microgreens?

Microgreens are often confused with sprouts, but they’re not exactly the same. Microgreens are often harvested one or two weeks after germination when the plant is one to three inches tall and its first “true leaves” have emerged. When ready to harvest, the plant is snipped off just above the root.

READ MORE

https://www.food.news/2021-10-07-grow-microgreens-for-better-overall-health.html

Photo: pixabay.com


Your “GE-Free” NZ Govt secretly approved the use of a GE-bacteria pig growth hormone in 2001 & it’s NOT labeled!

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Stock feed is commonly comprised of GE soy & corn – NZ farmers can’t rule out the possibility it’s GE as it isn’t labeled

See here how murky our clean green image is now?  Yet again we are consuming food that is not safe, with neither our knowledge nor our permission? They approved this secretly folks! How can we possibly trust these people who are charged with protecting our food supply? I posted a while back the alert that our stock is being fed GE feed. At least the business operators “couldn’t rule it out the feed wasn’t GE” as it included corn and soy, typically GE products. And the Greens have also made statements about GE feed here in NZ. If GE feed and hormone growth products are so safe why then are they being so underhanded about it all? Not rocket science is it? Vote with your wallet and don’t buy it. There aren’t a lot of options left to us as clearly they’re intent on steam rolling ahead with opening this Pandora’s box. To the peril of the public I might add.

Please share this info. Educate yourself. Search similar articles under ‘categories’ (top left of any page).

EnvirowatchRangitikei


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Back in 2002 the Greens announced – “A new growth hormone made by GE bacteria has been secretly approved for use on NZ pigs, and there is no requirement to disclose its use on the label.

This growth hormone makes pigs grow by up to 20% more in the last month of their lives. The hormone Porcine Somatotropin (PST) is injected into the necks of pigs every day, for the last 30 days of their lives. Advice from the manufacturer is to inject pigs in the neck to prevent the meat being downgraded.

The hormone was approved by the Animal Remedies Board on 12 October 2001. A similar hormone for cows, bovine somatotropin, was refused approval by MAF last year because of concerns about European consumers refusing to buy hormone-treated milk and meat.

Australian officials had acknowledged there would likely be residues of the artificial hormone in pork from treated pigs.

As Sue Kedgley, spokesperson for the Green Party commented, this hormone was highly controversial and was not even approved by the FDA for use in America…”

Read More:  http://www.safefood.org.nz/news11.php


If you’re unconvinced GE food is bad for you watch this short clip interviewing Jeffrey Smith, expert on GMOs

 

Important TPPA Updates

From itsourfuture website’s bulletin

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Bulletin #82
20 January 2016

TPPA signing Auckland, 4 February

The secrecy-obsessed New Zealand government finally admitted that the signing would take place in Auckland but still hasn’t confirmed the date (although Chile and Peru governments did) or a location, although it almost certainly won’t be at Sky City as previously rumoured. Apparently the delay in confirming a date is because some governments (possibly Canada, Japan, Malaysia) haven’t fulfilled their pre-signing procedures – neither has New Zealand. The lack of a democratic mandate isn’t holding our government back. Hopefully several TPPA nations may decide not to sign.

The signing is largely symbolic but governments will try to use it as an opportunity to talk up the TPPA in the media. It will be signed by Trade Ministers (Todd McClay has replaced Tim Groser – we don’t yet know whether Groser will be there). Whatever happens the campaign is not over! This is not the final step by any means. The TPPA still needs to be ratified in NZ and opposition is growing in the US. There is more campaigning coming up. See TPPA campaign overview, democracy vs TPPA blog.

Lori Wallach and Jane Kelsey: Don’t sign speaking tour 26-29 January

In the lead-up to the signing, leading US critic of the TPPA and the most knowledgeable person about what’s happening in Washington, Lori Wallach the Director of Public Citizen Global Trade Watch, will join TPPA expert Jane Kelsey for a short speakers’ tour. See It’s Our Future website for downloadable posters. Lori and Jane Kelsey will speak at:
·       Auckland Town Hall on 26th January at 7pm – with a political panel including Andrew Little (Labour) tbc, Metiria Turei (Greens), Fletcher Tabuteau (NZ First) and Marama Fox (Maori Party).
·       Wellington, St Andrews Centre on the Terrace on 27th at 7pm
·       Christchurch Cardboard Cathedral on 28th at 7pm
·       Dunedin at Burns Hall, Moray Place on 29th at 7pm

These events will be free, with a donation requested. Arrive early, because it’s first come, first in the door, and we are going to try to fill these venues!!

Funding the campaign
Our Give a Little page to help fund the TPPA campaign page is now live. Please donate generously  because we have no money at present and we are incurring big costs for the campaign (around $10,000 for the Auckland Town Hall meeting alone). This account will support the costs of these events and ongoing campaign actions over the next few months. If you have other fundraising suggestions, contact Barry Coates at itsourfuturenz@gmail.com. We acknowledge the generous support of individuals and organisations and will include a list of those in the next Bulletin. So please let them know that now’s a good time to donate!

Events coming up

A round up of events over the next few weeks follows. This isn’t all of them because many are still being planned. The list will be updated in the next Bulletin. Send details to Chantelle Campbell at itsourfuturenz@gmail.com.

Dunedin

29 January at 7pm: Don’t Sign Tour: Lori Wallach and Jane Kelsey at Burns Hall, Moray Place. Free event, donations please.

30 January at 12=2.30pm: Rally to declare the Octagon a TPP Free Zone with a range of different groups joining together in activities, speakers and music.

More info on events at TPPA Action Dunedin FB page.

Christchurch

20 January 12-1.30pm: Save City Care, Keep Our Assets Picket at City Council Building, Worcester Boulevard Entrance.

28 January at 7pm: Don’t sign tour at Christchurch cardboard cathedral.

30 January at 2pm: Reject the TPPA rally at Cathedral square.

4 February at 12.30pm: Declare ChCh TPP Free at Christchurch City Council, 53 Hereford St
More info on events at TPPA Christchurch FB page.

Wellington

19-28 January: There are a series of local meetings coming up:

·       19/1 Newtown
·       20/1 Johnsonville
·       21/1 Lower Hutt
·       23/1 Otaki
·       26/1 Wainuiomata
·       28/1 Upper Hutt

27 January at 7pm: Don’t sign tour – Lori Wallach and Jane Kelsey at St Andrews Centre, The Terrace. Free event, donations please.

30 January at 1pm: assemble at the Governor-General’s residence for a handover of the petition. Details to come.

4 February lunchtime: assemble at the Cenotaph outside Parliament with banners, cardboard heads of government Ministers and speeches. Details to come.

More info on Wellington actions at TPPA Wellington FB page.

New Plymouth
30 January at 1pm: Puke Ariki Landing, 1 Ariki St. TPPA picnic to launch a week of action with speakers and petitions.

Tauranga

See car protest below, and other actions will be at TPPA Tauranga FB page.

Raglan
1 Feb at 4pm: Raglan footbridge at Raglan beach, join the ‪#TPPAfreeZoneChallenge.

Hamilton
23 January at 12-2pm: Rally at Base Shopping Centre, Te Rapa Rd.

Auckland
26 January at 7pm: Don’t sign tour at Auckland Town Hall. As well as our keynote speakers there will be a political panel with Andrew Little (Labour) tbc, Metiria Turei (Greens), Fletcher Tabuteau (NZ First) and Marama Fox (Maori Party).

31 January all day (tbc): There will be a Protestival all day in an Auckland park. This will be a peaceful, family friendly event with music, speeches (not too many), stalls, workshops, NVDA training and event planning. Details to be advised in the next Bulletin. All welcome.

3 February: We welcome visitors from outside Auckland and will hold a meeting to discuss plans for the events coming up. Time and venue to be advised.

3 February: There will be an Unwelcome to Auckland protest at Auckland airport for the Trade Ministers and their entourages arriving in Auckland, with banners, chants and a message that we don’t want them to sign the TPPA.

4 February at 12pm: Join the TPPA Don’t Sign march down Queen St. Lunchtime campaigners can then peel off and the rest of us will join others at our campaign base in nearby Victoria Park for music, speeches and campaign news.

4 February: We don’t know the venue for the meeting but there may be people who will want to go there to occupy the venue or block access. There may also be other civil disobedience happening around the signing. We request that any group who does so respects the principles of non-violence and does not damage the property of citizens. We have huge support from the public for the campaign and the media will be looking for photos and stories to discredit our movement.

We will try to organise billets for visitors in homes and on a marae. Please Email itsourfuturenz@gmail.com if you want accommodation.

Waitangi

There will be actions against the TPPA in Waitangi and it is clear that the government is not welcome at Waitangi if they sign.

Nationwide

30 January at 10pm: Check out the fantastic Cars against the TPPA protests that are happening in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Palmerston North, Hamilton, Tauranga, Auckland and Whangarei.

Local Action
Take action in your community. Declare your community or workplace a TPPA Free Zone.

Call on Councils to take action through the TPPA Policy Solution based on Auckland and Wellington District Council resolutions.

‘Don’t sign’ Petition
The Don’t sign petition is up to 33,000 signatures after one week. Thanks to our friends at ActionStation for hosting. Spread it far and wide. We need to let the government (and the media) know that the is no democratic mandate to sign the TPPA. Let’s aim for 100,000 signatures by the time of signing.

Petition to the Governor General
The petition to the Governor General to exercise his powers to prevent the government from signing the TPPA is getting out there. Please volunteer to collect signatures. The petition has gained visibility and support from a Bryan Gould article showing the tight government control of public accountability mechanisms.

Research and Fact sheets
This is going to be a big week for our research information. The expert peer-reviewed research papers are being launched this week for the Environment, te Tiriti and Economics of the TPPA. There’s lots of good info in there so please visit the TPP Legal website. The latest information across all the issues in the final TPPA text is in the Key Issues paper.

Media Articles:
Updates in the next Bulletin.

TPPA – ItsOurFuture latest updates for Kiwis

 Updates from itsourfuture.org.nz : this is the site’s newsletter

 

It’s Our Future: TPPA News Bulletin #81

11 January 2016

In this Bulletin:

TPPA signing Auckland, 4 February
Auckland Actions for 4 February
Other actions around Aotearoa NZ
Lori Wallach & Jane Kelsey speaking tour 26-29 January
‘Don’t sign’ Petition to PM to be launched tomorrow
Fact Sheets
Expert Papers
Labour Party position
Media Articles

TPPA Latest

TPPA signing Auckland, 4 February

Rumours that TPPA ministers will sign the deal in NZ on 4 Feb were confirmed by Chile’s officials, although the government still says it’s not settled. Other reports confirm it will be in Auckland (as Fran O’Sullivan said back on 9 Dec), but MFAT hasn’t told people where. It’s NOT likely to be Sky City, which hosted the big meetings. This will be a small select ‘celebration’, probably somewhere with tight security.

The signing is largely symbolic but governments will try to use it as an opportunity to talk up the TPPA in the media. It will be signed by Trade Ministers (Todd McClay has replaced Tim Groser – we don’t yet know whether Groser will be there).

Rumours in the media that “US President Barack Obama lines up NZ visit” in order to thank the New Zealand government for pushing the TPPA deal look like a classic case of PR spin. Latest is that the Government denies the report saying “there are no plans in place for that to happen at this stage”.

Auckland Actions for 4 February

Auckland people will meet on Tuesday 12 January to talk about actions around the signing. The signing will be on a weekday, with Anniversary weekend before and Waitangi Day weekend after. We know people are anxious to get things moving, but please coordinate with others so that we don’t create confusion with multiple Auckland events. We will put out another Bulletin next week with more specific plans.

Other actions around Aotearoa NZ

Groups are already planning for activities leading up to 4 February. Chantelle Campbell will provide support and coordination for regional activity coordinators chantellec@xtra.co.nz

Lori Wallach & Jane Kelsey speaking tour 26-29 January

In the lead-up to the signing, leading US critic of the TPPA and the most knowledgeable person about what’s happening in Washington, Lori Wallach the Director of Public Citizen Global Trade Watch, will be doing a short speaking tour. Advertising will be available shortly. Lori and Jane Kelsey will speak at:

  • Auckland Town Hall on 26th January at 7pm
  • Wellington St Andrews on the Terrace on 27th (time TBA)
  • Christchurch on 28th at Cardboard Cathedral at 7pm
  • Dunedin 29th (time and venue TBA).

These events will be free, with a donation requested. A Give a Little page is being set up to support the costs of these events and ongoing campaign actions over the next few weeks and the months. In the meantime, if you have fundraising suggestions, contact Barry Coates barrycoatesnz@yahoo.com

‘Don’t sign’ Petition to PM to be launched tomorrow

Action Station is hosting a simple petition to the PM to tell the government not to sell us out and not to sign. That will be launched on 12th January. A separate communication will come out through email, Facebook and twitter tomorrow. Please circulate it everywhere.

Fact sheets
Simple fact sheets with updated information on the text will be available shortly. Apologies that the current fact sheets on the website are out of date – we will let you know when the new fact sheets are posted. The updating will be part of a website update and re-vamp taking place soon. The latest information on the TPPA text is in the Key Issues paper on the website.

Expert papers
For people wanting to understand the details of the TPPA text, there are New Zealand specific expert peer reviewed papers now available. These cover the Process (including what happens after the signing in NZ) and Investment rules. Papers on the Treaty of Waitangi, Environment and the Economics of the TPPA will be posted shortly.

Other expert analyses from offshore can be accessed on the TPPLegal website.

Labour Party position
Andrew Little has stated that a Labour Government would “defy the TPPA” if it conflicted with national sovereignty. He referred specifically to overseas ownership of residential property, so it is not clear whether this means that Labour would vote against the TPPA is there is a vote in Parliament. His Radio New Zealand interview is at http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/summerreport/audio/201785059/labour-says-it-will-defy-tpp
The Green Party, New Zealand First and the Maori Party have reiterated their opposition to the TPPA.

Media Articles:
Dr Joshua Freeman, Dr Hayley Bennet: TPPA could trump climate accord
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11567925

A huge US$15 billion ISDS claim has been lodged by TransCanada against the US over Obama’s decision to refuse permission for construction of the KeystoneXL pipeline from the Albert tar sands projects: This case is a real test for whether governments can take action on climate change, Press coverage includes:
NZ Herald http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11571180 and http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11570574

The Corporation Behind Keystone XL Just Laid Bare the TPP’s Threats to Our Climate: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-beachy/the-corporation-behind-ke_b_8931802.html

TransCanada, This is What Democracy Looks Like: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtenay-lewis/transcanada-this-is-what_b_8940640.html

Keystone XL rejection leads TransCanada to sue Obama administration: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/transcanada-lawsuit-keystone-xl-pipeline-1.3392446

An interview with Lori Wallach on this case and on country of origin labelling, repealed due to WTO rulings: http://www.democracynow.org/2016/1/7/transcanada_sues_the_us_for_15b

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