GreenplanetFM Podcast

Motivated by what she saw around her on her island Kaua’i, Andrea Brower embarked on a career of social and environmental justice.The largest pesticide companies in the world use Kaua’i and other islands in Hawaii to experiment with genetically engineered crops. Crops are created to either be herbicide resistant, or to create their own resistance.Monsanto, Dow, Dupont, Bayer, BASF and Syngenta all operate their research and development programmes there. Virtually every type of GM seed variety passes through Hawaii and is tested in open air field trials for their new technologies. This involves very high use of pesticides and herbicides. 15,000 acres of land on Kaua’i are used for this research.Ecological and health concerns are growing as a result of this continual onslaught of chemical residue which blows onto communities on as many as three hundred days a year.Last year Kaua'i passed a county law that would allow greater public disclosure of pesticide use, as well as modest no-spray protection zones around schools and other places where children live, learn and play. Now Dow, DuPont Pioneer and Syngenta have contested this and filed a law suit against Kaua’i. Andrea began with a degree in environmental studies and feminism in California. Then she returned to Kaua’i to work with a non profit organization called Malama Kauai. Here she worked on issues of food, energy, economics and sustainability. Malama Kauai have community gardens and while there Andrea also looked at global systems, larger processes and structures that affected how they could operate even at this local level.

This drove Andrea to study further and she attended Sussex University in the UK where she did her masters in International Development and the Environment. She is now working on her PHD at Auckland University’s sociology department where she is preparing a thesis on Social Movements that Change Food Systems.Andrea is most concerned about the capital structure that incentivises profit making in scientific research around our food, and not for the public good. Now decades of research is finding genetically engineering highly unsuccessful so increasingly these companies are buying up conventional seeds . It now seems almost unable for even small community gardens to be free of these corporate giants who aim to control global markets.Angela cites a book called Foodopoly . In Foodopoly the author, Wenona Hauter, pulls the curtain back from the little-understood but vital realm of agricultural policy, showing how it has been hijacked by lobbyists, driving out independent farmers and food processors in favour of the likes of another GE giant Cargill, and Tyson, Kraft and ConAgra. She demonstrates how the impacts ripple far and wide, from economic stagnation in rural communities at home, to famines overseas. In the end, Hauter argues that solving this crisis will require a complete structural shift—a change that is about politics, not just personal choice.Andrea talks passionately about this and her own research into our food systems.She is not convinced that the labeling of GE food is an answer, although important, as it just means good food for the elite market and is not an answer for those consumers who cannot afford good food.She is keen to see policies and economic structures changed to stop a handful of global companies controlling the food market. Some of these structures that need rolling include trade agreements, national policies, and laws that allow banks to speculate on the price of food. Changes are required to subsidy structures so they can support local and co-operative initiatives. Above all Andrea would like to see grassroots opposition to the corporatization of our food.A vivacious and intelligent young lady, Andrea Brower is has much to contribute and I really recommend that you listen closely to what she has to say.This programme was sponsored by The Awareness Party.

The highest polling Independent candidate in the previous 2011 NZ election, David stood for Parliament in Waitaki, the 2nd largest electorate in NZ and over a couple of months of electioneering, walked 1500 kilometres and put his flyers in every post box of the towns in this electorate.One of a Solar Vision of the Era and of New Zealand.There are many insights gathered when not part of the Party system.David is perplexed by the lack of involvement by the average citizen in NZ - and that we need to take a stand and say enough is enough ... because we in the Western world live in a corporatocracy and the only power we really have outside the ballot box is the power to boycott. Corporations who do not have global goodwill as their vision, should be boycotted - but we have to be organised ...

To Initiate a discussion and then a action plan:Bring forth the solar age here in NZ and with innovation and tax incentives we could lead the future. Note that Germany the leading country in solar energy, is closer to the North Pole than NZ is to the South Pole.Solar collectors on every house roof, along with a small wind generator and compulsory insulation of all homes, thermo pane windows and walls with 6 inch (15 CM) insulation.NZ has become a very expensive country that is now over regulated ... plus the need to build a functional union movement in this country once again, one that works more cooperatively with possible bonus issues and even shares being offered.Also stop thinking BIG, and get back to local systems, simple and small scale individual solutions - community oriented initiatives. Where people are empowered to participate. Farmers Markets, cultural events, swap meets, localised workshops etcLocalised health, growing your own food organically and integrating more holistic health modalities into your lifestyle.Overpopulation is our planet’s largest problem, as everything stems from that, pollution, hunger, control of and lack of resources etc. However, over population is not being broached by society as a whole, because economic growth and its current unsustainable model is dependent on a continuously expanding population base.Look at extreme weather events .. this is amplifying and we need to start stratigizing solutions and actioning them. Insurance companies are realising that their losses are escalating due to increasing risks around floods, storms and hurricanes etc.That Gaia, Mother Earth is subtly and not so subtly showing us that things are out of balance and the resulting extreme events are increasing.If we could engender a mass awakening we could turn the planet around very quickly, but first we would have to turn off our TV sets and start re-engaging with each other at a localised level and build from there.Why have we become separated from nature, why are we allowing destruction of both the fauna and flora of our planet? - Having been in the Alaskan wilderness and even meditated close up with grizzly bears in the boreal forests, David senses that we need to realise our interconnection with the web of life. Yet, people in high places are not speaking out for the biota and the biosphere as a whole. There are very few planetary champions supporting nature.Where as 40 years ago when David lived with his family on their Mid Canterbury farm and before TV came here everyone sat around the table and dialogued and debated and discoursed with each other. This was about the topics of the day, and the things we either disagreed or agreed with. To even take the other side of the debate and argue from that side, as this was the entertainment of those days.First, A coalition of left and right independents who are also unbiased, self supporting and insightful thinkers but agree to sign a contract saying that they will work for the greater good of the whole of NZ, the environment and other species and our future on behalf of our grand children.For example, retain New Zealand's Nuclear Free status.That we look to and plan towards ‘Seven Generations into the Future.’ That all independent politicians sign such an agreement as a basis for a 'unified position.'Party politics have become, that once you join a political party, you abandon your principles to your party and not to the public good and the future of NZ, because your following your parties policies which may not necessarily the best interest of the NZ. e.g the natural resource grab that is happening at this moment.Have spirited discussions that come into informed decisions, are often better than ones own individual ideas - that being an aim of an independent movement. Working and communicating within the pubic domain.What sort of vision should a leader offer their people? How do they factor humanity into it?How is it that we in so many ways are eroding and closing down the magnificence of this jewel of a planet, when with some conscious decisions, education and policies we could turn this into a verdant garden?Davids encounter when he was with singer Judy Collins, of talking with astronaut Neil Armstrong about his perceptions of life, when viewing the earth in the depths of space ... something very special.Web search - the great american bubble machine that was in the Rolling Stone magazine,http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-great-american-bubble-machine-20100405No one has sued the journalist for defamation after fingering many of the money men, because his facts were correct.This is about how Goldman Sachs has engineered the recent global economic collapse and that they have been donkey deep in every collapse since the Great Depression. But, more so they have infiltrated every Western government and that our Prime Minster has been able to enable ’them’ to sell our NZ state assets and that he is implicitly implicated at the highest levels by believing in the Neo Liberal Agenda.This entails corporations taking over via unbridled capitalism with no Governmental regulations and causing the destruction of the common wheel, the natural resources of our environment, the rights of citizens to have secure futures, the rights of Unions to be involved in the mix (as they are in Germany.)See TPPA the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement as a means to this corporate end.http://www.itsourfuture.org.nzPresent day neo liberalism is Not serving the common person, the community, the environment and our planet and our children’s collective future ...This interview covers many topics:About how a Prime Minister should lead, and David mentions true blue Jim Bolger ex NZ National Party leader and NZ Prime Minister and his assessment of present day neo liberal capitalism in the USA as 'printing money and hoping!'David once sat alongside Milton Friedman in first class and intensely discussed the failure of present day economics and it is in David’s opinion that the greatest downside of todays economic system is the slavery that has come about from the debt economy. That people who have mortgages are too afraid to stand up and be counted unless they may lose their jobs, and not get another and very possibly lose their house as a result.A mass mobilisation is needed like the ‘D Day mobilisation’ to educate ourselves on the dire consequences of leaving our common future to the 'political industrial extractive process' that is debasing our environment at a horrific pace.Where all nations, all governments, all peoples and all businesses come together to re awaken, we seed and replant, re-clean and re-heal our ecologic and environmental systems, that include where we house our communities.All the major political parties environmental policies are in the dark ages - our wetlands, being crucibles of bird and aquatic life.The urgency of planting of trees, especially natives from today onwards for the next 60 - 100 years we can stabilise,the soils, halt erosion and sequester carbon from the atmosphere, build up native bird and animal life.Starting in the school curriculum, teaching of civic responsibilities and long range thinking.Having a Lower and an Upper House in Parliament, needs discussing and debating.E col o gy eco-logos oikos (Greek) translate as house - came well before ... eco no MEResearch: Soil loss and the decline of civilisation - essentially all great civilisations in history decline because they destroy the environmenthttp://www.fao.org/docrep/t0389e/t0389e02.htmNZ’s fisheries and the many challenges around sustainability, our need to lock away many fisheries for a number of years to be able them to replenish and recover. For example Orange Roughy.What we need is 'A Collective D Day Awakening' - a collective D Day Moment where we all Mobilise for the betterment of our local and global future.And much more ...

Back in the 1940s New Zealanders were described as long, lean, ranging and resourceful. This was one of the reasons we had community and communication with each other, however over the years with the advent of electronics and changing education and household patterns, we have become more isolated and where subtle and not so subtle methods of divide and rule have become more prevalent.To choose our politicians not because they are leaders or statesmen but because they may make more money than other people, does not translate to mean that we as a country should vote for such a person thinking this politician will also make more money for the country. This is a fallacy, they only go on to set themselves up to make more money for themselves further on.In todays world, we as consumers are being targeted to consume as many material resources as can be paid for and when we purchase a bargain, usually as a ubiquitous, toxic plastic article it is very soon in a landfill somewhere and we end up poisoning our resources and our future.The loss of ethics and the understanding of what it means is being lost in our runaway consumer society.Tara states that engagement with one another was what made us a great nation and the illusion that we are all separate is more of an idea proposed by the people who want to divide us and rule.

We are a fortunate country in that we can recover the environment and have clean air, water and food chain etc. We are also, not so much in debt that if we do not sell off any more assets (the ones that make the revenue for us to pay off the debt) we may very well be able to create our way into a resilient and self reliant, sustainable country and society.It is both your fault and my fault that we have the situation that is happening in this country - why? Because we did not make the effort. Over 1 million did not vote in the last election.Do we want to be bothered? Or, do we want to become a people who think and decide to take strategic action at the polling booth? Look at the lives that have been lost over the centuries as ordinary people courageously strived under horrendous hardship to have a say in their community. To insult these pioneers, these suffragette’s by turning our backs on these hard fought rights to universal suffrage, is not an option, especially in our world of decreasing freedoms, ethics and values.In NZ it is against the law not to register to vote. Whereas in Australia they have taken it a step further, and that it is against the law not to vote.Look at a possible tax incentive to vote and those who don't vote pay more taxes?This interview covers much subject matter:Conservatism and what it means - to Conserve. Old people planting trees, knowing that they will never walk under the shade of them. Thinking forward as to what will we bequeath to our children and grand children’s future.Learning from advanced Northern European methods.Environment - In Sweden, recycling is so efficient that now Sweden has to import other peoples recycled (rubbish) items so as to keep their industries going. They have not turned their whole country into an economic model as we have done under the RMA the Resource Management Act. Recycling is part of the common vernacular through out Swedish business and Government.Education - In Finland, though not on the same wages scale as doctors, teachers are honoured as professionals. The Finnish educational system caters for parental and grand parental input in their highly acclaimed educational system. Academically they have one of the highest success rates in the world.The TPPA the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement is a method to outflank NZ’s sovereignty. With regard to health, the TPPA has NZ in its sights the dismantling of PHARMAC and quite possibly the taking over of our hospitals by offshore corporations.This also covers housing and overseas ownership of NZ, when we can not buy land in Fiji, China or Japan, why not instead lease this land and keep the ownership in this country?GDP and the measure of how much growth we have where as like Dr. Ron Colman’s development of the Genuine Progress Index for Nova Scotia in Canada which includes the other side of the equation where car crashes, house fires, burglaries, storm damage and accident and sickness are factored into the whole economic understanding. And the books are balanced accordingly.As a water scientist, Tara talks about:The degradation of water, rives, lakes, selling off of NZ, that large corporate farms now may have only one house on them, where once many smaller farms built up the community as there were more homes and families. The advent of the larger and larger farms, are depopulating the community of families and this trend is escalating in NZ.It’s our fault, as the government was designed to be a peoples process but now we are a people that are not engaged but instead disengaged. What can we do to reignite our interest in our own governance, be it at a local or a national level?Our country is run as a business however, it can not be run solely as a business as there lies the fundamental difference that not everything has a monetary factor attached to it. Such as what about the knowledge banks of the elderly, and their input into community and society. The elderly have much wisdom and experience to offer. Lets validate them and bring them more into community decisions.There is a way through this if we use the enlightened consciousness that we have been imbued with.We need to be more involved with each other, we need to be able to pay it forward and at the same time as talking with our neighbours engage in pulling the strings of community together.For New Zealand as a socially conscious country, we can once again be a global moral leader of how a small synergistic nation can once again be the emerging microcosm for the planetary macrocosm.Finally, Tara will also tell you the story how he has been able to secure the name of: The New Zealand Party.Contact: tara [at] NZactions.org.nz

Our interview this week is with Sue Alesbury and Caroll Macy. They are both experienced natural health practitioners capable of helping with both common and difficult to treat conditions.John Coombs interviews Global Health Clinics' new Client Services Manager, Susan Alesbury on the benefits of being able to create and manage a Designer Holistic Programme not only as a curative approach but also preventative. Susan Alesbury has a business background and is also qualified in many therapeutic modalities in her own right. Her special interest is in discovering the Mind Body Spirit connection. From training with the Cross Colour Healing Association in the UK some 20 years ago, she has come full circle after recognising that healing was simply "Firefighting without looking for how the fires were being started". Since that time, she has trained in Clinical Hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Aboriginal Dreamtime, and has trained to Leadership under Tony Robbins where she learned Human Needs Psychology. Now, with the advent of the Biofield Viewer and connecting all the dots with the mental, emotional and spiritual energy fields, Susan is finding the Colour Healing a very potent tool in her toolbox once more.John then interviews Caroll Macy a specialist in metal and chemical detoxification. As well as helping her clients stabilise hormones which may have been disrupted Caroll helps stimulate the immune system to enable a full recovery. Caroll’s work is helping many people who have tried for years to get well. Caroll’s system is at the cutting edge of bio energy technology based on the pioneering research and clinical work of Dr Yurkovsky a prominent USA clinician.

Bioresonance Testing is unique in its ability to pin-point exact information concerning the state of your internal organs and many different systems – and the Poisoning agents that may have been lodged in them. Finding which poisons are exerting a paralyzing effect is essential – no guess work – treat the cause, not the symptoms. The Therapy must induce not only the release of identified Metals, Chemicals, Viruses, Bacteria or Fungi; But, it must also support or rebuild the natural defenses of weakened or distressed Organs and Systems; thus preventing the poisons’ from being dumped back into them. HEAVY METAL POISONING is perhaps the most prevalent and serious condition we find – playing a primary role in nearly all chronic diseases. Mercury and Lead are known to invade every aspect of the body such as the Bone Marrow, Brain, Bladder Bones, Uterus etc. Cobalt and Chromium may be found in tissue surrounding hip replacements. Mercury was once routinely put in our mouths and often still is; even though well proven to cause untold harm. All fossil fuels, from coal to petroleum, contain mercury. Petroleum is used extensively in many Beauty Products. Even the tuna and salmon (being high up in the food chain) we eat can contain high levels of Mercury. Lead, Arsenic, Cobalt and Cadmium are common parts of everyday life – without actually being recognised!Listen to this interview to discover tips on how to either restore or improve your own or your families health, or simply for improving your general knowledge of health and well being. For immediate practical help or to book and appointment please go to www.globalhealthclinics.co.nz

At the heart of the attack on our sovereignty is the TPPA (Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement). It is described as a 21st century agreement that will reach further behind the border than any previous free trade or investment agreement. Parliament will have no effective say over these new rules unless they require changes to New Zealand’s domestic law.There are around 29 chapters in the agreement, very few of which involve old-fashioned trade. Numbered at about 4. Most of them aim to curb the process and content of government’s domestic policy and regulatory decisions.In practice, the TPPA would give foreign governments and well-resourced foreign companies the right to influence our domestic decisions, and marginalise our own national priorities, advocates and agencies, including Parliament and our courts. Therefore the TPPA is a potent threat to national sovereignty over decision-making processes and institutions, and to open and accountable government. We can only hope that this government, and the next one, will resist the corporate overture and protect the democratic rights of the populace.Interviewed by Lisa Er, Edward gives us a little of the background to the TPPA which began with an agreement between Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand. It was planned to be a gold standard agreement, with Labour’s Phil Goff negotiating for New Zealand. The US then became interested and now there are 12 countries negotiating the TPPA.

Edward Miller is strategic adviser at FIRST Union, organiser and spokesperson for It's Our Future NZ (the campaign against the TPPA) and is a founding member of the Aotearoa Human Rights Lawyers Association. He has recently completed a Masters thesis on food speculation, and is interested in food, trade, development, finance, and labour and environmental issues. His choice to become a lawyer grew out of his interest in activism.Edward is concerned about the financialisation of our food. The world can actually feed 13 billion people, but because of financial speculators manipulating and inflating prices the distribution of food is limited to those with enough money to purchase. Agribusiness farming and practices, and scientific manipulation of our food is also a part of this growing corporate food rort.Edward speaks about the supermarket duopoly in New Zealand that was recently highlighted, quite correctly, by Labour minister Shane Jones. Consumers and suppliers alike are subjected to the effects of pricing particularly by Countdown in their bid to be competitive and gain profit for their Australian owners.The FIRST union, where Edward is a policy analyst and researcher, grew out of a merger of two unions, in 2011. FIRST is an acronym for Finance, Industry, Retail, Stores, and Transport. Edward explains the result of the deregulation of the forestry industry, the low union representation, and the resulting deaths. In the union they refer to those deaths as a Pike River every five years! Industry, which includes forestry, textiles, clothing and baking are the types of businesses that employ a lot of people, and that is declining, because of the global economy. Retail, tending to sell a lot of imported products or products made from overseas components, is on the increase.Bearing in mind that most workers earn between $13.75 and $20 an hour Edward also highlights the new money lending business Payday Lenders that targets the small borrower. It appears to lend money at interest rates of a minimum of 300%. This is clearly unacceptable and should be regulated by government.In fact the government’s ability to legislate will be seriously limited by the TPPA and so, rather obviously, globalisation is only serving corporate interest and the rich few, and is leaving the rest of the world behind, as the general population become poorer and poorer.As George Sorus, business magnate, investor, and philanthropist observed, “Perhaps the greatest threat to freedom and democracy in the world today comes from the formation of unholy alliances between government and business."This is not a new phenomenon. It used to be called fascism: the outward appearances of the democratic process are observed, but the powers of the state are diverted to the benefit of private interests.”This programme is sponsored by www.theawarenessparty.comThere are “NO WAY TPPA” rallies throughout New Zealand at 1pm this Saturday, March 29th. To find the closest rally to you, go to www.itsourfuture.org.nz

When you listen to this interview, you will very quickly notice that there appears to be no NZ businessman articulating the positivity and profundity of inspirational business models, that can bring a revolutionary impulse to family, community and cooperative commercial archetypes to this country.

If you think that we can wrestle back localised business interests, into the NZ communities hands - listen to this interview, based on Scandinavian and especially Finnish practices.

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Experienced holistic health practitioners Erica Lang and Liz Hart offer simple and effective tips and options towards relieving stress and experiencing optimal health.Erica who uses a combination of Bodytalk and Counseling helps her clients with a wide range of health challenges. Her clients inevitably experience relief from emotional pain and stress , often feeling real transformational changes to their life.Liz a local pioneer and teacher of Emotional Freedom technique explains how she helps her clients overcome long term health issues by helping modify unhelpful behaviors and attitudes. Liz offers empowering skills to self manage good health providing clients with tools for managing stress and pain.

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This GreenPlanetFM program is sponsored by:GLOBAL HEALTH CLINICS: 5 Anzac Street Takapuna North Shore CityEmail: info [at] globalhealthclinics.co.nzPhone: (09) 488 0208 (09) 488 0215Web: http://www.globalhealthclinics.co.nzGlobal Health Clinics use a creative blend of integrating contemporary andalternative methods together to bring about greater well being or thehealing you have been seeking.

'When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money.'~ Cree Indian saying...The Traditional Native American lifestyle is a life of prayer to all of creation. Prayer is so deeply woven into every aspect of life that there is a prayer for every action, on waking and greeting the morning sun, on eating and thanking all the beings that have made that meal possible. Each moment can be made sacred when gratitude is shown for the gifts of this life. This is most beautifully summed up in the phrase Mitakuye Oyasin, Lakota for 'All my relations.' When a prayer is made it is followed by these words that acknowledge our interconnectedness to all life on this planet.The Web of Life is something that we are part of and this is celebrated in all Native Traditions. Celebration and Gratitude being at the core of Native American Spirituality.And this gratitude, ritual and otherwise is something that we sometimes forget in our consumer societies so full of things that it often takes a moment to remember the small miracles of every day life.'The Elm Trees will die, Huge stone monsters will tear open the face of the earth and rivers burning aflame.' These words are taken from The Seventh Generation Prophecy, one well known by many of the Native Nations and remembered here by Gail Whitlow of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Mohawk nation. These words bring to mind Dutch elm disease that has wiped out all but a few elms left in Britain or much of continental Europe. Mining devastating huge swathes of the earth and Fracking that uses and pollutes huge quantities of our most precious resource, water, not to mention the local devastation in Australia where fires have raged for weeks in New South Wales.The Seventh Generation prophecy says that seven Generations after White man has come into contact with the Native Americans is the time when change must come and that that time is now. Now, is the time to act to bring ourselves back into balance for ourselves and the planet. The prophecy says that this time will come when the wisdom teachings that have been preserved by native people will be needed as we learn how to come back into balance.

*****Gail Whitlow, Pipe Carrier and Medicine Woman says 'I am born into the Bear clan. This birth manifests as Healing and medicine. We all once knew our paths according to what clan we were born into. Most now spend all their lives searching for a connection.' Gail has set up Ancestral Voices healing center on the 6 Nations reserve in Ontario Canada where she was raised. Her life's purpose since she was 25 has been to create and facilitate events that foster the traditional ceremonies that allow our connection to Spirit.*****Gil Aguilera is an Honorary Sundance Elder and Staff Carrier, member of Tokala Warrior Society, Chiricahua Apache Alliance, World Council of Elders, Facilitator of Global Spiritual Unity and Condor and Eagle Gatherings. A US Armed Forces Veteran with a successful career as a program administrator in Aerospace and government programs. Gil has been on a Worldwide journey of self discovery seeking the 'original spiritual instructions' that the great spirit handed down to us and how to best incorporate these first teachings into his own spiritual path is his life's mission.This Journey has taken him to most of the North, Central and South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. He has prayed with his Chanupa (sacred pipe) in many Native American sacred ceremonies and vision quests and sat in council with many indigenous spiritual world elders to discover his true spiritual mission. Gil utilizes his integrity, spiritual wisdom, and knowledge to unite people of all world cultures to integrate our living past culture with our present and to work together towards restoring our sacred relationships with the Great Spirit and Mother Earth.The current environmental crisis of many of the worlds eco-systems has been foretold by Native American nations. The fulfillment of these prophecies at this time is seen as the call to wake-up and for people to bring their lives back into alignment into harmonious living with the planet.Gil Aguilera, Gail Whitlow and Ruben Saufkie are coming to New Zealand to share their teachings at two not be be missed events. Ruben, a Hopi is from the "Patkiwunga" Water Clan and will be leading a Water Blessing Ceremony open to all at Kawai Purapura at 12pm on Sunday the 22nd March - Joining hearts and minds with many others in a synchronized global event.For more information please contact Stephanie Frost [email protected] and check out the heartspace website atwww.heartspace.co.nz for full details on these events:Tales from Turtle Island of Prophecies and Healing113 Mt Eden RoadThe Quaker Meeting House, Wed 19 Mar at 6:30pmHealing The Sacred Hoop - Spiritual Gathering of Elders Kawai Purapura Retreat Centre, Auckland Friday 21st - Sunday 23rd MarchHopi Water Blessing - 12pm Sunday 23rd March @ Kawai Purapura Albany.

Years ago humans had no rights. In the times when slavery was legal, abuses to slaves were deemed an issue of property law, not an issue of human rights. From this relationship of owner to slave, you cannot have anything other than an exploitative relationship.In this interview, Carl Chenery explains that this kind of thinking of human separation from, and domination over nature itself, is embedded into the very structure of our western legal system. Through our legal systems we attribute all the rights to humans as subjects, and everything else (except companies) as being objects or property to be owned.Gaia, our living breathing planet that is home to all of us, does not have rights. And without rights, like an unfortunate slave, she, our only home, is being used and slowly destroyed.On September 28, 2008, the people of Ecuador voted by an overwhelming majority (64%) to approve a new constitution which included Pachamama, nature, in the constitution, which was then ratified on Oct 20th 2008.Carl Chenery went to Ecuador in 2012 and met with some of those who were central to the incorporation of the rights of nature into the constitution. He and others in the group from the organisation, Awakening the Dreamer, were keen to see if the ideas could be incorporated into a New Zealand constitution.This progressive and conscious move by Ecuador is something that New Zealand would do well to look at.

Below are the Rights for Nature as written in the Ecuador constitution.Article. 1. Nature or Pachamama, where life is reproduced and exists, has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution.Every person, people, community or nationality, will be able to demand the recognitions of rights for nature before the public organisms (courts and government agencies). The application and interpretation of these rights will follow the related principles established in the Constitution.Article. 2. Nature has the right to an integral restoration. This integral restoration is independent of the obligation on natural and juridical persons or the State to indemnify the people and the collectives that depend on the natural systems.In the cases of severe or permanent environmental impact, including the ones caused by the exploitation on non renewable natural resources, the State will establish the most efficient mechanisms for the restoration, and will adopt the adequate measures to eliminate or mitigate the harmful environmental consequences.Article. 3. The State will motivate natural and juridical persons as well as collectives to protect nature; it will promote respect towards all the elements that form an ecosystem.Article. 4. The State will apply precaution and restriction measures in all the activities that can lead to the extinction of species, the destruction of the ecosystems or the permanent alteration of the natural cycles.The introduction of organisms and organic and inorganic material that canalter in a definitive way the national genetic patrimony is prohibited.Article. 5. The persons, people, communities and nationalities will have the right to benefit from the environment and form natural wealth that will allow wellbeing.'The environmental services cannot be appropriated; its production, provision, use and exploitation, will be regulated by the State.'As well as talking about the constitution, Lisa puts some hard-hitting questions to Carl around the commodification of nature, and the very real downsides of replacing conservation with market based environmental management. Does the role of the emerging multi-billion dollar per year ecosystem market assist or inhibit conserving biodiversity and natural geographical features?Carl works as a sustainability strategist, and has contributed to a range of local and national initiatives including 350 Aotearoa, Intersect, Awakening the Dreamer Aotearoa, and ReGeneration Networks.Carl was North & South Magazine Young Achiever for 2011, and finalist in Kiwibank Young New Zealander of the Year in 2011.Carl loves being in the outdoors and spending time with his family including his 9 month old daughter Abigail.Carl Chenery twitter: @carlcheneryHere are some excellent links to some web sites on topics that are mentioned in the interview.Pachamama Alliance / Awakening the Dreamer Symposiumhttp://www.uptous.org/symposium‘New Thinking on Sustainability’ Conference 14-16 February 2014 in Wellington, including speakers on Rights of Nature:http://www.victoria.ac.nz/law/about/events-old/nz-centre-for-public-law/new-thinking-on-sustainabil ityNZ Constitutional Advisory Panel Report on the 2012-13 ‘Constitutional Conversation’ (including feedback on Environment rights p51 and recommendations p48)http://www.ourconstitution.org.nz/The-ReportRecent Waitangi Tribunal settlement developments:Whanganui River Te Awa Tupua – “Agreement entitles Whanganui River to legal identity”http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10830586

Te Urewera-T_hoe Bill: "Te Urewera declared to be legal entity"http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2013/0146/latest/DLM5481637.html

Blogpost: Latest on the First International Tribunal on the Rights of Nature:http://www.pachamama.org/news/latest-on-the-first-international-tribunal-on-rights-of-nature Rights of Nature Article - Quakers Newsletter November 2012https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r0yoz1a8jc0q77d/BI8UnEeTYyThis interview was sponsored by The Awareness Party

Every large city on earth is gripped with limits to growth. Especially cars in gridlock and clogging motorways and roads. We witness it every day at rush hour as we sit frustrated in traffic, wondering when will this increasing problem ever be solved?Enter A New Idea:The concept of affordable personal rapid transport pods, travelling above ground that whisk you across the city along an environmentally benign 2-directional elevated guide-way to your destination, in comfort, safely, swiftly and cheaply.Is this possible? What would be the cost? Is it environmentally benign?The system is called the Metropolitan Individual System of Transportation on Elevated Rail (MISTER).With over $3 Billion allocated for a tunnel from Britomart in Auckland to Epsom, are the rate payers willing to dig further into their pockets for an outdated transport system, when that amount of money would cover the totality of suburban Auckland with a Personal Rapid Transport System?The fact that even today the NZ Government is balking at such extravagance, gives us time to pause and look at other options.

• The MISTER system, will remove all of the Britomart and other interchange requirements which would be necessary with city rail using Britomart as a hub.
• Its AVERAGE speed (50 to 70 km/h) is by far higher than any current transit system, including metro (30 to 35 km/h), let alone buses and city rail.
• It provides high grade boarding and alighting: many, small stops, located anywhere, including inside of buildings and off the streets etc.
• No need to mess up traffic (as is an issue with light rail and with expansion of traditional bus services).
• Costs under $10M/km for a 2-directional guideway, including all infrastructure, vehicles and other costs. This is 10 to 50 times less than for city rail or metro.
• It will cause decongestion of all surface usage, both footpath and roads, while taking no much more space than lamp posts.
• And the whole of Auckland wide, not just the CBD, public transport can be served by this 'Personal Rapid Transport System' far better and without any taxes or public funding, instead of a heavily subsidised rail network, light rail and buses ($400 M/year, and $12B over 25 years, this is what we heard from Mayor Brown, right ?!)

Yes:The PRT system, is a city-wide network linking all of the suburbs with each other and to the Central Business District and would transport people faster than rail or even car and directly to their destinations, without any need for transfers or parking space.It would eliminate entirely the need for railway, light rail and buses in Auckland, while providing much more convenient, faster, safer and cheaper service, including it being available 24/7, all of the time without waiting and with no more than 2 minutes of waiting at peak times.How does this compare with current 'solutions' ? At the same time, for the cost of building just this one underground tunnel system ($3B+) the PRT system would cover the entire Auckland area with over 300km of network, replacing all subsidised trains and all buses in the CBD and being capable of carrying 1 million plus rides per DAY, when current rail carries 10 million per YEAR !PRT - Personal Rapid Transit See the video www.mist-er.com Is a 50 year old concept, and as a result of inexpensive computing technology is now a feasible mode of mass transport.It consists of :

1. Elevated Guide-ways with small off-line Stops
2. Automated Vehicles
3. Automation and computers. Extensive literature is available on the internet:http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/

Infrastructure consists of a light guide-ways suspended 10-15 meters above the ground, over city streets or along the curb side or in the central reservation of the freeways or wide streets. Small and frequent off-line stops. Automatic, small car sized vehicles transport one or a few passengers who know each other (family or friends) in luxury and comfort.Travel is on demand and always available (24 x 7) Travel directly from start to destination with no stopping and no interchanges. High average speed of 50 km/hr or better.

• Reduced traffic congestion
• Safety - personal and from accidents (safer than air travel)
• Comfort – as a private car, but a far less stressfull journey

Infrastructure development :

• Low cost
• Fast Non-invasive
• Profitable operation
• Easy access for young, old and disabled
• More Ecological than any current systems
• Resistant to earthquakes, storms, snow and flooding

Let Auckland Rate Payers have a discussion here in Auckland and also across New Zealand.Have Auckland be the Leading Livable City within the Pacific Basin.http://mist-er.com