Just to clarify - 

The Craig Potton talk is on Thursday May 7th at 7pm

Also apologies for mispelling Bill McKibben's name.

Cheers Katherine

Also Bill McGibben's visit - two opportunities to hear and talk with him:

1. On Saturday 2^nd May 6-10pm in the Raglan Town Hall an eclectic mix of speakers put forward the case for re-localising Whaingaroa. “Why localise Whaingaroa?” is the question and we will be treated with perspectives from educators, food growers, Tangata Whenua, local business folk and protectors of our environment. There will be music and food and we will connect with members of our community that we never thought we had anything in common with.

Special guest speaker Bill Mckibben is a best selling author, climate activist and educator. McKibbens latest book ‘Deep Economy’ argues not only the benefits but also the necessities of moving to a more localised economy. McKibben is currently on a whirlwind tour of NZ’s main cities promoting 350.org, a movement that he founded to muster support for a global day of climate action in the lead up to December’s international climate negotiations in Copenhagen. Somehow we have the opportunity to have him share his knowledge with little old Raglan for a night. Check out www.350.org and www.billmckibben.com

Don’t miss it, the fun starts at 6pm, bring a plate of food to share. Entry by gold coin Koha.

2. Cafe Strata meeting with Bill McGibben at 11am, Sunday 3rd May

Visit the farmers' market and then walk on down the road to Strata cafe in the Anglesea Clinic complex - we have booked tables, so if you have not already replied but would like to come, please let Katherine know 839 4452.

In this newsletter:

• Time and Tide film screening
• Forest and Bird plant sale
• Craig Potton talk
• Environment Centre AGM
• SBN Waste Workshop

Wednesday  29th of April; 
5.30pm  Film Screening
Tuvalu is a Pacific nation of low lying coral atolls and islands whose existence is threatened by climate change and rising sea levels. You are invited to a free film screening **Time and Tide** (http://www.wavecrestfilms.com/#/timetide/) at Waikato University on  for a 6.00pm film start: AG 11, A Block, Gate 8, Waikato University, Hillcrest Road, Hamilton.

Brought to you by Dev-Zone - an independent not-for-profit Aotearoa New Zealand based resource centre on international development and global issues. We work to inform and educate New Zealanders about international development and global issues. We run a library and a website, provide email updates, publish our magazine /Just Change/, engage in information related projects and work with like-minded organisations to raise awareness about issues.
Hope to see you there!

Saturday 2nd May
Starting at 8am
Forest and Bird Native Plant sale at Pak'n'Save, Mill Street.
Great prices - be in early!
Fundraiser for building new building at Mt Ruapehu following the fire last year.
Come and fill up a supermarket trolley

Wednesday May 7th
Craig Potton Presentation
7pm
Famous photographer and publisher
Hamilton Gardens Exhibition Hall
$5 door charge to help with expenses
Also book raffle, books for sale and photography display from the recent Forest and Bird photography competition
Enquiries phone Jon Wenham 07 855 8852

Monday May 11th
Environment Centre Trust AGM
At Environment Centre Hamilton 25 Ward St
6pm
Refreshments available
All welcome
For more information please contact Katherine at the Centre 839 4452

Thursday 14 May
WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT –  WASTE
Sustainable Business Network - Get Sustainable Challenge
Venue: YWCA Cnr Clearance & Pembroke street > Catch the number 6 Bus to the door!
Time:   8.45am – 12pm
All about the workshop... The Waste Workshop is designed to be an interactive opportunity for you to take a look at your waste management policies in line with NZ's commitment to reduction of waste to landfill.
Waste = Food is a term often used by sustainability gurus, but to most NZ businesses waste simply = $. This workshop will help to highlight how an integrated waste management policy can save money as well as prepare for new regulations and compliance.  
Graham Sawyer, Senior Advisor of Sustainable Business Group from Ministry for the Environment sponsors of this workshop will present the following focus:  The Waste Minimisation Act - impacts to business and benefits to NZ, range of tools and Product stewardship, waste levy and TA roles. Graeme works in the Waste Minimisation team,  at the Ministry for the Environment.  For the last 7 months his primary responsibility has been representing central Government on the Packaging Accord, and he is working with the retail and packaging industries to develop and accredit a voluntary Product Stewardship scheme to replace the Packaging Accord.
Rachel Goddard, Director of ECOES Environmental consultancy (the Guru of Rubbish) will provide practical-hands on waste audit. Plus an informative understanding of the environmental impacts of site and landfills, the different decomposition rates of products in landfills. Discuss plastic packaging- how it is made and why only some is recycled. And offer some great suggestions on Reduction options. The biology of worms and their connection to waste reduction, setting up a worm farm and Bokashi systems.  Rachael has worked for nine years in waste education and research, and has published scientific papers and articles on waste, plastic packaging, landfills and water quality.
Cost:    $35 SBN Members & $65 Non-Members Morning Tea is included
RSVP:  Waikato@sustainable.org.nz by 12 May 2009
NB: all cancellations received after the RSVP date will be invoiced at full cost.

5.30pm, Today
Special public workshop on Hamilton to Auckland commuter rail services

Invitation to attend

(sorry I meant to send this out a couple of days ago but if anyone can make it then do go)

Council Reception Lounge

Hamilton City Council will hold a public workshop on the re-introduction of commuter rail services from the Waikato to Auckland.
Submissions to the Regional Land Transport Programme are due on 20 April and it is important that this workshop is held prior to that date to ensure people are well informed about the issues if they want to make a submission.
Rail carriages will be coming available in the next few months that could be leased to allow services to start running fairly soon.
Works and Services general manager Chris Allen says Council wants to hear and identify the issues and services/facilities associated with commuter rail services and look to find solutions that could make the relaunch a sound possibility.
“One question will be whether starting services in Te Kuiti, Otorohanga or Te Awamutu might permit commuters to catch the train into Hamilton as well as provide new services to Auckland."

Environment Waikato is currently developing a Regional Rail Strategy and has employed Murray King, a nationally recognised expert in the area of rail/transportation industry to facilitate this for them. Part of that strategy is to develop a business case for the service and understanding the public demand that might exist is important. Mr King will be at the workshop to help answer any questions that people might have.
It is intended that the results and findings from the workshop will be fed into overall regional land transport considerations for the next three years.

RSVP to:
Lynn Tebbutt
Executive Assistant
Works and Services Hamilton City Council
DDI 07 838 6590
Email  lynn.tebbutt@hcc.govt.nz

1st April

Environment Waikato Long Term Council Community Plan roadshow
In the Environment Centre at 7pm.

This is a chance to hear about proposals that would reduce support for many community environmental projects and biodiversity restoration across the region
This will be helpful to those in groups thinking of putting in submissions. It is vital to highlight the value of voluntary work done by community groups in conservation and biodiversity. 

So come along and make sure you understand all the issues and proposals, and have your say.

You can also read about the plan on EW’s website at www.ew.govt.nz/ltccp.  Submissions must be received before April 17.

RSVP to Katherine - 839 4452 or email katherine@envirocentre.org.nz

350 Aotearoa presents: the Bill McKibben Tour

Coming straight from the coalface of international climate activism and negotiations, author and activist Bill McKibben is visiting Aotearoa for a whirlwind tour - catch him while you can! 

McKibben’s first book The End of Nature proved hugely influential, putting climate change firmly at the top of the agenda for world leaders like Al Gore.  More recently, McKibben founded 350.org.  This rapidly growing global movement is working to raise awareness about, and action on, climate change issues. In only two years 350 has spread across the globe through actions in over 50 countries – from India, Belize, Chile, Antarctica, France, South Korea, Cameroon, Philippines, Lebanon and Canada to right here in Aotearoa.  The movement has just entered a new phase, preparing for massive actions around the world on October 24th 2009 in the lead up to what many have called the most important international negotiations ever - the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.

350 is the red line for human beings, the most important number on the planet. Climate science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million (ppmv), we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth. The current global concentration of carbon dioxide is 387ppmv and rising at about 2ppmv each year.

What will it take to turn it around? During his New Zealand visit, McKibben will be spreading the word about what it means to genuinely deal with climate change.  We have to go beyond being more efficient or carbon neutral, because a target of 350ppmv means that we need to start absorbing more carbon than we release.  McKibben will share his take on how the global 350 movement, and worldwide action of October 24th, could help us move towards this future.

There is the opportunity for interested individuals to meet Bill at a late morning tea (at a café near the Hamilton Famers’ Market!) on Sunday 3^rd May.  This informal gathering would be a chance to have a chat about the international climate situation, and the ways that Hamilton’s environmental groups could get involved in the global day of action on October 24^th.  If you would like to attend such an event, please RSVP to Katherine at the Hamilton Environment Centre by this Friday 3^rd April, so that alternative arrangements can be made in Raglan if there is no interest in Hamilton.

You can be wowed by Bill McKibben’s work on his website: www.billmckibben.com.  For more information on the 350 movement, visit the global website: www.350.org, and for an overview of 350 Aotearoa, the local website: www.350.org.nz.

Hi all you lucky people who happen to live in and around Hamilton.

Attached is a flyer for the City Expo which will be discussing which projects are in and out of the HCC long-term plan.
First session is on 4th April 10 - 4.30 at Celebrating Age, and please note that there will now be another session on the Monday evening 6th April  at 5.30 - 7pm.

Hi All, this has come through from the Greens, regarding the Government's Policy Statement , and even at this stage if enough people send in feedback saying that this is not a positive step for a sustainable society maybe that might have some affect - So still time to send feedback.

The National Government has big plans to change the way the Land Transport Fund is spent in the future. Proposed ratios of spending on roads to alternatives to roads blow out to a maximum of $9:$1!

Sue Bradford's press statement included

"The Government plans to cut almost all funding for coastal shipping from 2009, the Green Party has discovered.
“Sea freight is a key part of our transport infrastructure,” said Green Maritime Transport spokesperson Sue Bradford today.

“National plans to throw this all away by removing funding for rail and sea freight development,” Ms Bradford said in response to the Government’s revised Policy Statement (GPS) released this week.

“A huge amount of work went in over the last few years in getting the Roadways to Waterways and Sea Change strategies under way. The gains are now all at risk.”

The Sea Change strategy aimed to transform coastal shipping in New Zealand and double its share of the freight task to 30% by 2040, taking trucks off New Zealand’s roads and making the country’s freight infrastructure more sustainable. The previous Government had  committed up to $179 million to develop sea and rail infrastructure through to 2019. National propose reducing this investment to between $8–13 million.

“Instead of helping Kiwi ships operate staffed with Kiwi seafarers, National  are leaving them high and dry, without a plan to grow their share of the freight industry or the required investment toachieve it,” Ms Bradford said.

“Even worse, National seems to neither know nor care that sea freight has the potential to make a huge contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and our reliance on foreign oil.” Coastalshipping is the most energy efficient way to move freight around the country, producing only 14 grams of CO2 per tonne-kilometre compared with road at 92–123 grams of CO2 per tonne-kilometre.
“This retrograde step flies in the face of any Government commitment to emissions reduction.”

I've attached the document for your reference. MOT advise they will accept feedback even if you weren't initially consulted.
If you wish to provide feedback, written feedback is preferred, and can be provided:

>> by e-mail  to GPS@transport.govt.nz

>> by writing to GPS Development Team, Ministry of Transport, Novell House, 89 The Terrace, PO Box 3175, Wellington

For contact by phone, Ian Stuart (04 439 9369) or Aidan Smith (04 439 9251) will be available between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
The closing date for feedback is 5pm on Thursday 2 April 2009

Draft GPS, 2009.pdf