Submission season – five submissions in two months
As well as all our projects bubbling away, the Institute has been busy preparing submissions on an array of issues relating to our work programme. Since mid-March 2020, we have prepared five submissions: a tertiary education inquiry by the Productivity Commission; an ETS review by Ministry for the Environment (MfE); a Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill...
Feedback on Draft Discussion Paper 2020/01: Proposal for the Creation of an Oceans Institute
On Thursday, 15 October, the McGuinness Institute hosted a round-table meeting to discuss the feedback received on the Draft Discussion Paper 2020/01: Proposal for the Creation of an Oceans Institute. The paper shares ideas about (i) why such an institute is necessary, (ii) what its success would look like, (iii) how the institute would come into...
Small spills, big impact: New Zealand’s sobering oil spill record
Since the Rena disaster in October 2020, New Zealand has recorded 363 spill-related incidents in our harbours and oceans. Most of the spills have been small; however, the frequency is cause for concern with almost four tonnes of oil spilled in total. Marine Biologist Professor Chris Battershill at The University of Waikato is urging for...
Q: What would it take for New Zealand to be a leader in ocean management? … a Pacific and Southern oceans institute
Hon. Dr Nick Smith’s statement that ‘New Zealand’s ambition is to be a leader in oceans management’ is to be congratulated. This, combined with the creation of the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary on 29 September, puts New Zealand on a trajectory to make real progress at a local, national and global level – however there is still...
The Asia New Zealand Foundation’s opportunity for social entrepreneurs
Applications are now open for The Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Philippines trip for social entrepreneurs. The five successful applicants will take part in an eight-day programme from 29 November to 8 December 2020. This is an exciting opportunity for five New Zealand social entrepreneurs to connect with and explore the Philippines’ social entrepreneur scene in the...
Is there a place for the environment in the constitutional conversation?
As we get deeper into our constitutional korero, it is fitting that we draw on the experiences of other countries especially other democracies with strong constitutional cultures. Our Chief Executive, Wendy McGuinness, has just attended a conference facilitated by the European Sustainable Development Network. The conference was held in Austria, a country that has had...
New Zealand King Salmon: Was it a good decision for New Zealand?
On 22 February 2020, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) published the Board of Inquiry’s final report and decision on New Zealand King Salmon’s (NZKS) application to establish nine new salmon farms in the Marlborough Sounds. The Board approved four of the nine farms, with conditions. This means up to 19,000 tonnes per annum of additional...
Victoria University Tourism 411 – What is a sustainable future for New Zealand’s tourism industry by 2050?
Yesterday, students from the Victoria University tourism futures programme, coordinated by Ian Yeoman, gave presentations to the team at the Institute on scenario analysis, issues and implications. This presentation followed on from a presentation to the Institute, 3 weeks earlier, which set the project brief, research methodology, drivers shaping the scenarios, 2×2 matrix models, outlines...
Pathways to Sustainability Workshop
On Tuesday 9th September 2020 a workshop ‘Pathways to Sustainability, What Matters Most to New Zealanders’ was held at the Royal Society Lecture Theatre, co-sponsored by Anew NZ and Statistics New Zealand and facilitated by Leanne Holdsworth and Glen Lauder. Around 100 people from various organisations, NGOs and governmental structures attended this workshop. The session...
Hard Work
Friday saw Wendy participating in a Plenary discussion of the annual Human Resources Institute New Zealand conference. The theme for the whole conference was Sustainability, and every effort was made by the Institute to ‘walk the talk’. Details such as choosing 100% recycled paper for the conference programmes and utilising international speakers already in New...
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