1,730 days on from 'our nuclear-free moment’
The government will announce its plan to reduce emissions today. It’s expected to be high level, with an alignment required between what we say and what we do.
Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Monday, May 16, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.
In today’s edition: Buffalo shooter cites mosque shooting; allied health workers strike; what we know about the Tongan eruption; but first, today’s emission reduction plan announcement.
Green party co-leader and climate change minister James Shaw will deliver the Emissions Reduction Plan today (Photo: Radio NZ/Rebekah Parsons-King)
PM to miss announcement
It’s been nearly five years since prime minister Jacinda Ardern said that “climate change is my generation's nuclear-free moment”. Today the government will reveal what measures will be taken to reduce emissions to ensure we don’t exceed the limits set out in the carbon budgets released last week. The prime minister won’t be there because she’s isolating with Covid. Claire Trevett writes (paywalled) that it's a moment she won’t want to be missing. Deputy prime minister Grant Robertson will front instead, alongside climate change minister James Shaw.
Fighting words, now for action
I have always struggled a bit with that nuclear free moment statement. I understand its oratorical power – conjuring David Lange’s famous fighting words in 1985 in defense of banning nuclear powered ships from our waters in 1984. But most of us didn’t have to do much to bring the nuclear-free policy into effect. It was a source of national pride, just like “clean, green New Zealand”, but as we’ve lagged on climate change action (with New Zealanders split on whether they’re embarrassed by our climate action to date) the power of evoking parochial pride has waned. Describing the possible impact of today, Stuff’s political editor Luke Malpass draws on the eighties epoch that introduced radical social and economic reforms, saying it could “herald the biggest set of changes in New Zealand since Rogernomics.”
“The collective effort of every part of Aotearoa”
Today's announcement will lay out pathways and perhaps some details about how we’ll meet our net zero carbon emissions target by 2050. These will have implications for all of us. As James Shaw wrote in the emissions reduction plan discussion document in October 2021: “The final emissions reduction plan needs to pull together the collective effort of every part of Aotearoa. It needs to set out future policy and regulatory change, but also the action that can be taken in every business, every town and city, and every community.”
What we say versus what we do
Unlike the nuclear free policy, today’s announcement will impact domestic policy. It will mean change and closing the gap between rhetoric and action. This piece from Olivia Wannan perfectly demonstrates the political and social difficulties in that. While most of us say we want more action on climate change, we’re less likely to say we won't drive petrol cars as much. Tomorrow’s plan may contain carrots in the form of further public transport subsidies. The NZ Herald’s Jamie Morton writes that commentators expect transport to be more affected by today’s plan than other sectors. Speaking to Newstalk’s Heather du Plessis-Allan, Rod Oram thinks it will be high level stuff, with more work to be done to put “flesh on the bones”. The extent to which we’re prepared to embrace a few sticks will depend on how constructive and muscular our debate is after today’s announcement and how willing we are to accept change for the sake of long term gain.
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Acting Chief Censor bans sharing of Buffalo shooter’s manifesto
Following a fatal shooting in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, the acting chief censor has banned the sharing of the accused’s manifesto in New Zealand. The 18-year-old, who is accused of killing 10 people and injuring three, makes a number of references in the manifesto to the 2019 mass murders in Christchurch mosques and the terrorist convicted of perpetrating them. Eleven of the people killed or wounded were black. The Buffalo shooting was livestreamed on gaming platform Twitch, which is owned by Amazon. As Toby Manhire writes, Amazon was a signatory to the Christchurch Call. Internal Affairs is considering whether to refer material from a livestream of the shootings to the censor's office for classification.
Allied health work strike going ahead today
Allied health workers rejected a last minute offer from DHBs on Friday and a planned strike is going ahead today, with 10,000 workers walking off the job. Public Service Association (PSA) organiser Will Matthews described the offer made on Friday afternoon as a “kick in the guts”. Allied health workers are healthcare workers who aren’t part of the medical, dental or nursing professions. DHBs across the country are deferring elective surgeries and clinical appointments because of the strike. The PSA says thousands of New Zealanders will be affected while DHBs say the impact won’t be clear until today.
What we know about the Tongan eruption
Today’s episode of The Detail looks at the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano in Tonga in January. Sarah Robson talks to University of Auckland volcanologist Professor Shane Cronin who’s been to Tonga to investigate. The initial theory was that there was a collapse of the sides of the volcano but when Cronin got to Tonga, a new theory emerged about activity in the middle of the volcano.
Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz
Toby Manhire shares an A-Z to help you bluff your way through Budget 2022 chat; Axel Downard-Wilke argues that half-price public transport shouldn’t be made permanent; Chris Schulz finds out why more and more couples are choosing to elope; Sharon Lam wishes her boobs were bigger; and Dancing with the Stars’ dance professionals tell Sam Brooks about their tough but rewarding gig.
Report into Cycling NZ out today
An independent review into Cycling NZ, following the death of Olivia Podmore, is being released today. Tom Dillane spoke to Podmore’s parents about their reaction to the report, which they’ve been given ahead of its public release. Stuff’s Zoe George writes that it is expected to reveal a culture that prioritised medals over athletes and that competing at a high performance level leaves many athletes struggling financially. The equal employment opportunities commissioner Saunoamaali'i Karanina Sumeo says expecting athletes to chase medals while living off “slave labour-type salaries” is exploitation. “We expect our superstars to perform and represent us. But we’re not treating them at all in a way that is decent.”
Long-ish read
Something to contemplate as your work week starts again. Stuff’s Kirsty Johnston has a great read on people who have been re-evaluating their relationship with work during the pandemic.
