Russel Norman

If you wondered whether the attack on Iran was a war crime, wonder no longer. An expert has passed his verdict:

Imagine a parallel world where NZ had spent the last 2 years doing everything possible to reduce fossil fuel dependency in energy and transport. We’d have lower climate pollution and a more resilient economy. Instead the Govt subsidised fossil fuels and now we are exposed to Trump’s madness.

It’s too easy for Nats to blame Luxon for poor comms on policies. NZ Govt has been aligning to US and Trump and ended NZ’s independent foreign policy. So when Trump breaks international law to attack Iran the NZ Gov doesn’t know what to do. Nat/Act/NZF are all responsible for the incoherence

And Steven Joyce former National Party Campaign Chair and Minister is chair of the board of NZME which owns the Herald and ZB

Thomas Coughlan: After the Government's horror week, things are about to get a whole lot worse OPINION: This weekend is the most precarious for Luxon since he became National leader.

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/... Thomas Coughlan: After the Government’s horror week, things are about to get a whole lot worse

Thomas Coughlan: After the Government's horror week, things are about to get a whole lot worse OPINION: This weekend is the most precarious for Luxon since he became National leader.

The National Party’s newspaper is gunning for Luxon. But the problem isn’t just Luxon - the Nats policy is incoherent. They want more fossil fuels and lower energy costs. But you can’t have both. They say they take climate seriously and subsidise oil and gas. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/...

Dawn Chorus: Luxon clings on as inflation shock looms Luxon won't resign after poll shock; Oil over US$90/bbl overnight; Petrol over NZ$3/l in some areas; Freight cost warning after diesel rises 44c/l; Pak n'Save buying US butter; Dialysis rationing

“Christchurch Hospital has started rationing dialysis to two sessions per week from three because of a Government-imposed sinking lid on spending to ensure Crown spending to GDP gets down below 30%, 1News reported last night” #nzpol

NZ had started down the pathway to cut its dependence on oil and gas. Then Luxon/Willis/Bishop/Jones/Seymour reversed course. Looks pretty stupid now.

But what would Microsoft know? Luxon, Willis, Jones, Seymour, Bishop know the future is more fossil fuels and that’s why they are taxing renewable electricity to subsidise oil and gas.

This is the energy source that the Luxon NZ Govt wants to make NZ dependent on, instead of renewables. #LNG

Dozens of Auckland homes compulsorily bought by council for flood relief plan Auckland Council says it's just the start and more property acquisitions are planned.

Climate change is real and is costing us a lot of money already. Yet the NZ Govt continues to pass policy to increase climate pollution. www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/sto... www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

New Zealanders support more taxes on ultra-rich, new poll shows | RNZ News Half of New Zealanders also agreed that billionaires shouldn't exist while people still struggled with basic necessities like housing, food and healthcare.

Half of NZers agreed billionaires shouldn't exist while people struggle with basic necessities

68% supported billionaires being taxed more

37% were in favour of introducing a billion-dollar wealth cap to minimise the amount of wealth any person could legally hold

www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

TVNZ board chair rang senior minister to discuss negative coverage

Justice minister won't reveal exactly what the public broadcaster's board chair said, while police minister doubles down on concerns about bias.

TVNZ chair calls Paul Goldsmith after police minister dissatisfied with gang numbers story Paul Goldsmith said the chair of the public broadcaster, Andrew Barclay, had raised the story during the call.

TVNZ chair calls Paul Goldsmith after police minister dissatisfied with gang numbers story

Gas prices jumped again this morning and are on track to double - a stark reminder of our exposure to fossil fuel volatility.

The real solution isn’t more drilling, but moving away from combustion: electrify, use renewable power, and boost energy efficiency.

One of the first acts of the Luxon Govt was to end the Gas Transition Plan, designed to reduce dependence on fossil gas. Luxon’s next step was to plan an LNG import terminal. I said it was stupid at the time and as LNG prices rise it looks even more so

Chris Luxon, Shane Jones, Nicola Willis, David Seymour all want to make NZ dependent on volatile LNG imports instead of renewables. Paid for by a tax on electricity. They are crackers.

PETITION: CONDEMN TRUMP'S ILLEGAL WAR Sign the petition to pressure Luxon to stand up against this reckless war

Sign the petition to tell the NZ Govt to condemn the US/Israel attack as a breach of international law, as it obviously is. International law and the UN Charter are far from perfect but they are better than global military dictatorship that Trump wants. action.greenpeace.org.nz/petition/pea...

Conflict in Iran shows 'risk' of government's plan to import LNG as back-up to Taranaki facility Energy experts say an immediate leap in prices after US-Israeli strikes on Iran should prompt a re-think of the government's push to build an LNG import terminal.

A spike in the price of LNG because of the conflict in Iran highlights how risky the Luxon government's plan is to import LNG as a back-up.
#climatecrisis #cleanenergy
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Maybe Luxon killing policies to reduce NZ fossil fuel use for transport wasn’t so smart:

Meanwhile Chris Bishop and Luxon continue their #WarOnNature www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Live: Trump says 'big wave' in Iran is yet to come as conflict widens, Qatar halts LNG production Donald Trump says the "big wave" in Iran is still to come, as his government promises it's not starting another "endless war". And Chris Hipkins is calling for the goverment to speak out.

The genius Trump-lite Luxon Govt wants to make NZ dependent on imported fossil gas LNG, instead of investing in solar, wind, geothermal, and storage. Only problem is the climate pollution, and ah yes Trump's illegal war... www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/5...

That LNG facility our nz gov wants to build is to import USA sourced LNG.

Remember that as you read the news today about middle East LNG shutting down.

Government ‘kicked the tyres’ on solar subsidies but went with ‘minor’ tweaks instead It is one of the cheapest ways to cut power bills - yet documents reveal the government shelved a subsidy.

NZ Govt wants to add $billion tax on (mostly) renewable electricity to pay for a fossil gas import terminal, increasing electricity prices further and climate pollution. Meanwhile it rejected proposals to spend any money supporting solar rollout. It is a Trumplite Govt. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Government ‘kicked the tyres’ on solar subsidies but went with ‘minor’ tweaks instead It is one of the cheapest ways to cut power bills - yet documents reveal the government shelved a subsidy.

New Zealand has more sunshine than Germany.
But only 1 in 35 homes here has rooftop solar.
Australia? 1 in 3.

Why? I tried to find out - despite some strange secrecy

www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

PETITION: CONDEMN TRUMP'S ILLEGAL WAR Sign the petition to pressure Luxon to stand up against this reckless war

The NZ government’s response to the illegal attack on Iran by Trump and Netanyahu is a disgrace.

New Zealand should stand for peace, not war.

Sign the Greenpeace petition calling on the Luxon Govt to defend international law and condemn the illegal attack on Iran by the United States and Israel👇

The NZ Govt’s energy strategy of making NZ more dependent on imported oil and gas sure looks pretty stupid tonight. Not to mention, you know, climate change.

Government gives councils power to approve killing of protected species Buried inside the Government’s RMA replacement laws is a three-line clause that shifts power from DOC to councils, allowing companies to harm protected native species.

The National Party's number one fundraiser, Chris Bishop, has written a law that allows the mass killing for NZ wildlife for corporate profit. He's pushing the law through wearing his other hat as Govt Minister. I'm sure business donors will like it. www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Meanwhile Chris Bishop and Luxon continue their #WarOnNature www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

About 20% of all LNG travels through the Strait of Hormuz. This is the energy source the NZ Govt wants to use instead of expanding renewables. A new LNG import terminal would be paid for by a new tax on our electricity bills (electricity which is mostly renewable). Nuts.