Category: Uncategorized

A Climate Resilience Fund for New Zealand

Proposed Model: CIR-ACC (Climate Impact and Resilience – Accident Compensation Corporation framework)

Funding Structure: 40% Crown / 60% Levy-Funded | Actuarial Risk Model

May 2026

Paul  Martin –paulm100m@gmail.com

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Fund Architecture and Design Principles 4

Funding Model 5

Phase 1: Foundation and Legislative Development (2026-2027)

Phase 2: Parliamentary Process and Establishment (2027-2028)

Phase 3: Operational Launch and Pilot Programmes (2028-2029)

Phase 4: Full Operation and Integration (2029-2031)

Phase 5: Long-Term Maturity and Expansion (2031-2035+)

Governance Structure and Accountability

Local Government Access Framework

Risk Factors and Mitigation

Conclusion

Executive Summary

This document presents a comprehensive implementation timeline for establishing a National Climate Impact and Resilience Fund (CIR-ACC), modelled on New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) framework. The proposal originates from a District Council Annual Plan 2026/2027 submission, which identified the urgent need for a permanent, pre-funded mechanism to address climate-related infrastructure damage, managed retreat, and community resilience.

The current ad-hoc, post-disaster funding model leaves councils and ratepayers as insurers of last resort for climate volatility. The 2025 Tasman floods exposed the structural weaknesses in this approach, with fiscal shortfalls persisting despite central government co-funding. One-off funds are structurally incapable of keeping pace with the inevitable intensification and increased frequency of extreme weather events.

The ACC-type fund proposed here would operate as a mandatory, ring-fenced national mechanism, funded through a combination of levies on property insurance premiums, levies on commercial land value, and a fixed-ratio Crown contribution (40% Crown, 60% levy-funded). The fund would use an actuarial model where climate risk is annualised rather than capped per disaster, providing local government with predictable access to resources for both pre-emptive mitigation and post-event relief.

Key Features of the Proposed CIR-ACC
✓  Permanent, pre-funded mechanism replacing ad-hoc disaster bailouts✓  Actuarial risk model — climate risk annualised, not capped per event✓  Three funding streams: property insurance levy, commercial land value levy, Crown contribution✓  Dual purpose: pre-emptive mitigation AND post-event relief✓  Predictable access criteria for all local authorities✓  Independent governance with Crown, local government, and iwi/Maori representation 

Fund Architecture and Design Principles

Core Design Features

The CIR-ACC is designed around five core principles derived from the ACC model, adapted for climate risk management:

  1. Comprehensive Coverage: The fund covers all climate-related physical risks to public infrastructure, community assets, and household property, including gradual changes (sea-level rise, coastal erosion) and acute events (flooding, storms, wildfire).
  2. Community Responsibility: All property owners and commercial ratepayers contribute through established levy mechanisms, creating a broad risk pool that reduces individual burden and ensures equitable distribution of costs.
  3. Complete Rehabilitation: The fund covers not only emergency repair but also long-term resilience building, managed retreat, and ecological restoration — recognising that adaptation is a permanent condition, not a series of isolated responses.
  4. Administrative Efficiency: Predetermined eligibility criteria, standardised assessment protocols, and delegated decision-making authority enable rapid disbursement without sacrificing accountability.
  5. Actuarial Soundness: Premiums are set using climate risk modelling that annualises expected losses over long time horizons, ensuring the fund remains solvent as event frequency increases.

Funding Model

The proposed funding structure establishes three concurrent revenue streams:

Revenue StreamMechanismEstimated Annual Revenue
Property Insurance Levy2.5% levy on all domestic and commercial property insurance premiums; collected by insurers via RBNZ regulatory framework$350-450M
Commercial Land Value Levy0.3% levy on commercial and industrial rateable land values; collected via council rating systems$250-350M
Crown Contribution40% of actuarially assessed annual requirement; appropriated in Budget$200-400M
Total Annual Fund $800M-$1.2B

This model generates an estimated base fund of $800 million to $1.2 billion annually, escalating with property value growth and insurance premium increases. The actuarial approach means funds are available immediately when events occur, eliminating the current delays associated with emergency appropriations and post-event negotiations between central and local government.

Phase 1: Foundation and Legislative Development (2026-2027)

Q3 2026 – Q4 2027  |  Local government advocacy, policy development, and legislative drafting

Council Resolutions and Lobbying (Q3-Q4 2026)

The implementation begins at the local government level. Local, District and Regional Councils formally adopt resolutions calling for central government action. These resolutions specify the ACC-type model as the preferred mechanism and commit council resources to supporting the policy development process.

Council X Annual Plan 2026/2027 formally resolves to lobby for CIR-ACC legislation through Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) and directly to the Minister for Emergency Management and the Minister for Climate Change

•  Regional councils, unitary authorities, and metropolitan councils in high-risk areas (Northland, Hawke’s Bay, West Coast, Canterbury) adopt parallel resolutions

•  LGNZ Climate Change and Emergency Management committees develop a consolidated national position paper endorsing the ACC-type mechanism

•  Formal engagement with the Climate Change Commission to incorporate the fund proposal into the National Adaptation Framework

Policy Development and Stakeholder Engagement (Q1-Q3 2027)

Central government agencies, led by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Ministry for the Environment, establish an interdepartmental working group to develop detailed policy settings. This process involves extensive consultation with local government, iwi/Maori, the insurance sector, and climate adaptation experts.

•  NEMA convenes the CIR-ACC Policy Working Group with representatives from Treasury, MfE, MBIE, DIA, and Te Puni Kokiri

•  Reference group established including LGNZ, Insurance Council of New Zealand, Infrastructure Commission, and Climate Change Commission

•  Iwi/Maori advisory panel convened to ensure Treaty-compliant governance structures and equitable access mechanisms

•  Public consultation on high-level design principles, including levy rates, eligibility criteria, and governance arrangements

Legislative Drafting (Q2-Q4 2027)

The Parliamentary Counsel’s Office drafts the Climate Impact and Resilience Act, drawing on the ACC Act 2001, the Earthquake Commission Act 1993, and international precedents including the UK’s Flood Re and Australia’s proposed Cyclone Reinsurance Pool.

•  Draft legislation prepared establishing the CIR-ACC as an independent Crown entity with statutory objectives and operational independence

•  Levy collection mechanisms integrated with existing rating systems (via councils) and insurance regulatory frameworks (via RBNZ/FMA)

•  Eligibility criteria and access protocols codified, drawing on the National Policy Statement for Natural Hazards 2025

•  Governance framework established with independent board, Crown appointees, local government nominees, and iwi/Maori representation

PeriodKey Milestone
Jul 2026TDC Annual Plan adoption; formal resolution to lobby for CIR-ACC
Aug 2026LGNZ position paper development begins; regional council resolutions
Oct 2026Formal approaches to Ministers for Climate Change and Emergency Management
Feb 2027NEMA-led Policy Working Group convened; terms of reference agreed
Mar 2027Iwi/Maori advisory panel and sector reference groups established
May 2027Public consultation on design principles (8-week period)
Jul 2027Policy recommendations to Cabinet; legislative drafting instructions issued
Sep 2027Draft Climate Impact and Resilience Act completed
Nov 2027Cabinet approval to introduce legislation; Regulatory Impact Statement published

Phase 2: Parliamentary Process and Establishment (2027-2028)

Q4 2027 – Q4 2028  |  Legislative passage, entity establishment, and systems development

Parliamentary Process (Q4 2027 – Q3 2028)

The Climate Impact and Resilience Bill progresses through the full parliamentary process, including select committee scrutiny and public submissions. Given the cross-party consensus on climate adaptation evidenced in the National Adaptation Framework, the bill is treated as priority legislation.

•  Bill introduced to Parliament with first reading debate (December 2027)

•  Select committee inquiry with nationwide hearings (February-April 2028)

•  Submissions received from all 78 local authorities, iwi entities, insurance sector, infrastructure providers, and community organisations

•  Supplementary order papers addressing select committee recommendations (June 2028)

•  Second and third readings; Royal Assent by September 2028

Entity Establishment (Q2-Q4 2028)

Concurrently with the legislative process, the new entity is incorporated and key appointments made to enable rapid operationalisation following Royal Assent.

•  CIR-ACC incorporated as independent Crown entity (March 2028)

•  Independent board appointed: 7 members including chair, with expertise in climate science, actuarial assessment, local government, infrastructure, Maori governance, and risk management

•  Chief Executive recruited and appointed (May 2028)

•  Initial office establishment in Wellington with regional liaison teams

•  Memoranda of understanding executed with LGNZ, Insurance Council, EQC, and key government agencies

Systems and Capability Development (Q3-Q4 2028)

•  Actuarial model development: partnership with ACC’s actuarial team and international reinsurance specialists

•  Climate risk database integration: linking to NIWA, MfE hazard mapping, and council asset management systems

•  IT systems procurement and development for levy collection, claims processing, and disbursement

•  Staff recruitment: initial establishment of 45-60 FTE across actuarial, claims, governance, and regional liaison functions

•  Eligibility criteria and assessment frameworks finalised for the three funding streams

PeriodKey Milestone
Dec 2027Climate Impact and Resilience Bill introduced; first reading
Mar 2028CIR-ACC entity incorporated; board appointment process begins
Apr 2028Select committee report back; board appointments confirmed
May 2028Chief Executive appointed; regional liaison structure established
Jun 2028Actuarial partnership and climate risk database integration begins
Jul 2028IT systems procurement; staff recruitment commences
Sep 2028Royal Assent; Climate Impact and Resilience Act 2028 commences
Oct 2028Regulations gazetted; levy rates set for 2029 financial year
Nov 2028Full operational readiness review; systems testing complete

Phase 3: Operational Launch and Pilot Programmes (2028-2029)

Q4 2028 – Q4 2029  |  Levy collection commences, pilot programmes activated, first disbursements

Levy Collection and Revenue Establishment (Q4 2028 – Q1 2029)

The first levy collection cycle begins on 1 January 2029, with initial revenue flows establishing the fund’s capital base. The levy mechanism is integrated with existing systems to minimise administrative burden.

•  Property insurance premium levy (2.5%) collected via insurance companies on all domestic and commercial policies from 1 January 2029

•  Commercial land value levy (0.3%) collected via council rating systems from 1 July 2029 (aligned with rating year)

•  Crown contribution of 40% of forecast annual requirement appropriated in Budget 2029

•  Initial capital base estimated at $400-500 million by 30 June 2029

Pilot Mitigation Programme (Q1-Q4 2029)

A $150 million pilot programme for pre-emptive mitigation is launched, targeting high-priority projects that demonstrate the fund’s value in reducing long-term liability.

•  Round 1: Elevated bridges and critical infrastructure in flood-prone catchments ($60M)

•  Round 2: Managed retreat buy-outs for properties in unsustainable coastal and flood-risk locations ($50M)

•  Round 3: Wetland restoration and nature-based solutions for stormwater management ($40M)

Pilot Resilience Hub Programme (Q2-Q4 2029)

The community resilience hub stream supports development of solar+battery backup systems for emergency shelters and community facilities, building on the EPOD concept (Emergency Power Operating Devices).

•  Grants programme for community resilience hub establishment ($30M pilot)

•  Priority allocation to communities demonstrating high climate exposure and social vulnerability

•  Integration with Civil Defence Emergency Management Group planning

•  Technical standards and monitoring frameworks developed

PeriodKey Milestone
Jan 2029Insurance levy collection commences; first revenue flows
Feb 2029Pilot mitigation programme Round 1 opens (elevated infrastructure)
Mar 2029First claims protocol activated for qualifying events
Apr 2029Resilience hub pilot programme opens; regional liaison teams operational
May 2029Pilot mitigation Round 2 (managed retreat buy-outs)
Jul 2029Commercial land value levy collection commences via councils
Aug 2029Pilot mitigation Round 3 (wetland restoration); first resilience hub grants approved
Oct 2029Six-month operational review; levy compliance assessment
Dec 2029Annual report to Parliament; year-one actuarial valuation complete

Phase 4: Full Operation and Integration (2029-2031)

Q1 2030 – Q4 2031  |  Mature operations, full council access, actuarial refinement

Full Programme Rollout (2029/30 Financial Year)

With pilot learnings incorporated, the fund moves to full operational status. All three funding streams are available to all qualifying local authorities on a continuous basis.

•  Mitigation programme: $300M annually for elevated infrastructure, managed retreat, nature-based solutions, and flood protection

•  Relief programme: Event-triggered access for infrastructure repair, silt removal, temporary housing, and economic recovery (budget: $200-400M annually depending on event frequency)

•  Resilience hub programme: $60M annually for community facility upgrades with solar+battery backup, water resilience, and emergency communications

•  All 78 local authorities signed up with access protocols and pre-agreed assessment criteria

Actuarial Refinement and Levy Adjustment (2030-2031)

The first two full years of operational data enable actuarial refinement of levy rates, risk profiles, and funding allocations. The board conducts its first triennial levy review.

•  Triennial actuarial review completed (June 2031); levy rates adjusted based on emerging claims experience

•  Climate risk models updated with 2029-2031 event data and attribution science

•  Regional risk weightings refined to ensure equitable access across diverse hazard profiles

•  Investment strategy for fund reserves developed in partnership with NZ Super Fund / ACC Investment Management

Systems Integration (2030-2031)

•  Full integration with council asset management systems for automated exposure assessment

•  Real-time event monitoring linked to NIWA, GeoNet, and MetService data feeds

•  Pre-approved project pipelines enable rapid disbursement (72-hour approval for pre-qualified projects)

•  Annual resilience reporting integrated with council long-term plan and annual plan cycles

PeriodKey Milestone
Jan 2030Full mitigation programme opens ($300M); all councils eligible
Mar 2030First annual actuarial assessment; reserve adequacy review
Jul 2030First full year of dual levy collection; Crown contribution review
Sep 2030Integrated council asset management systems pilot (10 councils)
Dec 2030Two-year operational review; Parliamentary select committee briefing
Mar 2031Real-time event monitoring system operational
Jun 2031Triennial levy review completed; rates adjusted for FY2031/32
Sep 2031Full council systems integration; pre-approved project pipeline active
Dec 2031Three-year actuarial valuation; investment strategy for reserves adopted

Phase 5: Long-Term Maturity and Expansion (2031-2035+)

2032 onwards  |  Continuous improvement, expanded scope, international learning

Fund Maturity (2032-2035)

By 2032, the CIR-ACC is a mature, well-capitalised institution with established governance, proven operational systems, and strong actuarial foundations. The focus shifts to continuous improvement, scope refinement, and preparation for escalating climate impacts projected through mid-century.

•  Projected fund balance of $2.5-3.5 billion by 2035, with annual levy revenue exceeding $1.2 billion

•  Full actuarial cost-benefit data available demonstrating return on mitigation investment (target: 5:1 benefit-cost ratio for pre-emptive works)

•  Managed retreat programme scaled to support 2,000-3,000 property acquisitions annually in high-risk zones

•  Community resilience hub network reaches 300+ facilities nationwide

Scope Expansion and Adaptation (2033-2035+)

As climate science evolves and operational experience accumulates, the fund’s scope may expand to address emerging risks and opportunities identified through the six-yearly National Climate Change Risk Assessment cycle.

•  Potential expansion to cover climate-related business interruption for SMEs in qualifying events

•  Integration with biodiversity and ecological restoration objectives (blue carbon, catchment restoration)

•  International reinsurance partnership to manage tail-risk events exceeding fund capacity

•  Development of parametric insurance products for rapid disbursement in predictable event types

Legislative Review (2034)

The Climate Impact and Resilience Act 2028 includes a mandatory five-year legislative review. This review assesses the fund’s performance against statutory objectives, governance effectiveness, levy adequacy, and scope appropriateness.

•  Independent review panel appointed by the Minister (Q1 2034)

•  Public submissions on fund performance and future priorities (Q2 2034)

•  Recommendations to Parliament for legislative amendments if required (Q4 2034)

•  Second six-yearly National Climate Change Risk Assessment (2032) informs review scope

PeriodKey Milestone
2032Fund matures; $2.5B+ balance; 5:1 mitigation benefit-cost demonstrated
2033Scope expansion options assessed; business interruption pilot considered
2034Mandatory five-year legislative review; independent panel appointed
2035Amended legislation (if required); international reinsurance partnerships
2036+Continuous adaptation to escalating risks; parametric products; blue carbon integration

Governance Structure and Accountability

The CIR-ACC operates as an independent Crown entity with a governance structure designed to balance operational independence with public accountability:

ElementDescription
Legal FormIndependent Crown entity under the Crown Entities Act 2004, with specific provisions in the Climate Impact and Resilience Act 2028
Board7 independent members with expertise in climate science, actuarial assessment, local government, infrastructure, Maori governance, and risk management
Crown OversightResponsible Ministers (Climate Change and Finance); monitoring under Crown Entities Act framework
Iwi/Maori ParticipationStatutory board position; dedicated advisory committee; Treaty compliance audit function
Local Government VoiceBoard position nominated by LGNZ; formal consultation on eligibility criteria and levy settings
AuditFinancial audit by Auditor-General; actuarial review by independent actuary; performance against statutory objectives

The board comprises seven members appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of Ministers. Appointment criteria ensure expertise in climate science, actuarial assessment, local government, infrastructure delivery, Maori governance, community resilience, and financial management. Board members serve staggered four-year terms with one reappointment permitted.

An independent actuary reviews the fund’s solvency annually, with a full actuarial valuation every three years. The Auditor-General audits the fund’s financial statements and performance against statutory objectives. The fund reports annually to Parliament through the appropriate select committee.

Local Government Access Framework

All 78 local authorities (regional councils, unitary authorities, territorial authorities, and district health boards where relevant) have access to the CIR-ACC through three distinct pathways:

Stream 1: Pre-emptive Mitigation

Councils submit project proposals against predetermined eligibility criteria. Projects must demonstrate a positive benefit-cost ratio, alignment with district/regional climate adaptation plans, and deliver measurable risk reduction. Assessment criteria prioritise projects protecting critical infrastructure, reducing community vulnerability, and delivering co-benefits for biodiversity and water quality.

Stream 2: Post-Event Relief

Following a qualifying climate event (defined by intensity thresholds linked to NIWA and MetService data), affected councils activate the relief protocol. Pre-negotiated assessment contracts enable rapid damage evaluation, with 72-hour approval for pre-qualified response categories. The fund covers infrastructure repair, silt and debris removal, temporary accommodation, and economic recovery support for affected communities.

Stream 3: Community Resilience Hubs

The resilience hub stream provides capital grants for community facilities that can function as emergency shelters during infrastructure disruption. Eligible projects include solar+battery installations, water independence systems, emergency communications upgrades, and accessibility improvements. Priority allocation uses a vulnerability index combining climate exposure, social deprivation, and infrastructure dependency metrics.

StreamAnnual AllocationEligible Activities
Pre-emptive Mitigation$300M (base)Elevated infrastructure, managed retreat, wetland restoration, flood protection, nature-based solutions
Post-Event Relief$200-400M (variable)Infrastructure repair, silt removal, temporary housing, economic recovery support
Community Resilience Hubs$60M (base)Solar+battery systems, water independence, emergency comms, accessibility upgrades

Risk Factors and Mitigation

The successful establishment and operation of the CIR-ACC depends on managing several key risks:

Risk FactorMitigation Strategy
Political discontinuityBipartisan support locked in through select committee process; statutory independence protects against ministerial interference
Levy resistancePhased introduction starting at 50% of target rates; public education campaign; clear demonstration of benefit-cost advantage
Event frequency exceeding actuarial projectionsPrudential capital buffer (target 120% of expected liabilities); reinsurance for tail risks; triennial levy review mechanism
Council capacity constraintsRegional liaison team support; simplified application processes for pre-qualified projects; technical assistance grants
Moral hazardCo-funding requirements (minimum 20% council contribution for mitigation); benefit-cost thresholds; post-event accountability measures
Treaty compliance failuresStatutory Maori board position; independent Treaty compliance audit; iwi/Maori advisory committee with formal consultation rights

Conclusion

The Climate Impact and Resilience Fund represents a structural transformation in how Aotearoa New Zealand finances climate adaptation. By replacing the current ad-hoc, post-disaster model with a permanent, pre-funded, actuarially sound mechanism, the CIR-ACC provides local government with the certainty and resources needed to plan for a future of intensifying climate risk.

The implementation timeline presented here — spanning from council resolutions in 2026 to full operational maturity by 2032 — is ambitious but achievable. It requires sustained political commitment, effective collaboration between central and local government, meaningful partnership with iwi/Maori, and public acceptance of the levy mechanisms that underpin the fund’s financial sustainability.

The cost of delay is substantial. Each year without a permanent fund locks in additional vulnerability, defers critical mitigation investments, and ensures that when the next major event strikes, communities and ratepayers will once again bear the full burden of recovery. The experience of New Zealand’s Tasman District in 2026 confirms that climate change is not a series of isolated emergencies — it is a permanent, intensifying condition. The CIR-ACC is the institutional response that permanence demands.

Climate Resilience Starts with Certainty, Not Crisis

Climate Reslience Fund ImplementationDownload

New Zealand’s Rapidly Deteriorating Marine Environment

A Submission to the New Zealand Parliament’s Select Committee on a proposed Amendment to the NZ Fisheries Bill.

Concerns Regarding the Fisheries Amendment Bill,  and Recommendations for Sustainable Fisheries Management.

Introduction

The New Zealand Government, through Fisheries Minister Shane Jones, frames the Fisheries Amendment Bill  as an ‘efficiency and productivity’ exercise—cutting red tape, giving industry “certainty,” and boosting seafood export value.

In reality, the Bill represents a systematic dismantling of safeguards at precisely the moment they are most needed.

Key concerns include:

  1. The completely inadequate timescale for consultation on  an issue that  is vital to New Zealanders and our marine world.
  2. Concentration of power:  The Minister gains greater authority to set catch limits independent of scientific advice, with the ability to rely on industry self-reported data rather than robust independent assessment.
  3. Erosion of oversight:   On-board camera footage—recently proven effective at exposing massive under-reporting of discards—would be exempt from the Official Information Act, with fines up to \$50,000 for sharing footage. The Minister can also allow operators to switch cameras off.
  4. Reduced accountability:   Legal challenges to fisheries decisions would be restricted to a 20-working day window, severely limiting judicial review that has historically held Ministers accountable to the Act’s sustainability purpose.
  5. Weakened environmental protections:   The Bill introduces more flexible, longer-term (up to 5-year) catch limits with minimal review, reduces penalties for exceeding catch limits and taking undersized fish, and effectively incentivizes destructive bottom trawling over cleaner methods.
  6. Privatization of a public resource:   Quota owners would gain ability to stockpile entitlements and delay catch reductions even when stocks are depleted, shifting the burden of ecological degradation onto the public while profits are exported—seafood exports average under \$6/kg, little of which benefits domestic consumers.

This proposed amendment occurs against a backdrop of well documented dramatic ecological marine decline. The Ministry for the Environment’s  ‘Our Marine Environment 2025’  report and other official data, note the following negative impacts:

Overfishing:   12% of assessed fish stocks (19 of 152) are over-fished or depleted, with 5 stocks collapsed. Bycatch continues to kill protected species—15 Hector’s dolphins in 2023/24 alone, thousands of seabirds annually, and tonnes of protected coral.

Ocean warming:   Sea-surface temperatures around New Zealand have risen 0.16–0.34°C per decade since 1982, warming faster than the global average. Marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent, intense and longer-lasting, with 2022 setting records causing both  marine species loss and shifting of migratory patterns

Acidification:   Ocean acidity has increased ~30% since 1750, with measurable increases off Otago. This threatens shell-forming species and disrupts food webs negatively impacting fish  nutrition.

Sea level rise:   Accelerating coastal inundation and erosion, compounded by vertical land movement in some areas, resulting in the elimination or reduction of many fish  breeding grounds.

Invasive species and habitat destruction:   428 non-native marine species have been identified in NZ waters, with outbreaks like  Caulerpa  algae spreading across 1,500+ hectares. Bottom trawling continues to bulldoze seafloor habitats.

Extinction risk:  More than half of indigenous marine invertebrate species are threatened or at risk.

Bottom Trawling: The long-term impacts of bottom trawling in New Zealand and the Southern Pacific represent a systematic  and catastrophic degradation of irreplaceable deep-sea ecosystems.  The combination of extreme physical destruction, centuries long destruction of marine habitats and in many cases irretrievable loss, and climate feedback effects is resulting in  permanent biodiversity loss.  Scientific  evidence confirms that protecting climate refugia and  high-vulnerability habitats—particularly seamounts—is essential to  prevent ecosystem collapse and maintain long-term fisheries  productivity, yet current management trends are moving in the opposite  direction.

This  Bill treats fisheries primarily as an export industry to be deregulated, while official reports confirm the marine environment is under compounding pressures from climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction and pollution. The timing is particularly damaging given that camera data revealed a 1,000%+ increase in reported snapper discards and 950% increase in kingfish discards once monitoring began—proof that the industry cannot be relied upon to self-regulate.

The Bill weakens transparency, scientific oversight, and public participation at the exact moment when marine ecosystems require stronger precautionary management and climate-resilient planning. Thus these ‘reforms’ do not represent “modernization”—they represent a privatization agenda that  locks in irreversible ecological damage for short-term commercial gain.

Key Concerns and Proposed Alternatives

1. Tiered Information Framework for Setting Catch Limits (Low-Information Stocks)

The Bill proposes a tiered framework for setting Total Allowable Catch (TAC), where for low-information stocks, the TAC only needs to be ‘not inconsistent’ with the objective of managing the stock at or above Maximum Sustainable Yield. This approach risks over-fishing and depletion of vulnerable or data-poor fish stocks, as management decisions are unable to be based on robust scientific evidence.

This could lead to the plundering of unknown stocks, with potentially irreversible ecological consequences.

Recommendation: The Precautionary Principle  be applied to all data-poor stocks. Instead of allowing higher catch limits, management should default to significantly lower, more conservative catch limits until robust scientific data is available to demonstrate sustainability. Any increases in catch limits should only occur when supported by comprehensive and peer-reviewed scientific assessments.

2. Multi-Year Catch Decisions

The Bill allows the Minister to set TACs for up to five consecutive fishing years . While the stated purposes is  to provide certainty for the industry, this provision introduces reduced flexibility to respond to rapid environmental changes, climate impacts, or unforeseen declines in fish populations. Such extended decision cycles could delay necessary adjustments to protect struggling stocks, potentially leading to collapses that are difficult to reverse.

Recommendation: We recommend implementing Adaptive Management with Frequent Reviews. Catch limits, especially for stocks vulnerable to environmental shifts or those showing signs of stress, should be reviewed annually or more frequently. Decision-making processes must incorporate real-time data and ecosystem indicators to ensure timely and effective responses to changing marine conditions.

3. Relaxed Rules on Discards and Returns

The Bill creates new circumstances under which commercial fishers are permitted to return or abandon fish or other aquatic animals . This relaxation of rules risks increasing the mortality of non-target species (by-catch) and juvenile fish, which are often discarded. This practice not only wastes marine resources but also masks the true impact of fishing on marine ecosystems and hinders accurate stock assessments, making effective management impossible [3].

Recommendation: We call for Mandatory By-catch Reduction and Full Accountability. The government should mandate the widespread use of best- practice by-catch mitigation technologies (e.g., seabird scaring devices, turtle excluder devices, selective fishing gear). In addition, all caught fish, regardless of size or species, must be landed and fully accounted for to ensure accurate data collection, minimize waste, and provide a true picture of fishing impacts [.

4. Confidentiality of Camera Footage

The Bill proposes new provisions that explicitly exclude on-board camera recordings from the Official Information Act 1982 and impose significant penalties for unauthorized release. There appears to be no valid reason for this change, other than  to decrease  public scrutiny of illegal  activities.

This measure represents a substantial reduction in transparency and public accountability of commercial fishing operations. It prevents independent verification of fishing practices, by-catch events, and compliance with regulations, increasing distrust among the public and environmental stakeholders at a time when  all  parties need to be working more collaboratively.

Recommendation: We urge the Committee to ensure Full Transparency and Public Access to on-board camera footage. While noting some issues around commercial sensitivity, this footage should be accessible under the Official Information Act, with redactions only occurring where absolutely necessary. Public oversight is crucial for building trust in the monitoring system and ensuring that fishing practices align with sustainability goals.

5. Revised Judicial Review Window

The Bill introduces a significantly shortened timeframe for challenging fisheries management decisions, requiring any legal challenge to be made within 20 working days of the decision being notified. This extremely short window severely weakens legal safeguards for environmental protection and public participation, making it nearly impossible for environmental organizations and the public to mount effective legal challenges against potentially unsustainable decisions.

Recommendation: We advocate for reasonable  and appropriate Judicial Review timeframes. It is essential to maintain adequate timeframes for judicial review, allowing sufficient time for legal preparation and ensuring that decisions can be properly scrutinized fortheir environmental impact and adherence to legal and scientific requirements.

6. Risks and Opportunities Related to Bottom Trawling

Bottom trawling is widely scientifically recognized for its devastating environmental impacts, including habitat destruction, by-catch, and disruption of marine ecosystems.

The Fisheries Amendment Bill, in not explicitly addressing bottom trawling with the proposed  new regulations, creates an environment where bottom  trawling and its devastating impacts on  the marine environment and fish  stocks, will  continue and could even incentivize this incredibly destructive practice through  the relaxation of camera footage processes and by-catch  rules.

New Zealand is:

  • The only country in the South Pacific that still allows bottom trawling on seamounts
  • The only country whose vessels have bottom trawled in the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) regulatory area since 2019.
  • One of only seven countries still conducting bottom trawling in international waters

Recommendation: We urge the Committee to incorporate specific measures to address bottom trawling. These should include:

  • Ban all bottom trawling by New Zealand fishing companies in the medium and long  term.
  • In the short term ban Bottom Trawling on Seamounts and Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs): Explicitly prohibit bottom-contact gear on seamounts and other identified VMEs to protect unique and fragile deep-sea habitats
  • Provide regulatory or financial incentives for fishers to transition to long-lining, potting, or other low-impact methods that minimize seabed disturbance and by-catch.
  • Mandatory Habitat Impact Assessments: Require comprehensive environmental impact assessments (EIAs) specifically for bottom trawling activities before any multi-year catch limits are set or renewed.
  • Public Transparency of Trawl Impacts: Ensure public access to camera footage of trawling operations to maintain transparency and accountability.
  • Spatial Closures for Recovery: Utilize management procedures to establish and enforce no-trawl zones in areas identified as critical habitats or those requiring ecological recovery.

7. Impact of Climate Change on Fisheries Management

Concern: New Zealand’s marine environment is rapidly  experiencing significant impacts from climate change, including rising sea temperatures, marine heatwaves, and shifting fish distributions.

The current Bill, with its emphasis on multi- year catch decisions and a tiered information framework that can be permissive for data-poor stocks, is ill-equipped to respond to the rapid and unpredictable changes driven by climate change. This lack of adaptive capacity risks exacerbating the vulnerability of fish stocks and marine ecosystems].

Recommendation: The Fisheries Amendment Bill must explicitly integrate climate change considerations into its core framework. This includes:

• Climate-Adaptive Catch Limits: Mandate that all catch limit decisions (TAC/TACC) explicitly account for climate change projections, marine heatwave data, and observed shifts in fish populations.

• Shorten Review Cycles for Vulnerable Stocks: Require annual or more frequent reviews for stocks identified as climate-vulnerable or those showing significant range shifts, moving away from rigid multi-year decisions.

• Protect Climate Refugia: Prohibit destructive fishing methods, such as bottom trawling, in areas that serve as thermal refuges or critical habitats for species displaced by warming waters.

• Dynamic Management Areas: Develop mechanisms to adjust management boundaries quickly as fish stocks shift their geographic ranges, ensuring that newly arrived or displaced stocks are not over-exploited due to outdated management zones.

Conclusion

The New Zealand Fisheries Amendment Bill, in its current form, contains provisions that threaten the short,  medium  and long-term  health and sustainability of New Zealand’s marine environment.

We believe that a truly sustainable and prosperous seafood sector depends on robust environmental protection, scientific integrity, and public trust.

We respectfully request the Committee to give due consideration to these concerns and recommendations.

The Psychopathic Selection Hypothesis (PSH): Have Humans Bred Hollow Societies?

🧠

Imagine a world where the most charming, risk-taking, and empathy-deficient individuals don’t just survive — they thrive. Not just in movies, but in boardrooms, parliaments, and even dating apps. This isn’t a dystopian fantasy. According to the Psychological Selection Hypothesis, it’s happening now- as it always has in homo sapiens history

🔍 What Is the Psychological Selection Hypothesis?

The hypothesis suggests that modern society selectively rewards psychopathic traits — emotional detachment, manipulative charm, risk-taking, and dominance — especially in complex, competitive, and symbolic systems like finance, politics, and corporate leadership.

Rather than being a rare pathology, psychopathy becomes a strategic ‘positive’ adaptation in environments where:

  • Empathy is a liability
  • Image matters more than integrity
  • Short-term wins outweigh long-term consequences

Over time, these traits are reinforced, replicated, and even romanticized, shaping institutions and cultural norms in their image.

🧬 The Feedback Loop: How It Works

  1. Biological Selection
    In high-competition environments, individuals with psychopathic traits often achieve higher status and reproductive success. Studies show that corporate executives score significantly higher on psychopathy measures than the general population . These individuals are more likely to attract partners, gain visibility, and pass on their genes — subtly shifting the population toward these traits.
  2. Institutional Reinforcement
    Once in power, they reshape systems to reward their own traits. Organizations become hierarchies where:
  • Loyalty is extracted, not earned
  • Ethical behaviour is performative, not practiced
  • Emotional detachment is seen as “strong leadership”
    The result? A culture where empathy is weakness, and manipulation is mastery and where might (and violence) becomes right

Cultural Normalization
Media and social platforms amplify this. From TV anti-heroes to influencer culture, we glorify narcissistic charisma and strategic coldness. Phrases like “fake it till you make it” or “it’s just business” become mantras of success — masking moral disengagement as maturity.

    🧨 The Psychological Fallout

    As these traits become normalized, mental health deteriorates

    • Depression and anxiety increase dramatically
    • Social trust erodes
    • Loneliness becomes a global health risk, (comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day).

    Even those not psychopathic are forced to emulate its traits to survive — suppressing empathy, over-performing, and internalizing stress. This creates a psychologically hollow society, where emotional depth is discouraged and relational fatigue is the norm.

    🧯 Can We Break the Cycle?

    Yes — but only if we interrupt the feedback loops:

    • Reform institutional incentives to reward cooperation, not conquest and violence
    • Promote emotional literacy in education and leadership training
    • Challenge cultural narratives that glorify ruthlessness
    • Support mental health infrastructure that values vulnerability and empathy

    The presence of individuals with psychopathic and sociopathic traits in positions of power, often referred to as “corporate psychopaths” or “successful psychopaths,” is a phenomenon with profound and measurable negative impacts on organisations and society. We analyse this impact, focusing on the explanatory framework provided by the Psychological Selection Hypothesis (PSH) .

    The Psychological Selection Hypothesis posits that the traits associated with psychopathy—such as emotional detachment, manipulativeness, superficial charm, and fearlessness—are not merely adaptive to modern complex systems, but have actively shaped the very architecture of those systems .

    As human societies evolved from direct, tribal reciprocity to abstract, globalized, and neoliberal socioeconomic structures, psychopathic cognition is likely to have played a foundational role in guiding the emergence of ‘civilisational’ structures cultures and norms .

    These structures create a self-reinforcing feedback loop that structurally and biologically selects for psychopathic traits. The traits that enable an individual to thrive in abstract, opaque, and competitive environments—namely, the ability to exploit others without remorse and prioritize symbolic dominance—are mistaken for “leadership qualities” .

    The PSH suggests that civilization itself increasingly mirrors the mind of a high-functioning psychopath, leading to systems optimized for power and short-term gain, but which are fundamentally maladaptive for long-term civilizational sustainability, such as ecological stewardship and intergenerational care .

    Prevalence in Leadership

    While psychopathy is estimated to affect approximately 1% of the general population, its prevalence is significantly higher in senior leadership roles, a finding that supports the PSH’s core tenet of selection .

    Population GroupEstimated Prevalence of Psychopathic Traits
    General Population~1%
    Corporate Executives12% to 20% (up to 1 in 5)
    National Political Leaders 12% to 25% (plus!)

    This over-representation suggests that the modern corporate and political environment, with its emphasis on ruthless competition and short term results, acts as a powerful filter, selecting for individuals who possess these “dark traits” .

    Impact on Organizations and Employees

    The influence of psychopathic leaders, often grouped under the Dark Triad of personality (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy), is overwhelmingly detrimental to organizational health and employee well-being .

    Organizational Decline

    Research consistently links the presence of corporate psychopaths to organizational decline, particularly in the long term .

    Area of ImpactConsequence of Psychopathic Leadership
    Financial PerformanceLong-term revenue decline; psychopathic fund managers have been found to generate annual returns 30% lower than their peers over a 10-year period .
    Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)Stifled sustainability efforts and reduced commitment to CSR, as these conflict with the leader’s short-term, self-serving interests .
    Organizational CultureIncreased conflict, bullying, and the creation of a psychologically unsafe work environment .
    Innovation and CreativityDecline in employee creativity and organizational commitment due to fear and lack of motivation .

    Employee Well-being

    The psychological impact on subordinates is severe. Perceived psychopathic traits in supervisors are directly correlated with negative outcomes for employees .

    “The results illustrate the effects of perceived psychopathic traits in supervisors on employee well-being… The ‘dark side’ of leadership has been the topic of considerable research over the years” .

    The consequences include increased workplace stress and significant levels of emotional exhaustion . Studies have also found that female employees, in particular, may experience a stronger influence of leader psychopathy on their levels of emotional exhaustion .

    Socio-Economic and Institutional Impact

    At a macro level, the PSH provides a framework for understanding how psychopathic leadership contributes to systemic issues, most notably financial misconduct and economic inequality.

    Financial Misconduct and Fraud

    The core psychopathic traits of lack of remorse and manipulativeness make these leaders prone to engaging in unethical and illegal activities. High-profile cases, such as the multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme orchestrated by Bernie Madoff, are often cited as prime examples of financial psychopathy .

    The pursuit of power and profit without ethical constraint leads to manipulative accounting practices . This behavior is not merely individual but is often facilitated by weak external accountability mechanisms, allowing unethical financial behaviors to become institutionalized .

    Reinforcement of Economic Inequality

    The theoretical framework suggests that Dark Triad leaders exploit financial reporting systems for personal or organizational gain at the meso-level, which in turn exacerbates economic inequalities at the broader macro-level . By prioritizing self-enrichment and short-term gains, these leaders contribute to a system where wealth is concentrated at the top, often at the expense of long-term stability and social equity. Some research suggests that psychopathic leaders may even be willing to “spark a financial crisis for profit” .

    Conclusion

    The research strongly supports the view that the overrepresentation of psychopathic and sociopathic traits in leadership positions is a significant problem, explained in part by the Psychological Selection Hypothesis. While these traits may facilitate a rapid ascent up the corporate or political ladder—often by mimicking desirable qualities like confidence and decisiveness—the long-term impact is one of organizational decay, employee distress, and systemic socio-economic harm.

    Addressing this issue requires not only better screening for leadership roles but also a fundamental re-evaluation of the values and metrics that currently define and select for “successful” leadership in modern institutions.

    The Psychological Selection Hypothesis doesn’t claim that all leaders are psychopaths — or that psychopathy is the only path to success. But it warns us that when we build systems that reward the coldest minds, we shouldn’t be surprised when the world starts to feel colder.

    Let’s stop selecting for the traits that destroy us — and start training and selecting leaders who can not only sustain the other homo sapiens who rely on them, but help to collaboratively create a sustainable world.

    References

    [1] Greg Elliott. The Psychopathic Selection Hypothesis: Evolutionary Fitness in the Age of Collapse. Medium.

    [2] Floriana Irtelli and Enrica Durbano. Successful Psychopaths: A Contemporary Phenomenon. IntechOpen.

    [3] C. Mathieu, C. S. Neumann, R. D. Hare, and P. Babiak. A dark side of leadership: Corporate psychopathy and its influence on employee well-being and job satisfaction. Personality and Individual Differences.

    [4] M. D’Souza and D. Oliveira. Corporate Psychopaths: implications for organizational health and well-being. European Journal of Public Health.

    [5] B. Sheehy. Corporate law and corporate psychopaths. PMC.

    [6] V. Lipman. The Disturbing Link Between Psychopathy And Leadership. Forbes.

    [7] C. R. Boddy. Psychopathic Leadership A Case Study of a Corporate Psychopath CEO. Journal of Business Ethics.

    [8] Anglia Ruskin University (ARU). Psychopaths would spark a financial crisis for profit. ARU News.

    [9] Henley Business School. Are psychopath leaders stifling sustainability and business transformation? Henley News.

    [10] S. Latif, M. Z. Alam, M. A. Aziz, and F. Saif. The role of dark triad leadership in manipulative accounting, accountability mechanism and economic inequality reinforcement: a theoretical approach. International Journal of Ethics and Systems.

    [11] Psychopathic Selection Hypothesis Book – Medium


    [12] The Psychopathic Selection Hypothesis: Evolutionary Fitness – Medium

    The Western Media Farce of a Ukraine “Peace”

    As of mid -March 2025, Western mainstream media speak as one, saying ‘Putin’ doesn’t want a ceasefire, he wants to continue the war’.

    However Putin and the Russian Federation are simply reiterating the conditions for peace they have made for the past 3 years; which would be of course be of no surprise to NATO or to Western media- but they pretend they are. MSM seem to imply that Russia should simply say ‘yes’ to a temporary ceasefire while Ukraine is then rearmed by Europe and the US after its devastating defeat in the Kursk salient and along the line of combat in Eastern Ukraine, continues to plan to be part of NATO and continues to conduct war crimes against Russian-speakers- both within Eastern Ukraine and also recently in the now liberated Russian Kursk salient.

    Russia’s conditions thus include the elimination of the well-documented persecution and murder of Russian speakers in Ukraine, (which naturally means the elimination of the Bandera-cult extremists who have attempted to implement their ethnically ‘pure’-Ukraine fiction.) Ukraine is, and has always been over the past 500 years, with its constantly shifting borders, a place where multiple ethnicities have always lived: Romanians, Hungarians, Russians, Jews, Gypsies and Poles.

    Strangely the well-documented evidence of Kiev’s assaults on its civilian population in Eastern Ukraine (and particularly the thousands of civilian deaths from shelling in Donetsk City since 2014) never make the Western press.

    And while we hear, as we should, about the deaths of Ukrainian civilians at Russian hands, we hear nothing about the missile strikes on civilians in Russia by Ukraine, many of which do not appear to be ‘accidental’ .

    Russia has consistently demanded that Ukraine return to its neutral status that it legislatively agreed to when it became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia has consequently also demanded that Ukraine no longer be massively armed by the West so that it can no longer threaten Russia’s borders.

    The fiction by European powers that they can be ‘peacekeepers” on the ground in Ukraine is simply ridiculous. Countries that have aggressively supplied and targeted the other side in a war cannot subsequently become ‘peacekeepers’- they are co-belligerents, and remain so until the war completely ends. A co-belligerent therefore cannot ever be a ‘peace-keeper’ – this is just a simplistic ruse by the Europe to create a backdoor opportunity for Ukraine to become part of NATO and for the Ukraine to continue its fight with Russia. What is also never mentioned in MSM is that Europe does not have the military capacity-either in war-machines or troops, to be a significant threat to Russia. European ‘peacekeepers’ would therefore become a trip-wire for the US to become directly involved militarily if European troops were attacked in Ukraine.

    The neocon and very influential in Washington ‘thinktank’: the Atlantic Council has naturally accused Russia of using the NATO issue as an excuse to keep fighting- somehow ignoring the fact that one of Russia’s stated key reasons for starting the war was precisely because of the NATO threat.

    We are continually told by Western media that Putin cannot be trusted to make a deal- yet it is indisputably the West who have lied and cheated their way through the Minsk 1 and 2 peace agreements to enable Ukraine to keep fighting, and scuppered the peace agreement agreed to by Ukraine with Russia in Istanbul in 2022.

    We are told that the US pouring millions into Ukraine before the Maidan coup in 2014 , and US politicians like Senators John McCain and Chris Murphy  and US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland explicitly supporting the nationalist extremists on the Maidan, is all a myth. We are also told falsely that the deposed President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych was a corrupt dictator, when in fact he was democratically elected; (although indeed corrupt , like EVERY other Ukrainian president since independence).

    Such evidence online in Western media’s reports and analysis is strangely hard to come by. Western media have demonstrated that they do not exist to provide bi-partisan evidence to allow people to make up their own minds about the history and current situation in Ukraine, they exist to ensure that the NATO narrative is the only narrative to be heard.

    Plainly the ‘needs’ of Western politicians and businesses (and even University ‘analysts’) to explain this ‘unprovoked’ war by Russia in as simplistic and dishonest way as possible to ensure their financial gains and power, outweigh the needs of Western populations to be accurately informed of the realities of this awful war.

    ___________________________________

    Links

    https://www.publicinternationallawandpolicygroup.org/lawyering-justice-blog/2024/12/17/the-istanbul-communique-a-blueprint-for-ukraines-capitulation-1

    https://www.crisisgroup.org/content/conflict-ukraines-donbas-visual-explainer

    https://jacobin.com/2022/02/maidan-protests-neo-nazis-russia-nato-crimea

    Duplicity Unmasked -2024 and beyond..

    2024 was a year when the total duplicity of the Western world and its media was exposed about the state of the world for all the world to see

    2024 was a year when the total duplicity of the Western world and its media was exposed about the state of the world for all the world to see -the political machinations and the true state of the environmental crisis…

    For the last 70 years and more, the West’s politicians and its media have talked about their fight for freedom justice and democracy against a corrupt and evil non-West. Israel’s genocidal war has changed all of that. The West’s unequivocal ‘moral’ and military backing of the mass-murder in Gaza has exposed the high moral talk as just that- bullshit.

    And it is not as if this wasn’t evident 50 years ago with the West’s genocide in Korea, then Iraq, or Libya to name just a few- but Gaza has exposed the true horror of what the West stands for in bloodstained clarity.

    And in Ukraine, the West’s portrait of the war has gone from simply being inaccurate and simplistic to downright lies. Somehow we are led to believe that Russia will accept a ceasefire and freeze the fighting because President Trump says so- despite the years of lies to the Russians from the West about signed peace agreements and non expansion of NATO etc. e.g. The BBC’s ridiculous propagandist in Moscow, Steven Rosenberg , reinterprets facts to pretend that Russia’s economy is struggling and that 80% of the Russian public don’t support the war.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/ce327we7w7zo

    But even though all the evidence points to Russia pushing the Ukrainian forces back by tens of kilometers each day -despite the many billions in Western arms Kiev has received in the past 3 years -Western politicians and military commanders are convinced that Russia is desperate to end the war on any terms. And thus Western politicians and and media continue to pretend that the Russians are somehow primitive, almost sub-human beings, quite unlike those Western sophisticates in the capital of Europe and US. Sadly Ukrainians bought into that well-manufactured European myth, which resulted in the death and injury of more than half a million Ukrainian men to date. And if the reality does not square with our beliefs, we’ll bend reality to suit our beliefs.

    In Syria we are told that the ex-Al Qaeda leaders of the new ‘democratic’ Syria are now the good guys, and we can forget all about their head-chopping adventures of the past.

    And of course we simply don’t hear in the West how the French brutal colonial military are being pushed out of their African ex-colonial states one by one -as new African leaders expose French exploitation of their countries.(Gabon, Senegal, Cote d,Ivoire, Niger to name a few….)

    But by far the biggest brutal silence and lie is the fact that we can continue to pretend its ‘business as usual” with our hedonist consumer lifestyles as the world’s climate continues its ever more rapid descent into total unpredictability and chaos. Our century and a half of ‘normality’-of endless consumerism and abundance in the West, is on its way out-yet the world’s media and politicians continue to pretend everything is just fine– current conditions are just a minor glitch in humanity’s onward march of progress to….. somewhere.

    What to me is most disturbing in all of this debacle for the West’s populations and then for the rest of humanity’s global populations, is the total lack of compassion, humanity or kindness in any of the decisions that caused both the rise of the West as brutal and exploitative colonial powers, and its inevitable fall through ideological rigidity and pure stupidity: this insane insistence on making money at any cost to one’s soul and one’s humanity and now for our very survivability on this planet.

    When did humanity lose its way? I suspect it arose when man decided he was above all other living things-that those ‘others’ were simply to be exploited for his benefit, rather than co-inhabitants on this planet with equal rights and deserving of equal respect and kindness. Rather than relying on our inate ‘knowledge’ that we must respect all living things to be fully human, we have fabricated ideologies (thought-games) that constructed, and continue to construct, mythologies and rationales for our brutality and savagery against other humans and other species. Those who descend into those mind-games, have indeed lost their souls

    ___________________________________________

    Links

    https://www.moonofalabama.org/2024/12/a-year-to-soon-be-forgotten-.html#comments

    https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/74/12/812/7808595?login=false

    https://www.moonofalabama.org/2025/01/ukraine-sitrep.html#more

    http://www.defenddemocracy.press/the-scientific-pain-of-climate-change-shifting-narratives-of-acceptance-and-avoidance-in-climatology/

    Don’t Buy This Product We’re Advertising!

    Girl in a Natural World

    Have you ever seen that kind of email header in your inbox? -hmmm-maybe not!

    (Note: this post has been reproduced with the kind permission of changethatmind.com )

    Our ‘modern’ society puts enormous pressure on all of us to consume and buy more; whether it’s the ads you see pop up on your smartphone as you scan the web, your social media accounts, your local newspaper or your TV, the billboards on your way to work or on  the public transport you use-the exhortation to buy, buy, buy is constant and ever more insistent.

    And our politicians extol the virtues of an ever bigger GDP, of ever more ‘progress’.

    And we are all the victims of this propaganda war; we can’t escape, and we all succumb to one degree or another. We feel the need to have something more modern, something better something bigger, something more ostentatious, or even just keeping up with our friends, family or colleagues to have something at least as good as theirs. Why is that, do you think?

    We’ve all heard that stuff about there’s only one Earth, but we all act like we don’t believe it and keep consuming enough for at least two! Maybe you’ve noticed how every year there’s a little less greenery, a little more concrete, or even how there’s far fewer bugs that splatter on your car windscreen, or that you don’t hear the birds you used to hear and see when you were younger.

    Do you ever wonder why almost all the things we buy are inanimate things? -made of plastic, metal or dead plants?

    So as our human population increases more and more, and every one of us wants more and more on this lonely little planet- what’s going to give?

    And what can we do instead of consuming more and more?

    ‘Take the Jump’ has some great suggestions on how to decrease your footprint in the world…

    Take The Jump

    What if we all reduced our consumption back to the level of what was being consumed in the 1950s in the West? How hard would that be?

    The ‘de-growth’ strategists give us a realist’s views of what we need to do to save our planet, and live a fulfilled, joyful and connected life.

    Below is CNBC’s take on what degrowth means…

    And then there other parallel strategies that can also help reduce our footprint like reducing the stuff or ‘clutter’ in your home.  ‘Homes & Gardens’ have some great ideas on reducing clutter. And there can be a certain pleasure in letting others get some enjoyment from the things you no longer need; whether it’s donating them to a charity or recycling agency, or selling them on Ebay or whatever your country’s equivalent online trader happens to be.

    There’s no doubt our world is changing, and humans.  inevitably, will have to change along with those changes- whether we choose to, or whether nature chooses for us.

    Our making the choice for ourselves now is so much the better choice!

    To a more fulfilled life and better world!

    Paul at ChangeThatMind.com

    Note that ChangeThatMind is not an affiliate of ANY of the agencies noted in this post; and thence does NOT receive any payment on any of the products not sold through this website!)

    Other Relevant Posts

    Discover Hope for Humanity’s Future

    https://www.the-trouble.com/content/2024/1/16/repair-the-rift-a-review-of-slow-down

    New Zealand’s Media Complicity in Israeli War Crimes

    The following is my letter of complaint to Television New Zealand 1, who published the following report on the context of the Palestine/Israel situation on 16th October.(at 23 minutes into the news)

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/one-news-at-6pm/episodes/s2023-e289

    ‘Dear Sir/Madam,

    Your news reporter, Simon Mercer undertook what was supposedly intended as an historical outline of the issues for Israelis and Palestinians on TVNZ1 news last night in relation to the current hostilities in Palestine/Israel.


    Simon talked about the lead up to 1948 when Israel militants took control of Palestine (the Nakba), but for some strange reason neglected to mention the 700,000 Palestinians who were forcibly removed from their homes in Palestine and moved at gunpoint to refugee camps by the Israelis and later the two prison camps in Gaza and the West Bank. Simon also failed to mention the thousands of Palestinians killed by the Israeli military in 1948 .

    Simon also failed to mention the subsequent massacres of thousands of Palestinians in refugee camps by Israelis and their enablers since 1948 and the fact that every day since then (for 75 years) Israelis have been murdering, torturing , imprisoning and dispossessing Palestinians of their homes.

    Western governments, particularly the US and UK and their media, have played a key part in colluding with these Israeli war crimes so that their populations are largely unaware of these events, and clearly TVNZ as an ‘independent’ news media outlet, also considers it important to omit these facts as well.

    By doing so, TVNZ is colluding in the immensity of Israel’s war crimes over 75 years and allows that brutality to continue.

    I would request that in the interests of no longer continuing to
    collude in war crimes, as well as the safety of the Palestinian people, let alone compassion for their constant suffering, that you publish a fair and balanced historical outline of what has really happened in Israel/Palestine since 1947, as well as the current situation

    Please note I will be publishing this complaint on my blog, as well as your response.”

    TVNZ Response to Come…..

    _________________________

    Links

    Western media’s parroting of official lies is paving way to genocide in Gaza (jonathan-cook.net)

    New Zealand Politicians all support the “International Rule Based Order”

    The recent tragedy of the attacks by Hamas on Israeli, are just one more example where NZ politicians rightly condemn the violent attacks by Hamas but do not condemn the root cause of them, the brutal 75 years of genocide against Palestinians by the Israeli government, military and their settler thugs.

    As a New Zealander I have often made complaints to our State funded television broadcaster, TVNZ about their blatant bias towards a U.S. view of international events

    Neither do our media or our gutless political science academics like Robert Patman ever report on the Nakba and Israel’s ongoing genocide. ‘For many Palestinians the status quo is not working for them“, Mr Patman says- not working?- you mean Palestinians are a bit annoyed about being murdered, tortured and imprisoned by a brutal racist regime for 75 years!-and the “international rule based order ” that Mr Patman so fervently eulogises about is the very one that has allowed the United States to brutally and genocidaly invade Vietnam, Iraq, Syria, Libya ad infinitum, as Mr Patman well knows- but of course to Mr Patman those are not important issues.

    And it is precisely because of the US’s self-defined ‘international rules based order’ that Israel has consistently over many years been able to be in breach of its obligations as a state to protect Palestinians, to return lands stolen by the state and settlers to their rightful Palestinian owners, and its illegal use of collective punishment of Palestinians.

    So one can see that our NZ academics are as a-moral and gutless as our NZ politicians.

    And our New Zealand news media are also as guilty and corrupted in this process, as the following article about RadioNZ and its “Putin Propaganda’ concerns, clearly demonstrates. https://consortiumnews.com/2023/10/07/new-zealands-russian-edits-scandal-how-a-national-broadcaster-demonized-the-truth/. The RNZ journalist had re-edited propaganda articles from Reuters and other sources about the Ukraine war to instead provide factual information and greater background- and of course telling the real facts was just playing to ‘Putin’s agenda’ -as the RNZ CEO pointed out!

    One of our main online news media in New Zealand, ‘Stuff’ recently posted an article about Hamas and Israel entitled ‘Hamas Apologists are Siding with Evil -End of Discussion’. The author, one Damien Grant is supposedly a ‘libertarian”- although clearly the liberties that Grant espouses dont apply to Palestinians. Disregarding all facts, Damien exhorts his readers to believe that Israel is not a genocidal entity that has imprisoned Gazans for 18 years- and for many of them; since 1948-is not an entity that rations food and water and all other services. Damien assures us that ‘For those in the territories, Israel allows as much self-governance as its security can tolerate”. In his most superbly farcical and tragically criminal statement Damien states ‘to be sure, sometimes their (Israeli) security forces respond to militant attacks that result in Palestinian civilian deaths, but no Palestinian music festival has seen hundreds attacked, murdered, and kidnapped’. Is Damien trying to suggest that Palestinians are permitted by their persecutors to hold music festivals? Perhaps while Palestinian families are searching for their next meal? Such is the level of ‘ignorance’ (to be charitable) that continues to condemn Palestinians to a life of imprisonment and persecution under Israeli rule.

    What is obviously more important than truth and facts is to follow the ‘Rule Based International Order” ( or there will be repercussions…)

    __________________________________

    Links

    New Zealand’s ‘Russian Edits Scandal’ — How a National Broadcaster Demonized the Truth
    Chris Hedges: Palestinians Speak Israel’s Language
    Craig Murray: Condemnation

    https://consortiumnews.com/2023/10/13/lawless-in-gaza-why-west-backs-israel-no-matter-what/

    I’m all right Jack! …..

    Growing up as a child in the mid 20th century in New Zealand, I learnt a common kiwi satirical saying. ‘I’m all right Jack’ referred to those us New Zealanders who believed everything was going well for them and they didn’t care how anybody else was managing. The “I’m all right Jack’ kind of guy would do anything he/she liked and didn’t concern himself with the consequences of their actions for others…Back then we lived in a relatively closed island community, shipping was the primary transport in and out of New Zealand and radio shortwave from the outside world, our society was a social welfare community; an understanding that our government and citizens had a responsibility to support and protect those who were more vulnerable than ourselves.

    It was certainly not the perfect society; monocultural, intolerant of difference and non ‘white’ races, with hidden seams of family abuse and violence. Some things have changed for the better over the years, but the ‘I’m all right Jack’ culture-though no longer a phrased commonly used, is rampant as it is everywhere across the globe. It is an Ayn Rand socio/psychopathic kind of culture: I have a right to do whatever I wish, and to hell with the consequences for anyone else.

    But today, more than at any other time in history, individual humans can no longer avoid the collective impact of their actions. There are simply too many of us on this planet – there is no other refuge, no unexplored wilderness, where we can go when things turn out badly.

    The urgency for all humans, particularly those in the West, to dramatically change the way we live our lives has never been more immediate. Despite all the hype, we can not ‘grow’ our way out of our environmental catastrophe (climate change and biodiversity loss). Neither can we stop that catastrophe from ocurring; but we can at least even now limit the extent of the damage.

    We must return to a simpler life; a happier more content life, and a life that celebrates all other living things. We can either choose this new direction or we will be forced upon us against our wills.

    This planet will survive; the question is will humans and other species living here now, survive the cataclysmic changes to our world that are upon us?

    ____________________________________________

    Links

    https://www.commondreams.org/news/natureserve-40-animals-extinction-us

    A Descent into Fantasyland

    All wars are, without doubt, pointless, tragic and foolish affairs that also play a significant part in destroying the remainder of our natural environment and a future for our children.

    Western media are continuously playing a looped recording that Ukraine and its president Zelensky are defending the ‘free world’ – democratic ‘white” nations- against the evil Russian hordes. What is most interesting is that the language used in this messaging is consistent right across the Western media, regardless of the country you live in .

    The downright lies and half truths about Ukraine that I read and hear about from New Zealand media are the identical lies and half-truths that are being published in the U.K. the U.S. or anywhere in Western Europe.

    We are for instance told :

    • That the Russian and its allied armies are, any day now, going to run out of ammunition, equipment or manpower.
    • That the Ukrainian army will (very soon) start pushing the Russians back to the Russian border, and perhaps beyond..
    • That the Kiev government is a free and democratic state, fighting a desperate war against unprovoked aggression.
    • The Russians are bombing themselves in a nuclear power plant that they took from Ukraine in March 2022.

    And we are for instance not told :

    In the last few days we have also heard about the killing of the daughter of the ‘ultra-nationalist” Alexander Dugin. Dugin is, in my opinion, an obnoxious idealogue who has for many years promoted a Russia first meme. However nobody deserves to die because of their beliefs, (let alone their children) – be they Russian, Ukrainian or any other nationality.

    What is however scary, is the identical use of language by Western media in describing Dugin as an ‘ultra-nationalist” – what exactly an ‘ultra-nationalist’ is, as opposed to simply being a ‘nationalist’, is somewhat unclear- but one is left with the clear understanding that only Russians can be ‘ultranationalists’ (or for that matter ‘oligarchs’) and never of course those Americans who have the ludicrous belief in the United States as the ‘exceptional nation’ who wanders the world doing good deeds for the benefit of those of us who are less enlightened.

    Patriotism is one of the scourges of humanity; an absurd belief in the superiority of the culture and land to which you were accidentally born into. A scourge that blights and distorts the mind into believing that any action ; however intrinsically evil it is, is good as long as it benefits the country you were born in.

    We see that evil in the blue and gold banners that enswathes everything in Ukraine, the United State’s ‘Stars and Stripes’, and the blue white and red flag of Russia, to name but three.

    So now, as Westerners, we are told to hate all Russians, all Chinese, because they are a threat to our expensive lifestyles….And as true patriots, we should consume more, build more and destroy more , because we are the epitome of ‘civilisation’.

    And all the while, we move ever faster into a new world where the climate is already more unpredictable and dangerous, where global warming and sea-levels continue to rise and rise for the next hundred, maybe thousand years, and where we ever more rapidly, destroy what is left of our living world.

    Western media may pay occasional lip-service to the climate ’emergency’ (as though it will conveniently go away in the next few years if we just try harder), but refuse to say out loud the only solution we have to this global catastrophe- to drastically reduce consumption.

    And why?- because their media profit margins and their sponsors depend on more economic ‘growth’.

    So it becomes clear that the only path to ‘de-growth’, and retaining some semblance of a live-able world for humans and other species, is one where Gaia herself creates that economic destruction.

    When hurricanes, huge storms, enormous amounts of rainfall, oppressive high temperatures and sea level rise ( among many other ‘natural’ impacts), result in it being impossible to buy insurance for industry to sell your products or to have a market where people can no longer afford to buy your useless junk; only then will we start to see a return to a sustainable (but hotter) world where all species can live in harmony, and even some contentment!

    Media have indoctrinated us all to believe that we need to consume more, do more, travel more – that we cannot live lives of contentment without all those things we need to buy and consume..

    Its a lie.

    _______________________________________________

    Links

    https://en.interaffairs.ru/article/did-cia-train-ukrainian-torturers/

    https://thescrum.substack.com/p/head-spinning-disorientation?

    Ukraine’s Massive Money Laundering Scam
    https://www.thepostil.com/the-hidden-truth-about-the-war-in-ukraine/
    American Hegemony and the Politics of Provocation
    https://scheerpost.com/2022/07/26/chris-hedges-the-dawn-of-the-apocalypse/
    https://thegrayzone.com/2022/07/30/zelensky-militants-convicted-child-rape-torture-military/

    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2022-08-23/meaning-darya-dugina-assassination

    https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukraine-draft-law-5371-workers-rights-war-russia/

    https://rumble.com/v1dqx82-bidens-shame-the-8-minute-expose-of-ukraines-biggest-lies.html