People, power, change
As we head into some summer holiday time it’s a chance to reflect on the challenges and successes of 2017 — but mainly the successes!
I’ve had the privilege this year to work alongside the community campaigners using the OurActionStation platform. I’ve seen first hand the passion and dedication each brings to their cause, and be able to support and collaborate on the campaigns they lead to effect change.
In just the last six months we’ve supported campaigns that stopped a water bottling factory being built opposite Porotī Springs; prompted a review of changes to kindergartens that was going ahead without consultation with parents; seen the Healthy Homes Bill passed in Parliament; initiated a review of recycling in Hamilton City Council; and been part of the move by supermarkets to ban plastic bags!
Below are the stories of some of the highlights.
Better recycling systems
Hemi May and Troy, with the support of Anna from the Go Eco centre, started a campaign to get Hamilton City Council to recycle all kinds of plastic from numbers 1 through to 7, as other councils already do. At present it recycles types just 1 and 2.
After gathering enough signatures to be officially accepted, Hemi May delivered the petition, spoke in person to the Council last week and initiated a review of the recycling system! The Council also voted for the inclusion of a full range of kerbside recycling in their draft ten year plan.
The OurActionStation platform has enabled us to engage a wide range of people in calling for waste minimisation. We were readily able to communicate with people who care about reducing our waste to landfill.
— Anna Cox, campaigner
Read more: Council looks into cost of collecting all recyclable plastic
Saving the spring
In August Millan Ruka, representative of Te Uroiori, Te Parawhau and Te Mahurehure ki Whatitiri hapū, was facing an uphill battle, single-handedly putting together a submission to try and stop the application for a water bottling factory at Porotī Springs near Whangarei. The hapū has battled for decades with the council trying to regain control of their pure water source.
The proposed factory was against the wishes of local community, and if built would not only threatened the purity of the spring and aquifer but also add increased traffic and industrial activity in the local community around Porotī Reserve.
Using OurActionStation Millan mobilised over 1300 ActionStation members to come together to make submissions against the factory. These actions showed the applicant Zodiac Holdings the overwhelming opposition it was facing for the consent to build the factory, and as a result, Zodiac withdrew their application.
“From all our supporters and our hapu Te Uriroroi, Te Parawhau, Te Mahurehure of Whatitiri we thank you and the team of ActionStation for providing this platform for democracy.” — Millan Ruka, campaigner
Zodiac Holdings still have access to the hapū-owned water, so this is just one step in the campaign for Millan. The ActionStation community will be ready to again take action to protect the local community’s rights to the spring.
Parents speak up
Jo Jukes has been leading a campaign by parents to ask for proper consultation on the proposed changes to Auckland Kindergarten hours. The Auckland Kindergarten Association (AKA) were proposing changes meaning more hours and higher costs without asking the parents what they thought.
The initial petition gained a supporter base of over 2000 people, enabling Jo to invite them to an active Facebook group and to take further actions. Jo invited parents to stand up to join their local kindergarten committees and at the recent AGM three parent nominees were elected onto the AKA Board.
In response to the campaign the Board have halted the proposed changes and are appointing an independent reviewer to reassess them.
Read more: Kindergarten revolt: Shift to fee-paying daycare scrapped, NZ Herald
Healthy housing
One of ActionStation’s core campaigns in 2017 has been the People’s Review of Renting. The Medical Students for Global Awareness (MSGA) added their voices to the call for better housing standards, emphasising the health costs to New Zealanders caused by poor housing conditions.
MSGA had a simple call to action, to support the passing of proposed legislation, the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill. They gained over 1000 signatures for the petition and delivered it in person on Parliament steps to Labour Party spokesman Phil Twyford.
Twyford is now the Minister for Housing and two weeks ago the Bill was the second piece of legislation to be passed by the new government.
[We] could not have done it without ActionStation! [It provided a] platform for collecting signatures, great advice, great network to access support. [We gained] social media exposure, and politicians willing to meet us to accept petition. — Josh, MSGA
Supermarkets go plastic bag-free
When Tim Pate started his petition in July asking Countdown to ‘ban the bag’ and stop using single-use plastic bags they said ‘no’, despite their parent company, Woolworths Australia, having done so — showing it was possible.
Of course Tim’s was one of several voices asking our supermarkets to go plastic bag free, but the timing was perfect and added to the pressure on Countdown to declare an end to the use of single-use plastic bags, which it did in October. New World followed suit one week later!
Tim had originally gathered hundreds of supporters around a call to the Wellington City Council to ‘ban the bag’, then changed targets once finding out the local councils didn’t have the power to do that.
Much more to come
Stay in touch for the chance to take action together in 2018. Besides these visible successes there is a chance for progress on other current OurActionStation campaigns.
For example ActionStation supported Anneleise to deliver her petition ‘Justice for state abuse survivors’ (supporting Nga Morehu, the survivors, and the Human Rights Commission’s campaign #NeverAgain). An inquiry is now one of the first 100-day priorities for the new government.
This will a big step forward in acknowledging the painful experiences of people in state care, examining its role in the high numbers of the prison population, and towards a healing for New Zealand as a society.
Read more about Nga Morehu: Our nation let them down — it’s time for us to stand with them and Our stolen generation: a slow genocide.
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The campaigners I’ve had the chance to work with and support this year have all shown a combination of passion, dedication, and strategy to win their campaigns.
OurActionStation is not just a petition platform, it’s a means by which every day people can create the change they see is needed. It fosters hope and connects people with supporters. It shows all of us that we have the power to make change.
See you in 2018!
Eliot, for the ActionStation team
P.S. Would you like to see ActionStation put the energy and resources towards supporting more community campaigns such as these in 2018?
ActionStation’s support for community campaigning is made possible only through the contributions made by people like you. Your contribution, however big or small, will go to support successful campaigns such as these, on the issues that matter most to our communities.
