Probably the best culture jamming-mashing up I've ever seen. Chris Morris presents Bush's state of the union address.

http://www.nandor.net.nz/virtual/media/video/Chris_Morris_BushWhacked_2.mov

1.What are your views on nuclear power?

I believe that New Zealand should continue to bar nuclear weapons or nuclear powered vessels from our shores and should not have nuclear power within New Zealand. I also believe that New Zealand should be at the forefront of efforts to stop nuclear weapons proliferation.

2. What is your personal opinion on the issues?

I believe that nuclear power has no role in the energy future of New Zealand and campaigners must stay vigilant to ensure that neither nuclear weapons nor nuclear power are brought to New Zealand. Having had contacts with people exposed to radioactive material, and having seen how this can destroy a healthy life, I believe that it is a technology best left out of New Zealand.

3. Should New Zealand consider using nuclear power of any form?

No we should not. We are in an envious position internationally, where we have ample electivity production, primarily through renewable sources, so have no need like France to produce electricity through nuclear generation. Nuclear energy cannot be separated from nuclear weapons; we are safest being nuclear free.

4. Can New Zealand influence the rest of the world on nuclear issues? If so

Yes we can. That was why the U.S. reacted with such fury at New Zealand we refused nuclear warships from entering our shores. The U.S were not concerned per-se of NZ stopping their ships, rather from the example we would set to the world, that nuclear weapons are not inevitable or desirable.

5. Do you think there is still a general anti-nuclear outlook amongst New Zealanders?

Yes I believe it is. The latest election proved that. Twenty years on, and our nuclear free status, and its role within the break-up of the ANZUS alliance is still being discussed at election time. Polls continually show that New Zealanders are proud of their nuclear free legislation and want it to continue.

6. At this time, how important is it that New Zealand remains nuclear free?

Very important. More and more countries are going to or have joined the nuclear weapons club (such as North Korea, Israel, Pakistan, India, Iran); this drastically heightens the Worlds risk for nuclear war. In 1991 it was thought the World was moving back from the pr4cipice of nuclear destruction, however with increased proliferation, the threat does not have nor decreased, it has increased.

A secondary issue is that nuclear waste is shipped through our territory, or nearby (shipments of nuclear fuels from France and to Japan and vice versa- for reprocessing), in the Tasman Sea. This is a risk to New Zealand both in terms of our safety but also as a terrorist risk. The companies involved have not been honest in the past in regards to their safety records and this is a clear threat that the NZ government needs to oppose.

7. What part does today’s New Zealand youth play in the nuclear issues? (For
now and the future?)

An important role. Many are too young to remember the nuclear ship protests, David Lange’s Oxford debate, the signing of the nuclear free legislation or the ANZUS break-up. These were important points in New Zealand's history and need to be remembered. New Zealand’s youth need to continue that work, and encourage other countries to go nuclear free and oppose nuclear weapons in all its forms.

8. Could NZ maintain our "clean, green" image AND integrate nuclear power?

It depends who you talk to. An eminent scientist like James Lovelock (founder of the Gaia theory) believes so. However whilst nuclear power does not produce carbon dioxide which alters the world's climate -which is with out a doubt the most pressing issue facing humanity it does not mean that nuclear power is green. Firstly our nuclear free status is one of the foundations of our clean and green view, taking that away, weaken that part of New Zealand. Secondly nuclear power is not green. It produces massive amounts of radioactive waste that stays dangerous far longer than a humans life, has safety risks for workers and people living nearby, has massive safety risks of meltdowns that can affect whole societies, there is still the problem of how do you shut down a nuclear power station, the inevitable link between nuclear power fuel and nuclear weapons, the risk of terrorism the damaging affects of nuclear fuel mining. Lastly it is too expensive for New Zealand and only operates internationally thanks to massive government sponsored subsidies

9. Where can you see New Zealand’s nuclear policies heading in the future?

I think New Zealand will continue on its current path as a world leader in non-proliferation.

10. How has New Zealand’s' nuclear free identity evolved since the 1970's in
your view?

It now is a core and defining feature of New Zealand international persona, it is also how New Zealanders see us in relation to the world. We like to think of ourselves as world leaders as pioneers, we also like to think that we are fair, go for the underdog and ethical. Those values are still in existence today amongst the next generation.

Nominations for the 2006 DICK (Destructive Industry Connected to Killing) NZ Awards and the 'Guided Missiles and Misguided Men' Awards for Government Politicians are now open.

The 2006 DICK NZ Awards are your opportunity to say what you think about the companies who profit from bloodshed and war, and the politicians who support it. This information is available online at

http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/dick06.htm

Background to the Awards

Since 1998, the Defence Industry Committee of New Zealand has presented Awards for Excellence at the annual get-together of the NZ Defence Industry Association, the lobby group for companies that profit from bloodshed and war. The criteria for their awards are a mystery - are they for the company whose products have caused the most death and destruction? the company which has had the biggest public subsidy for private profit? the company which has contracts with the most oppressive governments and armed forces around the world?

There is no mystery about the DICK NZ Awards. They recognise the reality of the business of the NZ 'defence' industry. First held in 2001, the DICK NZ Awards returned last year and they are now an annual event.

And there is no mystery about the 'Guided Missiles and Misguided Men' Awards for Government Politicians either - they are awarded to those who by their words and/or actions support bloodshed and war. The name for these Awards is from a statement by Martin Luther King, Jr: "we have guided missiles and misguided men".

Criteria for the DICK NZ Awards

You can nominate any company that is involved in weapons related production, military supplies, or military contracts. The company can be NZ owned, an NZ subsidiary of an overseas company that is involved with weapons production or military contracts here in Aotearoa, or a company that is involved in weapons production or military contracts overseas and is involved in some other way in the NZ economy. The company nominated will have been involved in their offensive activity during 2005 or in 2006 before the closing date.

Please include as much supporting detail as you can with your nomination for each company - cuttings from newspapers or magazines, notes from a radio or TV programme, printed web pages, and so on. If you don't have much in the way of supporting information, please don't let that stop you from making a nomination.

Criteria for the 'Guided Missiles and Misguided Men' Awards for Government Politicians

You can nominate any government politician (including politicians from parties that are in coalition with Labour) who by their words and/or actions support bloodshed and war. The words or actions for which you are nominating the politician will have taken place during 2005 or in 2006 before the closing date. If you are nominating a politician for something they said, please include the direct quote together with the source of it. If you are nominating a politician for something they did, please include as much supporting detail as you can.

The DICK NZ Awards and 'Guided Missiles and Misguided Men' Awards for Government Politicians are organised by No WARP! (Network Opposed to Weapons and Related Production), for more information write to No WARP! c/o Peace Movement Aotearoa, PO Box 9314, Wellington or email <nowarp@xtra.co.nz>

I couldn't help but put this on.

http://www.abstinenceonly.com/

Down in Wellington today to celebrate International Biodiversity Day we had a giant snail slither up Cuba St (without a slime trail), whilst we gathered signatures on the petition to save Mt Augustus and handed out hundreds of flyers.

We had an absolutely great response from the public and TV1 and the DominionPost both turned up. Kids loved to touched the snail and their was a suprisingly high awareness of the issue. It is refreshing to be saving the (what you may desribe as) ugly animals rather than just the pretty whale and seals.

Mt Augustus is to be mined for coal, a dirty polluting old fashioned energy source that causes climate change. It is also the home of the threatened native carnivorous snail Powelliphanta augustus, that Conservation Minister Chris Carter recently decided to move rather than saving its home. See:

www.savehappyvalley.org.nz

It has come as quite a surprise that the Greater Wellington Regional Council is openly discussing getting rid of our iconic trolley buses in favour of dirty diesel buses. The buses existence in Wellington is threatened because of funding and contract disputes between the main players involved with their running, funding and maintenance.

Most would agree that the buses are a unique and special part of Wellingtons landscape and would like to see them stay on our streets. This week, three Wellington MPs, from across the political spectrum, Nationals Mark Blumsky, Labours Marian Hobbs and Green MP Sue Kedgley came out in support of our beleaguered trolley buses, urging for the conflict to be resolved.

The major issue is that Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ), who is mandated to promote sustainable transport, will not fund the buses fairly compared with diesel buses, threatening their survival. LTNZ currently pays half of the operating costs for the trolley buses, but only to the level of half the equivalent costs of running a diesel bus, leaving a funding shortfall that the Regional Council has to pick up. Obviously trolley buses have different costs associated with them such as the overhead wire and electric substations, which require urgent upgrades. This funding shortfall is roughly one million dollars and is picked up by the Wellington Regional Council. Councillor Glen Evans has said that Wellington will lose its buses if ratepayers do not pick up this shortfall, which translates to 2% of rates.

Why should we keep our trolley buses? Our Trolley buses are the envy of other cities in New Zealand, are cleaner, greener and quieter than diesels. The Trolley buses run on electricity, primarily from renewable energy, and when project West Wind comes on board will run on electricity powered by the wind. With Meridian's planning to build 70 turbines at Makara producing approximately 210 megawatts of electricity or more than Wellington's electricity usage. Wellington's fleet of 60 trolley buses would use less than half the electricity produced by one of these turbines. We would have a fleet of buses powered by the wind, capitalizing on our regions famed asset. Having a public transport fleet powered by a non-polluting energy source, Wellington can brand its self as the capital of a clean, green New Zealand. Making the saying a reality not just a marketing slogan. In other countries, public participation of public transport has declined up to 15% in cities where trolley buses have been switched in favour of diesel.

Trolley buses are better than diesel buses and do not pollute Wellington or contribute to climate change. Some commentators have suggested that Wellington does not have a pollution problem because it is too windy here, therefore we should not worry about diesel exhaust emissions. I don't know if you've ever been hit full in the face by a big black cloud of smoke from a diesel bus exhaust as it drives past? I have and it is not a pleasant experience. Just because our pollution blows away, unlike Christchurch, is not an argument to continue producing it.

Then there is diesel's impact upon the world's climate. Diesel buses produce carbon dioxide; a climate changing greenhouse gas, which most scientists unanimously agree is one factor in human induced global warming. The 60 trolley buses
in Wellington saves 600 000 litres of diesel or 1620 tonnes of carbon
dioxide, if they were diesel buses. With climate change science now only rejected by those on the fringes, and New Zealand signing the Kyoto protocol, it just does not make sense to get rid of the trolleys and encourage burning more climate changing
fossil fuels. Transport makes up 40% of New Zealand's C02 emissions, and
scientists have been saying we may not have long left to reduce our
greenhouse gas emissions.

The Trolleys are an essential part of Wellington and are a necessary part of sorting out our transport woes. It appears that our regions decision makers are stuck in a 1960s mindset where every problem requires either burning more fossil fuels or building larger and larger roads. Instead of encouraging walking, car –pooling, cycle lanes, traffic demand management and green car share ownership schemes our Regional Council pushes through the Te Aro bypass, Transmission Gully and now plays with switching the Trolleys to diesel buses.

Trolleys are the greenest public transport option available and our public leaders need to stop dithering and act to resolve the funding crisis between Stagecoach, Vector, Land Transport New Zealand and the Greater Wellington Regional Council. Would this council like to go down in history as the council that lost the trolley buses? I don't believe this decision would be rewarded at the election booths come 2008. Any long-term strategic view incorporating the issues of international oil insecurities, rising oil prices, climate change and peak oil would recognise the trolleys importance. Maintaining the fleet gives us security of transport and is part of future proofing of country against external shocks.

Malcolm Wright is correct, the trolley buses on Wellingtons streets are slow, small and ugly; however they don’t have to be that way. What Wellington needs are a modern refurbished trolley bus fleet and an urgent infrastructure upgrade. Stagecoach has plans to refurbish the entire fleet of 60 trolley buses, replacing the body, seats and windows –essentially new larger buses with some recycled parts being used. Contrary to what he writes and others statements advocating the removal of the trolley bus fleet I believe Wellingtonians want their iconic trolley buses upgraded and see a long-term future for them.

Trolley buses have clear advantages over diesel buses that justify their slightly higher price tag. They are cleaner, greener and quieter. I would also wager more popular too.’ Our trolley buses are the envy of other cities in New Zealand.

Dr Wright writes that there is ‘an environmental subsidy involved in buying trolley buses.’ -that they shift pollution to other communities and increase demand for burning coal. It would take a marketing professor to try and sell the argument that trolleys ‘aren’t even green.’ Trolley buses are powered by electricity from the national grid and because New Zealand does burn some coal and gas (roughly one third of electricity generation) with serious health and environmental effects, this isn’t green at all, but they are powered by roughly two thirds renewable energy –they are a greener option that diesel.

With Meridian’s project West Wind planning to build 70 turbines at Makara producing approximately 210 megawatts of electricity or more than Wellington’s electricity usage. Wellington’s fleet of 60 trolley buses would use less than half the electricity produced by one of these turbines. We would have a fleet of buses powered by the wind, capitalizing on our regions famed asset. On a still day the electricity would still come from the national grid and therefore some non-renewable electricity sources, but on the whole, West Wind will provide on average more electricity than Wellington uses. It is this sort of smart sustainable thinking of a public transport fleet powered by a non-polluting energy source that Wellington can brand its self as the capital of a clean, green New Zealand. Making the saying a reality not just a marketing slogan.

Dr Wright also argues that Wellington does not have a pollution problem and that the wind blows away any diesel particulate matter –‘nothing to worry about.’ I don’t know if you’ve ever been hit in the face by a plume of diesel exhaust as a bus drives past? I have and it’s not a pleasant experience. Trolley buses don’t produce any exhaust emissions. The diesel alternative has further drawbacks of energy supply insecurities and a rapidly increasing price. Diesel prices on average are only going to get more expensive over time; we need to be reducing our dependence on oil not increasing it.

Dr Wright fails to mention burning diesel’s most notorious by-product: Carbon dioxide, a climate changing greenhouse gas. The 60 trolley buses in Wellington saves 600 000 litres of diesel or 1620 tonnes of carbon dioxide. With climate change now only rejected by those on the fringes, and New Zealand signing the Kyoto protocol, it just does not make sense to get rid of the trolleys and encourage burning more climate changing fossil fuels. Transport makes up 40% of New Zealand’s C02 emissions, and scientists have been saying we may not have long left to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Trolleys are the greenest public transport option available and our public leaders need to stop dithering and act to resolve the funding crisis between Stagecoach, Vector, Land Transport New Zealand and the Greater Wellington Regional Council. Would this council like to go down in history as the council that lost the trolley buses? I don’t believe this decision would be rewarded at the election booths come 2008. Any long-term strategic view incorporating the issues of international oil insecurities, rising oil prices, climate change and peak oil would recognise the trolleys importance. Maintaining the fleet gives us security of transport and is part of future proofing of country against external shocks.

The threatened Trolley buses have clear advantages over diesel buses and contrary to what Dr Wright says, are the green option, needed for Wellington’s future. That is why I have been on the street getting signatures on my petition to Land Transport NZ (LTNZ) calling on them to fund the trolley buses fairly. Currently LTNZ pays half of the operating costs for the trolley buses, but only to the level of half the equivalent costs of running a diesel bus, leaving a funding shortfall that the Regional Council has to pick up.

It is obvious that trolley buses have different costs associated with them, such as electric line maintenance and upgrades. LTNZ is mandated to promote sustainable transport, yet by using this absurd funding rate threatens their survival. The Transport Minister needs to convene a meeting between all the parties, and tell LTNZ to pay its half of the actual transport system –trolleys and all –and not just its diesel equivalent. This way the Council does not have to go cap in hand to the people of Wellington to make up the funding shortfall to save our trolleys.

First practice post 12 May