What’s on in Aotearoa/NZ (05/08/15): Thurs – Get Smart! The people’s review of the intelligence agencies

WHAT’S ON IN AOTEAROA

WORKING TO STAY SAFE ACTIONS ACROSS NZ FROM TODAY
http://union.org.nz/health-safety-campaign/towns-were-visiting

Wednesday, August 5, 6-7pm, Lecture Theatre 039, Clock Tower Building, University of Auckland
Transformative Potential of a Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons: Lecture by Tim Wright. Sponsored by the Faculty of Law, the International Law Association and the NZ Institute of International Affairs, Tim Wright, Asia Pacific Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons will talk about the need for a Treaty to ban nuclear weapons. Despite the nuclear non-proliferation treaty there is no ban. Tim will talk about the global and humanitarian advantage to promoting the development of a nuclear weapons ban. RSVP to lawevents

Wednesday, August 5, 7-9pm, Pt Chevalier School, 7 Te Ra Rd, Pt Chevalier, Auckland
The Coalition of Selwyn Supporters is calling for dignity, equality and a Living Wage at the Selwyn Foundation. Come along to hear about the aged care industry and why the Living Wage is important for Selwyn residents, families, workers and communities.
Keynote speakers:
Professor JUDY MCGREGOR – author of ‘Caring Counts’ – the report of the inquiry into the aged care workforce
http://bit.ly/1KjD6wT
Dr JACKIE BLUE – Equal Opportunities Commissioner – Jackie works closely on issues to do with fair pay for carers.
Rev. CHARLES WALDEGRAVE – Researcher on the Living Wage calculated rate.
http://www.livingwage.org.nz/reports_and_research

Thursday, August 6, 12.15pm, Peace Palace, 22 Emily Place, Auckland
Pray with us on Hiroshima Day. Thursday 6 August is the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb, "Little Boy" on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, an event that launched the horrific prospect of catastrophic nuclear war on the world. Join us at the Peace Place, 22 Emily Place, Auckland City at 12.15 pm on Thursday 6th August as we pray for the victims of Hiroshima and all nuclear weaponry and reflect on what we can do to ensure that such weapons of mass destruction are never used again. A poster advertising this event is attached. Please feel free to forward to your networks.

Thursday, 6 August 6:30pm Grey Lynn Library Hall 474 Great North Rd, Auckland

Get Smart! The people’s review of the intelligence agencies. The Government’s review of the intelligence agencies is widely seen as hobbled before it even begins, but it does provide us with the impetus to review the intelligence agencies ourselves. Come along to have your say about what should happen to the GCSB, the SIS, and New Zealand’s participation in the Five Eyes spy network. Hosted by the NZ Council for Civil Liberties. Please help us to spread the word.
Speakers – Thomas Beagle – NZCCL/Tech Liberty
Maire Leadbeater – Indonesian Human Rights Committee, author of Peace, Power & Politics
Other speakers to be confirmed
More information: http://nzccl.org.nz/content/get-smart-intelligence-review

Thursday, August 6, 5.3opm, Hopetoun Alpha, 19 Beresford St, Auckland

Thursday, August 6, 11am, Peace Pole, Otago Museum Reserve.
“Remember Hiroshima – Ban Nuclear Weapons!”. Peace Vigil. We encourage you to join us in a public ceremony to commemorate the dropping of the nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 at the exact time of the bomb – which here in NZ is at 11:15am. As people gather for the ceremony the O-Taiko drummers will perform. Richard Jackson, director of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, will introduce the ceremony. Marian Hobbs, fomer Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, will offer her reflections on this important day and role of NZ in anti-nuclear advocacy. The ceremony will conclude with a poetry reading by a member of Dunedin’s Japanese community, and a moment of silence.

Thursday, August 6, 17:15-19:00, Student Union, Main Common Room. Otago University, Dunedin
NCPACS Public Discussion: From Nuclear Free NZ to Nuclear Free World. We encourage you to join us in a public discussion on the status of, and prospects for, global nuclear disarmament. This event is one in the series of events leading up to this year’s celebration of World Peace Day at Forsyth Barr Stadium. The first portion of the event will be an exchange of views between Dr Kennedy Graham and Tim Wright. Dr Graham holds the global affairs, and defence and disarmament, portfolios of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Tim Wright is the director (Asia Pacific) of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. Dr Sungyong Lee of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies will facilitate. In the seond portion of the event members of the public will be given the opportunity to ask either participant questions.

Friday, August 7, 7.30pm, Auckland Refugee Family Trust Devonport
Mary Meets Mohammed – Movie Fundraiser. Cost: $20 Adult, $10 concessions child. Fundraiser for the Auckland Refugee Family Trust, Mary Meets Mohammed, a moving story about the meeting of Australians and Afghan refugees in a rural Tasmanian town. ARFT will be represented and Tracey Barnett from #wagepeace will speak about her campaign to double NZ ‘s refugee quota. For more information and bookings please contact Michelle mlennan of phone 094457478

Friday, August 7 to Thursday, August 13, 17 Tory Street, Wellington

Friday, August 7, 8-9am, Nga Tapuwae Community Centre 253 Buckland Road Mangere, Auckland

Love Your Neighbour: Briefing on the Climate Crisis from Pacific Leaders. Cost: $18 per person for breakfast and meeting.
Hear Rev Lusama (Tuvalu) and Pacific Climate Warrior Starling Konainao (Solomons) speak on their experience of how climate change is already affecting their nations. Be challenged to join Christian leaders taking action. For tickets, simply click on the link below: http://www.loveyourneighbournz.org/#!find-events/cz37

We have some exciting news! In August we will be bringing you the Love Your Neighbour, Pacific Leaders Climate Tour. We have teamed up with Oxfam, Tearfund, and the Auckland Diocesan Climate Change Action Group to bring Reverend Lusama of Tuvalu, and Pacific Climate Warrior, Starling Konainau of the Solomon Islands, to speak about how climate change is already affecting their nations in Pacific, and how we, as neighbours, can address this injustice and New Zealand’s contribution to it.

As part of the tour Reverend Lusama will be speaking directly to his New Zealand peers, around 300 Christian church ministers, at breakfast events around the country to inspire them to lead their congregations to climate action. This will be a powerful moment for the climate movement in New Zealand, and couldn’t come at a better time after the Pope’s climate-focused encyclical.
There will be free public events in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, where Rev Lusama, Starling, and several other Pacific speakers will give updates from the Pacific, and give us perspective on how we, as Kiwis, can be good neighbours and tackle climate change together.
Auckland: Friday, 7th August, 6-7pm, Fale Pasifika, Auckland University
Christchurch: Monday, 10th August, 3-4pm, Undercroft, James Height Library, Canterbury University
Wellington: Wednesday, 12th August, 6-7pm, Faculty of Law, Victoria University
This is going to be a very exciting opportunity. I strongly encourage you to come along to the event in your centre.
We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Warm winter wishes,

Niamh and the 350 Aotearoa team

AUGUST 8-14 NATIONAL ACTIONS AGAINST TPPA
http://itsourfuture.org.nz/campaigns/tppa-action-week-8-15-august/

Sunday, August 9, 5pm, Auckland Domain Wintergarden, Auckland

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Tamaki Makaurau Branch Hiroshima Day Commemoration. You are warmly invited to attend this 70th year commemoration to remember those who died at Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a result of the atomic bombs dropped on their cities in 1945. Each year we pause to commemorate this occasion and to continue our work for peace, which WILPF has been pursuing for the last 100 years. The programme will include speakers, poetry, crane-making, music
and candle-floating. Candles will be supplied. Contacts : Ruth : ruth.calliope or Joan: joanmac
WILPF Aotearoa is part of the international women’s organisation established in 1915 to bring together women of different political beliefs and philosophies who are united in their determination to study, make known and help abolish the causes and legitimisation of war.

Tuesday, August 11, 9:00am – 11:00am, New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
Talley’s workers support rally: Please come and support these workers! 1000 members of the New Zealand Meat Workers Union at eight AFFCO plants in the North Island have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action on 11 & 12 August. The decision comes after the Talley’s owned company walked away from mediation last week and applied to end bargaining under the government’s new employment laws – the first such application since the law came into effect. www.jobsthatcount.org.nz

Tuesdady, August 11, 7.15pm, IKA Seafood Bar & Grill, 3 Mt Eden Rd, Auckland
IKA + Voyager + The Daily Blog present. Table Talk 5: – TPPA or not TPPA? Doors open 5 pm. This event will book out so book NOW. There will be space at the bar for those who get in early enough and the entire debate will be live streamed on The Daily Blog from 7.15pm and then available on demand afterwards. Join RNZs Wallace Chapman for Table Talk 5 – TPPA or not TPPA? The panel will include
– PROFESSOR JANE KELSEY, UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND LAW FACULTY
– HON. DR WAYNE MAPP, FORMER NATIONAL MP & LAW COMMISSIONER
– MICHAEL BARNETT, CHIEF EXEC AUCKLAND REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
– DR JOSHUA FREEMAN, SPECIALIST MICROBIOLOGIST AT AUCKLAND HOSPITAL
With guest tweeter Sacha Dylan live tweeting the event. This will book out quickly – please book now to avoid disappointment. – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/08/03/table-talk-5-tppa-or-not-tppa/#!prettyPhoto

Wednesday, August 12, 6.30pm – 8.30pm Lecture Theatre 3, Owen G Glenn Building, Auckland University
Jane Kelsey on ‘The FIRE Economy’. Professor Jane Kelsey is one of New Zealand’s best-known public intellectuals. She has taught at the University of Auckland since 1979. She was awarded a Marsden Grant in 2009 to review the neoliberal project in the wake of the global financial crisis, research that forms the basis of her new book The FIRE Economy. You can read more and register for this Auckland event here.

Thursday, August 13, 6.30pm, Lecture Room J1, J Block, Auckland College of Education, 76 Epsom Ave, Auckland 1023
Max Rashbrooke on ‘Why we need to change the way we talk about poverty and inequality’. We are pleased to be able to invite you to hear Max Rashbrooke, the author of Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis, published by BWB, and a leading journalist and researcher on inequality and the case for reform. You can read more and register for this Auckland event here.

Thursday, August 13, 6.30pm, WG608, Sir Paul Reeves Building , AUT City Campus

NO MORE HIROSHIMAS: CIVIL SOCIETY UNITES TO ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) member Emily Watson to speak about the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the humanitarian movement for nuclear disarmament. Emily attended the Treaty Conference in New York in April/May, where she worked with WILPF’s Reaching Critical Will team.
http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/events/seminar-civil-society-unites-abolish-nuclear-weapons-wilpf

Saturday, August 15, 1pm, Aotea Square, Auckland

Thursday, August 20, 12-5pm, Mt Eden War Memorial Hall, 487 Dominion Rd, Balmoral, Auckland
For the past 20 years, Shakti Community Council has been the national ethnic-specialist organisation providing leading work around safety of women and children, domestic violence intervention services and community prevention initiatives in Asian, African and Middle Eastern communities in New Zealand. From the modest start in Auckland in 1995, Shakti has now established 7 organisations (including 5 refuges and 9 other centres) throughout New Zealand. In 2011, spurred by requests and demands for our culturally specialist services in Australia, Shakti took a leap across the Tasman, and set up service centres in Melbourne and Sydney. Most recently, we launched the first multi-lingual and ethnically-specialist toll-free crisis line in Australia.
Across the other side of the globe, a seeding project has begun in Bangladesh. A group of local women as well as women from the Bangladeshi community in New Zealand is working together to establish a support group in Dhaka.
We are confident that we will be able to follow the same successful trajectory in Australia and the rest of the world, leading to better safety outcomes for women and children from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Therefore the time has come for us to celebrate a major milestone – our total of 20 years of having serviced vulnerable migrant and refugee ethnic communities in New Zealand and Australia. It is also time to celebrate the freedom and empowerment women and children have gained through Shakti’s support; to celebrate the social impact that we have made as an ethnic organisation as well as inter-generational social change. We look forward to seeing you there!
Please RSVP to sfsss or call 09 262 0487 by 11th August, 2015

Thursday, August 20, 7pm, The Peace Palace, 22 Emily Place, Auckland City
The Peace Place invites you to join us for the talk Pilgrimage to the Unholy Land – reflections on a recent visit to Bethlehem.
This talk will be given by Kevin and Barbara McBride and Mike and Liz Beazley, two couples who recently attended the 70th anniversary of Pax Christi in Bethlehem (13 – 17 May 2015).
During their visit they were exposed to the current situation in what we are used to calling "The Holy Land". But what they saw in places like Hebron, Jericho and the Palestinian villages of the West Bank was far from holy. Instead they witnessed the daily oppression of military occupation and the unrelenting assimilation of traditional Palestinian villages,grazing lands, plantations and city environments into Israeli settlements and military reserves.
They also shared time and experience with Christian volunteers, Israeli opponents of their government’s policies (such as ‘Breaking the Silence’) and Palestinian townspeople and villagers striving to develop and maintain non-violent resistance to their exclusion from the right to control their own lives and future.
In addition, they saw how Israeli control of water and land resources is being used against traditional land-owners in a very fragile ecological environment and how the land-owners are resisting this.

Tuesday, August 25, 4.30-5.30pm, WA Conference Centre, AUT Univercity City Campus, L2 WA Building, 55 Wellesley St, Auckland
Human Rights and Human Wrongs in NZ with Prof Judy McGregor

Friday, August 28, 6.30pm – 8.30pm Caseroom1, Level 0, Owen G Glenn Building, Auckland University

Bassem Eid – ‘Can the plight of Palestinian rights and justice be resolved by the UN and international level initiatives?’. You are invited to a seminar by Bassem Eid, a human rights activist, political analyst and commentator on Palestinian domestic affairs, at the University of Auckland. Born in Jerusalem, Bassem spent the first 33 years of his life in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Shuafat refugee camp. He became a prominent figure during the Palestinian uprising from 1987 to1993 as senior field researcher for B’Tselem, the Israeli information centre for human rights in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. His views are based on years of systematic research of Palestinians, including during the 2014 fighting in Gaza. He speaks about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement and discusses why Europeans stopped funding his Palestinian NGO.
You can read more and register for this Auckland event here.

Saturday, September 5, 2-3pm, Downtown Shopping Centre, Cnr Queen and Customs Streets,Auckland
Rally for Palestine. Add your presence and make a difference at the only regular public display of support for Palestine in Auckland!

Monthly Rally at Downtown Shopping Centre Cnr Queen and Customs Streets 2pm to 3pm, 4 July 2015 and every first Saturday of each month.

Tuesday, September 8, Business School, University of Auckland
Save the date! Auckland CPAG summit on Welfare fit for families in a changing world. Welfare fit for families in a changing world
The Government has one view of the way it would like to see the welfare state transformed. If family, child well-being and changes in work patterns are put at the centre how should policy be framed and what changes must occur? Join the discussion and analysis
Speakers: Dr Ben Spies-Butcher – Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Macquarie University, Australia. Other speakers TBC.

Saturday, September 19, 7pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn Auckland
The power of Song with the Newcastle Peoples Chorus.

Friday, October, 16, 6-8.30pm, Sir Paul Reeves Building, AUT University, City Campus
SEMINAR: EFLIDA BAUTISTA OF PEOPLE SEARCH PHILIPPINES
Eflida will be addressing issues relating to disaster relief in the Philippines, in particular associating it with the misdirection of funds provided for relief purposes and corruption at various levels of government. Given the rise in the frequency of such events, almost certainly related to climate change, this is a topic very relevant to civil society groups who are often heavily engaged in relief efforts. Organised by the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Coalition (APHRC). Supported by the Pacific Media Centre

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Reminder: Entries are Open for 2015 Jesson Journalism Awards

Have you got a journalistic project that you want to complete, but can’t get enough money or time to do it? If so, a Bruce Jesson journalism award may be able to help. Applications for the 2015 awards are now open, and close on Friday 18 September. There are two awards, a senior one to fund a planned journalistic project and a journalism student award for work that has already been published. The senior award is unique in New Zealand because it funds time and research costs of up to $4000 in advance for projects that could be newspaper or magazine articles, reports on the internet, books, films, radio or TV documentaries or “any other publication which is aimed at, and accessible by, the general public of New Zealand or any part of New Zealand”.
Projects must be “critical, informed, analytical and creative journalism or writing which will contribute to public debate in New Zealand on an important issue or issues”. Past winners have included Nicky Hager, Max Rashbrooke and Rebecca Macfie for books; Jon Stephenson, Amy Richardson and Peter Malcouronne for magazine articles; Tina McIvor for a research report; and Alister Barry for his 2014 film on New Zealand’s climate change policies, Hot Air. Applicants should submit an outline of their proposed project and explain how it meets the criteria set out on the foundation’s website www.brucejessson.com. It is usual to submit references and/or examples of previous work, and a budget for the project.
The Emerging Journalism Prize for student journalists offers $1000 for “outstanding recent work by New Zealand print journalism students.” It is nominated by the heads of New Zealand journalism schools or journalism programme leaders for work by student journalists published between the closing date of last year’s award, 26 Sept 2014, and this year’s closing date 18 Sept 2015. Entries for both awards will be assessed by members of the Foundation’s Journalism Sub-committee: Geoff Kemp (convenor), Camille Guy, Joe Atkinson and Simon Collins.
Applications and nominations can be submitted online, or mailed to the foundation’s secretary Dr Anita Lacey, c/- Political Studies Department, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland (a.lacey). The deadline is 5pm, Friday 18 September 2015.
Contacts: Dr Geoff Kemp, 021 445 721; Camille Guy, 021 299 2995; Dr Joe Atkinson, 021 320 069; Simon Collins, 021 612 423

The Roger Award For The Worst Transnational Corporation Operating In Aotearoa/New Zealand in 2015
Here is the link to the 2015 Roger Award online nomination form
http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/roger-award-2015-form.html You can also download the hard copy nomination form from there.

Campaign Bootcamp NZ – For people between 18 – 30 years – Campaign Bootcamp NZ

Learn how to effect change. Our aim is to empower the next generation of campaigners in New Zealand to accelerate the pace of change. Campaign Bootcamp NZ gets the best campaigners in New Zealand to deliver a one week intensive training to 30 young people from September. The bootcamp will run over six days, and will involve participants learning a complete set of skills to run campaigns, as well as simulating campaigns throughout the course of the training. Follow-up will involve four group follow-up days throughout the year, and a connection with a mentor who will be expected to meet four times with the individual or group to provide support. Additionally, there will be a newsletter for community updates, ongoing support and work opportunities, and if the project is successful, participants will be invited to be trainers and mentors in the subsequent Bootcamps. The boot camp will run over six days. Each day will have a specific focus. For each day we’ll bring in an expert in the relevant field who has been creating change for over a decade.

DVDs Available For Sale Of CAFCA’s 40th Anniversary Speakers

Sam Miller filmed all of CAFCA’s 40th anniversary celebration event, held in Christchurch on May 2. He advises that DVDs are available of the five speakers – myself, Bill Rosenberg, Warren Thomson, Jane Kelsey and Robert Reid. Details of cost and from where to order them are below. Please communicate directly with Sam Miller about this, not with CAFCA. Best wishes, Murray, CAFCA 40th Anniversary speakers’ DVDs available $20 for twin disc 3h 45m set inc postage/packaging and Jewel Case. Individual 2x speakers single DVD’s available for $10 on application. Orders: samuel or 021 147 4019 – payment by Internet Transfer or Cheque.