OraTaiao Calls On All Of Aotearoa To Take A Stand For Climate Health At Friday’s Climate Strike On Parliament Grounds

MEDIA RELEASE, 9 April 2025

OraTaiao calls on all of Aotearoa to take a stand for climate health at this Friday’s Climate Strike on Parliament Grounds.

“As health practitioners, we know that the health of our environment is fundamental to human wellbeing” says Dr. Steve Grimson, executive member of OraTaiao. “That’s why we’ve issued medical certificates for people of all ages, across Aotearoa, to join this Friday’s call to action”.

January-February Pānui

December 2024 Pānui

OraTaiao rejects the Regulatory Standards Bill

OraTaiao strongly oppose the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill as a profound threat to climate action, health equity, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This Bill ignores the principles of good lawmaking, instead imposing selfish principles that undermine human rights, common good, and intergenerational equity. This Bill will force environmental and social costs onto the public and diminish Māori and collective rights. OraTaiao warns that weakened environmental regulations under the Bill would accelerate resource exploitation and pollution, and worsen environmental and human health. The proposed changes would block the government’s ability to respond to health threats including global overheating. OraTaiao calls for the coalition government to abandon the Regulatory Standards Bill. OraTaiao's full submission to The Ministry of Regulation is available here.

OraTaiao rejects the Regulatory Standards Bill

OraTaiao strongly oppose the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill as a profound threat to climate action, health equity, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This Bill ignores the principles of good lawmaking, instead imposing selfish principles that undermine human rights, common good, and intergenerational equity. This Bill will force environmental and social costs onto the public and diminish Māori and collective rights. OraTaiao warns that weakened environmental regulations under the Bill would accelerate resource exploitation and pollution, and worsen environmental and human health. The proposed changes would block the government’s ability to respond to health threats including global overheating. OraTaiao calls for the coalition government to abandon the Regulatory Standards Bill. OraTaiao's full submission to The Ministry of Regulation is available here.

Submission on The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill

OraTaiao is opposed to the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill. The Bill threatens to undermine collective well-being, climate action, and health equity by eroding the constitutional and social fabric of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Bill weakens the health sector, environmental protection, and protections for Māori. 

Unity, cohesion, and respect are essential for well-being. All of which this Bill fundamentally undermines. As health advocates, we stand for Te Tiriti and its promise of equity, justice, and peace for all in Aotearoa New Zealand.

OraTaiao's full submission to the Justice Committee is available here.

OraTaiao speak out against proposed public transport fare hike

The New Zealand Transport Agency released a discussion document in November about increasing the “private share of public transport operating expenditure”. This means that councils would need to take in more revenue to offset the cost of running public transport by charging more money for buses, ferries, and trains. While not set into policy yet, this document shows a clear direction from the government and one that OraTaiao fundamentally opposes.

Our transport working group, led by Steve Grimson, has written a letter to Transport Minister Simeon Brown, calling for the government to reverse this defunding and invest in public transport as a health intervention. Please consider writing a letter to Simeon (feel free to use ours as a template) to show widespread health professional disapproval of such a damaging proposal. 

Submission on New Zealand’s 2035 international climate change target (NDC2)

NZ is the highest per capita historic emitting nation, wealthy, full of natural resources, and among the highest per capita emitters globally. We must be a fair team player to limit global overheating to our humanly adaptable 1.5˚C. There is no excuse for delaying a much more ambitious NDC of over 80% by 2035 for global and international equity. Te Tiriti, fairness, human and planetary health must set NDC2.

OraTaiao's full submission to the Ministry for the Environment, prepared by Liz Springford, is available here.

Designing a healthy response to climate change

Article by Dr Dermot Coffey. NZMJ Digest Issue 99. Read here (PDF).

Nurses are crucial in the fight against climate change

Viewpoint by Michael Brenndorfer. Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand, Vol 26, No 9, October 2020. Read here (PDF).

New Zealand asthma guidelines support use of environmentally friendly inhalers

Article by Dr Dermot Coffey. New Zealand Doctor, 7 October 2020. Read here. 

Scorecard for NZ Election 2020 - Climate Change and Health

Scorecard and report by OraTaiao: NZ Climate & Health Council rating political parties' policies on climate change and health for NZ General Election 2020. See here (PDF).