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Nau mai, haere mai, welcome to our latest pānui. Kōanga (Spring) is on its way.
This pānui contains OraTaiao updates, upcoming events, and news in climate health.
Good news:
Kete made by Summer as a parting gift for Dani.
Save the date:
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7pm 2 Oct 2025 OraTaiao Webinar w/ Dr Rod Carr. Join us for an online evening event with former Climate Change Commission Chair. He plans to speak on the inevitable triumph of physics over politics and the risk human hubris poses to our civilisation. The case for a unilateral declaration of peace in humanity’s war on nature. Why promoters of the combustion of fossil fuels in the open air are guilty of crimes against humanity. And other topics. We will send a link out for this webinar to all members closer to the time.
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7pm 27 Nov 2025 AGM w/ Guest Speaker Michelle Isles, CEO of Climate & Health Alliance, Australia. Going into an election year, Michelle will join us to speak on lessons learned navigating political shifts and inflection points for climate health wins. RSVP here.
Ngā mihi nui,
Summer & Marnie
Latest updates from OraTaiao
Reflections on 2025 Taiao. Tangata. Hauora: Climate Health & Sustainable Healthcare Conference from OraTaiao Board Member Isabella Lenihan-Ikin
"It was wonderful to have many OraTaiao members join (virtually and in-person) the ‘Taiao. Tangata. Hauora’ Conference held last month. The Conference, held biennially, is a joint effort—organised by OraTaiao, Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA), Climate Health Aotearoa, and Sustainable Healthcare Aotearoa. Despite only being a two-day event, we were able to pack it to the brim with a wonderful range of key note presentations, workshops and panel discussions from a diverse range of researchers and practitioners who work at the intersection of climate change, health and sustainable healthcare in Aotearoa, and beyond.
One of the key purposes of the conference is to centralise mātauranga Māori and Indigenous Knowledge. Therefore, it was wonderful for the Conference to open with a session from Hana Buchanan (Taranaki iwi, Te Ātiawa, Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika), who located—those of us in person—in the place of Te Aro Pā, and invited all participants to reflect on our respective connections to the whenua and awa of the place we work and reside.
This sense of connecting to place was resonant throughout the two days. We journeyed from learning about iwi-led climate change action in Tairāwhiti in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle and in Porirua, through to policy responses seeking to engage kaumātua in cycling initiatives in Wainuiomata, decolonial exercise practices, health adaptation policies and, local responses to sustainable clinical practices. Professor Alex Macmillian also chaired a dynamic and hard-hitting political panel with Deborah Russell (Labour) and Huhana Lyndon (Greens).
The final sessions on both days featured virtual keynote addresses from Azeeza Rangunwala on the first day, and Sheila Babauta on the second. Azeeza joined remotely from South Africa, sharing stories and learnings from her mahi at GroundWork at the nexus of open democracy, just transition and health, especially for people living in proximity to highly polluting mines in rural South Africa. Sheila Babauta closed out the conference with clear reminders of embeddedness to place. She joined from her home in the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands, and talked of her advocacy and justice work to re-indigenise, decolonise and demilitarise her homeland, given that the islands remain a militarised outpost of the US, and therefore subject to harmful military testing.
Bringing these threads of the Conference together, we want to mihi to all the people and organisations that contributed to its success as speakers, participants, organisers and sponsors, including Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago for hosting us at the Te Whanganui a Tara campus. Whilst this Conference is made possible because of the mahi aroha of many people, it is a wonderful opportunity to come together as passionate clinicians, researchers, policy makers and practitioners for just climate-health action."
Board member Isabella Lenihan-Ikin.
OraTaiao on the Government's Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill
OraTaiao's submission on the Bill stated, "we are in opposition to many of the proposed changes. The original aims of Pae Ora will be fundamentally undermined by the removal of the Health Sector Principles, which would prevent proper incorporation of preventative health care and the wider determinants of health into health planning and health care delivery. The effect of the bill will be to narrow healthcare in Aotearoa solely to service provision for ill-health, rather than optimisation of health and wellbeing.
The Bill takes particular aim at weakening provisions for Māori health improvement, building on other decisions the government has taken over the last 2 years e.g., a previous amendment to Pae Ora which dismantled Te Aka Whai Ora. The single most consistent thread throughout government decisions has been an anti-Māori one, with any opportunity taken to remove Māori rights and undo real or potential progress in closing equity and health equity gaps. Legislation that risks widening the health equity gap also risks worsening health outcomes for everyone due to increased pressure on health and social services."
Read OraTaiao's full submission here and our media release here.
More submissions: OraTaiao on the record
Many of us will be feeling the submission fatigue. This is entirely understandable. There have been a lot of rushed, but consequential, proposed changes being put through select committees and other government agencies.
This month we have recorded our opposition where communities' health and wellbeing, and Te Tiriti, are being eroded through legislative and policy changes. We have also recommended greater recognition of Te Tiriti and the intersection of climate and health in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet's guiding document on building resilience to hazards.
For those of you writing submissions, kia kaha. It may feel hard and unsatisfying but remains important.
Introducing new Coordinator Marnie Prickett
Marnie Prickett has joined the OraTaiao team as our new Coordinator. Marnie has had a varied working life with an academic background in agricultural science, ecology and public health. The common thread through her work is freshwater, from our rivers to our taps. She has been an advisor to government on freshwater policy and to state-owned farming company Pāmu (Landcorp) on improving protection for the environment. She currently also works as a Research Fellow at the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke. In both paid and voluntary work, she advocates for policy that protects and restores the natural environment to support our health and well-being.
She has taken over the [email protected] email inbox from Dani and you can contact her there.
New OraTaiao coordinator Marnie Prickett
News in climate and health
Conservation land under threat
Former Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage joins Melanie Nelson on her podcast 'Disinterpreted' to unpack what these reforms mean for biodiversity, Treaty obligations, climate resilience, DOC’s culture and resourcing, and New Zealand’s international reputation. The conversation explores how these changes intersect with the Government’s fast-track approvals regime and wider deregulatory agenda — and why Eugenie sees them as the most serious weakening of conservation law in decades.
Watch or listen to the podcast here.
Eugenie Sage joins Melanie Nelson on her podcast 'Disinterpreted'
Legal challenge to the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora
"A landmark challenge in the High Court against the Government’s disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora/the Māori Health Authority last year has the potential to open new ground on Treaty law.
Across three days in the High Court in Wellington this week, lawyers for four Māori health providers and for the Crown have clashed on the process by which the Government disbanded Te Aka Whai Ora. The applicants have asked Judge David Boldt to find the process and the legislation dissolving Te Aka Whai Ora inconsistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi – a first-of-its-kind measure of legal relief."
Full Newsroom article here.
Opportunities and events
Vote in your local body elections
Have your say on who represents your community by voting in the 2025 local elections between 9 Sept and 11 Oct 2025.
You can still enrol. Full details here.
In some places, you will also be voting on whether to keep Māori wards in your area. ActionStation has set up a really useful site, where you can find information and campaign material (like the poster below) on keeping Māori wards. Visit their site here.
Join 350 Aotearoa's local government campaign
350 Aotearoa is running its campaign 'Draw the line on crappy local politics'. To get involved, with roles to suit your availability, sign up here!
Dental for All roadshow
The roadshow continues! The September leg is heading to Northland, Tāmaki Makaurau, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Whakatāne.
Full details here.
NZ Nurses Organisation Conference and AGM
17-18 September 2025 at Te Papa.
This year's conference theme is Karanga atu, maranga mai! To karanga is to step forward. To maranga is to rise with purpose.
The AGM will include discussion and voting on a substantial suite of policies, including the union's position on privatisation.
Details of policies here.
Aotearoa Health Workers for Palestine AGM w/ Guest Speaker
1pm Sunday 14 September 2025, Online
Guest Speaker Shelley Harris-Studdart trained as a midwife in the UK. Her homebase now is in Whangārei where she worked as an LMC Midwife until realising her long held dream of working for Doctors Without Boarders in 2018. Her work has recently taken her to Gaza. Shelley will join the meeting to share some of her experiences.
For agenda and Zoom details, contact Grant Brookes [email protected]
Resources
Landmark 'Determining our Future' report just published
Released on the 22 August, from the Public Health Advisory Committee chaired by Kevin Hague.
Read or find an audio summary of the report here Determining our Future: Social, Cultural, Economic and Commercial Determinants of Wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand: Actions to improve our health and wellbeing.
Cover of the Determining our Future report.
Have you heard about the WEIRDos?
A new Lancet paper proposes to move the discourse on from the neoliberal ideas promoted by WEIRD societies (commonly identified as Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and supposedly Democratic) to the WEIRDo framework, which consists of five characteristics: Wasteful (and polluting), Extractive, Imperialistic, Reductionist, and Domination-oriented policies.
Full, open-access paper here.
Know about Planetary Health Equity Hothouse?
The Australian National University's Planetary Health Equity Hothouse puts on regular, free online talks. These may be useful to you in your mahi.
Check them out and sign up to receive their event notices here.
Sunlight through the trees in Ōtari-Wilton's Bush.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy some time outside.
If you have something to share in the next pānui, please get in touch.
Marnie, OraTaiao Coordinator
OraTaiao: Aotearoa New Zealand Climate and Health Council
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