Activism Help & Resources

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This page updated: May 2010

On this page

• Lobbying
• Financial Activism & Rates Resistance
• Civil Rights & Civil Activism Events
• Running Political Campaigns & Understanding Politicians
  

Lobbying

Lobby your MP for a swift return to regional democracy and bottom line council voting rights.

Email your MP (contact email list below) saying you oppose the process and result of the ECan removal and you will be voting only for the party or representative that will:

• Immediately restore the elected regional councillors to ECan;
• Immediately revoke the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Act 2010;
• Promotes the amendments to the Human Rights Act below:

New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 must be amended so:

1. the courts of NZ can overturn law that does not comply with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 [s.4 of the Act]
2. the right of election is extended from just parliamentry elections to any govt body that can directly levy taxes rates or the like on citizens (ie no taxation without representation)[s.12 of the Act];
3. The Governor Genral must not assent to any law that breaches the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 or can revoke or withdraw assent from any law that is shown to breach the Act (after the Act came info force in 1990)[GG Letter Patent].

Local Canterbury MP’s

• National MP’s who sat on the government committee on the ECan sacking
  • Gerry Brownlee
  • Kate Wilkinson
  • David Carter
• Other Government Canterbury MPs
  • For Canterbury/ West Coast National Listing: Click HERE
  • For full ACT Party Listing: Click HERE
  • For full Maori Party Listing: Click HERE
• Opposition Canterbury MPs
  • For full Labour Listing: Click HERE
  • For full Progressive Listing: Click HERE
  • For full Green Party Listing: Click HERE

How to Lobby

• NZ Guide on Political Lobbying (thanks to Tim Barnett & Volunteer Wellington)

• Key Messages: LINK
• What is Lobbying: LINK
• Target Setting: LINK
• Lobbying Tools: LINK
• The Plan: LINK
• 3 Key Elements: LINK
• When to Intervene: LINK
• Practice Exercise: LINK
• Lobbying Self Assessment: LINK
• Law Reform Info: LINK

• NZ Guide to Having Your Say, including petitions, submissions, talking to MP’s etc: LINK

Financial Activism

Note: Some of these activities may lay those involved open to legal or other actions. ECan in Exile is not in a position to advocate these actions and strongly suggests taking competent advice before taking up any such actions.

• Our Water Our Vote: How to resist ECan rates payments: LINK
  
• Articles and comments on an ECan rates revolt
  • TV3 Report: LINK
  • The Press: LINK
  • Radio NZ: LINK
  • MacKenzieGuardians Article: LINK
    
• Articles and comments on ‘Smart Sanctions’
  • Comment to TV3 Article: LINK
  • Comment to article in The Press: LINK
  • ECan commissioners names, bios and interests: LINK
  • Companies search page – searchable on director or shareholder names: LINK

Civil Rights & Civil Activism

• Know Your Civil Liberties in NZ: LINK
• How to Exercise your Rights of Protest in NZ: LINK
  
• BBC (UK) publication of the Action Networks Guide on Organising a Responsible Protest: LINK
• UK Guide on organising free speech events: DOWNLOAD (pdf 233 KB)
• Organising a Petition or Deputation: internal LINK

Running Political Campaigns & Understanding Politicians

• Quick guides on running political & election campaigns
  • Campaign Commandments: LINK
  • UK Guide Running an Elections Campaign: LINK
• US – How to Speak Like a Politician: LINK
• How to Spot a Political Speech: LINK

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