Kia ora koutou,
This week has been all about the new gun law changes. We sent off our comments on the proposed changes to our gun control laws in the wake of the tragedy on Friday 15 March. The new legislation Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill was introduced to Parliament on Tuesday and submissions are now being called for until 6 pm tomorrow (Thursday 4 April). We are working on our submission today and hope to get it in on time tomorrow. We must mention the invaluable advice of Hera Cook and Marie Russell (PHA member) of the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington who have been working in this area for some time and have contributed enormously to the research and advocacy on gun control in New Zealand. We urge you all to make a submission, even if it is only to say you support the legislation, it is really important that we make our collective voice for public health heard loud and clear.
Next week we'll be coming live to you from the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) World Conference on Health Promotion in Rotorua 7-11 April. See below for more details. We'll be tweeting and sending you updates if you can't be there yourself. You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter @phanewzealand. We hope to meet many of you there!
Hei konā mai,
your PHA policy team
Keep in touch by emailing libby@pha.org.nz.
You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter @phanewzealand.
To receive our free PolicySpot you need to subscribe online - your friends might like to sign up too!
In this week's PolicySpot:
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IUHPE - PHA event for 2019
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Only four more sleeps until the PHA event of the year! The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) World Conference on Health Promotion is happening next week from 7-11 April in Rotorua.
As part of our collaboration and joint leadership with the Health Promotion Forum, we have adopted the IUHPE conference as our PHA event for 2019.
The year the IUHPE conference has the extremely timely theme of WAIORA: Promoting Planetary Health and Sustainable Development for All. 'The aim is to provide an unparalleled opportunity to link and demonstrate the contribution of health promotion to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to acknowledge the way SDGs contribute to improvements in health and wellbeing.'
It's not too late to register and PHA members are being offered a bargain rate of $1200 (non-member rate is $1605) so you’ll get a $405 discount!
We look forward to seeing you there.
Ka kite!
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IUHPE 2019 - PHA caucus meetings.
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Special PHA caucus network meetings
We'll be holding caucus meetings at the IUHPE conference in Rotorua but if you can't make it in person you can tune in remotely via Zoom (no need to register for the Conference to attend the Zoom meetings).
Asian Caucus meeting
The Asian Caucus of the PHA warmly invites anyone who is interested in public health and Asian peoples in New Zealand to a networking meeting.
Monday 8 April, 2019 12:30-1:30 PM Register to join by Zoom
Downer Room, Mezzanine Level, Energy Events Centre
For more information contact Grace Wong grace.wong@aut.ac.nz
Pacific Caucus meeting
Tuesday 9 April 2019 12:30-1:30 PM Register to join by Zoom
Opus International Room, Mezzanine Level, Energy Events Centre
For more information contact Allamanda Faatoese allamanda_f@yahoo.com
Māori Caucus meeting:
Tuesday 9 April, 2019 12:30-1:30 PM Register to join by Zoom
Sigma Room, Mezzanine Level, Energy Events Centre
For more information contact Janell Dymus-Kurei janell.dymus@hapai.co.nz
Both our President Lee Tuki and our new CE Prudence Stone will be attending the caucus meetings so please do come and say kia ora.
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STIR (Stop Institutional Racism), one of PHA's special interest groups, and its friends have launched a new initiative He Hōmiromiro. This is a bookclub with a difference; it's a virtual decolonisation reading group held once a month to read and reflect on decolonisation texts, both classic and fresh off the press.
The convenors are Alex Hotere-Barnes and Heather Came-Friar.
You can join the meetings by Zoom on the third Friday every month at 1 pm.
Contact alexlbarnes@gmail.com for the Zoom address
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Public Health Seminars - 2019
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University of Otago Public Health Seminar Series
These free lunchtime seminars highlight recent findings from leading public health researchers. They are held on Fridays 12:30 – 1:15pm in the Small Lecture Theatre at the University of Otago, Mein Street, Newtown, Wellington, and also webcast live via this link.
All welcome!
Friday 5th April Janet Smylie: Decolonising Indigenous Health Information Systems in Canada – Moving Beyond Patchwork Solutions
Friday 12th April Kirsten Lovelock: The Hard Worker, Class, and the Material and Symbolic Significance of Occupational Health Outcomes
Monday 15th April Nordmeyer Lecture Theatre Celine Mavrot: Medical cannabis policy making and politics
To join by web-conference go to: https://otago.ac.nz/zoom/ph_seminars
For more information, see http://otago.ac.nz/UOWevents
Watch seminars: UOW Public Health Seminars 2018
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Consultations and Submissions
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Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill
On 21 March 2019, the Government announced changes to New Zealand’s gun laws following the tragic events in Christchurch on 15 March. This bill amends the Arms Act 1983, with the aim of tightening gun control in New Zealand. This bill seeks to remove semi-automatic firearms from circulation and use by the general population in New Zealand by prohibiting semi-automatic firearms, magazines, and parts that can be used to assemble prohibited firearms.
The Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill was introduced to Parliament by Police Minister Stuart Nash on Monday 1 April. The Bill had its first reading under urgency on Tuesday 2 April and was passed to select committee.
We urge you to express your strong support for the bill by making a comment/s on the proposed changes and emailing to gunlawchanges@parliament.govt.nz. Even just a few sentences if that's all you have time for. Remember the power of our collective voices at this critical time!
Update on Health and Disability System Review
The Review (see Terms of Reference) was established by the Minister of Health in August 2018 with the aim of 'future-proofing' NZ's health and disability services. The panel will consult widely during the review process and will be seeking seek independent advice and analysis as well as engaging with DHBs, primary care, health professionals and the public in developing its recommendations.
You are invited to give feedback on the 9 broad Phase One Questions via the online tool on the Review website or you can also email your responses to systemreview@moh.govt.nz
Submissions close 31 May 2019.
Next steps
The review panel will provide an interim report by July 2019 on which it will seek public feedback during Phase 2 (August – October 2019). The panel will then produce a final report by 31 March 2020.
Inquiry into Māori health inequalities
The Māori Affairs Select Committee has announced that it will hold an inquiry into Māori health inequalities. The terms of reference have yet to be announced. We'll keep you posted on the timetable of the inquiry and opportunities for submissions.
You can check these links to see what consultations and submissions are coming up: NZ Parliament submission website and NZ Government Consultations website.
Please get in touch if there's something we need to know about, by emailing libby@pha.org.nz
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Saziah Bashir: Four things you should do following the Christchurch terror attacks
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Saziah Bashir. Photo: Lena Hesselgrave / The Wireless
Saziah Bashir writes eloquently on what we can do in the light of the tragic and horrific massacre of fifty innocent people in two mosques in Christchurch on Friday 15 March.
First she says 'we must reject the notion that "this is not us", because it is. White supremacy has always been a part of New Zealand. White supremacy formed the basis of colonial conquest.' We will never be a truly inclusive tolerant society until we recognise our racist foundations and that this tragic event wasn't the random act of one bad apple but an expression of a racist system. 'But racist acts are simply one expression of hatred or ignorance, while racism is systemic, cultural, entrenched in our institutions, language, economy, and social structures.'
Second 'we have to centre Muslim voices in the coverage of this incident and in the discourse that follows. Representation matters.'
Third speak out 'Call up and debate with those talkback radio hosts, argue with your racist uncle at that family barbecue, tell those problematic old high school friends exactly why you're blocking and deleting them before you do it, disparage your friends for laughing at that racist joke or using that unacceptable word, ask your employer to account for the efficacy and fairness of their recruitment policies and their commitment to diversity, attend the rallies and sign the petitions.'
Fourth 'help financially right now. Donate directly to the funds set up for the survivors of the attack and the families of those we lost'.
Websites collecting donations for the shooting victims and their families:
(Saziah Bashir is a freelance journalist commenting on issues of social justice, race and gender. She completed an LLB, BCom and LLM from the University of Auckland.)
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Have an event to share? Send the details through to libby@pha.org.nz and we'll feature it here.
Measuring deprivation in the Canterbury region. Wednesday, 3 April 2019, 6-7pm. Community Law Canterbury, 198 Montreal Street, Christchurch. RSVP
The "Rightness of Whiteness?" with Suzanne Menzies-Culling 3 April 2019 6:30pm, Auckland Central Library 44 Lorne St. Free public lecture
23rd IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion 7 – 11 April 2019. Rotorua.
Hidden in plain sight: Why gender & men’s health may be keys to achieving health equity with speaker Derek Griffith: 16 April 4:30-6:30pm AUT South campus ME 104 RSVP heather.came@aut.ac.nz
CPAG and PHA Wellington Post Budget Breakfast Friday 31 May 2019, 7:30 am. The Boatshed, Wellington
CPAG Auckland Post Budget Breakfast Friday 31 May 2019, 11 am. Mt Eden War Memorial Hall, 487-489 Dominion Road, Mt Eden,Auckland.
CPAG Christchurch Post Budget Breakfast Friday 31 May 2019. Details will follow
CPAG Nelson & Tasman Post Budget Breakfast Wednesday 5 June 2019. Details to follow
18th International Medical Geography Symposium (IMGS) 30 June - 5 July 2019 Queenstown
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