REFERENCE IS MADE TO: CITIZEN’S INITIATED REFERENDA ACT

A POLITICAL SIDE-SHOW: In 1992 the National Government introduced the ‘Citizens Initiated Referenda Bill this became legislation in 1993 and operational in 1994. The Act permitting Citizens Initiated referendums (CIR) to be held on questions that are received via petitions that support at least 10% of registered electors in a 12 month period. That CIR’s are non-binding, That citizens of New Zealand can be restricted of their views. Referendums in other words in reality ‘Citizen Initiated Referendums’ are no more than just a ‘political side-show’

DEMOCRACY: Referendums are an important part of New Zealand’s democracy, as they allow the public to have a direct voice on changes to the law, however the Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993 does NOT give the citizens of New Zealand ‘end decision making rights’ because the Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993 is ‘Non-binding’, which means the Government is not bound to the decision making of the electoral voting citizens of New Zealand.

THE GENERAL ELECTION:  A Government referendum can be held with a General Election if there is strong debate on a particular issue. Government power to make that decision

TYPES OF REFERENDUMS: There are two types of referendums namely ‘Government initiated and Citizens initiated.

GOVERNMENT INITIATED REFERENDUM: Are promoted by the Government. Can be used to bring legislation into law. Can gauge how the public feel on particular issues. Can be ‘binding’ or ‘non-binding’, this means the government acts, determines the final result, has end decision making rights. The ‘eligible voting electorate (peoples of New Zealand) have NO ‘End Decision Making Rights’ to determine their country’s future.

CITIZENS INITIATED REFERENDUMS: Any New Zealand citizens can petition for a referendum, this is namely a ‘citizens initiated’ referendum. 10% of eligible voters must sign the petition to support the referendum. (There were 3.5 million people enrolled to vote in the 2020 election). Citizens Initiated Referendums are ‘Non-binding’, this means the government does NOT have to act on the end result. (Non-binding referendums can be held on any subject)

Just one example of this:- Should the size of the House of Representatives should be reduced from 120 members to 99 members?. Governments end decision making rights were determined ‘we still have 120 members in the House of Representatives’.

HISTORY OF NEW ZEALAND REFERENDUMS: The first referendum was in the early 19^th and early 20^th century, the limiting of drinking alcohol  this held a lot of political sway. Four referendums were held between 1894 and 1908 on liquor licenses however these were not ‘national’ referendums, people could only have their say in the areas they lived in. 1911 was New Zealand’s first nationwide referendum on prohibition of alcohol sales. At the end of the 20^th century 2/3rds of the referendums held were about alcohol . . The New Zealand Flag Referendum (2015-2016). 5  designed flags were shortlisted out of 40, this was narrowed down from 10,000 designs submitted by NZrs.

NZ FLAG:  In the 2016 Referendum voters chose to keep the current flag instead of a preferred alternative option. This is called a ‘Consultative’ referendum that is used by the government to gauge public mood on particular topics.

CONSULTATIVE REFERENDUMS: An example of this includes the following:-Hotel bars staying open for longer (1949 and 1967).  Military training should be made compulsory (1949) and -compulsory retirement scheme should be introduced (1997). More recently the 2020 referendums were held beside the 2020 general elections they were the ‘End of Life Choice Act 2019. And  also that of  the ‘recreational cannabis use’.

Government determines legislation.

NUMBER OF SIGNATURES FOR A REFERENDUM TO BE HELD: To support the holding of a referendum you must have 10% of eligible electoral voters nationwide. Again I note that the government is NOT bound by the results concluded by a ‘Citizens Initiated Referendum’

THE CITIZEN’S INITIATED REFERENDUM PROCESS: A person submits a proposal to the Clerk of the House of Representatives asked them to promote a referendum petition. The wording of the proposed petition is determined by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, this can take up to 3 months. The Clerk decides the final wording of the petition and approves the collection of signatures. The petitioner has 12 months to gather enough signatures of 10% of the eligible voting public that support the proposal (petition), this is then delivered to the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Government decides, determines the process of the proposed petition.

PETITION COMPLIANCY: Is determined by the government. If compliant the Speaker of the House presents the petition to the House of Representatives. If NOT compliant, not enough signatures the petition then lapses. However the petition can re-submit the petition and has a further 2 months to gain more signatures. Compliancy determined by the Government.

THE GOVERNOR GENERAL: Sets the date for the referendum, this must be within a month of the petition being presented to the House of Representatives. It must be held within a year of the presentation date unless 75% of MP’s defer it. Government has the power to  determine deferral of a petition

THE OFFICIAL INFORMATIONS ACT 1982. The processes under the ‘Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993 are subject to the Official Information’s Act 1982.

REFERENDUM: Is a direct vote by the eligible voting electorate on a proposal, a law, a political issue. This may result in the adoption of a new policy or an amendment of a policy.

CITIZENS INITIATED REFERENDA ACT    1991: States the following:-

7.141 Establishes a process allowing persons or organisations to initiate a non-binding national referendum on a subject of their choice, if 10 percent of registered voters sign a petition in support of the proposal of the promotor of the referendum. A referendum is a vote on a question. Referendums usually have a “yes” or “no” answer, but can have more than two possible answers. Referendums can be held with an election, in a stand-alone poll, or by postal vote.

7.142. At times a government response to a petition or referendum will be necessary. Most will be subject to public attention to be politically significant. Any decisions on how, when to respond is made by the government collectively. Individual Ministers should generally refrain from becoming personally involved in a petition (referendum proposal) without cabinet approval

7.143 The government can decide to respond to a referendum proposal at any stage of the referendum process. For example (a) make a declaration of support for the proposed referendum. (b) Indicate the willingness to take into account public debate over the issue at hand. (c) Rejection of the proposal. (d) Make a provision of information to inform the debate of the proposal.

7.144 As a matter of principle, agencies to avoid commenting publicly on the merits of referendum proposals unless they have permission of the Minister to do so.

7.145 It is deemed appropriate for agencies to give the Clerk of the House of Representatives technical assistance in finalising wording of the proposal. Assistance must be restricted to helping ensure that the proposal (petition/referendum) conveys clearly the purpose, effect of the proposal put forward by the promotor. (This can raise sensitive issues as to the changing of the wording of which was originally stated by the promotor of the proposal)

DEMOCRACY: Does NOT exist in New Zealand because the citizens of New Zealand, those with eligible electoral voting rights have NO end decision rights as to the future of New Zealand and how New Zealand Citizens lives are determined by legislation.

POLICIES PROMOTED IN POLITICAL ELECTIONING OF COMPAIGN CANDIDATES : That publicly are NOT delivering policies to amend the ‘Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993 from  ‘Non-binding’ to a ‘Binding’ New Zealand Citizens Initiated Binding Act’ (Legislation). Should be questioned as to ‘Why they do not propose in their policy making giving the electoral voting citizens of New Zealand a voice to determine their own future’, the future of their families and generations of New Zealanders to come? INSIST ON A CLEAR AND DEFINITIVE ANSWER.

MY PERSONAL CONCERNS ARE ‘THE DECRIMILISATION OF ABORTION’ AND THE END OF LIFE CHOICE ACT THAT HAS VERY DANGEROUS CONCEPTS. These were introduced during the COVID19 Pandemic when the people of NZ were experiencing restrictions, lockdowns and compliances never ever experienced before. When the government was supposedly promoting jabs to save lives, they were making plans to take away life. (no-one knows what goes on behind the privacy of another persons life, behind closed doors.. Eg family relations for example neglect.

The lack of funding for Hospice.that supports not only the patient but that of their family too whom are also grieving

Carol Sakey   WEBSITE-.  https://wakeupnz.org

https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/our-business-units/cabinet-office/supporting-work-cabinet/cabinet-manual/7-executive-legislation-12

The China Construction Bank (NZ) is owned by the CCP being a debt gap filler in NZ. Now very involved in NZs Infrastructure. The Puhoi- Warkworth Highway, Thermal power Plants, and other Highways, Housing infrastructure, Funding of the Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington Airports. Also the Lyttleton and Wellington Port with extensions planned for those Ports. .

Then the enquiry into Michael Woods Airport shares as he did not declare $13,000 shares in Auckland Airport. It was reported he was reminded to sell his shares 12 times.

Rural Communities are now appealing to the Govt to stop NZ Post price hike, this will effect rural communities and businesses as the hike of postage increases from 1^st July 2023. Over the last 5 yrs the cost of sending mail increased 100%. (The Govt State Owned Post). There will also be a change to delivery frequency of post to your letterboxes. To post a standard letter $2.00. Again is this another ploy of track and trace along with CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) ?

Roads and footpaths are in a dire need of maintenance yet Wellington awarded $650k for cycleway network, as Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau says “how exciting it is for the Capital of Wellington to receive Global Recognition”

The Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure is a grant that supports cities that are connected to the ‘sustainable cycling infrastructure. 270 cities applied for this grant, it was filtered down to 10 and Wellington was one of them.  Wellington Mayor said “this is an opportunity for Wellington to become a world class destination”

Tarmac NZ  is a for ‘Transport Associated Road Maintenance Action Coalition’. On their Facebook page  post an article that should make us all sit up  referring to ‘tenders are being called for by Waka Kotahi to identify the Maori experiences with NZ Transport. Waka Kotahi recently submitted a tender to the Government Electronic Tender Service (GETS) this regarding research in Maori experiences and expectation of the transport system in NZ. A tender outlines he request for proposals into researching, identifying Maori experiences, expectations, priorities for transport in NZ to inform key the development to key agency responses in helping build capacity within agencies like Waka Kotahi. It seeks to inform the development of key agency responses and help build capability within agencies like Waka Kotahi. The Research will build on Waka Kotahi this is called ‘Phase 1” where Maori will work with Te Manatu Waka (Ministry Of Transport) and Waka Kotahi referring to the following questions, which include:-

(1)How Maori perceive the transport system in NZ, and how these perceptions came about?

(2) How are Māori impacted by the transport system day by day?

(3) How are Māori responding to government priorities for transport, such as the road to zero strategy and mode shift?

(4) What are the gaps in data and other evidence that can be used to characterise Māori experiences and impacts on them of the transport system? (5) What responses are required to close data and evidence gaps, and how would these responses be prioritised by Māori?

https://www.autocar.co.nz/tenders-are-being-called-by-waka-kotahi-to-identify-maori-experiences-with-nz-transport/?fbclid=IwAR2k0-unRquDyWqI3Rotkr8k-7lRYWeuSuO5avacE6SDoRKcBGmzc1O2N-M

After viewing Carl Bromley’s video today about the stench of chlorine coming from the Avon River in Christchurch I decided to do a bit of digging on this Chlorine problem myself. Christchurch Council  have reported they have high quality drinking water. However they Council report they are using Chlorine whilst update water supply network. The Central Govt’s Water Regulator Taumata Arowai has declined an application by Christchurch Council for an exemption as to introducing chlorine into the water supply.    All public water supply networks must be treated with chlorine unless an exemption is obtained

16^th May 2023 Newsline reported that Christchurch Councillors are very frustrated it appears for some time now there has been a tennis game going on between Taumata Arowai and the Council. When the Christchurch Council  has applied to have exemptions of chlorine in their water supply. Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger  said he is outraged that the government insists the water is chlorinated.  The Water Services Act 2021 makes it mandatory for owner of reticulated water supplies to add residual disinfectant-chlorine- to the water unless they obtain an exemption from Taumata Arowai. Christchurch’s Mayor Mr Mauger stated “While we’re being forced to chlorinate our water supply we will continue to fight and advocate for the people of Christchurch,”. He felt the council had been led up the garden path by central government Taumata Arowai.

Stuff NZ reported 30^th May 2022 more than a year ago that Christchurch Chlorine Free Water could still be years away- more than 4 years away after the council started temporarily treating the water supply. Go back another year to 9^th July 2021 Stuff NZ reported the Christchurch Councils battle to remove chlorine from its water. As a Christchurch Councillor reports “to remove chlorine from the water is like a tennis game with safety assessors. At that time there were reported to be hopes that Christchurch would be free of chlorine in their water by Christmas 2021. Health Authorities had refused to sign off a plan detailing the city’s water supply. Again Councillors were reported to be left frustrated when trying to completely remove chlorine from Christchurch water supply.

13^th February 2020 Christchurch Councillors back to the drawing board, the tennis match  was going on then with Taumata Arowai. Again the government refers back to 2016 Havelock North’s  campylobacter outbreak. RNZ Reported  22^nd May 2023 that Christchurch Councillor wants local government minister to help reverse water chlorination due to the Water Regulator mandating chlorination of water in Christchurch’s water. . It has now been reported that work is being scoped by the ‘Three Waters’ team and will be bought to the Council in the future for consideration. Councillor Sam MacDonald wants Central Govt to intervene, as he says “they have significant amount of power and then refers to the unelected officials with a significant amount of influence over peoples everyday lives. His petition in May this year had reached 3,400 signatures in 5 days. He felt that Taumata Arowai were being over the top in its applications for standards. MacDonald said “The only thing that have changed are the rules, not the risk to the people”. MacDonald referred Taumata Arowai is effectively saying the bar is set so high that we’ll never be able to achieve it”. Advsor of safety of water in NZ is the Maori Advisory Group Te Puna . Taumata Arowai is a Crown Entity-Central Govt.

In 2022 the partnership of the Taumata Arowai Board ( Crown Entity-NZ’s Water Regulator) and Te Puna (The Regulator Maori Advisory Board won the Deloitte’s Award. Documenting “The governance arrangement is modelling how a strategic partnership is effectively built”. Taumata Arowai demonstrates its commitment to upholding the Te Tiriti o Waitangi through its partnership with the Maori Advisory Group. The Maori Advisory group manages, determines the safety of water in NZ, they have a strategic partnership with the Crown entity Taumata Arowai. Te Puna Maori Group advisors are non–elected bodies that has control of water supplies in NZ in partnership with the Govt. They would be determining whether Christchurch Council are able to obtain an exemption for chlorine in their water or not. The Te Puna Maori Advisory Group was established under the Taumata Arowai Water Service Regulators Act 2020 by the appointed Minister of Local Government.

The Te Puna Maori Advisory Group is chaired by Nanaia Mahuta’s younger sibling Tip Mahuta, who has an influential role in the Three Waters Reform  and also He Puapua Report on Co Governance. Iwi – Maori partnership. Often named as Crown-Iwi/Hapu Partnership. The word Crown distanced the Govt from being made accountable- it’s the government partnership with Iwi/Hapu/Maori. The Te Puna Maori advisory group partnership to the Govts agency , New Zealands Water Regulator Taumata Arowai is chaired by Nanaia Mahuta younger sibling Tipa Mahuta. She is also the Chair’s for the Waikato River Authority,  and the  Maori Health Authority and Maori Advisory Group

In a nutshell Taumata Arowai – the central government of NZ is in a partnership with Te Puna Maori advisory group that determines the safety of water in NZ, chaired by Tipa Mahuta.  The Maori Advisory Group advises the NZ Water Regulator (Govt) on matters of Māori interests and Maori knowledge that relates to the Government Water  Regulator Taumata Arowai as to objectives, functions, operating principles and the collective duties of the Govets Water Regulator Taumata Arowai. Provides adviced on how to enable  mātauranga Māori, tikanga Māori, and kaitiakitanga to be exercised. The govt’s regulators board (Taumata Arowai) must have regard for the Maori Advisory Group (Te Puna). The Govts Water Regulators Board must act jointly with the Maori Advisory Group, agree to the terms of reference for the Maori Advisory Group. The partnership has a memorandum of understanding

Researching Chlorine and any side effects I found that. The exposure to low levels of chlorine can result in nose, throat and eye irritation. Long term effects of chlorine can include chronic lung problems, bronchitis and asthma. Although Chlorine kills pathogenic organisms, chlorine can also weaken the immune system, weaken its ability to fight off pathogens . CDC reported on 7^th February 2023. Most people will smell a noxious odour or feel irritation that indicates exposure to chlorine. Low levels of exposure for a long time may affect their ability to sense the chemical. When chlorine comes into contact with tissues eg eyes, throat lungs an acid is produced that can damage these tissues, Signs and symptoms vary depending on how the person is exposed, the amount of chlorine mass, and the time of exposure. Blurred vision * Burning sensation in the nose, throat, lungs, and eyes *Coughing  *Coughing up white to pink-tinged fluid that may be delayed by a few hours *Chest tightness * Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath (These may appear immediately if high concentrations are inhaled or they may be delayed if low concentrations are inhaled.). Eye tearing * Nausea * Rapid and shallow breathing * Respiratory failure (depending on situation length of time, strength of chlorine gas etc.,) * Skin pain, redness, blisters, vomiting and wheezing

https://wakeupnz.org  Carol Sakey

• https://ccc.govt.nz/services/water-and-drainage/water-supply/water-chlorination
• https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/128791834/christchurchs-drinking-water-could-be-chlorinated-for-years
• https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/125687645/councils-battle-to-remove-chlorine-like-a-game-of-tennis-with-safety-assessors?rm=a

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/490434/christchurch-councillor-wants-local-government-minister-to-help-reverse-water-chlorination

https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/role-and-purpose/spirit-of-service/spirit-of-service-awards/spirit-of-service-awards-2022/

https://www.cdc.gov/chemicalemergencies/factsheets/chlorine.html

Stopping your Smart TV from harvesting your Personal Data:  A TV is no longer just a device that’s shows you content, it’s a two way mirror allowing the user to be observed in real time by a network of advertiser and data brokers. To gather as much information as possible about your behaviour, interests, preferences and demographics so it can be monetized mainly through targeted advertising, and its difficult to avoid. A study dome by imperial College London found data from a Smart TV and other Smart Devices was sent to Google ad-business and to Netflix, even if people did not have Netflix. Most Apps installed on your Smart TV will be snitching to a large network of advertiser and data brokers. The purpose of this is to gather as much information as possible about your behaviour, interests, preferences and demographics so it can be monetised, mainly through targeted advertising.”. There is no clear cut answer as to what is done with the data, its highly opaque, and is unclear why the data is being harvested and where its being sent.

There is not much difference between TV brands. Manufacturers claim to use your information for “personalisation” and quality of content, but it is common to sell this type of data, anonymised or semi-anonymised, to third parties, advertising companies or streaming services. “After the data has been sold, it is out of the manufacturer’s control,” Using ‘streaming services’ on a Smart TV is another sure-fire way of handing over lots of your personal data. Apps such as Netflix, Amazon, Prime and Now TV tend to claim they only use data for necessary services such as recommendations or credit checks, but this can include data such as device identifiers, geo-location, browser type, email address and payment information. Netflix has powerful recommendations that algorithms fuel by helping users to choose which shows to watch. If you log onto Netflix via your browser you can tweak the privacy settings to limit the data that’s collected and shared, you can opt out of this.

AUTOMATIC CONTENT RECOGNITION (ACR): Is a scary feature when you purchased you TV its usually turned on to default settings this uses analytical techniques to identify videos and audio running on the TV, matching it against a big database to identify whats being played.

ACR: Works on anything played on the TV including DVDs and Blu-rays, CDs and games The viewing of data and habits are shared with manufacturers and ultimately sold to advertiser in order to target you with adds. When your TV is connected to your home router data will include your IP Address and location (Source-Jake Moore. Global Cybersecurity Advisor at a Security Company ‘ESET’). ACR can be used for unsettling profiling, as it has analytical technologies availability, data from facial recognition, sentiment analysis, speech to text & content analysis these can  be gathered to build an in depth picture of an individual user.

Instead of matching content against a list of movies, ACR could in theory be analysed for political position, ethnicity, socio-economics position etc., highly abusive in the wrong hands.

Using the browser on your TV lacks the antivirus and additional security settings built into your smartphone or PC. Cyber attackers can eavesdrop on the browsers traffic and compromise the cookies that manage authentication to online services such as social media accounts or online banking, and impersonate people (Source: Senior Lecturer at De Montford University’s Cyber Security Centre. Leicester)

“Cyber-attackers can eavesdrop on the browser’s traffic and compromise the cookies that manage authentication to online services, such as social media accounts or online banking, and impersonate people,” says Dr Francisco Navarro, a senior lecturer at De Montfort University’s Cyber Security Centre in Leicester.

If you use your smart phone as a TV remote be mindful that connecting to a Smart TV with a mobile will be done via Bluetooth or across the network therefore “if the Smart TV was hacked it might be used to attack your mobile device, the risk is low” (Source: James Griffiths. Co-Founder and Technical Director at Cyber Security Associates) Smart TV’s will collect Data and you cannot stop this from happening altogether

By connecting to the internet you cannot stop the TV from collecting data altogether.  If you dumb your TV down too much it will affect your viewing experience, therefore its important to know say Netflix features, knowing there are some basic measurements you can take to protect yourself from Smart TV spying. Turn off ACR in the settings, disable ‘personalisation, opt-out of all advertising features and cover or disable camera’s and microphones. Make sure your Router is protected by changing the password. Yet there are some basic measures you can take to protect yourself from smart TV spying. Turn off ACR in the settings, disable personalisation, opt out of all advertising features and cover or disable cameras and microphones. You  can improve security by opting out of ‘web tracking’ when its offered and applying software updates as soon as they are available.

How to turn off the Snooping Feature on a Smart TV: On the Home screen, under Settings, scroll down to Privacy. Hover over it, and you’ll see entries for Advertising, Voice, Smart TV Experience and Privacy Policy. Under Advertising you can uncheck Personalize ads to stop getting targeted ads, and reset the advertising ID.

Remember that Smart TV’s collect data about what you watch with a technology called ‘Automatic Content Recognition” or ACR. You cannot stop all data collection without disconnecting the set from the internet, but you can turn off ACR on many models of Smart TVs. Note that Smart TVs may use another name for ‘ACR’ and the controls can be hard to find. Smart TVs are ‘Smart’ you may not be aware of it but your Smart TV knows, shares a lot of information about you.

The streaming apps on your TV set may collect data on you, even if you never sign in. And your Smart TV will also collect information for its manufacturer, possibly including your location which apps open more and more. These companies can also capture voice when you use the mic on a Smart TV Remote, and collect data about you from outside companies

Smart TVs may contain a camera, which can be found on the top edge of the TV. These TVs may also include microphones or collect viewing data. The options to turn off each of these features typically reside in the settings menu. Consumers can find the camera on a Smart TV by looking for a circle where the lens is situated, typically at the top edge of the TV. By putting the camera on the top of the screen, brands ensure that the camera can see the user, who will presumably sit directly in front of the TV.

The Microphone On The Smart TV: May use your voice control to gather more information about you as a viewer. Many brands state that they do not save this information on the server, however someone nefarious can easily hack the microphone as they would a camera.

Most TVs with camera’s do not include an indicator to show the camera is on. Some Smart TVs have a microphone symbol that shows on the TV when its listening, others may have an indicator light. If your TV is listening through the microphone it will typically respond to the users command.

RESEARCHED LINKS:  By Carol Sakey.  https://wakeupnz.org

https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/how-to-turn-off-smart-tv-snooping-features/  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIhKiR39IK0  https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/09/technology/security/samsung-smart-tv-privacy/index.htmlr                                                                                                                   https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/09/18/you-watch-tv-your-tv-watches-back/

https://www.gadgetreview.com/where-is-the-camera-on-my-smart-tv

Samsung Class Action Lawsuit Says Smart TVs Spy on Consumers

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/29/what-your-smart-tv-knows-about-you-and-how-to-stop-it-harvesting-data

https://www.komando.com/trch-tips/stop-smart-tv-tracking/544540/                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Tutorials point- How to stop your Smart TV from spying on you  https://www.tutorialapoint.com/how-to-stop-your-smart-tv-from-spying-on-you

NOTE: PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO TAKE YOU TO MY VIDEO ON RUMBLE