Soil & Health Media Releases
The Soil & Health Association actively campaigns for change to create an Organic New Zealand.Link to all Soil & Health Press Releases
Contacts
The Association employs Steffan Browning as our spokesperson to represent us in the media. He can be contacted in regard to all of our media releases and campaigns.Steffan Browning
Phone: 021 725 655
Email: steffan@buyorganic.co.nz
The people listed below can also be contacted regarding GE-free, additives in food, pesticides and organics.
Dr Elvira Dommisse, Soil & Health Association Co-chair and Former Crop & Food Scientist
Phone: 03 9422 748
Email: elvira@clear.net.nz
Claire Bleakley, President GE Free NZ in food and environment
Phone: 06 308 9842, 027 348 6731
Email: p.bleakley@orcon.net.nz
www.gefree.org.nz
Alison White, Co-convenor Safe Food Campaign
Phone: 04 476 8607, 021 1699 120
alison@safefood.org.nz
www.safefood.org.nz
Dr Meriel Watts, Pesticide Action Network Aotearoa
Phone: 027 602 3194
Email: merielwatts@xtra.co.nz
www.panap.net
Organics Aotearoa New Zealand - Organic sector umbrella group
Phone: 04 890 3769
www.oanz.co.nz
Campaigns
Our spokesperson, National Council (governance body) members and other volunteers write submissions on campaign issues. Some of those are available here: Submissions & Campaign InformationMagazine articles
Some magazine articles are made available on this website. You can find them by looking through the content lists of the current and past issues. Or you can read the list of articles here: Organic NZ Magazine ArticlesBethells Herbicides and Taranakis 1080 A National Issue
The community concern over aerial spraying at Te Henga, near Bethells Beach, followed by a 1080 debacle in Taranaki is indicative of a much wider issue; the extra heavy use of chemicals throughout New Zealand and the lack of vision for a pesticide free environment, according to the Soil & Health Association of NZ. Soil & Health is calling for a national ban on aerial spraying to match...
Added: 8 Mar 10
Conflict of Interest By GE Animals Hearing Chair
“We have to be aggressive about getting the biotechnology out onto the farm where it can do the most good. Part of the gains to be made are included in making them quickly.”Hearing Chair, Kieran Elborough.
The Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) hearing of the AgResearch application to allow genetically engineered cattle, sheep and goats, is unjust when very similar...
Added: 2 Mar 10
Levin Branch Newsletter February 2010
ORGANIC GROWING NEWS Newsletter 268 – February 2010
Levin Branch, NZ Soil & Health Association
www.organicnz.org/branch/Levin
Patron Fay Te Kira 364 5168 President Ian Sheen 364 3299 singa@xtra.co.nz Treasurer Liz Baucke 368 0009
Minute Secretary Val Nicol 367 8320...
Added: 1 Feb 10
NGO's call for Diet drink's aspartame to be dumped in favour of natural sweeteners
Safe food campaigning NGO's are once again calling for drinks and foods containing artificial sweeteners to be taken out of supermarket trolleys and 2010 school tuck-shops.
The Soil & Health Association of New Zealand and Safe Food Campaign point out that the sweetener aspartame in Diet...
Added: 10 Jan 10
Levin Branch Newsletter January 2010
ORGANIC GROWING NEWS Newsletter 267 – January 2010
Levin Branch, NZ Soil & Health Association
www.organicnz.org/branch/Levin Patron Fay Te Kira 364 5168 President Ian Sheen 364 3299 singa@xtra.co.nz Treasurer Liz Baucke 368 0009
Minute Secretary Val Nicol 367 8320 Secretary...
Added: 1 Jan 10
What We Want For Christmas - Strawberry Growers To Go Organic
Analysis of New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) pesticide residue results out yesterday show strawberries laced with multiple residues and dodgy chicken take-aways in Auckland. (1)
Samples of strawberries bought in late July and August in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Napier, were...
Added: 22 Dec 09
Global Research Alliance In New Zealand At Risk Of Unsustainable Outcomes
The New Zealand lead at the Copenhagen United Nations Climate Change Conference, by contributing $45 million to the Global Research Alliance on agriculture greenhouse gases, has all the hallmarks of a sustainability sham and pseudo science according to the Soil & Health Association of NZ....
Added: 22 Dec 09
Organic Sector Firmly Opposed To Genetically Engineered Animals
Organic sector members opposed to AgResearch’s continuing efforts to experiment on genetically engineered (GE) animals have taken a look at the facility that threatens to further tarnish New Zealand’s clean green 100% Pure branding. (1)
With the knowledge that the Environmental...
Added: 20 Dec 09
Celery at top of dirty dozen
Celery is at the top of a food list as most likely to contain pesticide residues in New Zealand. As well as celery, a range of fruit, dairy products and bread are all ranked in the top dozen of foods most likely to contain pesticide residues. Close contenders behind this ‘dirty...
Added: 13 Dec 09
Clean Up Lincoln Countryside and Clean Out NZs GE Labs
Leakage of GE material from a Plant & Food Research containment facility should come as no surprise, but be a wake up call to Government that a major GE catastrophe is just a matter of time, according to the Soil & Health Association of NZ.
It was reported on Monday that Plant...
Added: 2 Dec 09
GE Food and Environment Regulators Need Changing
New Zealand’s food and environmental safety regulators need either some major staff changes, political policy push or a culture change, if public safety is to be considered properly,...
Added: 12 Nov 09
ERMAs Chemical Cowboy Approach To Methyl Bromide Branded Reckless
ERMA’s methyl bromide control recommendations, released yesterday, are among the most reckless in the world with little regard for human and environmental safety, according to the Soil &...
Added: 6 Nov 09
Levin Branch Newsletter November/December 2009
ORGANIC GROWING NEWS Newsletter 266 – November/December 2009
Levin Branch, NZ Soil & Health Association, www.organicnz.org/branch/Levin Patron Fay Te Kira 364 5168 President Ian...
Added: 1 Nov 09
Food Safety Minister Needs To Question GE Food Safety and Labelling.
Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson needs to ensure a comprehensive review of the labelling of genetically engineered (GE) food ingredients and GE food safety in New Zealand, now that 40 different...
Added: 26 Oct 09
Port Marlboroughs Independent Fumigation Monitoring A Sham
Port Marlborough’s sole owner, the Marlborough District Council, should take a leaf out of Taupo District Council’s book and ban aerial 1080 drops, but also immediately ban the release to air...
Added: 5 Oct 09
Levin Branch Newsletter October 2009
ORGANIC GROWING NEWS Newsletter 265 - October 2009
Levin Branch, NZ Soil & Health Association>
www.organicnz.org/branch/Levin Patron Fay Te Kira 364 5168 President Ian Sheen 364...
Added: 1 Oct 09
Marlborough Needs To Clean Up Its Air
The Marlborough District Council and its subsidiary company Port Marlborough need to commit to a ban on the release to air of methyl bromide log fumigants, at least until the Environmental Risk...
Added: 17 Sep 09
Levin Branch Newsletter September 2009
ORGANIC GROWING NEWS Newsletter 264 – September 2009
Levin Branch, NZ Soil & Health Association
Patron Fay Te Kira 364 5168 President Ian Sheen 364 3299 singa@xtra.co.nz...
Added: 1 Sep 09
US Commentator Calls New Zealand GE Trees Irresponsible
The Soil & Health Association is calling for a ban on New Zealand exports of genetically engineered (GE) organisms.
The intended growing in the United States of 260,000 GE eucalyptus...
Added: 24 Aug 09
Pesticide residues in food shows need for organics
Pesticide residues in the New Zealand diet are being downplayed by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA), according to two advocacy groups. The comments of the Soil & Health Association...
Proposed Amendment to the New Zealand Folic Acid Standard - 11 Aug 09Added: 19 Aug 09
Federated Farmers Bees Man Ambushing Beekeepers GE Protection - 21 Jul 09
Life Sciences Confused About GE Risk - 16 Jul 09
Power-down pioneer - 1 Jul 09
Eucalypts: Sustainable timber - 1 Jul 09
MAF dodging Plant & Food's $10million GE liability - 28 Jun 09
A Quarter Million NZ Raised GE Eucalyptus Trees Intended for Planting in U.S - 28 Jun 09
NZ Pesticide Use / Cancer Link Shows Need For Support - 22 Jun 09
NZ Should Note Tasmanias Clean Green GE Free Approach - 22 May 09
Picton Fumigators Will Fail Safety & Indian Requirements - 21 May 09
NZ Free Range Pigs Farmers Deserve CoOL Support - 21 May 09
GE Ingredients In Inghams Chicken Feed - 17 May 09
Port Marlboroughs Monitoring of Methyl Bromide Failed - 15 May 09
Logs From Methyl Bromide Free Nelson To Be Fumigated - 11 May 09
Picton Fumigators May Fail Safety and Indian Requirements - 4 May 09
Levin Branch Newsletter May 2009 - 1 May 09
Picton getting tonnes of toxic gas again - 30 Apr 09
Levin Branch Newsletter February 2009 - 1 Apr 09
MAF-Biosecurity NZ and Plant & Food still not taking GE risk seriously - 25 Mar 09
Levin Branch Newsletter March 2009 - 1 Mar 09
News from the Frontline - 1 Mar 09
Methyl Bromide Fumigation Supported By Marlborough District Council - 12 Feb 09
Plant & Food's GE Brassica Trial Closure Celebrated - 10 Feb 09
Methyl bromide fumigant bouquet for Picton this Valentines Day - 1 Feb 09
Plant & Food Research needs to drop GE - 14 Jan 09
NGOs visit GE field trial site today - 12 Jan 09
Levin Branch Newsletter January 2009 - 1 Jan 09
NZ Bans Endosulfan - 15 Dec 08
Country of Origin Labelling fairness wanted by NZ consumers - 3 Nov 08
New editor at Organic NZ - 16 Oct 08
Kiwi poll rejects GE animals - 12 Oct 08
ERMA’s GE horse vaccine use must be determined by ERMA - 8 Oct 08
GE protest in Wellington against the end of A GE Free NZ - 7 Oct 08
Aspartame promotion again lacks independence - 24 Sep 08
Cervical Cancer and the HPV Vaccine - 1 Sep 08
Pointless field trials cost us millions - 1 Sep 08
Soap Nut Tree Sapindus mukorossi - 1 Sep 08
Pesticide residues in Australian veges show need for Country of Origin Labelling - 1 Sep 08
More endosulfan residues found in food as ERMA submission period closes - 8 Aug 08
Mapua report shows systemic problems with environmental protection - 29 Jul 08
More endosulfan in tomatoes – this time Australian ones are worse - 23 Jul 08
Ban highly persistent pesticide from our food - 10 Jul 08
Endosulfan: NZ exports at risk – is ERMA listening? - 4 Jul 08
Endosulfan: An appalling ‘proposed’ insecticide decision by ERMA - 30 Jun 08
MfE, ERMA and MED need to protect ozone layer and community health now - 26 Jun 08
Scion’s GE trees damage NZ’s reputation on Arbor Day and World Environment Day - 5 Jun 08
Highly toxic Endosulfan found in lettuce, strawberries, courgettes - 13 May 08
Scion’s GE Tree Field Trial Research Result Claims Unsubstantiated - 5 May 08
Wellington Regional Council’s independence compromised - 21 Apr 08
Review shows that NZ is not ready for GE production - time for Organics to lead the way - 16 Apr 08
Get diet drinks out of our schools! - 16 Apr 08
Euthanase GE animals, don’t create more! - 11 Apr 08
New GE onions trial a waste of resources - 11 Apr 08
Food safety review lacks true independence - 27 Mar 08
GE brassica planting possibly illegal - 18 Mar 08
Rotorua GE Tree Trial remains an environmental threat - 16 Mar 08
New Zealand's Fast Forward must be organic - 12 Mar 08
Wellington’s Regional Council compromising air safety again - 11 Mar 08
Soil & Health boosts Methyl Bromide protest - 4 Mar 08
Sweet Poison - 1 Mar 08
Wellington’s air quality safety agencies are dangerously misleading - 29 Feb 08
Wellington’s toxic gas plume headed to Oriental Parade - 26 Feb 08
ALERT !! Wellington’s air to be poisoned Sunday & Monday - 24 Feb 08
MAF Biosecurity choking on the truth - 18 Feb 08
Organic farming is the clean green solution - 14 Feb 08
Wellington’s methyl bromide log fumigation must stop immediately - 6 Feb 08
Failure in GE tree reporting may bring tears to Crop & Food’s onion trial - 5 Feb 08
Levin Branch February/March 2008 - 1 Feb 08
GE Tree trial breach shows institutional contradictions - 16 Jan 08
Christmas is over Scion, take the GE trees down - 13 Jan 08
GE trees field trial at Rotorua - 1 Jan 08
Ditch the Diet Coke, the facts are out - 21 Dec 07
Aspartame research needed, not Coca-Cola’s soft sell - 26 Nov 07
Levin Branch Newsletter November/December 2007 - 1 Nov 07
NZFSA A2 spin just tip of iceberg - 10 Oct 07
Urgent need for Methyl Bromide moratorium - 8 Oct 07
Sustainable wine growing is not clean or green enough - 4 Oct 07
Levin Branch Newsletter September 2007 - 21 Sep 07
Marlborough vineyard herbicide use now touching 70% soil coverage - 20 Sep 07
NZFSA used in aspartame propaganda - 10 Sep 07
