If the Regulatory Standards Bill passes, native wildlife should register as a business.
It's the only way they'll get any form of protection from this government.
Behind the Panels:
It’s been a hectic three days for me. I returned from a two-month tour on Sunday and have had to dive right into some exciting, but time-sensitive work, as Greenpeace commissioned me to make a few comics on the Regulatory Standards Bill. I sent them a few pitches for ideas, and after a bit of back-and-forth, I finished three different comics on topics surrounding why this bill is bad. I’ll share them on here and my socials as they slowly get released.
This first one captures the main message of the bill, that environmental protections such as not dumping waste into rivers, protecting habitats of native birds, protecting our native forests and seabeds, and preventing oil spills are somehow a “red tape” hindrance to the huge companies that exploit our natural resources.
As the Department of Conservation continues to face cuts amid funding restrictions, and the government abandons or “shifts its focus” regarding the environment, it genuinely feels like a lot of our endangered wildlife would fare better if they registered as a business.
There are many reasons to oppose this bill, as it sneaks through a lot of David Seymour’s wet dreams under the guise of “good law-making”, all of which I won’t be able to touch on in these comics, as they are through the Greenpeace environmental lens. If you haven’t yet made a submission and want to read up on the varying reasons as to why you should oppose it, here are a few useful links:
Dame Anne Salmond’s summary of the main points, and its overall un democratic process.
How the Regulatory Standards bill trojan horses the treaty Principles Bill.
Greenpeace has a simple breakdown on the history of the bill and the impacts it will have on the environment.
Most importantly, here is a guide on how to make a submission against the bill, more useful links, key points to make, and where to submit it.
If you liked this comic, the write-ups, and mahi, and want to support, consider becoming a paid subscriber to this Substack! I offer weekly political comics as well as original non-political comics exclusively for paid subscribers. You can hear the full pitch here.
Or check out my store, which features prints of some of my classic comics and my latest book, Slices of Heaven: Uniquely Kiwi Comics about Aotearoa! It’s a print collection of warm and witty comics about the DNA of Aotearoa, celebrating our quirks, institutions, identity, and shared experiences.
