“The world’s cities are facing unprecedented challenges. In Mexico City, Tehran, Kolkata, Bangkok, Beijing, and hundreds of other cities, the air is no longer safe to breathe. In some cities the air is so polluted that breathing is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. Respiratory illnesses are rampant. In many places, the number of hours commuters spend sitting in traffic-congested streets and highways climbs higher each year, raising frustration levels.

In response to these conditions, we are seeing the emergence of a new urbanism, a planning philosophy that environmentalist Francesca Lyman says “seeks to revive the traditional city planning of an era when cities were designed around human beings instead of automobiles.” One of the most remarkable modern urban transformations has occurred in Bogotá, Colombia, where Enrique Peñalosa served as mayor for three years. When he took office in 1998 he did not ask how life could be improved for the 30 percent who owned cars, but for the 70 percent—the majority—who did not.

Peñalosa realized that a city with a pleasant environment for children and the elderly would work for everyone. In just a few years, he transformed the quality of urban life. Under his leadership, the city created or renovated 1,200 parks, introduced a highly successful bus-based rapid transit system, built hundreds of kilometers of bicycle paths and pedestrian streets, reduced rush hour traffic by 40 percent, planted 100,000 trees, and involved local citizens directly in the improvement of their neighborhoods. In doing this, he created a sense of civic pride among the city’s 8 million residents, making the streets of Bogotá in this strife-torn country safer than those in Washington, D.C.

In espousing this new urban philosophy, Peñalosa is not alone. Jaime Lerner, when he was mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, pioneered the design and adoption of an alternative transportation system that is inexpensive and commuter-friendly. Since 1974 Curitiba’s transportation system has been totally restructured. Although 60 percent of the people own cars, busing, biking, and walking account for 80 percent of all trips in the city.

When 95 percent of a city’s workers depend on cars for commuting, as in Atlanta, Georgia, the city is in trouble. By contrast, in Amsterdam 35 percent of all residents bike or walk to work, while one fourth use public transit and 40 percent drive. In Paris, fewer than half of commuters rely on cars, and even this share is shrinking thanks to the efforts of Mayor Bertrand Delanoë. Even though these European cities are older, often with narrow streets, they have far less congestion than Atlanta.”

Full article

Contrast this with the Public Health Committee’s April report to the NZ Minister of Health, Healthy Places, Healthy Lives: Urban environments and wellbeing, which highlights the range of negatives caused by urban planning in NZ, particularly with reference to health impacts. It urges alternatives to create a healthy urban environment:

If designed appropriately, urban form and transport can increase physical activity, improve air quality, reduce road traffic injuries, increase social cohesion, and achieve maximum health benefits from services and facilities. Urban form can also help create a sense of place. This is important for the health and wellbeing of all populations living in urban areas, especially Maori.

You can access the full report here.

Do the western systems of diagnosis, classification and treatment of mental disorder adequately accommodate for culture: The Māori experience by Dr Rees Tapsell

All past seminars can be accessed here (require Silverlight to watch)

Events like the one in NY below facilitate public health and activity levels, raise awareness of alternative, more socially equitable and environmentally friendly tranposrt options, nurture community cohesion and trust in others, break down social barriers… The city streets as a place where people can meet as equals and have a good time is a pretty basic, yet revolutionary concept. Bogota, where this event started, now has it every week, where over 100 km of the city’s streets are closed to traffic (video here).

This is the kind of stuff we need. Heaps of social action is reactive, rather than proactive, and while for some issues this is really crucial, we sometimes need to be more visionary. We need to get creative, and imagine the world how we want it to be, rather than battling against a world we want to avoid. If we want to move beyond endless consumption, materialism and accumulation of power and wealth, and their attendant environmental impacts and social injustices, we need to get into alternative ways of finding  joy and fun!

Take a look at the video below (sorry, the alignment for the embedded video is all out of whack, and for some reason the video is showing up twice… I’m really crap at this IT stuff!!)

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Unlike countries like Australia, the United States and the UK, New Zealand is unusual in not requiring its GPs to undertake separate training as General Practitioners.

Furthermore, about another 700 GPs are currently in training, under various levels of supervision, and provide primary health care to local communities.

Therefore, of the approximately 4100 GPs in New Zealand, 1400 (about one third) of them are not trained to be so.

This is somewhat disturbing news, particularly at a time when there is a national shortage of doctors in general, and GPs in particular.

The governments answer would seem to be to encourage the use of nurses to relieve doctors of some of their workload, but international studies show this is a problematic practice, and it is doubtful it will have the desired effect.

New Zealand should take a leaf out of the global health care book, and insist upon doctors who wish to be GPs being trained specifically as GPs.

General practice is a specialism. It is reasonable to assume that people engaged in specialist pursuits – such as a oncology, pediatrics, or neurosurgery – would have had specific additional training to ensure they understand their field and are able to provide the best possible care.

Shouldn’t we expect the same from General Practice – doctors from whom, in the Government’s primary health care strategy, a great deal is expected?

“Widening geographic inequalities in death rates from ischaemic heart disease, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have marked differences between District Health Board regions, the journal said in an editorial.

”It based the warning on research published in the journal arguing that higher rates of ill health among poor people are leading to differences in a mortality rates between regions.

“The changing social and political environment disadvantaged poor people and areas, as well as Maori and Pacific people. Healthcare reforms which required people to pay more for their treatment led to poorer people making less use of health services, and unequal rationing of primary healthcare had affected some regions more than others”

Full story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4681227a11.html

In July the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) continues its election year call for greater awareness of key issues facing New Zealand by promoting the message that more action is needed to provide a valued place in our society for older people.

The fact that more people are living longer than ever before is something we should be celebrating as an outstanding achievement. Older New Zealanders make huge contributions to maintaining our social fabric through their life skills and life experience; as workers, as parents or grandparents, as caregivers and as active members of the community. Yet too often older people are portrayed as a burden on society, suffer from ageism, are exploited or even abused. Genuine issues of poverty, loneliness and sickness are too easily ignored.

NZCCSS argues that the realities of an ageing population put some fundamental challenges before all of us: Where and how shall we live? Who will be there to help us when it is needed? What choices will we be able to provide older people with? 

The second in the series of brochures published by NZCCSS for its member organisations, Church-based audiences and wider public, looks at the massive social change that our ageing population is bringing with it. This second part of a call for more action asks the question about how we value older people in our society? A central measure of value is the range of choices that will be available for older people who have few assets, low incomes and/ or high needs. A copy of the brochure is available to download here.

NZCCSS has summarised some of the key issues in a briefing given to Church Leaders [Read more]

“”The ACC system is one of the simplest in the world for patients to navigate“…Straightforward claims are processed in weeks, with all decisions made within nine months, and a fixed award structure ensuring that similar injuries receive similar compensation…The system, funded through general taxation and an employer levy, is remarkably affordable. To date, compensation for medical injuries has cost just $29 million—for a population of about 4 million. Reforms enacted in 2005 are expected to incur additional costs of $5 million per year.” (ref and ref)

Marie Bismark and Ron Paterson’s article “No-Fault Compensation in New Zealand: Harmonizing Injury Compensation, Provider Accountability, and Patient Safety” is well worth a read.Given that Australia use a mix of private and state sector mechanisms to provide similar accident compensation systems, isn’t it a bit ironic that many in Australia call them to follow us – but here’s National with a fairly uninspired co-option of Australian broken systems? Would it provide greater flexibility to the public and employers?ACC isn’t admired by everyone. Roger Kerr, Executive Director of the New Zealand Business Roundtable had a thing or two to say.Yest according to the government:

“Research shows private insurers are often less concerned about the vocational rehabilitation of injured clients – and that a significant group of people can miss out on injury cover altogether under privatised schemes.”

I’m not sure how true the first part of that is, though, and which research they are drawing upon. many insurers already offer income protection insurance that covers people for rehabilitation. But of course, you have to pay quite a bit for that privilege.So why do National want to do this? I just don’t understand their rationale.I get that there might be benefit to business owners in so far as they can reduce costs.But Is there a real benefit here to the public which I’m blind to, particularly when we are entering one of the most economically challenging times since the 1990s (when National were last in power)?I can only see it leading to possible job losses and increased costs relating to ACC due to loss of scale of cover – so we end up with a two tier system. It seems I’m not alone. And will competition assist businesses in creating, nurturing and maintaining a healthy and capable workforce?I don’t think any of us should be a slave to dogma, left or right. But we need to ask some serious questions, and get answers, about who benefits from policies like these, and whether that’s consistent with a just society.

If you do, you’ll get the treat of listening to Jo Randerson, astonishingly talented writer and performing artist, who will be reflecting with Kim about art and mental health at that time.

“Award-winning writer and performer Jo Randerson is curating the exhibition My House Surrounded by a Thousand Suns at The New Dowse in Lower Hutt (5 July to 26 October). The recipient of a New Zealand Mental Health Media Grant, Randerson’s show includes work from individuals formerly known as ‘outsider artists’, including those with experiences of mental illness and intellectual disability, inspired by her recent trip to Belgium’s Guislain Museum.

We believe a just and compassionate society can be achieved by more action to:

• Support families and communities in nurturing and protecting our children as taonga.
• Provide older people with a range of choices for their homes, support and lifestyle.
• Utilise our nation’s prosperity responsibly to eliminate poverty.
• Enable access to good, affordable housing for everyone.
• Support community-based organisations to grow the spirit of aroha tetahi ki tetahi – looking after each other.

During the year a series of five discussion leaflets and posters is being produced to support the Call for More Action, the first of which was released in June.

“Are we looking after our children?” – when one in five of them are living in poverty. This is the central question behind the first part of the call for action – let us begin to really nurture and protect our children. Suggested actions for communities and individuals are included in the information that can be downloaded from  http://www.justiceandcompassion.org.nz/site/home.php  

We’ll keep you posted as new information comes to hand.

Problem gambling heavily impacts the most vulnerable people in our society. It can result in dire financial problems, insurmountable debt and impacts hugely on individuals, families and children. Pokie machines, which make up the bulk of the problem gambling, are concentrated in low socio-economic areas. The fact that the problem gambling helpline is unable to continue to provide its essential services is a deep betrayal of those Kiwis bearing the heavy costs of gambling problems.

Read full press release