Miriam Ross
@miriamruthross.bsky.social
490 followers 180 following 320 posts
Ex-academic. General Manager of Green Party of Aotearoa NZ. All views my own She/her
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Reposted by Miriam Ross
clintfern.bsky.social
Nelson 2012 - 79% vote against a Māori ward
Nelson 2025 - 56% vote to retain a Māori ward

No official ACT candidate, although Chris Baillie did stand and lose.

Nick Smith has not been, at least publicly, against the ward.

Whakatū has moved in the correct direction.
Reposted by Miriam Ross
paulbarlownz.bsky.social
One final bit of good news - 234600 people across the motu voted to remove Māori wards, 245800 to keep them - 51.1% of all votes were to keep them, 48.9% not to. The majority of the country that voted were in favour so suck it coalition!
miriamruthross.bsky.social
And while the Māori ward losses are absolutely devastating I'm holding onto the small silver lining that some of the places that retained Māori wards might not have been able to win 50% of the demographics who actually vote if the poll had been a few years ago but they now have and that's progress
miriamruthross.bsky.social
All the emotions for local body. Really pleased with some great people looking securely elected, really sad for those who I know would have been excellent who seem squarely out and rollercoaster for those still on the cusp.
miriamruthross.bsky.social
Lovely warm and moving at pace line of people casting their special vote in the library in Kilbirnie right now. Not too late to go past your library if it has special voting or - more likely because if you are on Bluesky you have probably already voted - drag a friend or family down to vote
miriamruthross.bsky.social
NZ "is one of those rare paradise nations where individuals and small groups of people actually can make change. Anyone can put themselves forward to represent their community, and those representatives are accessible to all. And the easiest action of all: a vote."

thespinoff.co.nz/media/11-10-...
The Weekend: Local elections and the false sense of helplessness
New Zealand is a rare paradise where individuals can make actual change. Most of us simply choose not to.
thespinoff.co.nz
miriamruthross.bsky.social
You have until noon people. Find where you can cast a special vote today on your local council website.
Graphic of voting bin and text saying you can still vote
miriamruthross.bsky.social
And can you do me one favour right now? Can you message five friends and simply ask them if they have voted yet 😊
miriamruthross.bsky.social
Are you simply frozen by the existential dread from looking at the line up of only white men and one clown/vampire? (sorry can't do much to help you there but you should still vote!)

Last voting time: noon 11 Oct. Just don't stick them in a regular postbox. Find a voting bin or cast a special vote
miriamruthross.bsky.social
Have they not arrived at all?(you'll need to cast a special vote which isn't as scary as it sounds; your council website and local library will have the details on where to go to do that)?
Photo of library with pillar that has voting details
miriamruthross.bsky.social
Have they been eaten by the dog/toddler and you're a bit embarrassed to let anyone know? (not to worry, your council website will have info on where to go to get replacement papers so you can cast a special vote)
miriamruthross.bsky.social
Are your voting papers sitting on the kitchen counter and you just need a gentle nudge to finally get them in? Drop them in an orange bin because postal voting has now closed.
Photo of orange voting bin
Reposted by Miriam Ross
guncontrolnz.bsky.social
Gun collectors think that their hobby is harmless. But it creates a small amount of risk for everyone. This gun collector did nothing wrong but his nephew had a problem with meth. His pistol collection is now in the hands of criminals.

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/meth-addl...
'Is the bad man coming back?': Meth-addled man steals $15k firearms collection
Of the 12 guns stolen, just one, a Glock pistol, has been recovered by police.
www.nzherald.co.nz
miriamruthross.bsky.social
Although amusing to see who she would like to be sent far away in a spaceship, her last words about us not losing hope are what we all need to hear right now
kojamf.bsky.social
Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.
Reposted by Miriam Ross
nzgreenparty.bsky.social
Make your voice heard in your community - mail your local election ballot paper back today.

Find your local candidates and information about protecting Māori wards on our website greens.org.nz/local
Graphic with a green postbox saying 2 days left to post your vote
miriamruthross.bsky.social
Ruminating about how the next mayor, without having done a thing, will have the library & town hall open in their term, a huge boost to the city centre. And uptake of the cycle and bus network will increase people coming through these fine spaces in the leisurely manner that helps the local economy
miriamruthross.bsky.social
Live tracker for Sumud flotilla

globalsumudflotilla.org/tracker/

Usually I watch these type of maps to see swimmers make it across Cooks Strait and other swimming routes. So much more at stake here
Flotilla Tracker - Global Movement to Gaza
globalsumudflotilla.org
Reposted by Miriam Ross
cassetteboy.bsky.social
New! Cassetteboy vs Keir Starmer.

This took absolutely ages, so if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi.com/cassetteboy we'd really appreciate it. Thanks!
miriamruthross.bsky.social
If the world was Hollywood then this would be the point when the French, Spanish and British Navy would appear on the horizon, ready to escort Sumud in, and a band of fierce orca would surround the flotilla ready to defend.

Instead I'm just hoping that when I wake up tomorrow they'll still be safe.
miriamruthross.bsky.social
While it's good Stuff took the ad down it would have been better if they had upheld Tā Mātou Pono and never published it in the first place

www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/30....
miriamruthross.bsky.social
I got my hoodie! And of course I voted #KeepMāoriWards

shop.greens.org.nz/collections/...
Photo of me in front of mirror so you can see dark Green hoodie from front and back work "I voted Keep Māori wards (duh)" patch on front
miriamruthross.bsky.social
300 bike parks, 222 car parks in a ground-floor basement and outside, a rooftop solar farm and an 8000 sq m central courtyard with about 7000 shrubs and trees...tenanted by people who want the certainty of a lifetime rental.

Love this is my KiwiSaver investment!

www.nzherald.co.nz/property/fir...
First look inside NZ’s biggest build-to-rent: Simplicity Living’s $225m Te Reiputa
Te Reiputa (the whale tooth neck pendant) has five buildings of three to 11 storeys high.
www.nzherald.co.nz
miriamruthross.bsky.social
Putting aside whether this is in anyway workable, the saddest thing is the attempt to remove the richness of foreign cultures from entering the US. Hollywood has a lot to answer for but it has always been best when it has woven together its foreign influences.

www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/3...
Trump says he’s imposing 100% tariff on movies made outside of US, in move that could impact NZ
Donald Trump says he will slap a 100% tariff on movies made outside the US - a move that could see impacts in New Zealand.
www.stuff.co.nz
miriamruthross.bsky.social
sarah4ilam.bsky.social
Reminder
When emailing MPs - be polite.
NEVER make threats, of any sort.
A template email is easy to be automatically sorted into a folder which will be ignored. Probably.
Same goes for cc emails.
Email your MP and say ‘I am a constituent’.
Postcards (& letters) can be sent free to Parly.