Are we really "clean and green?"

Say New Zealand in any part of the world and along with the All Blacks and sheep you are likely to get “green”, eco friendly and lush green forests as descriptors of Aotearoa. Because of our vast undisturbed woodland and beautiful scenery, New Zealand is portrayed as being a “clean and green” country. The Rainbow Warrior incident put New Zealand in a position where it was seen as being conscious of the harmful effects the nuclear tests had on the environment hence becoming “the good guy.” All this is surface material and those with shrewd minds are questioning whether this portrayal of New Zealand is accurate or just a legacy which is rotting at the core.

Agriculture, fishing and forestry form over half of the country’s exports. We have a reputation for “quality products from a quality environment" and this is dependent on our supposedly environmentally sustainable farming practices. However the estimated loss of soil through erosion is a staggering 380 million tonnes a year. All this soil makes its way into our freshwater bodies and eventually into the sea. This sometimes increases the pH of the water to an extent that some aquatic organisms are deformed or worse, can’t survive in those conditions. Our water is also polluted by fertilisers and animal faecal waste which wash into rivers and lakes. These pollutants increase the water’s phosphorus, nitrogen and general chemical concentration. They may also sink into the ground and pollute our groundwater supplies.

On the other hand, the government has made an effort to educate farmers on sustainable ways of farming such as composting animal waste. There also have been numerous beach cleanup campaigns as an attempt to make the sea a safer habitat for the fish. Fish and other sea life sometimes swallow plastic products which are incorrectly disposed of and somehow make their way into the sea. The plastic is trapped in their stomachs and they eventually starve to death. The effects of each environmental issue are seen elsewhere as there is almost always a domino effect. For example if an essential species in the aquatic food chain dies out or is in short supply because of either high chemical concentration or swallowing plastic the whole food chain is disrupted.

Industrial pollution, especially from cars is also a big cause of environmental issues in New Zealand. On average, for every two people in New Zealand one of them owns a car or another greenhouse gas emitting vehicle. These gases irreversibly damage the ozone layer which causes global warming as more of the sun’s rays can penetrate through the atmosphere and warm the earth. The ozone layer is said to be thinnest over New Zealand, an obvious indication that we are not as eco friendly as we might think. The Auckland council plans to spend more money on its motorway encouraging more people to drive private vehicles rather than to use public transport which is better for the environment. The train network is not very reliable as there are no trains travelling to eastern suburbs like Pakuranga, Howick and Botany Downs.

In defence of our “100% pure” title, there have been campaigns in schools all across the country to educate the students about living sustainably and protecting the environment. This is important as the students of today are New Zealand’s future. I think there should be more emphasis on educating the masses about what exactly poses a risk to the environment and what they can do to reduce this and to reverse the damage that has already been done. This can be done through the media and in practical ways such as setting aside a day when people only use public transport then calculating the difference between the amount of greenhouse gases emitted on a normal day and then.

In another decade, New Zealand’s “clean and green” reputation might have been justified but in this present day I believe that there is a lot of room for improvement. There are a lot of areas in which we, as inhabitants of New Zealand can practice more environmentally friendly attitudes. Recycling materials and car pooling are some examples. We have to keep in mind that the government can’t do everything and that every single person has a duty to play their part no matter how small it may seem.

Should the drinking age be raised to 21?

Picture this. A bunch of incoherent teenagers who can barely remember whether the sky is blue or red. Their alcohol saturated brains and their maturity level or rather lack of thereof become the cauldron where imbecilic ideas are concocted and come to life. A few moments later it’s all sirens screeching and lights flashing. Whether it’s an ambulance, fire truck or the police, the common denominator is that there has been trouble and someone has been hurt. This has become such a familiar scene on say a Friday night (or really any day) that some members of parliament have suggested raising the drinking age from 18 to 21. In New Zealand we don’t actually have a legal drinking age but rather a purchase age. Anyone can consume alcohol but only people aged 18 and over can legally purchase it. Brawls and accidents caused by intoxicated teenagers have been on the rise and recent studies indicate that most binge drinkers develop bad drinking habits between the ages of 16 and 22 as most people are not very mature before they hit the mid 20s.
Teens under 18 use fake identification to enter pubs and clubs where they can buy and consume alcohol. This is one of the reasons why raising the drinking age has been proposed. It’s quite easy for a 15 year old to look 18 but not 21. Therefore in that way this would reduce the number of teens under 18 drinking alcohol. Another argument is that 18 year olds are more likely to buy alcoholic drinks for their younger friends than 21 year olds. This is especially true in a high school setting where most year 13 students are 18 and they have younger friends in the school who may ask them to buy alcohol for them. There is also the controversial issue about 18 year olds not being mature enough to drink responsibly. The police are called to or stumble upon street fights or accidents involving drunken teenagers too many a time. It’s hoped that raising the drinking age will reduce the number of such unfortunate events.
On the other hand, raising the drinking age would infuriate those who are almost 18 and it would be difficult for 19 and 20 year olds to follow the new law as they are already legally allowed to purchase and consume alcohol publicly. Although raising the drinking age would potentially reduce underage drinking and maybe even binge drinking, it would not completely obliterate these problems. There would still be underage drinkers just like there are now. Underage drinking statistics would probably sky rocket as there would be more people under the legal drinking age or rather purchasing age.
Personally I think it would be more effective to have a legal drinking age not a purchasing age. This would reduce the number of underage drinkers as it would actually be illegal for people over the drinking age to supply alcohol to those under the drinking age. Another solution could be educating the masses about alcohol and its effects on the body. There has already been an effort made as drug and alcohol education were incorporated into the high school P.E. and Health curriculum. However I believe there should be more education for the general public as well. The binge drinking culture is passed down from generation to generation so if our parents are informed of the consequences then they can set a good example for us to follow.
Raising the drinking age to 21 would have many repercussions some good and others not so good. I personally don’t think there enough good possible consequences to change the law. However I acknowledge the problem of binge drinking and underage drinking but I think there are other less disputable ways of tackling these problems like rehabilitation through education and so forth.

Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are endangering NZ teens.

If you sit in on an average lunch time conversation at any given high school in New Zealand, it is very likely that there will be reference to Facebook, Bebo or some other networking site. Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Twitter are the main networking sites used by teenagers in New Zealand. On these sites, users can add friends, send them messages and update their personal profiles. These websites are accessible to anyone in the world who has access to the Internet and lives in a country in which they are not banned. In New Zealand over 60% of teenagers have at least one profile on some type of social networking site.

Personally I think it’s a matter of being cautious as to what information teenagers disclose to which people. These networking sites require a password and users can decide who can view their profiles and who can post on their walls. There is also an option to report inappropriate comments, posts, pages and so forth. Unfortunately, social networking sites are not immune to cyber bullies and sexual predators. These are the two main dangers of teenagers using social networking sites. False identities and ages put teenagers at risk of socialising with the likes of sexual predators under the impression that they are teenagers like them. It’s quite a common occurrence for teenagers to be lured into meeting their supposed “teenage friends” in person and then being raped or even kidnapped. Cyber bullies can post nasty comments causing the victim to become insecure and vulnerable. This usually affects their self esteem negatively or causes them some sort of pain worst case scenario being suicide after the victim can’t take the abuse anymore. In 2006, thirteen year old Megan Meier was harassed by a fake MySpace persona until she committed suicide. This is proof that the stories people share about the dangers of social networking sites are actually a reality.

Another issue which arises from networking sites is that teenagers tend to spend a lot of time on the computer. I have tried it myself on Facebook, playing Farmville for an hour, going through friends’ profiles and uploading pictures and before I knew it I had been sitting at the computer for three and a half hours. This is physically straining for the body especially the eyes as they stare at the harsh light of the computer screen for long time periods. Teenagers sign into their accounts when they are supposed to be doing homework. On Facebook there is a page called “Become a fan if you should be doing your homework” and it’s one of the pages I always see on my homepage indicating just how many of my friends are hooked to Facebook when they should be thinking of algebraic equations and rhyme schemes. Social networking sites discourage communication by word of mouth and the development of interpersonal skills which are vital for survival in the real world. This is a problem with teenagers as they sometimes can’t limit the amount of time they spend on these websites.

Social networking sites also have their advantages if used safely. They are a way to stay connected with friends with whom it would be hard to communicate with otherwise. This is especially handy for teenagers in New Zealand as there are a lot of immigrants and students who have been on student exchanges overseas. Teens also develop computer skills which are valuable in everyday life while on these websites. Shy teenagers might find it easier to make friends on the internet rather than in person and social networking might even help them get over their timidity or “social inadequacy” so to speak.

After all has been said, it comes down to how each individual uses these social networking sites. If teenagers follow the basic safety rules like setting their profiles so that only their friends can view them and accepting friend requests only from people they know or at least people with whom they have mutual friends, they will probably never have to worry about the dark side of networking sites.