A group of Wellington GE Free activists celebrated the one-year birthday of the People's Moratorium on Friday; descending on ERMA to remind them that resistance to GE remains strong. ERMA are the Environmental Resource Management Authority who rubber-stamp the GE trial process. A 'birthday cake' of compost and birthday card was delivered with a noisy birthday party with drums, party poppers and kazoos.

Meanwhile in Auckland activists visited Crop and Foods, who are conducting G.E onion trials, and dumped 60kg of onions at their door.

'Field Trials of genetically engineered onions, pine trees and cows continue, but there have been no new applications for release since the launch of the People's Moratorium, a year ago today. This is because biotech corporations know that New Zealanders don't want GE and won't tolerate it, said Wellington Anti-GE Action spokesperson, Felicity Perry.

On Saturday October 23 approximately between 2-4000 people took part in a protest that went from Te Papa to parliament. The march was collectively organised by Multi-Cultural Aotearoa (MCA), a group formed in Wellington to organise and display community opposition to the National Front's (NF) proposed anti-Asian protest on parliament. Stopping the NF was one of the three principles agreed upon at the inaugural MCA public meeting, the other two principles were to oppose humiliating immigration policies and to put a stop to Maori-bashing.

The NF backed down from the publicly unpopular anti-Asian march and decided to go to the beehive to say how much they liked the NZ flag instead. There they were confronted by the scary fairies. An intimidating rable in fluro and fairy wings. The MCA march left Te Papa and gather in momentum as it proceded to parliament accompanied by music, dancing and chants calling for the end of a racist state and the releasing of Ahmed Zaoui. News reports stated that metal barriers had been erected in parliament ground to seperate the two groups, but the NF had scarpered by the time the large MCA demo arrived.

[ Fairies fighting fascists | Nazis lose badly in Wellington | NF run out of town | MCA say 3000+ marched & Tze Ming Mok's speech | Scoop coverage ]

On Saturday, 16 October, the biggest rally ever in Papeete gathered to support Oscar Temaru and demand the dissolution of parliament and fresh elections. According to a tahitipresse report "An estimated crowd of more than 20,000 people peacefully marched into downtown Papeete on Saturday, calling for the dissolution of the French Polynesia Assembly so that new elections could be held."

In early October the pro-independence Temaru Government of French Polynesia was defeated in a no-confidence motion in the local assembly, after serving just four months in office. The Temaru government says the French authorities have refused to dissolve the assembly and call new parliamentary elections. Twice in the past week, France has ruled out calling an election. Former French government minister and member of the Socialist Party, Christian Paul, has said there have been acts of "methodical destabilisation" on the part of the French government.

[Discuss | European Centre on Pacific Issues | La Polynésie, c'est loin ?(fr)]

If you saw the Eating Media Lunch episode about Radio Chomsky or read a review of that station in the Listener a few weeks back then you may have glimpsed the tip of a new independent media iceberg. Already Matrix 107.5FM in Wellington and The Station 88.5FM in Hamilton are broadcasting a similar mix of alternative politics, a 4th station has just emerged in Palmerston North and another is on the way for Warkworth.

These stations are broadcasting on Low Power FM Licenses, which allow anyone with a low power transmitter to broadcast in the 'guard' bands at either end of the FM spectrum. Already in Central Auckland the guard bands are saturated with a mix of very unique stations but in most other parts of the country there is still plenty of capacity for more transmitters.

The network of Indy Stations are keen to hear from anyone else who wants to set up a similar station in their area, they say it is surprisingly easy to do and will offer technical advice and audio material to anyone who wishes to get in touch with them.

The programming consists of mostly overseas material sourced off the internet, with a small dash of local voices. The network hopes to increase the local content and is certainly an opportunity to nurture alternative voices. If you are keen to contribute in a weekly, or one-off capacity then once again the network is keen for you to contact them.

[ Aotearoa IMC radio page | Global IMC Radio page | Join the Aotearoa Indyradio list | Radio4all ]

The 20th annual worldwide Anti-McDonald's Day was celebrated on Saturday with rolling protests in Wellington and Christchurch.

Christchurch activists staged demonstrations at six different McDonalds' stores. Protesters entered the buildings distributing leaflets and chanting slogans like 'McDonalds munchers: spew up your lunches!'. At one McDonalds management resorted to free giveaways in an attempt to entice customers into their empty store.

McDonalds stores were also visited in Wellington. Protestors concerned with animal cruelty, environmental devastation and workers rights made loud appearances both inside and outside the Manners Mall store.

In Dunedin there has been ongoing pickets and campaign against McDonalds employment record. Protesters maintain three teenage workers were forced into resigning after becoming pregnant, and another was illegally strip searched.

A second hikoi is starting in Auckland this weekend to protect Maori land rights and to oppose further confiscation of the foreshore and seabeds. A solidarity hikoi is also happening in Dunedin.

Hikoi details:

Auckland: Assemble in Mayoral Drive (behind Aotea Square), Auckland City from 9am, Saturday, 16 October. The hikoi commences at 10am and will proceed down Queen Street, Customs Street, Quay Street, Tamaki Drive (escort by waka taua), then up Kitemoana Street to Orakei Marae (Bastion Point).

Dunedin solidarity hikoi: Assemble at 10am Saturday, 16 October in front of the historic Rongo Rock memorial to Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kaakahi, passive resistance political leaders from Parihaka who were imprisoned in Dunedin. The hikoi will take the following route; along Portsmouth Drive, crossing at Anzac Ave into St Andrews St, along George St to the Octagon.

It has been verified that the returned hard-drives are the originals, but the circumstances of the seizure still remain unclear: who took them, why were they taken, and under which court order? Indymedia is not aware as to whether Rackspace is still under gag order.

The hard-drives will be treated as "hacked" (compromised) and as a result there will be delays in restoring the sites that are still down.

Update: Italy.Indymedia has discovered that the order to seize the hard drives came from Bologna, Italy.

[ Original feature | Background info | Solidarity petition ]