Elliot Weir
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elliotjweir.bsky.social
Elliot Weir
@elliotjweir.bsky.social
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Otago Regional Councillor (check FB for updates) | Postgrad Ecology

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elliotjweir.bsky.social
Head to my campaign page or to policy(dot)nz to read more - or just hit me up!
A campaign poster headlined "Vote Elliot Weir #1 for Otago Regional Council", followed by "A transparent council that listens to all of our communities" "An affordable public transport system that we can rely on" "A region that is prepared for natural hazards and the impacts of climate change" and "Robust environmental planning that protects our native biodiversity"
September 11, 2025 at 1:18 AM
elliotjweir.bsky.social
A Better Deal for Students!
Press release ORC candidates sign onto ‘A Better Deal for Students’ Full text can be found at https://tinyurl.com/policiesforstudents
September 8, 2025 at 3:22 AM
elliotjweir.bsky.social
There are posters as above, and these fact sheets for all of our lizard species (+ Tuatara!), plus maps and more..
Species factsheet for kōrero geckos
August 14, 2025 at 11:20 PM
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Yesterday was World Lizard Day, check out these awesome resources on the ORC website!
"Lizards of Otago" poster
August 14, 2025 at 11:20 PM
elliotjweir.bsky.social
What now? Usually this is the part where I would say it is time for the regional council to step up, and implement protections itself. A review of our "Coast Plan" was on the horizon, which could enable stronger protections in the coastal and marine environment if the councillors elected at this election were willing to do so. Unfortunately, last month the government moved legislation to halt all council plans (including our coastal plan) until they are finished replacing the RMA. This means our hands are tied in the regulatory space for a while, but they won't be forever and we need good councillors willing to take action at the table as soon as it is possible. Our coast plan could ensure measures are taken to protect our taoka species and vulnerable ecosystems in Otago, and I will fight to make sure that is the case. Legal groups will be fighting legal fights, conservation and advocacy groups will continue their work, and you can raise your voice and of course vote. In the meantime, I'll be investigating what other tools might be available for council to take action and I will continue trying to raise awareness about what is going on.
August 13, 2025 at 6:52 AM
elliotjweir.bsky.social
What was announced last week? - Far more leniency, flexibility, and lower penalties for exceeding quotas and for catching fish outside of quotas - Annual catch limits can be rolled over for up to four years (ie. If you don't catch the maximum amount in one year, you can catch more than the maximum the next year) - "Unwanted" catch can be dumped at sea, and does not need to be counted - While the (very slow) roll-out of cameras on boats hasn't been scrapped, camera footage will be exempted from the Official Information Act. - Judicial Reviews of ministerial decisions will be severely constrained The first four bullet-points represent changes that undermine the entire quota management system, speeding up the fire sale of our natural resources in a short-term cronyist cash grab. The final bullet-point is arguably even more concerning. With his rhetoric, behaviour, and MAGA hats -- Shane Jones has been unabashedly a Trump wannabe for a few years now. Today's decisions cross a new line by actively undermining the rule of law. Limiting judicial reviews means unlawful decisions by Shane Jones and his successors cannot be easily challenged. He's come out swinging against our courts because they have ruled against him in recent years (two different decisions since 2023 were deemed unlawful in Feb and April this year). He's also attacked judges and courts for other matters in the last few years. I'm no legal expert, but I'm not the only one alarmed by this development. While most of today's announcements were consulted on (25,000 people submitted against them), the limiting of legal challenges was not and it comes as a bit of a shock. The Law Society and the Environmental Law Initiative have both raised concerns and I'm sure plenty of other smart people and organisations will have grave concerns too.
August 13, 2025 at 6:52 AM
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How did we get here? The Environmental Law Initiative has raised numerous issues and taken the Minister to court over inaction under the law. Fishery stocks for overexploited species like Orange Roughy are crashing. Bottom trawling is destroying rare NZ corals and entire seabed ecosystems and releasing tonnes of stored carbon into the atmosphere in the process. Set-nets and some long-line practises are killing thousands of threatened sea lions, albatrosses, dolphins, and penguins in bycatch. In 2022 NZ signed an international treaty to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030. Less than 1% is currently fully protected, and this government has no plans to increase that. In fact, last year Minister Jones scrapped the long-planned Kermadec-Rangitāhua Ocean Sanctuary which would have gone a long way towards our required 30%. Last year, Minister Jones also spiked a treaty agreeing to seamount protections from bottom trawling with our allies and Pacific neighbours, where New Zealand was the sole voice in opposition. None of this benefits small-scale recreational and cultural fishing. It certainly doesn't protect mahika kai either. It also doesn't protect our consumption of kaimoana into the future, given how recklessly we are overexploiting our oceans. It does mean more short-term profit for a handful of big companies though. It also probably means more money for the NZ First coffers and Shane Jones' re-election. They received tens of thousands of dollars from the fishing industry in the last election alone. Scientific experts agree that changes to our fishing regulations, and ocean and coastal protection more broadly, are certainly needed. Just not in the direction Shane Jones and the fishing industry would like. Despite this Prime Minister Luxon decided it was still appropriate to hand over the Oceans and Fisheries portfolio to Minister Jones.
August 13, 2025 at 6:52 AM
elliotjweir.bsky.social
Minister Shane Jones announced another regulatory overhaul last week that threatens the health of our oceans and future fisheries, and represents a dangerous legal precedent that I want to highlight🌊
Image description: A malnourished hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin) is helped into a sack to be transported to a rehabilitation facility. I took this photo in 2019 - while helping with a volunteer habitat restoration effort for blue penguins I noticed this hoiho had stumbled ashore, and luckily local experts were present who could take it to a nearby facility to be assessed, fed, and released back into the wild. The mainland population of hoiho has declined significantly in the six years since, largely due to commercial fishing.
August 13, 2025 at 6:52 AM
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Bluesky rookie jumping on here to briefly share about this year's election, where progressive candidates are working together to get the best possible outcomes for Ōtepoti Dunedin, faced with bleak alternatives🧵
August 2, 2025 at 11:36 PM
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Here's a freaky (native) bag moth seen just on one of the benches
August 2, 2025 at 11:24 PM
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Juvenile kōrero gecko
A juvenile kōrero gecko (Woodworthia 'Otago/Southland large') on a rock, accidentally woken from a snooze by a bumbling researcher
October 23, 2023 at 9:13 PM