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Steve Abel

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Stephen George Bremner Abel is a New Zealand politician, environmental activist and musician who is involved with Greenpeace. Since 2023 he has been a member of parliament for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Steve Abel
MP
Steve Abel at the Canal Road tree stand in Avondale, 2020
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Green party list
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 October 2023
Personal details
Born
Stephen George Bremner Abel
Political partyGreen

Activism

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Abel was involved from 1998 to 2000 in the successful campaign by Native Forest Action to stop native logging on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.[1] He later worked as a campaigner for Greenpeace from 2002 to 2006 during which time he was prominent in the New Zealand movement against genetically engineered food crops. He was also involved in actions against the proposed coal-fired power station Marsden B in Northland, New Zealand including a nine-day occupation in 2005 and the operation of a pirate radio station Heatwave FM which broadcast from Ruakaka in November 2006.[2] The Marsden B proposal was later abandoned. Abel was one of the coordinators of the re-recording of the Don McGlashan song "Anchor Me" in 2005 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.[3]

Returning to Greenpeace in 2010, he helped coordinate the historic March Against Mining which took place in Queen Street Auckland on 1 May 2010.[4] The march, later contributing to a government back-down on proposed mining of high-value conservation estate,[5] was reported as the "biggest protest in a generation".[6] He campaigned in 2011 with Te Whānau-a-Apanui against the Brazilian oil company Petrobras' plans for deep sea oil drilling in the Raukumara Basin which included a flotilla[7][8] that spent 42 days at sea.[9] Petrobras relinquished their drill permits in December 2012.[10] Abel has publicly advocated for peaceful civil disobedience as a means to resisting the oil industry and achieving political action to address climate change.[11][12]

On 21 July 2020 Abel was arrested when protesting the removal of a stand of native trees on a Canal Road property in Avondale, Auckland, in what would become New Zealand’s longest-running live-in tree protest,[13] lasting 245 days and out of which arose urban tree protection group Mana Rakau.[14]

In 2021 and 2022, as Senior Campaigner for Greenpeace, Abel led a free mail-in[15] and town-hall water testing service[16] focussed on rural communities impacted by nitrate water contamination in dairy intense regions. Abel has described access to safe drinking water as a “a basic human right that is currently not being met for people living outside of cities.”[17]

Political career

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New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2023–present 54th List 9 Green

At the 1999 general election he stood as a list candidate as well as in the Titirangi electorate as a Green Party candidate, but was not elected.[18][19] At the next election in 2002 he was again unsuccessful as a list candidate and in the seat of Mangere.[20] In February 2020, Steve Abel announced that he would be contesting the New Lynn electorate as a Green Party candidate during the 2020 general election.[21] During the 2020 election that was held on 17 October, Abel came third place with a final result of 3,701 votes.[22] On preliminary results, Abel was ranked one place too low to enter Parliament on the Green party list,[23] but took part in the induction for new MPs in case he was elected after the counting of special votes.[24] The Greens' share of the party vote increased when the final results were released, but not enough to bring Abel into Parliament.[25]

He contested New Lynn again at the 2023 New Zealand general election.[26] While he failed to capture New Lynn, Abel was elected to Parliament on the party list.[27]

In late November 2023, Abel assumed the Green Party's agriculture, animal welfare, food safety, Māori-Crown relations: Te Arawhiti, Just Transitions, resources and racing spokesperson portfolios.[28]

During the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Abel attended a Palestinian solidarity rally where he joined fellow Green MPs Chlöe Swarbrick, Ricardo Menéndez March and Darleen Tana in chanting "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."[29]

Musical career

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Abel contributed his song Hospice for Destitute Lovers, and voice, as the character of Gert, to Florian Habicht's art-noir feature film Woodenhead (2003). His debut album Little Death, recorded by Nick Abbott at Montage Studios in Grey Lynn, garnered favourable reviews when released in February 2006. It featured a "Kiwi supergroup" of notable New Zealand musicians including Geoff Maddock of Goldenhorse and Bressa Creeting Cake; Mike Hall and Milan Borich of Pluto; and Gareth Thomas of Goodshirt; and guest vocals by Kirsten Morell, also of Goldenhorse.[30] Little Death was awarded the Alternatui for 2006 Album of the Year.[31]

Abel's second album Flax Happy, featured the same band as his debut under the name The Chrysalids (after the 1955 novel by John Wyndham). It was recorded mainly at Roundhead Studios by Dale Cotton in July 2007. Two songs featuring Texan chanteuse Jolie Holland were recorded by Lee Prebble at The Surgery in Wellington. Flax Happy was released in 2008 (NZ) and 2009 (UK) to critical acclaim in both territories.[32] Journalist Graham Reid described Abel as, "A refined writer whose lyrics have a bone-bare quality – the sound of someone writing and singing from a place where there is no guile, just hard truth and clear eyes."[33]

Having moved to live in Geneva in 2008,[34] and encouraged by fellow musician Delaney Davidson, Abel entered and won The Saddest Song in the World Competition in Berlin in May 2009.[35] He played at the CMJ music festival in New York later that year, and in November began recording his third album Luck/Hope with Jolie Holland, Shahzad Ismaily and Grey Gersten at Manhattan's Rivington 66 Studio.[36]

Discography

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Studio albums

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  • 2006: Little Death by Steve Abel
  • 2008: Flax Happy by Steve Abel & The Chrysalids
  • 2016: Luck/Hope by Steve Abel

References

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  1. ^ Christian, Peter (3 February 1999). "Arrested protesters draw criticism". The Press.
  2. ^ "Activists scale Marsden B in climate change protest". The New Zealand Herald. 4 November 2006. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2007.
  3. ^ Nippert, Matt (25 June 2005). "Shore thing". New Zealand Listener. Retrieved 25 September 2007.
  4. ^ "Greenpeace – New Zealand climate campaigner Steve Abel speaks before the March against Mining". Greenpeace. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  5. ^ Watkins, Tracy; Kay, Martin (20 July 2010). "Government confirms mining backdown". Stuff. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Biggest protest in a generation". The New Zealand Herald. 2 May 2010. ISSN 1170-0777. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  7. ^ "Rousing Send Off for Flotilla Opposing Deep Sea Oil Drilling | btob". www.btob.co.nz. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  8. ^ Gavelle, Jerome (30 March 2011). "Protesters sail east". Stuff. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  9. ^ Reid, Neil (18 April 2011). "Protest flotilla sails back to basin drilling spot". Stuff. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Petrobras announces it ain't lovin' it in New Zealand". Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  11. ^ "Greenpeace blockades oil conference". Stuff. 21 March 2016. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  12. ^ P. M. C. (21 March 2016). "Climate change protesters blockade oil summit in Auckland's Sky City". Asia Pacific Report. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Canal Road trees saga ends".
  14. ^ Bell, Jean (21 July 2020). "Green Party candidate Steve Abel arrested during tree felling protest in Avondale". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Greenpeace launches mail-in service for nitrate water testing". 31 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Glenavy community turns out in force to discuss water supply's high nitrate levels". 16 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Nitrate levels in NZ water breaching human rights – Greenpeace".
  18. ^ "Official Count Results (1999) – Electoral Votes for registered parties by electorate". NZ Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Official Count Results (1999) – Candidate Vote Details". NZ Electoral Commission. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Official Count Results – Mangere (2002)". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  21. ^ Mitchell, Charlie (20 February 2020). "Veteran climate activist to stand for Greens". Stuff. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  22. ^ "New Lynn – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  23. ^ "2020 General Election and Referendums – Preliminary Count". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  24. ^ Cheng, Derek (6 November 2020). "Election results 2020: Special votes – will National's hand weaken, the Māori Party remain, cannabis result flip?". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  25. ^ Giovannetti, Justin (6 November 2020). "The special votes are in and it's bad news for the cannabis referendum, and National". The Spinoff. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  26. ^ "A climate activist for a climate election". Steve Abel. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  27. ^ "2023 General Election: Successful candidates". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  28. ^ "Greens unveil portfolio spokespeople". 1 News. 29 November 2023. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  29. ^ McConnell, Glenn (7 November 2023). "'A very loaded statement': Chris Hipkins expects Labour MPs to avoid 'river to sea' chant". Stuff. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Most Abel backing". The New Zealand Herald. 17 February 2006. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2007.
  31. ^ "Waiheke Community Radio: In My Humble Opinion". Waiheke Radio. 23 October 2006. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  32. ^ "The Quietus | Reviews | Steve Abel & The Chrysalids". Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  33. ^ "Steve Abel and the Chrysalids: Flax Happy (Monkey/Rhythmethod)". 24 May 2008. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  34. ^ "Top musicians band together for album". Stuff. 17 June 2008. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  35. ^ "Steve Abel in Berlin 2009". Radio New Zealand. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  36. ^ "Steve Abel in NYC (+video) | The Big Idea". The Big Idea. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
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