Hi readers.
Since I last reported on my activities I have been to the Regional Animal Health Board meeting in Wanganui. This committee meets 4x”s a yr to stake holders meaning the Agricultural industry, with the board and MAF giving reports. Basically it is reporting on the Animal Health Boards Opossum Control Operations to date. This year they are running abit behind as reported last Blog , because they could not get surity of funding from Regional Council through the submission process. They are off to the Minister to get legislation passed to overcome this.
Good on them Honestly there is too much negative nonsence coming out of this place. One day in the future somebody from a higher authority is going to take Horizons to task.
I missed the Stratagy and Policy meeting, but attended the Environment meeting last week.
Councillor Cox I am sure got confused between SLUI operations and the Whanganui Catchment Stratagy, which is operating in the Upper reaches of the Whanganui Catchment. He stated he had spent a day in his car visiting recipients and determined that there is no work or very little being done. This what I have been saying this yr during the annual planning process and recieved no support. Of the $2 million spent on the the actual SLUI programme only $250 k are actually spent on soil conservation. The rest is spent on Biodiversity and Wetlands with the bulk on Mapping these properties for future regulation of hill country activity.
He seemed to get a dig at me saying he was doing my job ,after he realised he had cocked up and visited his own patch. Never mind .It is not easy to determine who the SLUI/WFP recipients are as it appears to be some sort of confidentiality agreement between the parties.
I have found out who 5 or so are and surveyed them . Of the 2 who were keen on it , one had a bad experience getting his resource consent to spray scrub which was the reason he agreed to enter into the programme. The other is very happy, although he has found himself in a spot of bother with in a district classified as a significant Land Scape. Oh well he will wake up one morning .
I recognise what is coming right across the Region. Told Simon Power this and showed him the evidence when I saw him earlier this month. The following week he announced his retirement. I’m sure it is just a coincidence.
Also on the agenda was the costs of the stream bank fencing programme, $24.44 per meter. Seems very high for a couple of wires and a handful of posts. I wonder if the Group Manger of Enviromental services is building up reserves. After all these depts seem to have a never ending supply of reserves.
On pg 26 Priority Habitat Protection, it seems to me we are doing more and more of DoC’s job at Rate Payers expense. Just cannot get through to council our role and function. Horizons see’s it self as the lead agency. Some sort of mini government must protect all come what may.
Mr Judd was in complaining about the inefficient management of the Poplar and Willow Nursery. Seems council is not cloning of cuttings, something Mr Mitchel dissagreed with.
After we had Ian McIvor from the Poplar and Willow Research Trust give a presentation . This trust was formed to ensure future funding for this very worthwhile service. He gave a presentation on the benefits of soil conservation who funds the programme, on management of the pole once it is established to achieve good root development, and future uses in waste water management and carbon storage.
The Blue Duck project in my neck of the woods is in abit of strife. As a result of this HUGE and ongoing degradation of the Retaruke river by a major slip on Conservation Land in the Head waters of the Retaruke River. Several pairs of Blue Duck have shifted camp to parts unknown. The slip on conservation land is not supposed to happen. Slips only appear on private farmed land as a result of unsustainable land use.
The Air Monituring equipment at the Baptist Churh in Taumarunui was damaged recently .(Accident) I note that the Ministry of Health has relaxed the regulations on exceedences .
There is a item on Pest Plants esp Non ratable and Crown Land, we pay and a good item following, on Biological Control . I am interested in the Califorian thistle beetle project. There is quite abit of good stuff here so please request info.
We finished up with a report on sewage schemes. The Districts schemes never seem to be complient. I beleive the standards are far to stringent. And the cost to our communities (urban) is large. But Agriculture is increasingly being asked to meet thoes same standards. eg Taurarua Dairy Industry.
After the meeting I had a strong differing of opinion and fact with the Chair Bruce Gordon. He believes that Horizons Staff set the standards will not accept that it is for our communities to determine the level of enviromental degradation they are prepared to accept as per sec 5 of the RMA., nor that consultation must be carried out as per the LGA requirements. In short by saying just that every resource consent granted under such duress in the Region is Ultra Vires. Unlawfull. And I expect resource users to be running off to talk to their lawyers. Who was consulted with?. As I have found out recently , Only the people Horizons and wayward District Councils Want to consult with . And it certainly is not thoes who in many cases do the paying nor thoes most likely to be affected. Industry.
Had a good week last week got the well done from surprising people. I missed the Health Forum in Taumarunui, No body tells me anything. Come to expect this. Of course it was advertised on radio, but the airwaves are not good where I live , it was advertised in the local rag, but on the day the meeting was held and I did not get the rag till exactly the time the meeting started 10.00am.
Went to the Community Responce Forum Last week .Good job I did. The Community Out Comes flashed up on the screen , for the Ruapehu District Council. I do not know how or when this load of nonsence got to be developed, but I said so and added a bit. Crickey, I expected to be hung drawn and quartered on the spot. But it created a lot of disscussion all positive and I got tremendous support from thoes Maori Providers present. Our Community has had enough of this Enviromental, Cultural, Negative bullshit.
They demand Economic growth. After I got invited to lunch with the Maori Council by our mayor Sue Morris, ,I thought I might have been on the menue, but no and she asked me to spend a moment or two in the community forum .
I used it to give a presentation on the my interpretation of the out come s from the Community Responce Forum. That was that the providers involved want the RDC Community Out Comes changed to reflect our communities desire for economic growth. That is Our Health Wealth Social and Cultural needs ,in that order. Currently it is written the other way round. Except Social has been dropped and replaced with Enviroment. As a result I was asked to make a submission the draft exception annual plan and inform others likewise.
So if you understand all this for gods sake make a submission. It is time to halt the decline in our Districts population , thus essential services not least health and education.
I walked out of there in one piece. For now
Regards.