Welcome to the New Year. Is it going to be any better than the last? Well in my neak of the woods it has got off to a really dry January.January came in really hot with a intermittent hot dry Nth Wester blowing in.It looks to me like a real bad drought is under way. Not only here but pretty much NZ wide. I was just reading about the record meat sales in the previous yr, from the pastoral sector in Dec the 1st NZ Farmers Weekly pg 17. 5.3 billion. Comparing it to the dairy sector slump in payments of 5.5 billion and talking about deflation”. yes deflation. In NZ inflation is sitting at 1% per ann. Europe is the only nation recording worse at 0.5%.
My point is that with a record dairy pay out and record meat returns for the previous yr, look where we are now. This year will be a shocker for the nation and will , or should I say have the hardened greens driving all this environmental nonscence through Central/Local Govt sitting up and taking notice of just how important Agriculture is to NZ economy. Of course it will not. For these people driving this nonscence are in it for political change. There is no pot of gold out there for “pure green or black fern agricultural products, only political goals to be achieved..And the harder the market and the climate hammer farmers the closer these people come to achieving the out come they desire.
It has been said by some who know more than me ,being directly involved ,but not supportive, that all this maori sovereignty and overly restrictive environmental rules and regulation stuff is linked to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) being conditions of our overseas borrowings. I also include bio-diversity out comes. I have 2 points to make. my view is that NZ is to become the carbon sink aka rubbish dump for the world. And that Governance in all its forms is seeking political change through out NZ in the form of Co- Governance arrangements with Maori. Think I am in la La land ? Just swot up the Resource Management Act. Read the fine print for these proposals for Unitary Authorities.
I read where Nick Smith is back in control of the Resource Management Act, and is also the Minister for the Environment? See pg A 38 NZ Herald January 23. I thought Amy Adams had that job ,but the artical I read could be wrong.Any way Minister Smith is out to make significant changes to the Act . Lets wait and see. I do not think there is going to be much of significance, maybe for housing, but not the real world. And certainly not if Govt has to go cap in hand to the IMF for more dosh latter in the year.
I have come up against another brick wall with my Official Info requests to the Office Treaty Settlements for documents relating to the Whanganui Treaty Settlement process. The Ombudsman has placed her decision on the Ombudsman’s web sight.Some Ministers and their officials do not want people knowing what they do.Read all about it there.
Surprise surprise. 10 days ago a Wanganui Chronicle reporter rang wanting to ask about my Official Info requests, wanting to no why and what information I had. Seems I have somebody taking a interest, as she explained that there had been a Google alert. What is going on. I said she was welcome to travel up here, or just to be safer for me that she could sight the documents at my lawyers rooms in Palmerston Nth. Needless to say I have at this stage heard no more. I have to be careful with Fair-fax . it is my view that it is a very left leaning paper, controlling what Info readers get to read. I liken it to the drink drive rules. All it is achieving is stopping people from congregating and talking about things that concern them over a beer or 2.
I mean lets face it ,9.30-10.00 pm driving home or to a party pee’d yes, but 6.00 pm in the evening after a couple at the local. Well it certainly looks like I have a point.
Well back to the media. No I do not expect it to go any further ,or certainly not in my name. I gave her a couple of pointers or 4 to research.
To prove my point about my assertions regarding being seen to be pure as and 100% clean and green that the loony lefties in governance want to achieve, read a artical in the NZ Farmers Weekly December 22 on page 21. Another organic farmer to the wall. There simply is not the consumer base out there willing to pay the price required to earn a sustainable living. Silver Fern Farms have a lavish promotional programme in place yet it cannot achieve satisfactory returns either. lets look at the chiller cabinet in a Texco supermarket in Brittany. British lamb sells for 2x’s our product, Beef 3x’s and I believe it is a similar story for wool. And it is multi-coloured and all the dags go in as well. I rest my case. NZ has a serious problem. Our elected reps to all forms of Governance cannot or will not effect change to the culture that exists within management.
What is happening with the Ruataniwha irrigation scheme in central Hawkes Bay. Seems some people are frustrating the process. The High Court has told the hearing panel to reconsider the N limit. My limited view is it will be a no goer, The reason, some body will wake up and realize the financial cost to the whole catchment that the limit will bring. It seems to me that the Regional Council is making out they are the good guys whilst introducing the N limit to the process. For it can only come via Regional Plans.
The Co- Management proposal for the Unitary Authority is always a concern and the Hawks Bay model is no different. A Fraction of the local population gets all the say. Just read the Resource Management Act. I have covered this in previous posts, so read the front pages, no I will not tell you which post, read the lot.
Mike