Oh My Goodness alright. Metal by the billions of tons all out of the conservation estate, and pine trees by the 1000,s all buggering the South Is Bridges roads and river flows. This is not supposed to be happening. Yea right. Remember the Tolaga Bay storm 2 yrs or so ago. Govt,s of the day are not bothered. Oh sure they will show empathy, promise abit ,but nothing will happen. The media will not hold the Govt to account over it’s policy for tackling Treaty settlements oop,s climate change. Media fanfare over the Govt and Auckland Councils offer of $ millions to hold the next America Cup will see muted opposition. Tourism is the new NEW. Well is it. Me thinks covid and many new mutants are going to limit that industry.
Wow. My readers and I already new that point source discharges (urban) are the real problem with water quality in our rivers and lakes around NZ. There it is Wednesday the 2nd June all over the media. $1.85 billion to fix our urban waste water sewage and drinking water problems. Years of shoving the issue under the carpet and blaming the farmers. This morning the AM show TV 3 hosted Dr Mike Joy, ecologist Massy University on the issue. I thought he was quite muted in his view and answers. He is still blaming farmers for the need for. He is still making a idiot of him self along with others, over water quality issues ,and now it is his turn to pay. Shame the media do not take such people to task. Where do such people think all their crap and methane go. Will this govt have the balls to fix the prob, or will the same old same old need for political survival rule the roost. My view is that now more than ever urban rate payers are in no $ position to pay. The big banks are still carrying large numbers of clients on mortgage holidays. Inflation is on the move. Interest rates will be close behind. Govt policies towards agriculture are economically suicidal The perfect storm.
There it is. Earlier this last month the National Party were in the media spotlight for again negative reasons. One of their bright upcoming stars leads a double life posting nude pics of his girl friend on face book and then worse. Impersonated her for …. . He,s gone. Party President Mr Goodfellow is now the target of Party reformists. Looks like he might be going or thoe it would seem reluctantly. My view is that the party is rotten from the top down and he has only been kept there by loyal party hierarchy. So again my view is that a major clean out is underway and the party will be a lot better for it. It needs to move firmly to the right and align its self with ACT. Stop bullshxxing party members and select credible candidates, those with life skills running a business or dealing people. Even to the point of shoulder tapping top people. Judith Collins seems to be quite smug about ?. Got that glint back in her eye. No I have not forgotten my comments some years ago .
Have to swot up on this NPS Biodiversity . AS you no, I was a hearings commissioner on Horizons Regional Councils Hearings Panel for. Not good. No Fun. Not that it should be .A very serious job. Was not asked back again. There it is splashed all over the media 10/06/21. TV1 News. Northland Maori and farmers up in arms over the NPS for Bio-Diversity and Significant Natural Areas. This has been out there for 12 or more years. Why has it taken Maori to shout the loudest and only just now. My own experience on the Hearings Panel told me that Maori were only consulted once. Then they with drew. Fact. Not adequate consultation. Yes. Why has the rest of NZ,s Iwi not jumped up and supported them, and where is Beef and Lamb and their partners in crime the Feds. Or are they the farmers the media are referring to.? I got to write a Dissenting Decision. It is published in this blog site. Yes .You read it first here. Got no support from the Feds or Beef and Lamb then so I doubt they are in the mix here. What have I been saying . Every Industry and Local Body all the way to Parliament has been captured by the people seeking the negative Outcomes sort. 43% of NZ,s land mass is in the DoC estate. Fact. There is no need to encroach on private land, much of which is already protected by QE2 covenants and Farm own good initiatives.
A group of onto it farmers in southern South Is have had a guts full of compliant farmer reps, namely Dairy NZ, Beef and Lamb, and the Feds. A not so quite revolution is underway with the aim of giving those at grass roots greater voice. The expectation of farmers from the Govt,s NPS for Fresh Water was so far off the wall with what has been achieved with local catchment Groups. It was ridiculous. Farmers Weekly May 24th 2021. pg 22. Since this was printed i am hearing whispers that this group has expanded into the North Is. Lets watch this space, for the farming industry need to get far more militant. It is my view that we need to align our selves with, for example the road freight industry, of which they recognise the similar policy outcomes threatening their business’s. Road Tax. Bring it on.
No idea. Front page of the Rural News June 29th 2021. Apple and Pears Chair says Govt does not have a clue just how important overseas workers are to the industry. They want to work, unlike NZ home grown beneficiary’s. I have heard this term before with a TV3 interview with Jacinda the PM. with regard’s to a different subject.. Apparently she had no idea just what was in the bill the house had just passed.
Here on page 8 of the same mag. Rubber hits the road for On Farm Gas Plans. A deal has been made that agricultural emissions will not enter the ETS. Farmers will be given 5 years to have a FARM ENVIROMENT PLAN !!!. So they can implement policy to measure and manage their emissions down. 10% min. The reality is farmers will still pay the price on their methane emissions from 2025!!!!. It appears to me it is a clever well thought out method of getting farmers into farm plans voluntarily with the idea they will sit out side of the ETS. Thus when the crap really hits the fan and the property is uneconomic ,land owners will have no recourse to the MAGNA CARTER. No Man shall be desisted of his land by a rule or regulation. Who is pushing the plan. Farmer good organizations. Dairy NZ, Beef and Lamb, the Feds. Plus Govt and Maori.
Bobby Calf days are numbered. Pg 6 Farmers Weekly June 28th 2021. 10 yrs and the market will not want bobby calves. Farmers will have to rear them .There are 5 million dairy cows in NZ. Just googled it. 2 million extra beefies for the market to absorb. Holy cow. Where are these to be grown out. 1000 of hec a yr of hill country going into carbon sinks. Plus where is the market? The world needs a lot more mouths, when I thought it needed a lot less. How is all this going to fit with the NPS Fresh Water. Are there to be a lot more feed lots, and where is the feed to be grown. All competing with alternative proteins.
Thus we have the Emerging Proteins debate. The Feds Mag dated the 14th June pg 23 discusses this issue. Stating the discussion should not be about them or us but how we can work to identify how NZ can best move forward. Plant based Food HQ CEO Abby Thompson insists both traditional and emerging proteins can co-exist.
Farmers Weekly 05th July 2021. pg 11 Alternative proteins not a Fad. Huge potential for NZ arable farmers. Plus more?. Once in a life time opportunity for NZ arable farmers to move up the value chain through optimizing crops for the coming wave of alternative protein formats. Plant protein is not a trend nor a fad, but the future.
My view. It is all driven by world leaders to change land use. LAND USE CHANGE. For govts to change the use of land they have to offer alternatives. Most alternatives require serious amounts of physical inputs esp capital, land, water and energy. Of course carbon sinks do not, but my message stays the same. LAND USE CHANGE. Govts are driving it and using impressionable young minds and down right dirty tactics, eg the anti farming message. Save the planet. Eat a vegi burger. Save a sheep. My view. In NZ it is all about Treaty Settlements. It is obscene. But people are falling for it and the Media complicit.
What has the above to do with Regional Council. Every thing as the council(s) local govt, are enablers. Just read the Opening Chapter of Horizons Regional Policy Statement for the One Plan. LAND USE CHANGE. Carbon Sinks.
The creation of the above to be able to co-exist, the Feds, Dairy NZ and Beef and Lamb need to attack those words. They must be written out of the Policy Statement. But .alas whilst all of the afore mentioned employ supposedly experienced and knowledgeable policy analysts, who must surely recognise such, none are interested. Instead all they seem to be interested in is driving traditional proteins out of the market place causing huge financial stress and social disruption along the way. Land use Change.
Think on.