Hi di hi people. Sorry this is late ,but it is no fun and R and R on a life style block . No you have to work for your dosh and I have been hard out., making the most of the favorable weather before winter really sets in. I picked up a bit of interesting information on the cause of the Mico Bovis out break that the MPI do not appear to want to recognize, publically. That is that this disease was imported into NZ via Leptospirosis vaccine from China. I would not state this if I was not sure of my facts, but there it is. How did it manage to dodge the MPI,s surveillance systems is any body’s guess but it puts the MPI in the gun. Could this be the reason for the about face from Jacinda,s team and compensate the affected party’s . After all dairy farmers were the scum of the earth during the election process. Lets face it ,it cannot be because of any warm and fuzzy feelings for the industry.
Well as I said I would, I took my self off to the Lions den last month and made a submission to the Regional Council’s Long term Community Plan. I was surprised once again thinking they would have long since forgotten me, but no. I am starting to think I am quite popular with those councilors who knew me, and got asked for afternoon tea. Very nice. But of course the chair gave councilors no opportunity to ask questions.
I was straight after the Horowhenua Mayor and CEO, where upon hearing the welcome I got ,decided to sit down and hear my submission. They did not stay long for as soon as I gave the background to my concerns they promptly up and left. Could it be that the CEO got a urgent text, that somebody did not want the Mayor to hear what I had to say. After all not many people understand the importance of the Wellbeing’s to the workings of Local Govt. These are the most important aspect of Governance for they drive the polices and objectives of local Govt plans in order of importance. And I will say that this submission was the most important submission councilors will have heard. But alas, when these were debated way back during my time around the council table, they did not understand or want to understand , or though I am sure there were councilors who recognized what I was saying. I explained to council my appeal to Environment Court way back in 2010 or there about when I took the Ruapehu District Council to court over this very subject. They changed the order of the well beings from Social, economic, cultural and finally environment with out using the special consultative process. It appears I appealed the wrong plan, being the long term plan instead of the exceptions annual plan, and I struck the Judge who wrote the case law that he used to strike my appeal out. Never mind that as the District Council promptly rearranged the Well beings in the correct order , only to then invent these “out comes to”, that were all green, and touristy. Thus the only economic development that can get the nod from council are those that fit that criteria.
So with that here is the guts of my appeal (sic) submission.
Community Out Comes, or Community Well beings? There are no Well beings described in the Annual Plan. I cannot find the term Out Comes described in either the LGA or the RMA. Both are the Legal Acts of Parliament that Local Govt work under. I can find the Term principles relating to Local Authorities which are described in sec 14 of the LGA and also to a lesser extent in sec 5 RMA “Purpose”. These principles are described in the LGA sec 14 (1) (h), as Wellbeing’s and are in this order. Social, Economic and Cultural. finally in the following subsection. Environmental. The Outcomes from the above must surely be that as described in sec 10 (1) (b) of the LGA. Purpose of Local Govt. To meet the current and future needs of communities for good quality infrastructure, public services and performance of regulatory functions in away that is most cost effective for house holders and business. Thus there must be a conflict, as referred to in sec 14(2) of the LGA, between the Well beings and the out comes as I have described and the Councils Planning documents, especially the objective’s and policies, or council would not be using the special consultative procedure. although I must say a token gesture, and certainly not adequate to satisfy the requirements of the LGA or the RMA, how ever that is another story. It is my interpretation of page 21 of the consultation document that these community outcomes are to be the new Wellbeing’s !!. The well beings Social, Economic, Cultural no where to be seen, with the exception of transport, it is all environmental.
With out objectives and policies that drive healthy Social Wellbeing’s, enabled by a strong, wealthy, diverse Economic base, which in turn lead to positive cultural experience’s, and wellbeing’s whilst managing the environment in a sustainable manner, and do not forget that humans are the most important part of the environment, then surely we are headed for a social and economic disaster. Thus it is my concern that these community out comes as described in the consultation document, are away of circumventing the requirements of the acts of Parliament Local Authorities are required to work under.
The document has pictures of trees. Written. sustainable management of land. Fish. Clean and healthy rivers and lakes. Bio diversity. Protection and enhancement, I refer to the One Plan Overview document. To grow, link, expand. Flood protection. Reasonable protection from. The first and the last are worthy of comment. Just ask the residents in the Tasman region what they think of trees, and of course the horrendous damage north of Gisbourn these last few days, you start to understand the term “Reasonable”. Trees hold the water up there in the soil until the soil becomes saturated ,and then it all comes crashing down. I have commented on this in previous blogs. Just think in terms of tonnes per hec, and a 1000 or more trees per hec and you get the idea.
Closer to home I see, as described in the Horowhenua mail, May 31st pg 3. Mr. Philip Taueki has issued Horizons Councilors and staff with Trespass notices preventing them from accessing Lake Horowhenua. Whilst a councilor in Regional Council, this gentleman made submissions, spoken, at times when this issue was being discussed around the chamber. my interpretation of his concern is that it is the Urban sewage and waste water, storm flow from Levin that is the problem ,and in his words not the dairy farmers and horticulture guys. That he is annoyed that very little is being done to address that.
I see that the Farming papers are full still full of all this environmental stuff, lambasting those farmers who are not pulling their weight with environmental outcomes, using the market as a reason for the need and of course to save the plant. my view, Mike Pederson past Beef and lamb chair, bad news, find him pg 13 Rural News June 5th, pg 13. And Beef and Lamb again pg 18 ,with their environmental farm Strategy, all voluntary of course for if it became regulatory ,then of course farmers would be able to use the Magna Carter. No Man shall be Desisted of his Land. For that is the ultimate Outcome.. On pg 19 of the same a Niwa scientist Mr. Dean states, “Adapt and Thrive under climate change”. Surely he must recognize that the climate has changed in previous millenniums and there were no or very few humans around then. Every thing goes in cycles. Up and down. That is how the world and its subject matter works. Up and down. Cycles it is called. On the same pg headed Outdated criticisms need to move with the times. Overseer nutrient modeling tool, councils are using to enforce nutrient limits. The Overseer Ltd CEO, Ms C Read says. The company is working to meet the needs of farmers???. Could have fooled me. The Tool is only as good as the intention or the outcomes sort of or by the person entering the data. Case in point. Winter crops are horrendous for leaching N. Thus no crops, = less stock wintered. The pumice soils and the coastal sand country which are grt for intensive farming ,in that they do not get too wet and muddy are the worst. Yet the real heavy wet boggy land that is very difficult to farm in the wet winter months have the lowest N leaching capability. It is all very dodgy to me. But then that is my opinion.
To back me up here on pg 29 ,same paper, a scientist Steve Cranston states ,”No evidence NZ agriculture is warming the plant. Farmers deserve answers. On pg 28 that grt battler Ms Rowwarth has been saying its all a crock of bull dust for ever, amongst others, and she got such a hard time from her fellow members on ERMA that she did not see the yr out and resigned. But on pg 32 same, “Green does not Necessarily mean more green backs”. The owners of a Californian Dairy farm, (organic) say. Costs more to produce . 2x,s a conventional. Claims they are still better off but returns are falling as more farmers switch.
But as I have stated. in past blogs. Its the Maori way now boys and girls. They are stamping their Mana on the Natural and Physical and as Rodney Hide said in his address to the Local Govt Conference in Wellington back in July 2011. Treaty Settlements. The physical cap $ has been breached. Local Govt is up for grabs people and it will not be good for NZ.
I have got lots more but of course it is repetitive, and I have to go.
Until next time.