Hi guy’s, off to Aussi today hence the shortened report for this month.
First would like to comment on all this nonsense in the media regarding Nicky Haguers book “Dirty Politics”. Christ if the man really wanted to get down and dirty and do some real investigative stuff all he had to do was read my blogg site and spend a bit of time with me. That would really give him some thing to crow about. All he is doing ,to my mind is playing silly games with stolen emails, trying to embarrass the sitting Government. But then the trendy lefty’s are right amongst the undemocratic very dangerous nonsense that I have exposed during my time in Regional Council and reported on in this blog site. Admittedly I have not report all of my findings.
Today my neighbours property is being auctioned. I am going along for a look and will no doubt put my hand up. But as I have stated in a previous post that it is my view that we should be concentrating on getting out of debt. That has been the focus of our business plan for the last 2 yrs, granted that 2 back to back droughts have made that goal some what more difficult. Those of you who are avid readers of this blog will recall that i have also said if you feel compelled to buy the neighbouring property, for christ sake do not pay to much for it. I certainly intend to stick to those words.
Earlier in the month I and others spent a hr with Minister Mckelvie. 7 of us all together. I have to say that he is a changed man. He stated that changes to the Resource Management Act was a priority particularly sec ‘s 6 and 32. My man John and I have been hammering away at this for a number of years now and to get Government recognition and support has been very rewarding. He did say it would depend on cross party support, and having been privy to reports, by Maori, on meetings/gathering around the region , I am not expecting the Honorable Peter Dunn or the Maori Party to support this.
Thus we can see the reasoning behind Nicky Haguers book. To weaken the sitting Govt grip on power. Our rural economy is being hammered by trendy green policies and is only going to get worse. NZ needs to enhance/grow the rural economy keeping our young in the rural regions. To many are being driven into cities were they are unable to cope, there by creating even greater social problems, adding cost on society. Even in our rural towns the social pressures are building , as needless costs are being imposed on the rate payer all in the name of the environment. I expect the hard core greeny type is going to spew at that ,but I say get your hand off it and get up the local DoC Estate and sample the water. Take a roll of toilet paper, you will need it. All those decaying creepy crawlies and vegetative matter. Do you really think our biodiversity lives fore ever?
Last year Regional Council visited the local Blue Duck Lodge Touristy place a few km’s down the road. The owners have done a great job developing the business, i take my hat off to them, not so struck on the anti farming retorick but that is another story. Any way the owners have a reasonable land holding reverting to manuka. Manuka honey is the name of the game ,I note until recently carbon was the gold mine, but they have stopped prattling on about that, at least for the time being. We got to paddle about in canoes and i could not help but notice the water. Very translucent for the want of a better word. Just like tea. Same colour as a weak pot of tea. That is how the manuka bush got its name “Tea Tree”. How is that for “Clarity”.
My man John was in at the Local District Council using speaking rights to push for support from council to pressure Horizons for a meaningful sec 32 RMA evaluation on sheep and beef land use, during the month. He got a very good reception and a promise that this would be taken further. Here”s hoping. We noted that Horizons did not disagree with the report. There is no meaning full sec 32 on the Regional Council Plans, the One Plan, pertaining to extensive sheep and beef. It is not a matter of if the objective, policies and methods will be implemented ,but rather “When” they will be implemented.
I say objective. Hope you noted that for there is only one objective. Land Use Change.
I read on page 1 of this months Rural News dated the 2nd September. Guy gets his Greens. There is his photo along with the Vegetable Grower George Sue, secretary of the Taurarua Growers Association. Minister Guy is reported as saying that the area covered by Horizons Regional Council has huge potential and could double its value of primary exports from the present $1.9 billion to $3.8 billion by 2020. A govt study to see how this could be done is being planned? He also mentions sheep and beef. Govt study? I would have thought it would already have been done. I will certainly be interested in the business plan behind the study, identifying the market, the income that market will provide and also why we have not accessed that market previously, and if it is not the market then what is it. Given that it is Minister Guys own Ministry ,the Ministry of Primary Industries that developed and own the regulatory tool “Overseer” that the regulators are wanting to use and indeed are using to screw the rural economy to death.
I said to Minister McKelvie at the meeting I referred to earlier. ” Great but I do not trust this present Government”. His response was quite openly candid. “Mike you can trust us but you cannot” .How is that for a closing statement?
Must rush ,got a plane to catch. Mike