Hi guys.
As referred to in my last post, the wellbeings appeared on the council workshop agenda last week. But not as the well-beings as such but the out-comes. Honestly there is no end to the slight of hand that pervades that place. Of course I was not prepared to debate the out-comes, as you will remember that I walked out of the strategy meeting where this was discussed.
But up pops the well-beings. I had managed to influence councillors and got the well-beings LISTED in this order. Social, Economic, Environmental and Cultural, at the previous Policy and Strategy meeting.
Great you may say, but hell no for what they wrote into the out comes for them was not so good. All environmental stuff. What about people, not to mention that the term “listed” is not “adopted”.. I had to settle for an amendment to my motion.
I had a good grizzle to our new regulatory manager and wrote up new out-comes keeping it quite simple. So here’s hoping.
Recently I got a copy of the Record of Understanding between the Whanganui Iwi and the Crown in relation to the Record of Understanding for the Whanganui River Settlement.
Another more detailed one appeared in the mail today. I have the most concern, again to do with the Well-Beings. Again we have this negative, Cultural, Environmental, Social and Economic. Maoridom in the first document identified economic growth as a priority. Good on them . We all want that. But then went on to refer to the well-beings .
The second document that arrived today is more detailed and clarified points I questioned in an email to key players in the negoitations, such as the river, it includes all catchments.
The new document seems to lose its structure after this and speaks of protecting private property rights, preserves the decision making role and functions of local govt. but then talks of joint management arrangements and a regulatory role.
Whilst a joint management role of specific functions is allowed for in the RMA, a regulatory role is not.
If the final document is a shocker sitting outside of both the Local Government Act and the RMA, then I fear things will get very tense. Maoridom may well get their cultural and environmental well-beings, but not much else. I hope they have remembered how to live off the land.
This brings me to Carbon. Last year Minister Smith was recorded in the farming mag Straight Furrow,sept 21 2010 pg 3, quoted him stating that NZ has over 1 million ha of highly erodable hill country, most of it in the north island. He is referring to the central nth island. It would be better suited to carbon farming. 1 million ha. farming 7.5 su per ha at $80/su. Equals 7,500,000 su or $600,000,ooo. every yr. As reported in a previous column, work on 165kg per ha for the first 5 yrs from pine at say $13/tonne equals 165,000 tonnes, equals $2,145,000. The return over 28yrs works out at approx $200 per ha per ann before tax.
Denis Hocking was recorded in the Country Wide farming magazine, August 2010. Quote. But the numbers are interesting. One million hectares of average productivity forest could sequester around 30 millions tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. This just so happens to approximate our total annual agricultural emissions.
Again in the Farmers Weekly October 31, 2010 , page 31. Barry Brill former National Party MP and Energy and Science Minister is quoted commenting on the emissions trading scheme.. I point you to the last paragraph.
You tax something if you want less of it. Increasing food production costs in NZ will reduce our volumes, and those losses will need to be made up elsewhere. Will the else where be the irrigated plains of the east coast of NZ?.
In the Straight Furrow October 6th ,2009, page 9. Minister Rodney Hide is quoted. ETS. political deal making at its worst. first paragraph. The deal negotiated between the national and maori parties exhibits all the worst features identified by critics of the emissions trading sytems. He talks of high compliance and administration costs, lack of transparency, lobbying for special treatment, coporate welfare and market manipulation.
What would happen to our return to budget surplus Mr Key trumpeted on the road. What will happen to the unemployment figures, and what will make up the employment alternatives needed to make up the above. Lets get real. On our recent council tour, staff stated that the price of carbon will continue to fall. The reason is that industry has become more efficient. And of course compounding that is the financial issues affecting the developed world.
Of course this is a example only and not going to happen over night, but never the less implemented over time is equally concerning.
So just what is the emissions trading scheme really about. Adding cost and destroying wealth. I am looking at the Waimarino 4B claim. The map of. Well blow me down everywhere Horizons Sustainable Land Use Initiative is located , there is a private individual Iwi or Hapu land claim registered. Yep, and if it is not bang on top it is next door.
I approached Minister Power who initially decided it was time to get an office instead of the local Flax cafe and then when I showed him the maps of, decided to retire.
I have put this to Minister Bennett when Minister Power had her in Taumarunui in Oct 2008. She confirmed this and stated only specific properties. She got quite huffy and puffy when I said sorry its whole catchments and then she walked out.
Took the opportunity when the new National candidate was in town. he said Look Mike. I am not going down there to rock the boat and isolate myself.
I know what the emissions trading scheme/ SLUI is about and I have recorded the out comes they hope to achieve. I had a claimant helping me with docking. Great. He bought his whole family down including the little fella, only 4 yrs. he was a great kid. Every where I went there was Mike, Charlie and the dogs. All one after the other. When my nephew came out, there was Me, Charlie, Finn and the dogs one after another.
Back to the issue. I said to him . You know they are going to gut this emissions trading scheme in years to come. Answer, Yep. So I hope that maoridom have or are to negotiate a settlement that will ensure sustainable communities.
National won the election , but I am nervous. I have described the intent of the Resource Management Act. I have commented on the Treaty Settlement process all of which are still on this site. I asked the question in a previous post now deleted that, are the Electricity Generators to be used as Treaty Settlements. My wife, was dumbfounded last night when it was reported on the news. Iwi to be offered share of partial float of Electricity Generators. Just another way of achieving the aforementioned.
Certainly makes sense financially, but what safe guards are there in place to protect the consumer. especially rural .
My next prediction. Maoridom in the yr 2111 finally achieved a along held dream. The Central Nth Island consortium of iwi bought the last private holding of carbon stocks from the North Island Carbon Traders Company. Giving Iwi a total of 1 million ha of carbon stocks and control of NZ’s agricultural carbon market. Market commentators express concern at a dominant player in the carbon sink market. Decades of agricultural intensification have seen most farmer’s unable to offset their liabilities on farm.
Farming commentator, Phil Tylor berates the govts continued intervention in the market artificially keeping the market price elevated.
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