A bit wet lately

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, June 30th, 2016 - 105 comments
Categories: climate change, disaster, ETS, global warming, national, useless - Tags: , , ,

Hope you Aucklanders are doing OK in all the flooding…

105 comments on “A bit wet lately ”

  1. whispering kate 1

    I commented on the climate on Open Mike this morning. About Dr Jan Wright the independent Parliamentary Watchdog on the Environment and her comments about the Government’s first Environment Report it promised and has subsequently been released . She is very scathing and says it does nothing, just skips over the real problems. She subtly has gone ahead and written recommendations which the Government should include in any other reports and no doubt we will be seeing an early retirement from her. Being independent from the Government will she be safe from being made to walk the plant as I can see Dr Smith will be seething and spouting at the gall she had to contradict their Report. Her consideration was it was a white wash – nothing strange for this Government.

    • Jenny Kirk 1.1

      Dr Jan Wright has a five year contract – due to end sometime next year, I think. She’s probably safe for the time being – govt wouldn’t want the publicity or hassle of curtailing her contract before it ends.

    • leftie 1.2

      Didn’t the same Dr Jan Wright in late 2012, make a report for the National government that said, fracking was safe and harmless?

      • No. She didn’t say that.
        There are plenty of comments and articles online for you to research. Here’s one example:
        “A small tick – Wright decided against a moratorium on fracking, saying there was time to ‘tweak’ the existing regulations. However, she said she did not want to see the report as a “big tick” for the current regulations around fracking. She said the current regulation was “not adequate” and New Zealand needed to get ahead of the game before an expansion of fracking. She pointed to how regulators in Australia and the United States had struggled to catch up when the industry expanded quickly.”

        • leftie 1.2.1.1

          No need for fracking ban in New Zealand – Commissioner

          “An interim report by commissioner Jan Wright concluded that the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing, known as “fracking”, could be done safely in New Zealand if well-managed.”

          <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10850290

          No matter how it’s done, how can fracking ever be considered good practice Robert?

          Dr Wright did criticize the practice of spreading highly toxic fracking waste onto farmland, where livestock graze. Government and council have lied about this practice.

          “Media reports yesterday said the TRC based their practice of allowing “fracking waste to be applied to farmland” on Canada’s Alberta Energy Regulator (AER)’s guidelines.

          They also stated the AER said it did not allow this practice.

          A spokesperson from the Canada energy regulator told Radio New Zealand that Alberta’s fracking waste was disposed of “in industrial waste facilities” and was not allowed to be spread on farmland in the process known as landfarming.

          The spokesperson reportedly said waste from the hydraulic fracturing process was not suitable for agricultural land.”

          <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/9528821/Disposal-of-drilling-waste-questioned

          Govt urged to intervene on oil waste

          <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/246342/govt-urged-to-intervene-on-oil-waste

          Council chair rejects oil waste claim

          “Fonterra director David MacLeod rejects any suggestion that the council he is chairman of is undermining food safety or New Zealand’s reputation in any way.

          Mr MacLeod is chairman of the Taranaki Regional Council, which consents the disposal of oil industry waste onto about a dozen dairy and drystock farms, known as landfarms, in the region.”

          “Mr MacLeod said Dr Wright “if anything, supports landfarming in her report”.

          <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/256444/council-chair-rejects-oil-waste-claim

          Has the “lockedgate” policy proposed by the government in 2015 been implemented yet? How can a council who have lied about this practice in the past be trusted to enforce new regulations should they be implemented, particularly when Councillors with vested interested is concerned?

          Changes to waste farm livestock rules

          <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/273987/changes-to-waste-farm-livestock-rules

          • Robert Guyton 1.2.1.1.1

            “No need for fracking ban in New Zealand – Commissioner”

            Perhaps she knew that fracking was dead in the water and there was, therefore, “No need for fracking ban in New Zealand”
            It seems not to be an issue now, Leftie.

            • leftie 1.2.1.1.1.1

              Fracking in this country hasn’t stopped, so it is still very much of an issue Robert. Gobsmacked you said something as stupid as that.

              Dr Wright should have pushed for a ban.

  2. M. Gray 2

    Good on her about time we heard the true story this government has been covering up too much . We need to get rid of them at the next election. No doubt they will come out swinging at the next election telling us how they have given us all the brighter future promised. But I am sure by now many NZers now realise there is no brighter future and there never will be under the pnats.

  3. esoteric pineapples 3

    It was good to see the weather lady on TV3 last night include increased greenhouse gases in the reasons she gave for the heavy rain. I’d like to think that climate change is becoming part of mainstream discourse.

    • BlueSky 3.1

      Good idea. Perhaps they should report regularly on the atmospheric carbon levels from around the country relative to previous years or periods.
      Pollution levels would also be a useful measure so we know where to avoid if possible.

    • weka 3.2

      Thanks for saying that ep. I don’t watch TV, but that is indeed good if the weather reader is naming it.

      • Macro 3.2.1

        Jim Hickey on TV1used to refer to Jim Salinger wrt CC on a number of occasions before Salinger was silenced by NIWA obviously under directive from on high (new Nat Govt at the time and sensitive to their indifferent stance on CC). Now the arrogant bastards just don’t give a fig – bet they want to have the original cartoon on the wall.

        • weka 3.2.1.1

          Wow, that was a long time ago too.

          • In Vino 3.2.1.1.1

            No it wasn’t. You must be bloody young, Weka…

            Not that there is anything wrong with that!

            • weka 3.2.1.1.1.1

              lol, I thought that 8 years ago not that many people in that kind of situation were talking about CC seriously.

              • In Vino

                You might be right about that – assuming that I interpreted all your that’s correctly. Smiley face.

              • Macro

                I used to ride the train to Wellington with Jim when he was writing his seminal work at Vic on NZ’s temperature in the late ’70’s early ’80’s. We discussed AGW and CC quite a bit.(When teaching physics in the early ’70s the greenhouse effect was introduced to the Science Curriculum at that time, and I was interested to see if the increasing CO2 was affecting temperatures). We both had children at the same school and caught the same train – so naturally would spend the hour to and from chatting together. I was posted to Singapore mid ’80s and only met him again a couple of years back when he was doing a tour with Rod Oram on CC for Gen Zero.

  4. Jenny Kirk 4

    It’s maybe time NZ Transport started digging bigger drains along the motorways ….. which would ease some of the flooding that happens regularly on motorways during heavy deluges.

    Right now, the Whangarei contractor is going down our street sucking gunge and rubbish out of the road drains – does this happen elsewhere, as a precautionery measure against road flooding ?

    • Colonial Viper 4.1

      Billions of dollars of climate change adaptation measures are needed immediately.

      Unfortunately these measures will also take plenty of carbon to implement.

  5. Colonial Viper 5

    So far the Earth has experienced roughly half the global warming expected from emissions released in the 1980s.

    There is another half to come.

    That’s how fucked the situation is.

    Radical or revolutionary change is no longer an option; within this generation it is an inevitability, one way or another.

    • Richardrawshark 5.1

      You better get you head around one thing CV, there is fuck all you can do about it, unless you can invent an air scrubber super sized. The countries causing the problem, are procrastinating, stalling, or plain ignoring it.

      Here, your just getting wound up over something you have pretty much no control over.

      • Colonial Viper 5.1.1

        There is that. Which is why I see some sense in Lanth’s commment (even if I do not 100% agree with them) that here in NZ we should just keep burning and live in relative comfort while we can.

        But doing more than that however, we should simultaneously be de-carbonising our economy and putting it in a de-growth mode ready for the end of fossil fuels which realistically is only 40 years away anyway.

        While taking huge climate change adaptation measures, and leading internationally on a carbon tax on all energy. Say NZ$0.50 on every kg of CO2 a fuel produces, increasing by 20c per year. Captured at importation or extraction of that fuel.

      • weka 5.1.2

        “Here, your just getting wound up over something you have pretty much no control over.”

        That is simply not true Richard. Climate change is here and it’s real, but there is plenty to be done about mitigating the worst of it. We have a very real choice between big changes and catastrophic changes.

  6. BM 6

    What a load of poo.

    There’s being 161 mm of rain this month with 52 mm coming in one day.

    Last year there was 181 mm of rain for June.

    • Colonial Viper 6.1

      Yes mate. If you even out massive floods in the first half year, and a total drought in the second half year, yes, it does make it look like an “average year.”

      • BM 6.1.1

        I don’t think shrieking climate change every time there’s a bit of rain does much for the cause.

        • Robert Guyton 6.1.1.1

          I do. Whenever there are exceptional or extreme weather events, the question; is this resulting from a warming atmosphere? is the obvious question that every intelligent human should ask. BM’s “shrieking” and “bit of rain” has him sounding overly-emotional and anti-science and that doesn’t do much for his cause, I imagine.

        • Richardrawshark 6.1.1.2

          I think BM, In a country that I think produces 0.01-0.1 % of the planets pollution we have better local causes that we could be pursuing and leave it up to the activists and international leaders to sort it out in those places.

          This however does not mean we ignore, farm pollution , nitrogen leakage etc and pollution that locally effects us rather than a global one we are not really causing like in air contaminants.

          This is why I say we are doomed below, because the countries fucking it up for all of us, will do fuck all.

          • BM 6.1.1.2.1

            This however does not mean we ignore, farm pollution , nitrogen leakage etc and pollution that locally effects us rather than a global one we are not really causing like in air contaminants.

            I completely agree.

            What put it into perspective for me was when I was reading a website on coal usage in China.

            China buys something like 60% of the available coal supply but that only accounts for less than 20% of the coal they use.

            They use that much coal.

            • Robert Guyton 6.1.1.2.1.1

              Through our actions, we create local pollutants and we create greenhouse gases. Let’s reduce both as far as possible.
              BM – why do you criticise those who hold that the deluge in Auckland could have been in part the result of increased greenhouse gas in the atmosphere? You can’t show that it wasn’t, as much as they can’t prove that it was, so why the smarmy froth from you?

            • Richardrawshark 6.1.1.2.1.2

              Smelting steel during the boom years, but with resent quality issues and steel production reducing they may have slowed coal imports, that and the fact the price of Coal bottomed out may mean that it’s been like that for about 6-7 years now.

              Still it looks like England turn of the 20th still to me, they got a lot of catching up to do , and will they, do they give a shit, they just buy cans of our air.. fkn makes me cry.

              I’ve delt with shit loads of sheets of mild and stainless from steel n tube, some batches had heaps of defects and had to be sent back. 316l on a lathe just about to finish a weld neck and a divot appears wrecking the whole job and all the time it took to manufacture. Due to poor manufacturing in china.

              New there was a problem with Chinese steel for ages and now it comes out.

              to much Bullshit i’m bloody drowning in it.

              • Colonial Viper

                I’ve delt with shit loads of sheets of mild and stainless from steel n tube, some batches had heaps of defects and had to be sent back. 316l on a lathe just about to finish a weld neck and a divot appears wrecking the whole job and all the time it took to manufacture. Due to poor manufacturing in china.

                Yep. This is an absolute waste of energy and emissions and non-renewable resources to create shit.

            • Colonial Viper 6.1.1.2.1.3

              China buys something like 60% of the available coal supply but that only accounts for less than 20% of the coal they use.

              Sounds about right. Overall World GHG emissions are now 57% higher than when the Rio Climate Change conference was held in 1992.

              That’s how screwed we are.

              Re: China, they have a twenty year plan to get off coal, and I think they are very serious about making that happen.

              • BM

                Unless they do, the world is boned climate wise.

                • Colonial Viper

                  There is that; but their emissions per capita remain around 1/4 that of the USA and 1/2 that of the rest of the western world.

                  • Bill

                    It gets even more marked when you break it down into ‘top emitters’, middle emitters’ and ‘low emitters’ based on a per person basis.

                    So, the wealthiest 10% of people produce ~ 50% of all emissions
                    the next richest 40% of people produce ~40% of all emissions
                    and poorest 50% of people produce ~10% of all emissions

                    The make up of that high emitting 10% (50% of all emissions) is –

                    Chinese account for about 10% of that number
                    Indians for about 1%
                    North Americans for about 40%
                    Europeans just under 20%

                    The make up of the middle 40% (40% of all emissions) is –

                    Chinese account for about 35% of that number
                    Indians for about 5%
                    North Americans for about 7%
                    Europeans about 18%

                    The make up of the lowest 50% (10% of all emissions) is –

                    Chinese 16%
                    Indians 36%
                    No Europeans or North Americans.

                    Chancel and Piketty “Carbon and Inequality” …pp31

                    • Macro

                      Interesting breakdown Bill.
                      Bearing in mind that Europe and North America and Australia/NZ have exported most of their manufacturing emissions to China and India as well makes the figures for the western world even more damming.

    • Armchair Critic 6.2

      The monthly data are not what caused the flooding. Rather, the flooding was caused by unusually high hourly rates, which is one of the predicted effects of climate change.
      I’d be more than happy to educate you about the hudrology once you can produce the hourly stats for last June. However I expect that even if you could, you won’t because it’s not in your interest to do so.

  7. Richardrawshark 7

    People are moaning now, Like a train or giant cargo ship inertia means even if we start stopping now it’ll be ages before the reversal occurs. Figuratively

    We are DOOMED! It’s just starting and it’s going to keep on getting worse year after year. In 5 years we’ll be thinking these were nice conditions.

    Mark this post..I will revisit this in 5.

    • mauī 7.1

      Yeah but what you and CV are saying is that we should basically accept annihilation in the not too distant future. I don’t think that’s helpful. Even the experts don’t say that, and with how complex climate science is I doubt anyone really knows what will happen in the future. Throw political and economic factors changing much more rapidly across the world into the mix and I think the predictions turn into a lot of guess work.

      • Richardrawshark 7.1.1

        -Maui When you get bigger weather events the bad things in those events become more severe. Take the monsoons in India where 90 people died, take warmer weather meaning cyclones tracking down here more often.

        It’s going to get a lot lot worse yet, we are still pumping shit up there.

        Lastly as China, India, etc are the ones just flat out polluting the atmosphere, that in Brazil they are clearing the rain forests, and in Nigeria too. It’s nothing we can control whatsoever, nor do we have the international power to force them.

        There is nothing we here in NZ can do except attend meeting and hope they act.

        • mauī 7.1.1.1

          Yeah weather events could get worse next year, then again they might be less extreme than what they were this year, no one knows. The trajectory is worrying, but personally I don’t believe we’re in a fight for survival. I feel it’s wasting energy if we focus on the “we’re all gonna die in 2030 or 2050 scenario”. Most people don’t feel empowered about changing something so distant as the atmosphere, so again I think energy is wasted there. What gets people interested is if there’s somewhere they can buy locally grown veges for the week for a bargain price or digging in plants to help restore their local park they regularly walk in. Those kind of things help address the more global problems and point things in a beneficial direction for everyone.

          • Colonial Viper 7.1.1.1.1

            Yeah but what you and CV are saying is that we should basically accept annihilation in the not too distant future. I don’t think that’s helpful.

            Annhilation of our global civilisation as we know it over the next 30-40 years is inevitable.

            Ensuring NZ protects a decent standard of living and society is quite do-able, though.

            For one thing I am proposing a hard 6M population cap.

      • mauī – a significant moment occurred when those who hold that the climate is being changed by human industry decided to no longer debate the point with deniers. Now, we have another moment approaching where those who want to engage in positive action need to dismiss the doomsayers as counter-productive and stop engaging in debate with them. Of course, it’s still occasionally fun to poke them and see them squirm, but really, they’re dead-weight now. The success of the “action-stations” team depends on them being focused and confident. I reckon.

        • Robert Atack 7.1.2.1

          where those who want to engage in positive action need to dismiss the doomsayers as counter-productive and stop engaging in debate with them.

          You have that the wrong way around Robert, it is the so called ‘doomsayers’ (of which I am more than happy to be grouped with) that are/have stopped engaging in the idiots that think they can stop, or even slow this death train down.
          Again 406+ ppm CO2 = human/all mammals extinction.

          • Colonial Viper 7.1.2.1.1

            Again 406+ ppm CO2 = human/all mammals extinction.

            Pretty sure there were a lot of mammals 3M to 4M years ago when we were last at these CO2 levels.

            Then again by 2030 I expect CO2 levels to be at 440 ppm.

          • corokia 7.1.2.1.2

            ” it is the so called ‘doomsayers’ (of which I am more than happy to be grouped with) that are/have stopped engaging in the idiots that think they can stop, or even slow this death train down.”

            No you haven’t, you are still commenting here.
            Go do something else with your final years then.

            Those of us who give a shit about the future 1st had bullshit from the deniers, now its the ” give up, it’s all hopeless” crowd who de-rail the discussion.
            So just piss off.

        • weka 7.1.2.2

          +everything RG.

          No-one in this thread knows what is going to happen. We know that CC is here, we don’t know how bad it will be. We know that reducing carbon emissions is one thing that will make a difference. People who say it is too late are part of the problem, because they are now arguing against change. I agree, they are the new deniers and should be treated as such.

          • marty mars 7.1.2.2.1

            There may also be another category. As well as those who accept and plan for a ‘realistic’ in their eyes future – which requires downsizing. There is the ‘something will sort it out’ camp. Those people imo are sorta a problem for effective change too.

      • Bill 7.1.3

        Even the experts don’t say that

        Well…

        Taking IPCC carbon budgets for this century, we can throw 600Gt of CO2 from energy use into the atmosphere over the course of this century and we’ll have something like a 66% chance of not exceeding 2 degrees of warming.

        Crunch through the numbers in relation to just China and India while placing onerous responsibilities on them – on the cusp of possible/impossible – and they’ll emit 700Gt.

        That’s 100Gt over the 700Gt budget for a 2 in 3 chance of avoiding +2 degrees – while assuming that the west is already emitting precisely zero.

        Add 300Gt to the available budget for a 50/50 chance of avoiding +2 degrees while keeping the same strait jacket on China and India. We in the west now have 200Gt of CO2 from energy available over the course of this century. At current emission rates, we’ll blow that 200Gt in no time.

        Our options, according to experts in the field? Carry on as now and arrive in some version of imaginable hell pretty soon, or get to zero emissions from energy sources over the space of the next 15 years or so.

        • Colonial Viper 7.1.3.1

          and we’ll have something like a 66% chance of not exceeding 2 degrees of warming.

          I think we are sitting on 1.0 to 1.1 deg C warming now. There is at least another 1.0 deg C that we are currently being protected from via ‘global dimming’.

          The majority of the warming due to GHGs released in the 90’s, 2000s and 2010’s have yet to impact our current temperature. (It takes 30 years for half the warming impact of GHG emissions to be measurable).

          So if we turn the switch off on fossil fuel use tonight, the planet has decades of global warming ahead of it, plus the 1+ deg C bump from the loss of global dimming will kick in within two or three months.

          So 2 deg C to 3 deg C warming is already a done deal.

          The question is can we avoid 3 deg C to 4 deg C warming.

          • Lanthanide 7.1.3.1.1

            I’m not sure about the specific numbers, but that’s broadly my outlook too.

          • Bill 7.1.3.1.2

            I honestly couldn’t tell you whether the numbers (odds) are based on a low, medium or high sensitivity. I might suspect they’re based on a low sensitivity, but would have to look it up to be sure.

        • mauī 7.1.3.2

          You’re better at these figures than me Bill. I’m going to go by this graph (Figure 1) by the World Bank : http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2013/03/26/000445729_20130326120429/Rendered/PDF/632190WP0Turn000Box374367B00PUBLIC0.pdf

          If I’m reading the graph right, 4+ degrees by the end of this century if we keep the status quo is highly unlikely, because in all honesty who really thinks we can carry on with this crazy endless growth economy for another decade let alone another 60+ years. That’s what makes me question the models and numbers for starters. That and a strange optimism that we won’t destroy our life support system (the earth).

        • weka 7.1.3.3

          Bill you misquoted mauī. Here’s what they said, my emphasis.

          Yeah but what you and CV are saying is that we should basically accept annihilation in the not too distant future. I don’t think that’s helpful. Even the experts don’t say that, and with how complex climate science is I doubt anyone really knows what will happen in the future. Throw political and economic factors changing much more rapidly across the world into the mix and I think the predictions turn into a lot of guess work.

          We need to be very careful about what we are trying to convince people of. Giving people the science to show that the situation is serious is crucial. Supporting people who say it’s too late and we’re doomed is hugely counter productive.

          • Colonial Viper 7.1.3.3.1

            Supporting people who say it’s too late and we’re doomed is hugely counter productive.

            Your use of the phrase “too late” is part of the problem.

            I will be more specific:

            It is now too late to avoid multi-metre sea level rise in the next few hundred years. It is now too late to avoid 2 to 3 deg C global warming. It is now too late to save the West Antarctic ice shelf. It is now too late to save coastal cities that 1B or more people live in. It is now too late to avoid 420ppm CO2. It is now too late to avoid the highest CO2 levels for at least the last 3M years. It is now too late to stop gigatonne scale releases of methane from the environment.

            • weka 7.1.3.3.1.1

              What’s your plan CV? Do you want things to change for the better? How does this conversation help that?

              • Colonial Viper

                This conversation helps out by presenting the truth, not lies or day dreams.

                • weka

                  That’s the statement of a zealot. No room that you might be wrong and that it’s still possible to change for the better.

                  People being certain that it’s too late and that NZ can’t do anything anyway isn’t the truth. It’s belief. And it’s causing problems.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    I have already said that 3 deg C to 4 deg C warming is avoidable.

                    But 2 deg C to 3 deg C warming is not.

                    So I believe that it is “still possible to change for the better.”

                    Also you have used the problematic statement “too late” again. I have been very specific about what “too late” means to me. What does it mean to you. Do you honestly believe that it is not “too late” to avoid 2 deg C warming.

                    • weka

                      So I believe that it is “still possible to change for the better.”

                      Thanks for clarifying that.

                      “too late” is my shorthand for people who are running lines that there is nothing to be one. BM is an obvious one. Likewise Robert Atack. Richard is doing that in this thread too, although I suspect his motivations are a bit different. So when I talk about “too late” I am referring to people’s choices to be certain in their own beliefs, to not be honest that they are beliefs, and to promote certain responses on the basis of that eg we can’t do anything. For people like myself who believe that change is reliant on people believing that change is possible, I see that as an increasind problem. I also believe that in order for people to act they need to not get stuck in their own powerlessness, and promoting the idea that it’s too late engenders powerlessness.

                      For me there is no such thing as “too late”. That CC will have massive impact has been a given for me for some time, but there is a big difference between things like the end of the global economy and extinction. Plus all the possibilities in between.

                      I don’t see it as a once we get locked into X it’s too late, because we don’t know what the actual impacts will be. We have theories around that, some of them solid theories, eg sea level rise. But we don’t know how it will play out. There are many variables. By all that I don’t mean that it won’t be that bad. I mean that we don’t know the detail.

                      One thing I am certain of is that there will always be things we can do, and that we need to act as soon as possible.

                      I’m also fairly certain that in order to have meaningful change we need momentum. I don’t believe that people adopting a position of it’s too late will aid that, and it will actually work against it. That is as bad as the outright deniers. Everything we do at this point is critical.

                • Corokia

                  Are you out there presenting ” the truth” to a wider audience than TS CV?

                  • Colonial Viper

                    My political team is on board with it. We’re still formulating a fuller response.

          • Bill 7.1.3.3.2

            I didn’t mis-quote maui Weka.

            I cut and pasted an assertion and laid out a summary of bare numbers to offer an indication of what experts are saying. Do those numbers amount to annihilation or point to annihilation? That’s up to people who read and dig into the numbers to decide for themselves. Not me.

            But I’ll say this, it sure as fuck isn’t down to me to sugar coat shit because some people might find things ‘a bit fucking hard’ to deal with. That, in case you missed it, is what almost all government funded scientists and policy makers and governments have been doing this past quarter of a century.

            So no, I don’t need to be careful with my pitch. Part of the reason we’re in the dire straits we find ourselves in is because no-one wanted to rock the boat, upset the apple-cart, scare the horses, create ripples….

            And I certainly don’t need to be fucking well lectured about supposedly “supporting people” when all I’m doing is merely speaking from my own perspective, relaying my own thoughts or feelings on a matter and pointing to credible sources of information for people that they can either choose to heed or ignore.

  8. Some people, myself included, don’t ” think they can stop, or even slow this death train down”, though I wouldn’t use those words, but nevertheless see value in taking action on a range of activities, all with the climate and the future in mind. Your crew, the doomsayers, not only decry all “outsiders” as idiots, you also undermine their efforts to follow their own paths. I suspect you and Richardrawshark, for example, are by nature, depressives and this platform suits you to express the experience of your gloomy world. BM, otoh, is just here for sh*ts and giggles, and not worth considering.

    • Richardrawshark 8.1

      No Robert, I am more a realist. From my past experience with large foreign powers in history, things have to get formidably bad before they do anything that may effect anyone who votes for them.

      So many examples of corporate wealth before the climate and peoples welfare take as one example bikini atoll, Fracking, oil spills, coal fired smelters and electricity generation etc at what point this time do you think they will change?

      NZ is pretty good globally climate pollution wise, and I fear, because I know just what a bunch of self interested MP’s these famous big power ones are, how they got there, who pays their campaign bills, and why they won’t lift a finger until the public baying on their door or are polling atrociously on a subject.

      That’s not doomsaying it’s just pointing out why get my knickers in a twist over something I really can do little about.

      I can do more about things here though, like river pollution, nitrates, farmers not fencing waterways, resource management. etc. better time spent while I wait for the mud in my back yard to dry out.

      • Every one believes themselves a realist, Richard. From your comment, I found this:
        ” get my knickers in a twist over something I really can do little about.”
        interesting. My personal approach to things I can do nothing about, is to refuse to allocate” worrying time” to them – what’s the gain?
        As to your,
        “I can do more about things here though, like river pollution, nitrates, farmers not fencing waterways, resource management. etc. ”
        all strength to your arm. I too, spend my time doing just that and know it’s worthwhile.

    • BM 8.2

      I’m a watch and see sort of guy, then ascertain and react accordingly.

        • BM 8.2.1.1

          That’s the one.

          On a side note I had no idea you could eat Gunnera, very interesting video btw, you’re a bit of a natural, a tv career beckons .

          • Robert Guyton 8.2.1.1.1

            Very kind, BM. Yes, gunnera’s very nice, as are many other not as yet well known perennials. If only there were people surreptitiously planting edible perennial vegetables throughout their neighbourhoods, in expectation of food shortages brought about through climate, political or economic disruptions 🙂

  9. johnm 9

    On a lighter note!

    Years ago used to go tramping in the Tararuas and near rivers would have those pesky sandflies zooming in for some free blood if you stood still or sat long enough.

    Yesterday I had one land on my leg in johnsonville! ( I wear shorts ) in the middle of Winter! Been round this way 35years never ever got sandflies here before. Winters are getting milder and milder.

  10. Jenny 10

    A post about climate change, notice Green Party, climate change ignoring, [deleted – don’t abuse authors especially with criticisms that are not correct – MS]

    Maybe he is right.

    Maybe the Green Party making “Swimmable Rivers” their “Centrepiece Environmental Campaign” rather than making Climate Change their “Centrepiece Environmental Campaign” were doing the right thing after all.

    Having somewhere nice to swim is just what the Auckland electorate needs after all this rain.

    And it is just about warm enough.

    We just need to relabel it, “Swimmable Streets Campaign”.

    • Jenny 10.1

      Funny how weka can constantly abuse and malign me as a “liar” and carry out a campaign of character assassination on absolutely no evidence.

      And all I have to say is that weka is ignoring the reality, that the Green Party have made “Swimmable Rivers” their “Centrepiece Campaign”, When the greatest environmental disaster of all time is climate change.

      Hopefully this very real situation, which weka denies and refuses to accept, will change.

      I seriously hope so.

      What I hope is that the Green Party will have a climate change campaign launch as big (or even bigger)* than their “Centrepiece Campaign” launch.

      And I hope that it happens before the election.

      What I hope that this launch is good as or even better than the climate change policy release made by the Green Party prior to the 2014 election, and that it is followed up in the election campaign.

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10108920/Greens-launch-climate-change-policy

      Is this too much to ask?

      Time will tell.

      Warranting the importance of the subject,

  11. Jenny 11

    Disappointing.

    Sunday 5 June
    • 1pm Launch of a centrepiece environmental campaign by Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei
    • photo-op and media stand-up

    “Our Plan to Change the Government”

    As many commenters are pointing out climate change is one of the Government’s worst performing portfolios.

    If the Green Party are serious about wanting to change the government they would be hammering them on this.

  12. corokia 12

    A lot of commenters here understand the dire situation we are in because of human induced climate change and ocean acidification. Quite a few announce that we are all heading rapidly down the path to total collapse of civilisation (at best) or human extinction. So they say there is no point in bothering to do anything to try to stop these horrific outcomes.

    The vast majority of people on the planet have NO IDEA that things are as serious as they are.
    I don’t know when (or even IF) our fellow citizens will be told the full details of the shit that’s coming. Hundreds of millions have such a precarious existence that they probably can’t see past the next few days or months- though they are not the ones causing most of the problem.

    But how dare those “we know it all” doomers decide that no one will want to make serious changes. WTF gives you the right to cast such judgement on your fellow human beings? Maybe if a critical mass of the world population realise how bad things are, then effective changes can be made to at least prevent some of the worse effects.

    What is wrong with trying? Some of us want to.

    • weka 12.1

      + all of this. Thank-you corokia.

      I’m finding it very difficult and struggling to find a useful response (am biting my tongue today esp). I think that one of the things that is happening is that people are getting caught up in their own despair and we are not very well equipped to deal with such large scale threats. People have different ways of dealing with that.

      One of the things I noticed in Bill’s thread the other day was how hard it was for any of us to work together. Even those who think we should still be trying seem to find it hard to support each other and respond to what people are bringing up. We are wasting a lot of time and energy arguing over how many deck chairs there are (apologies for the Titanic analogy), instead of looking at what we can do and doing it.

      I haven’t gotten very far in my thinking on this yet, but I am considering putting up a regular CC action post, where we can talk about what we are already doing, what else can be done, looking at strategies that others are using etc. I can moderate that thread so that the conversation remains on proactive responses and doesn’t get diverted by “it’s too late”.

      It would be useful to know if anyone is interested in that.

      • corokia 12.1.1

        I like how you put the ‘no deniers, no doomers’ on your posts on CC weka.
        There is SO much to be done and I don’t just mean as in fighting as the ship goes down.
        I remember commenting on a post a few weeks back, suggesting that having local body candidates that understand CC was important. Bill just shot me down in flames, telling me that was all shit and pointless, so I just backed off and shut up.

        • weka 12.1.1.1

          I’m seeing a lot of that. It’s like we are all stuck in our personal need to be right and there is very little room for creative responses. I can see that some of that comes from old school activism, some of it from the culture on ts, but it’s time to change that.

        • weka 12.1.1.2

          I agree with you about councils btw. Because whatever happens, we need people who are aware in there.

          • Robert Guyton 12.1.1.2.1

            Publishing a regular CC post is a very worthwhile proposal, weka. I think we would soon see useful patterns develop and as yet unimagined ideas floated, and that alone would make the exercise worthwhile.
            edit – except it shouldn’t be about climate change. The discussion is bigger than that. Something about the future, I think. It’s not only climate change that threatens humankind and focusing on that issue narrows the discussion too much.

            • weka 12.1.1.2.1.1

              Thanks, that’s what I’m thinking. At the moment too much aggravation is happening, not enough room for the creative and left field.

              • In Vino

                I was particularly impressed by your “we are all stuck in our personal need to be right.” Sadly true. I fear that the same blight would deal to any new site.. Is there a way of curing this disease, apart from the slow process of better education?
                (Please note that this makes me much more righter than all you other misled jumpers to wrong conclusions.. Eat that!)

      • marty mars 12.1.2

        I think a regular post would be good. There are many people doing many things and it would be a practical way to build knowledge and ideas around resiliance, community and effective change. And it could cover the issues from a wider context – empowerment!

    • Colonial Viper 12.2

      Resist the tide by all means. It is a spiritual and moral imperative to resist.

      • corokia 12.2.1

        There you go again CV.
        The assumption that nothing can be done.
        YOUR assumption is that your fellow human beings don’t care and/or don’t want to change and that we are all going to be swept away on the tide.

        • BM 12.2.1.1

          Nothing can be done to stop it, it’s completely out of your hands, you have no control.

          What you can do though is make plans on how do deal with the effects of climate change.

          • corokia 12.2.1.1.1

            I’ve been doing that for years. Making plans for my family, physical preparations.
            But, you know what. I actually care about other people too.
            It’s totally selfish to say “can’t do anything, you might as well keep flying and consuming”.

            • BM 12.2.1.1.1.1

              It’s totally selfish to say “can’t do anything, you might as well keep flying and consuming”.

              So you’re living a fairly low carbon existence?

              • weka

                I notice you’ve been asking this lately BM. There are quite a lot of regulars here who have been taking action in their personal lives, some for a long time. You just haven’t been paying attention.

                How about you tell us what you are doing?

          • weka 12.2.1.1.2

            “Nothing can be done to stop it, it’s completely out of your hands, you have no control.”

            So says the person with a vested interest in things not changing.

            • BM 12.2.1.1.2.1

              You’ve got to be realistic about the situation, NZ could sink into the sea tomorrow and it wouldn’t make one iota of difference,

              • weka

                so says the person with a vested interest in things not changing.

                Meanwhile, those of us that care and know that it does make a difference will carry on.

                • Let’s not argue the toss any longer about whether we should or should not do something, let’s just explore the possibilities. Once we’ve done that to a far greater extent than posts infested with naysayers allows, we’ll be better able to judge whether there’s value in our actions. Risky, perhaps – what if it becomes apparent we’re blowing bubbles? In any case, I’m up for it. In fact, it’d be unique. So far as I know, there’s no place anywhere that a discussion like that occurs – we can be the epicentre!
                  I like that.

              • corokia

                “NZ could sink into the sea tomorrow”
                That’s not realism.

                And yes, I have a fairly low carbon existence. Since you are in to asking personal questions, here’s one for you.
                If there is nothing we can do about climate change, WHY do you come to threads like this and comment?

                • BM

                  I know climate change will be an issue going forward so it’s interesting to read other peoples view points and share my own.

                  My interest is in how we’ll deal with climate change, not so much in stopping it.

                  • weka

                    “My interest is in how we’ll deal with climate change, not so much in stopping it.”

                    The problem with this statement is that it is based on the idea that CC is one thing, and that it’s fixed. That’s just not true. CC is here, now. But we can stop it getting worse. The future isn’t fixed. Which begs the question of why some people are not willing to try. Lanth is about the only person being honest about this.

                  • Bm you’ve just said you’re not doing much personally – what do you think people should do and why aren’t you?

  13. whispering kate 13

    As if we don’t have the real fear of climate change and rising seas and extreme weather events now the sun is losing its spots and going to cause havoc with electronics and communications and astronauts having their DNA buggered. It has happened in the past in the 16th and 17th centuries and caused a mini ice age which froze the Thames solid. I can remember reading about those extreme events in the past but didn’t know it was caused by the sun losing its spots.

    Interesting times for us all but I have always thought that its not the Planet which has any problems, it will sort its self out, its us poor venal ignorant inhabitants who have wrecked the place in little more than 100 years.

    http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space/the-sun-has-gone-blank-twice-this-month-this-is-what-it-means/news-story/d775ecf894ab68415ed0108ced31a4e2

  14. Lloyd 14

    Good to see Rodney Hyde has changed his stance on global warming and has admitted that it is occurring.

    Yeah right.

  15. Lloyd 15

    Since the ocean will almost certainly rise at least two metres in the next 100 years, is there now a discount on beach front properties?

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T16:44:39+00:00