Daily Review 11/12/2015

21 comments on “Daily Review 11/12/2015 ”

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1. Draco T Bastard 1

   11 December 2015 at 6:26 pm

   Some communities are destroyed by tragedy and disaster. Others spring back. Here’s what makes the difference.

   Resilience is best understood as a characteristic of communities rather than individuals. Resilience isn’t personal grit; it’s the capacity of a neighborhood or community to respond, mitigate and adapt to crisis. People who face challenges reach out to their neighbors, friends, family and other networks to handle the issue emotionally, financially and logistically.

   For our best interest, both as an individual and as a society, we need to work together. This is the exact opposite of what we have with the ‘free-market’ capitalist dogma that we have.
2. Ad 2

   11 December 2015 at 6:36 pm

   According to the Otago Daily Times, Shell New Zealand is reviewing its entire portfolio in New Zealand of both existing investments, and exploration in the Great South Basin. This is after their full selldown of the retail network two years ago. See:
   http://www.odt.co.nz/news/business/366523/shell-reviewing-nz-operations

   Anyone remember that fresh-faced Minister of Mining and Minerals Simon Bridges swearing black and blue on tv that petroleum exploration was going to be our Next Big Thing?

   No matter how cack-handed his tv performance, his enthusiasm was not without merit. Petroleum exploration jobs have for many years been an export sector with astounding salaries and huge qualification requirements (For those checking my historical comments, I was quite supportive at the time of using a Dunedin base). MBIE was clearly pushing this agenda for those kinds of reasons, following its report in 2014 on New Zealand export sectors:

   http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/business/business-growth-agenda/sectors-reports-series/published-report

   MBIE got it catastrophically wrong as a strategy, as did the entire government. This is hot on the heels of several other petroleum explorers leaving town.

   It’s not that these exiting companies generated any carbon-conscience in time for Paris COP 21. Exploration in marginal areas like GSB and the Arctic are simply not an activity supported by the medium-term global oil barrel price.

   Oil and milk. Hey John, another very large fail.
   • Joe 2.1

     11 December 2015 at 6:43 pm

     Shell has been divesting itself of its business in the wider region for quite a while. They are focusing on downstream and upstream in other regions where they have great strategic or political advantage.

     There are general pressures on the industry, e.g. price, preventing investment in new projects, but Shell’s divestment is a strategic one as part of a wider scheme. Shell were never that interested in NZ upstream investment.
   • BM 2.2

     11 December 2015 at 7:07 pm

     You’re not big on giving things a go then.

     Bit scared it won’t be a success?
     • Ad 2.2.1

       11 December 2015 at 7:16 pm

       New Zealand’s given dairy a go at bulk commodity manufacturing at highest risk and highest cost for lowest gain. For about 130 years.

       Same for oil.

       Time to actually learn a lesson and think.
       • BM 2.2.1.1

         11 December 2015 at 7:55 pm

         Milk’s paid the bills for many years, oil would have been great if it paid off.
         If it did, we could have been the Denmark of the Souths Seas.

         Wasn’t a goer at least we know now.

         Part of business, you give it a go, if it’s not successful you put it behind you and move on.
         • Ad 2.2.1.1.1

           11 December 2015 at 8:33 pm

           And any time this government admits how catastrophic their strategy was, and hands our taxpayer subsidy back, I’ll be there.
         • Draco T Bastard 2.2.1.1.2

           11 December 2015 at 10:33 pm

           Part of business, you give it a go, if it’s not successful you put it behind you and move on.

           Thing is, we should have put it behind us about 100 years ago and worked on developing our economy. But we kept doing the same old thing and in the 1970s it failed.

           Then, in the 1980s, the 4th Labour Government brought in unregulated capitalism and our government pushed even harder for farming instead of developing our economy and it’s failed again.

           Really, when are you RWNJs going to learn that commodities just don’t pay their way?
           • Bill 2.2.1.1.2.1

             11 December 2015 at 11:38 pm

             Shouldn’t have developed the economy at all Draco. They, we, who-ever tried that game but it was a market economy game. Shoulda changed the rules; changed the economy – played a different game.
             • Draco T Bastard …

               12 December 2015 at 11:53 am

               Shouldn’t have developed the economy at all Draco.

               Of course we should have developed the economy. Even if we aren’t using oil, capitalism or growth we should still develop the economy.
   • weka 2.3

     11 December 2015 at 7:30 pm

     “Exploration in marginal areas like GSB and the Arctic are simply not an activity supported by the medium-term global oil barrel price.”

     As predicted by Peak Oil theory. With any luck this will be an increasing pattern over the coming years.
3. Gangnam Style 3

   11 December 2015 at 6:58 pm

   More on the spurious ‘Jihadi Brides’ thing http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/i-m-not-a-jihadi-bride about a young muslim NZr visiting the Middle East with her parents to see family.
   • Jenny Kirk 3.1

     11 December 2015 at 10:13 pm

     Yes. Gangnam Style. Fascinating that the young woman was taken aside at entry to NZ and questioned and made to feel uncomfortable, but her parents – with whom she was travelling – were not.
     Just jingoism and scaremongering, and bloddy stupid as well.
   • Tautuhi 3.2

     12 December 2015 at 4:50 pm

     Interesting it was Key who brought up the Jihadi Bride statement.
   • Tautuhi 3.3

     12 December 2015 at 4:50 pm

     Interesting it was Key who brought up the Jihadi Bride statement.
4. Lara 4

   11 December 2015 at 8:30 pm

   Northland forests. Home to Tane Mahuta and many other giant Kauri trees, along with other beautiful forest remnants. Dying.

   Dying because this damn government doesn’t give a toss.

   I wish I could use stronger language.

   I am first and foremost a botanist. A lover of NZ’s natural world. I grew up in Northland and live there now. It breaks my heart, it really really does, to see the devastation wrought on our forests.

   Not only DoC funding cuts but communities resistance to 1080 use. The two biggest reasons why predators, particularly possums, are so rampant in Northland which is destroying our forests.

   http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2015/12/the-cost-of-austerity-northlands-forests.html
   • Jenny Kirk 4.1

     11 December 2015 at 10:16 pm

     1000% Lara – these are extraordinary trees, our heritage …. and we have such a neglectful government, a couldn’t-care-less govt ….. you are quite right, its heart-breaking. From that heartless ShonKey to us.
   • maui 4.2

     11 December 2015 at 10:54 pm

     It could be a call to action for Forest & Bird up there and any interested conservationists. Accept the fact that Government isn’t going to help for now and identify the parts of these forests that have the best biodiversity or heritage trees. With a handful of commited volunteers, bait lines could be put through these parts and bait stations installed. Once they’re in place all you need is volunteers to check and refill the bait stations twice a year, so it’s not a huge drain on people’s time at all. In the end, all you would be paying for is the possum bait biannually and the initial cost of the purchase of bait stations. Not huge costs. A few hundred hectares could be protected by doing it this way on foot, not the thousands needed, but it would be a start. With sponsorship from local businesses and some grants it could be fully funded.
   • Ad 4.3

     12 December 2015 at 12:23 pm

     Totally agree Lara.

     The fight is certainly on in the Waitakere’s and across the Auckland region.
     There’s remarkable activism here, with lots of cross-group and cross-governance arrangements for all kinds of predators.

     My Dad’s side are all originally from deep into the Otangaroa valley, up into Fern Flat, Kaitaia, and Houhora Heads. He still has plenty of memories of the logging trucks coming down the hill with their air brakes popping, grinding down with massive Kauri.

     Worth having a look at what another squillionaire’s donations are planning to do in Mt Egmont National Park. Also have a look at Morgan’s big Stewart Island project. With the decline of DoC into (largely) a tourism operator, it’s going to take almighty large donors to turn this around. Projects that scale takes one or two heroic individuals, and a lifetime’s commitment, and an army of volunteers.
5. miravox 5

   11 December 2015 at 10:00 pm

   The first of the 25,000 ‘before Christmas’ Syrian refugees arrive in Canada

   This is a wonderful night, where we get to show not just a planeload of new Canadians what Canada is all about, we get to show the world how to open our hearts and welcome in people who are fleeing extraordinarily difficult situations

   It will be interesting to be a fly on the wall at the white commonwealth countries club. Someone has broken the neo-lib and humanitarian ranks.
6. Ovid 6

   12 December 2015 at 11:06 pm

   Farewell Jon Gadsby. The best humour punches up and Gadsby was always one for that. Here’s the first episode of McPhail & Gadsby.

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