Posts by Russel Norman

  • Russel Norman

    Super Fund invests in Chinese property bubble? - by Russel Norman



    The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has, on our behalf, decided to take a $23 million bet on a property development company with significant exposure to China — a country where some reports say that there are 64 million vacant apartments. The Fund’s stake in Hong Kong-based property development company Sun Hung Kai is the tenth [...] read more
    February 9, 2012 8:05 am - 2 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Horizons chairman hot under the collar on World Cup Tickets - by Russel Norman



    On Sunday we released information gained under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act that several regional councillors had received gifts and hospitality from Fonterra in the form of Rugby World Cup tickets for quarterfinal and bronze medal matches. There is a clear conflict of interest when the regulator is accepting gifts from the [...] read more
    December 14, 2011 12:28 pm - 2 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Fonterra’s fencing rule a step in the right direction - by Russel Norman



    I want to congratulate Fonterra for announcing that all waterways on Fonterra farms must be fenced within 18 months as condition of supply. This is a positive step in addressing our declining water quality. Previously Fonterra farmers were encouraged to fence off their waterways as part of the voluntary Clean Streams Accord. But it’s great [...] read more
    December 5, 2011 11:23 am - 18 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Greens answer the hard questions on freshwater management - by Russel Norman



    The Green Party recently received an open letter to politicians and the New Zealand public regarding freshwater management in New Zealand. The letter addressed some of the more difficult questions surrounding freshwater management, which came out of the “Reimagining Freshwater Geographies” workshop recently held at the University of Auckland and attended by 34 environmental and [...] read more
    November 22, 2011 2:52 pm - 4 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Dairy compliance message is failing - by Russel Norman



    Bay of Plenty Regional Council recently expressed their concern that some dairy operators are still not getting the message that it’s not okay to pollute NZ’s waterways with effluent. There have been eight prosecutions in the past year in the Bay of Plenty regarding breaches of dairy effluent disposal rules and conditions. This is eight [...] read more
    November 14, 2011 1:10 pm - 40 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Dams will damn our rivers - by Russel Norman



    Fed Farmers have welcomed National’s $400 million water storage and irrigation investment announced yesterday. Of course Fed Farmers would. Damming rivers to store water for irrigation means farmers can convert more land to dairying, which is highly profitable at the moment. But Fed Farmers pretend that damming rivers to store water for irrigation won’t hurt [...] read more
    November 10, 2011 2:10 pm - 45 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    The truth about the RMA - by Russel Norman



    Nick Smith has made various claims about RMA delays. This letter has some inconvenient truths for the Minister.   read more
    November 3, 2011 9:15 am - 6 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    World Economic Forum calls for government leadership on green job creation - by Russel Norman



    The World Economic Forum, a group consisting of the world’s leading corporate citizens, is calling on governments to take the lead in green job creation through the retrofitting of commercial buildings to make them more energy efficient. The report, entitled A Profitable & Resource Efficient Future: Catalysing Retrofit Finance & Investing in Commercial Real Estate, [...] read more
    November 1, 2011 3:00 pm - 7 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Open letter to Auckland councillors over the development of Te Arai beach - by Russel Norman



    Posted below is an letter to the mayor and councillors of Auckland from concerned Aucklander John Shaw. John is a surfer who’s passionate about the stunning beauty of Te Arai beach north of Auckland and doesn’t want to see its natural character destroyed by development  like so many of our other pristine beaches.   Dear [...] read more
    October 21, 2011 5:01 pm - 2 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Bay of Plenty Regional Council ready to ask the hard questions - by Russel Norman



    I am encouraged to read today the Bay of Plenty regional council’s policy position on management and land use change in the Lake Rotorua catchment, which includes the recognition that land management changes alone will not be enough to achieve water quality targets. Lake Rotorua is seriously degraded and a huge reduction in the amount [...] read more
    October 21, 2011 4:14 pm - No Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Pictures from Tauranga - by Russel Norman



    Over the past week Metiria and I have been up in Tauranga. Here are some of the pictures we’ve taken. I was lucky enough to go on a helicopter flight this morning and see the Rena up close. Earlier in the week Metiria was on Motiti Island and got these pictures. read more
    October 21, 2011 11:19 am - 16 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Building industry sees eye-to-eye with Green economic policies - by Russel Norman



    The Construction Strategy Group has recently published their report on the state of the building industry entitled Valuing the Role of Construction in the NZ Economy. The Construction Strategy Group is a lobby group and is made up of a who’s who in the industry. Their report outlines a number of key initiatives they’d like [...] read more
    October 19, 2011 9:19 am - 3 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Why Sir Paul Callaghan needs to reconsider clean technology - by Russel Norman



    Sir Paul Callaghan’s opinion piece in the Herald critiques our economic plan to create 100,000 new green jobs. His paper raises some important points about the record of previous governments and their attempts to pick winners in the research and development (R&D) field. A key element of our Green Jobs initiative launched on September 21 [...] read more
    October 11, 2011 1:00 pm - 16 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Kiwis consider water pollution our biggest environmental issue - by Russel Norman



    A new study recently released by Lincoln University has found that water pollution is rated by New Zealanders as the most important environmental issue facing our country. The Public Perceptions of New Zealand’s Environment 2010 study, which surveyed over 2000 people, states: “It is clear that New Zealanders have a very high desire for a [...] read more
    September 29, 2011 4:17 pm - 8 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    A warning from the OECD on NZ’s deteriorating water quality - by Russel Norman



    I was a key note speaker on Tuesday at the DIPCON conference in on Diffuse Pollution and Eutrophication in Rotorua. Tomorrow Dr Kevin Parris of the Trade and Agriculture Directorate of the OECD in Paris will be presenting the findings of a recent OECD report highlighting New Zealand’s deteriorating water quality. His findings across OECD [...] read more
    September 22, 2011 4:39 pm - 2 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Govt subsidising pollution and clean-up - by Russel Norman



     The Government is simultaneously subsidising pollution and pollution clean-up. Our lowland rivers and lakes are in poor shape, and the Government knows it must do something to clean them up. That is why Environment Minister Nick Smith today announced  the criteria and assessment panel for a new $9 million water clean-up fund. Unfortunately, at [...] read more
    September 14, 2011 4:21 pm - 29 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Canterbury water management in no-mans-land - by Russel Norman



    I recently was the guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting of the Water Rights Trust (WRT) in Christchurch, where outgoing Chairman Murray Rodgers gave an impassioned speech about the poor state of water resources and water governance in Canterbury. Murray remains as a trustee of the WRT and is also a member of the [...] read more
    August 29, 2011 3:55 pm - 18 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Greens’ clean water initiative - by Russel Norman



    Yesterday we launched the Greens’ clean water initiative. You can read all about it here. It involves setting minimum standards, for water quality and for agricultural practice; putting a price on irrigation water; and using the funds raised to provide support for the cleaning up of rivers and lakes. It has received a predictable response from the polluting [...] read more
    August 22, 2011 9:40 am - 32 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Fracking and the Taranaki Regional Council - by Russel Norman



    Fracking is the hydraulic fracturing of geological formations to release hydrocarbons. It has some very serious potential environmental impacts, of which groundwater contamination is the lead problem. This is why there is a moratorium on fracking in many places around the world at the moment, including NSW, Quebec, parts of USA, and France. Groundwater contamination occurs because [...] read more
    August 16, 2011 1:16 pm - 66 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    No place for TABOR in New Zealand - by Russel Norman



    The Government has introduced a TABOR Bill to Parliament.  TABOR is an acronym for “Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights”.  But rather than have anything to do with a real Bill of Rights, TABOR is actually a wacky libertarian measure designed to shrink the state and inhibit its ability to protect the vulnerable or respond adequately to [...] read more
    August 15, 2011 4:30 pm - 10 Comments
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