Posts by Russel Norman

  • Russel Norman

    Moron / Morton Estate



    Morton Estate vineyards was recently fined $50,000 for taking water from wells near the Ngaururoro River in the middle of a dry period against an explicit direction from the regional council. The were told not to take any water due to low flows but they figured that they’d steal the water and get a $750 [...] read more
    March 21, 2010 3:09 pm - 3 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Dirty Rivers Rafting Tour update



    OK, I haven’t actually done that much rafting lately. But I did visit some dirty rivers, in particular the Awanui which supplies Kaitaia. You can read about it here. And if you want to hear about the classic case of a community getting shafted by dirty farming – read this one, which Don Nicholson from the [...] read more
    March 21, 2010 2:57 pm - 4 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Working with the Government via MoU



    There are the practical, tangible measures from the MoU with National – homes getting insulation into the ceilings and under their floors, the Waikato River Trail open for cycling – and then there’s the political component which is a bit harder to measure. read more
    March 19, 2010 3:17 pm - 20 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    “Shortly or whenever”



    Gerry Brownlee will release the mining discussion paper “soon”, he said in Question Time today. But when is “soon”? Is it tomorrow, is it next week, next month, next century? Lindsay Tisch was filling in for Lockwood today during Question Time so he tried to help me understand what “soon” meant. Dr Russel Norman: I raise a [...] read more
    March 17, 2010 8:11 pm - 13 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Dirty rivers update – my first dirty lake



    Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora is apparently the fourth largest lake in our country. And it has the consistency of pea soup; toxic pea soup to be precise. I visited there last Friday. Prue lent us a couple of kayaks, so myself and Monique from Radio NZ headed out into the soup. To keep us safe [...] read more
    March 11, 2010 4:05 pm - 31 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    MPS – structural problems remain



    We had the Reserve Bank Governor in front of Finance and Expenditure Committee today about his Monetary Policy Statement. The MPS is very much a steady as she goes document. But if you look more closely it’s not so pretty. For example it predicts the current account deficit returning to more than 7.2% by 2013 (from 1.8% in 2010). [...] read more
    March 11, 2010 2:34 pm - 37 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Phil Heatley’s priorities



    An interesting aside to the Phil Heatley saga. I have been calling on central govt to consider sewerage systems as important infrastructure and financially support communities like Whangarei to upgrade them. There were 45 raw sewage discharges last year in Whangarei, many of them in the Harbour. Yuk. Phil Heatley, the local member, dismissed my suggestion that central [...] read more
    February 25, 2010 3:59 pm - 30 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Fresh water wasted out to sea



    Now here’s something to send a shiver down the spine of anyone with green inclinations – John Key in the House yesterday when I asked him about his plans for more big dams in Canterbury:   Yes, I do agree that there is pressure on the aquifers in the Canterbury region. The way to resolve that is [...] read more
    February 24, 2010 10:53 am - 29 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    No boat ride for me and John



    My Dirty Rivers Rafting Tour is going so well that I invited the PM to join me. Since the launch on the Hutt River in late January, I have visited the Waihou in Waikato and the Taumarere in Northland, attracting some good local interest and starting some great conversations with locals about the state of their [...] read more
    February 16, 2010 5:09 pm - 17 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Hutt river full of it too…



    Hawkes Bay DHB is worried about people getting sick from shit in our rivers and beaches, and now Hutt River too will give you diarrhoea, vomiting, cramps and skin infections according to this press release half an hour ago….. Greater Wellington Regional Council, Upper Hutt City Council and Regional Public Health are advising river users to [...] read more
    January 22, 2010 5:09 pm - 18 Comments
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