canterbury Archive

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  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
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  Trustpower and the Govt plan to mine this national park – Rakaia River - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Last Saturday I went to pay my respects to one of the grand old men who built the Canterbury Plains, the Rakaia River. The Rakaia River is the greatest of the remaining untamed braided rivers. Starting in the Southern Alps it reaches the ocean south of Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora. It is one of the rivers that [...] read more
  May 9, 2011 6:13 pm - 4 Comments
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  Day two in Hell - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Thursday night I convene a meeting of Green members in my house. Twelve turn up, one from the eastern suburbs. He is not sure if he can get back or, if not, where he will stay. He has student friends, so he is not worried. He is young, so he is not worried. We exchange [...] read more
  February 26, 2011 9:25 am - 1 Comment
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  Democracy in NZ: Lost, Stolen or just Mislaid? - by frog

  
  
  
  Last weekend Jeanette Fitzsimons delivered the inaugural Rod Donald Memorial lecture to a packed audience in Christchurch. Here are some highlights of the speech and you can read the whole thing here. Running through the history of democracy has been the issue of just who is a member of society? In ancient Athens women and [...] read more
  November 23, 2010 12:22 pm - 21 Comments
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  The social cost of industrial dairying - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  This weekend I attended the Te Wai Pounamu Green Women’s Hui at the Glenburn Youth Camp in the heart of new dairy country. On the way, we flew in over an altered plain with giant circles marking out the irrigation of the vast fields. Others drove and noticed massive irrigators pumping in every field despite [...] read more
  November 9, 2010 3:31 pm - 7 Comments
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  Domestic violence and the Canterbury earthquake - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  I was dismayed but not altogether surprised to read yesterday that police have reported a marked increase in domestic violence in Canterbury since Saturday’s earthquake. The trauma of the earthquake itself, followed by days of stress from damaged homes and businesses, fear from aftershocks, lack of sleep, and worry as the extent of the challenge [...] read more
  September 9, 2010 10:33 am - 17 Comments
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  Large scale irrigation -> Intensive dairy -> water pollution - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Yesterday we heard from David Carter that central govt wants to subsidise large scale irrigation projects in Canterbury and elsewhere.  And Morning Report is running with the story of a mega- irrigation project right across Canterbury, details sketchy but ‘exciting’. The water would be used to spread intensive dairy across huge swathes of Canterbury. The proponents [...] read more
  August 5, 2010 9:20 am - 10 Comments
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  Bazley comments on Canterbury water are a worry - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  These reported comments by Margaret Bazley are a real worry: Canterbury has “plenty of water” and people worried about rapid changes in its regulation need to be educated, says Environment Canterbury (ECan) head commissioner Dame Margaret Bazley. There is not plenty of water, it seems that Bazley needs to be educated if these comments are accurate. [...] read more
  August 3, 2010 7:58 pm - 3 Comments
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  Does contaminated water make you sick to your stomach? - by frog

  
  
  
  As you know, I am a frog of many talents, and one of the things I like to do in my down time is read specialist medical journals about inflammatory bowel diseases. No really. See, I know a number of people with Crohn’s Disease – a debilitating condition causing chronic inflammation of the intestine – [...] read more
  June 10, 2010 11:00 am - 12 Comments
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  Erosion of environmental representation at ECan - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  And so it begins… Forest and Bird revealed yesterday that the first local committee set up under the new ECan structure to consider the future of the Hurunui and Waiau river catchments was unlikely to have any members representing environmental concerns. I wish I could say I’m surprised, but with the Government’s not-so-hidden agenda for [...] read more
  June 1, 2010 4:45 pm - 17 Comments
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  Podcast: Carter, conflicts, and Canterbury - by frog

  
  
  
  Cantabrians are fired up about legislation passed under urgency last month which sacked their regional councillors and circumvented the established process for Water Conservation Orders on Canterbury Rivers. Amidst the furore an interesting set of circumstances has come to light around Agriculture Minister David Carter. Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman revealed in Parliament that Carter [...] read more
  April 21, 2010 3:37 pm - 3 Comments
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  Rodney-mandering the super city - by frog

  
  
  
  Gerrymander is an ugly, ugly word. So I won’t use it. Instead I’ve made a beautiful table for you to look at. What it shows is the names and the degree of representation each of the 13 new wards (with 20 councillors between them) created by the Local Government Commission for the Auckland Super City elections will have. read more
  March 31, 2010 9:51 am - 2 Comments
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  Wake Up Cantabrians! Your democracy is at stake! - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  I can’t believe the people of Canterbury are going to allow a democratically elected Council—Environment Canterbury—to be thrown out and replaced by an unelected and unaccountable political appointee—most likely Jenny Shipley. What is happening in Canterbury is eerily similar to what is happening in Auckland—layers of democracy are being quietly got rid of and replaced [...] read more
  March 19, 2010 11:31 am - 37 Comments
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  Education investment is necessary for recession management - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  The Tertiary Education Union reports today that Canterbury University is looking at further restricting student numbers because they are not being funded by central government for the expected growth. Notwithstanding that many universities, including Canterbury, spend a great deal on advertising that could be better spent on education, the issue is a serious one – [...] read more
  April 2, 2009 4:32 pm - 52 Comments
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  Is business the only stakeholder that matters? - by frog

  
  
  
  Agriculture Minister David Carter has admitted that he intentionally left environmentalists, the water rights trust and recreational users off the invite list of a major water users meeting in Canterbury. In the same breath he promised that their concerns would not be ignored. George Orwell and his Ministry of Truth would be proud. Purposefully keeping [...] read more
  December 22, 2008 11:54 am - 65 Comments
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  Selwyn-Waimakariri sucked dry - by frog

  
  
  
  Astonishingly a resource consent panel has just granted 41 new consents to take ground-water for irrigation from the Selwyn-Waimakariri river zone. This decision was made against the recommendations of the Canterbury Regional Council. The Council has classified the Selwyn Waimakariri zone as a Red Zone meaning based on the rivers’ ability to refill themselves that [...] read more
  October 21, 2008 1:43 pm - 6 Comments
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  Free publicity for Green candidates at Kiwiblog - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s nice to see over at Kiwiblog that David Farrar is continuing to profile up and coming Green candidates, Kevin Hague, Craig Carson, Mikaere Curtis and Virginia Horrocks. I’m looking forward to seeing what other gestures of cross party cooperation he is going to share with his reading public. Luckily he has promised another post [...] read more
  April 18, 2008 8:37 am - 7 Comments
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  So you think climate change won’t affect you? - by frog

  
  
  
  Then it’s probably time you read the Herald’s story Climate change could see pubs run dry – Niwa.  First up a pessimistic quote from one of those pesky, killjoy scientists, who probably drinks wine anyway: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger said climate change could see a decline [...] read more
  April 9, 2008 4:26 pm - 10 Comments
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  Replacing Canterbury rivers with cows - by frog

  
  
  
  While the Waipawa River in the Hawke’s Bay quickly disappears because of being over irrigated, it seems Canterbury is exploring ways of irrigating more rivers: Central Plains Water Trust has applied for a number of resource consents relating to the construction and operation of a large scale irrigation scheme. The applicants propose irrigating 60,000 hectares [...] read more
  February 26, 2008 8:59 am - 17 Comments
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  Race weekend - by frog

  
  
  
  There are three interesting races this weekend. The Coast to Coast leaves Kumara this morning with reports that drought conditions on the Waimakariri river* are such that there is no chance of any records being broken. Presumably kayaks don’t go too fast when they are dragging along the bottom of a river bed. Race organisers [...] read more
  February 8, 2008 8:42 am - 17 Comments