economy Archive

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  Frog Week with Gerry and Tim - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s frog week! My favourite week of the year. But this one comes under a large grey cloud. My local native frog rellies have not been faring well for a while. They’re threatened by all sorts already. But now they have a new predator – Gerry with his sidekick Tim. All New Zealand’s native frog species are now threatened by mining. read more
  September 29, 2009 6:02 am - 3 Comments
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  Today is Earth Overshoot Day - by frog

  
  
  
  From today we will meet our demand for ecological services by depleting resource stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. …we’re really good at accounting, but forgot to factor in our most important assets — the natural ones. What are your thoughts? read more
  September 26, 2009 10:15 am - 31 Comments
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  Undermining our most generous gifts - by frog

  
  
  
  On 23 September 1887 – 122 years ago yesterday – Te Heuheu Tukino of Tuwharetoa gifted the mountains of Tongariro, Ngaruhoe and Ruapehu to the people of Aotearoa…. This anniversary was sullied by the fact that the Crown is now considering the Park’s mining potential. read more
  September 24, 2009 2:30 pm - 12 Comments
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  Wild and perverse ETS disincentives - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  For the first six months of this year, wilding pine control cost DOC $811,000 in carbon liabilities – a large amount for a department that has already had its budget for this year cut by $13.5 million. That money could have saved some endangered species, increased the area of land under pest control, or – got rid of more wilding pines. read more
  September 22, 2009 1:27 pm - 39 Comments
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  Mohaka needs you! - by frog

  
  
  
  The Dompost on Saturday reported that a debate about landuse and water quality is deepening in the Hawkes Bay. The Mohaka River has a Water Conservation Order on it. However its quality is declining. One tributary comes from the volcanic plateau where land has been converted from forests to industrial-sized dairy farms. read more
  September 21, 2009 3:30 pm - 11 Comments
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  “I feel a change coming on” - by frog

  
  
  
  Fonterra has more than just its financial restructure head-ache to mull on this weekend. Its dogged support for rainforest-destroying palm kernel feed (PKE) must now be giving them a cracking migraine. read more
  September 19, 2009 9:37 am - 24 Comments
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  World Bank Goes Green? - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Sometimes something really good happens. The World Bank has withdrawn funding for the palm oil sector including the Wilmar company that supplies [PDF] palm kernel to Fonterra. The World Bank is not satisfied that the palm plantations they loaned to in parts of the developing world met acceptable standards for sustainability. Congratulations to the Forest [...] read more
  September 14, 2009 12:22 pm - 77 Comments
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  A Tale of Two Depressions - by frog

  
  
  
  To sum up, globally we are tracking or doing even worse than the Great Depression, whether the metric is industrial production, exports or equity valuations. Focusing on the US causes one to minimise this alarming fact. The “Great Recession” label may turn out to be too optimistic. This is a Depression-sized event. read more
  September 3, 2009 6:40 am - 27 Comments
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  Green shoots or growing rot? - by frog

  
  
  
  Everyone agrees that we’re in a crisis. Officials and politicians point everywhere and say – Hey look! Green shoots! The worst is over. Others urge us to ignore the green shoots, the worst is yet to come. read more
  August 31, 2009 9:55 am - 22 Comments
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  Govt has Biz Roundtable on speed dial for advice - by frog

  
  
  
  During the Clark-Cullen years there was at least an attempt when setting up advisory boards and review panels to get a range of voices – not that the Clark-Cullen administrations would then necessarily utilise the advice given. In 2000 for example the Labour-Alliance Government picked Rob McLeod – then just a member of the Business [...] read more
  August 24, 2009 5:08 pm - 3 Comments
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  River-As-Drain No Longer Acceptable, or Exceptional - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The Kawerau pulp and paper mill should not be granted consents to pollute the Tarawera River — known locally as “The Black Drain” — for another thirty-five years. I spoke yesterday at the hearings in Whakatane for consents to discharge to air and water from the pulp mill. The pulp mill, owned by companies Carter [...] read more
  August 12, 2009 10:11 am - 14 Comments
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  Dairy pollution in a protected Wild River - by frog

  
  
  
  The Fishing News reported last year that: The Mohaka River has to be the jewel in the crown of Hawkes Bay trout fisheries, yet the upper reaches of this magnificent river are in decline due mainly to intense dairy farming and the subsequent effluent run-off. One of its tributaries is the Taharua River, into which [...] read more
  August 4, 2009 7:30 am - 14 Comments
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  Feds’ selective with the science on water quality - by frog

  
  
  
  Here’s one that left me speechless with incredulity… Fed Farmers Dairy chairman Lachlan McKenzie addressed the organisation’s AGM  yesterday and made some quite ridiculous and irresponsible comments on the progress that farmers have made in cleaning up waterways. This time last year, Fish and Game New Zealand was calling on the government to regulate production [...] read more
  July 2, 2009 1:35 pm - 9 Comments
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  Organics industry growth in jeopardy - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  In the 2005 cooperation agreement between the Green Party and the previous Labour-led government, we negotiated funding for an Organics Advisory Service (OAS). It included mentoring support for conversion to organics and peer support for organic farmers. Unfortunately, after three years of successful service to the organics sector, the modest $2.15 million funding has now [...] read more
  June 30, 2009 4:42 pm - 63 Comments
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  NIWA study backs Green New Deal planting & fencing - by frog

  
  
  
  Yesterday, Kevin Hague MP blogged on the voluntary efforts to improve water quality and water-way ecology in the Aorere catchment. And, the Greens continue to promote a Green New Deal stimulus measure to spread fencing and planting across the country, to create jobs and restore waterways at the same time. Today, the National Institute of [...] read more
  June 30, 2009 12:41 pm - No Comments
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  Aorere shows the way on water - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  On Friday I had the opportunity to attend a celebration of the Aorere Catchment Project in Golden Bay. When I had been presenting the Green New Deal in Takaka several local people had mentioned the project to me in tones of pride, so I jumped at the chance to attend the celebration. read more
  June 29, 2009 12:50 pm - 43 Comments
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  Whaling, redefining the verb - by frog

  
  
  
  The International Whaling Commission is meeting this week in Portugal. NZ is ably represented by former Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and, according to news reports, he is “respectfully urging” Japan to lift its threat to hunt humpback whales in the Antarctic. The ODT reports he told the IWC: new evidence about the endangered status of [...] read more
  June 25, 2009 9:41 am - 5 Comments
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  Fair Trade Forests - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  This week in London, Chatham House are hosting the 14th conference in a series on illegal logging. With deforestation accounting for at least 20% of greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention the loss of 137 plant, animal and insect species per day, action is urgently needed. Of equal, if not greater, concern is the ruthless [...] read more
  June 23, 2009 9:56 am - 5 Comments
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  Damning the tourism jewels - by frog

  
  
  
  The Greens continue to campaign alongside others for the Mokihinui River gorge in the Buller District to remain a wild and scenic free-flowing river. Meridian Energy has applied to the Councils and DOC for consents and concessions to dam the gorge. It’s on protected conservation land, and has historic artifacts such as the old pack [...] read more
  June 22, 2009 1:01 pm - 11 Comments
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  Where there’s a Will there’s a Way - by frog

  
  
  
  Russel Norman recently submitted to many Councils’ LTCCPs through the country on the importance of planning to restore our waterways to health. Other MPs and Greens ably presented his submission at hearings around the country that he couldn’t make. Jeanette pushed for retention of the Clean Streams funding for riparian planting and fencing in the [...] read more
  June 18, 2009 9:37 am - 1 Comment