This morning I got made over as Hannibal Lecter…
I thought I’d rather be Willie Apiata (minus the guns)…
Campaign Karma
I’d just like to thank the kind person who ‘adjusted’ my billboards (I hear Hitler #3 is at Okitu) for helping me get the highest daily hits ever on this website.
Billboard Liberation
Got a message early this morning that someone overnight had turned me into the worst human in history on a couple of billboard sites…
Figure I must be doing something right if I’m accused of being both a communist and a fascist.
The new hairdo got a makeover more attuned to our East Coast love affair with Uncle Bob…
“Out of darkness must come light.” – Bob Marley
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“Live for yourself and you will live in vain. Live for others and you will live again.” – Bob Marley
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“The greatness of a man is not how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” – Bob Marley
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I really like these ones… I hope they keep going with the ones that aren’t done yet.
Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council Q+A
Photo: Mel Tahata, opening of To Be Pacific exhibition, Tairāwhiti Museum, 20 September 2013
Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council asked local body candidates five questions. They seem to have liked my responses!
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1.What is your vision for Gisborne in terms of cultural diversity?
That all Gisborne people can feel proud of their unique cultural heritage and honoured for the diversity they bring to our community. Gisborne could show other regions how to support the exchange and sharing of diverse cultural backgrounds in a way that enriches our town.
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2. The Ten Year Plan says GDC will support the development of cultural groups in the district, what kind of support do you think GDC should provide to the Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council?
As part of GDC cultural responsiveness it could utilise the TMC to be a liaison network with community. GDC would then benefit from investing in the Council by providing administration support and resources. The Council could discuss further with GDC how it might like to have input into Council discussions.
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3. What regular interaction do you have with groups of people from cultural backgrounds different to your own?
I have worked on aid and development programmes in Asia, Africa and the South Pacific but most of my work has been here in Gisborne and mostly within the Māori community. While I have Tongan whakapapa, my upbringing was pretty middle-class Pākehā – though I did spend a lot of time at marae, in hui and kapahaka as a child. Marrying a woman from Ngāti Porou and coming to live here has meant I have a direct family connection to mana whenua and have immersed myself in the culture of Māori communities both in Gisborne and on the Coast where we are intimately involved with a whānau marae. My wife and I have only ever spoken Te Reo Māori to our children and we’re committed to them being educated and socialised in Te Reo as well as the exposure they have everywhere to English. So we understand something of the struggle people from minority linguistic, religious and ethnic communities have to endure in this Anglo-Saxon dominated society.
I have been a founding member of the Tairāwhiti Inter-Faith Network and more recently the Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council – both are small but important networks that encourage people from diverse backgrounds to come together for the common good.
I’m regularly invited to Tongan and Pacific Island community events and recently participated in discussions around the establishment of a local consortium of Pasifika peoples focused on Whānau Ora initiatives for Tairāwhiti. I have supported migrants with immigration issues and negotiated on their behalf with immigration officials and lawyers. I have helped organise multicultural community events that bring people from diverse cultural backgrounds together in our neighbourhoods.
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4. What, if any, common challenges are you aware of for local residents from ethnic minority groups?
Negative stereotypes are still around. Such unfair stereotyping of any group can detract from the community as a whole being able to draw from the energy and contributions a group can make. There are still some groups over-represented in crime and educational failure and under-represented in business leadership and educational success. Initiatives like the Tongan Homework Support Programme utilising local volunteers and working with the students while the parents learn English at EIT is an exciting community-based response to do something about this situation. Some particularly new to New Zealand arrivals can often feel isolated so strengthening community connections for those families is important. Also there needs to be support for ethnic minority groups to be able to feel that they have a home in our city and can adapt in ways that are useful to them, while also maintaining their own culture.
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5. What are the biggest opportunities you see for attracting new immigrants and refugees to Gisborne?
As a city if we genuinely aspire towards sustainable solutions to the challenges that ethnic minorities face, this may attract their talents to our region.
There are opportunities to ask the Government to consider resettling some refugees here as they settled Burmese refugees in Nelson ten years ago. There are also a number of local businesses that rely on migrant workers – not only in low-skilled horticultural work but high tech positions like computer programming and materials technology. I met a PhD from Bangladesh who was working at Pultron and subsequently head-hunted by a company in Melbourne – he had some awesome ideas about developing composite materials from flax fibre here.
If Gisborne can show that it celebrates diversity and wants to involve ethnic groups in meaningful discussions on relevant issues – this would enhance the decision making process of GDC.
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Other responses: http://tairawhitimulticulturalcouncil.blogspot.co.nz/
Chamber of Commerce Q+A
The Gisborne Chamber of Commerce asked candidates five questions, these are my responses…
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I have enjoyed first term on Council, part of that was on the Chamber Executive and I’d like to see those links strengthened a little more as I think Brian Wilson and myself acted as a useful conduit between the Council and Chamber on a number of issues.
I think I’ve been able to make intelligent, sensible and considered contributions to Council and I’ve helped raise the quality of discussion, debate and decision-making.
I’ve had a focus on increasing public involvement in planning and decisions and been a strong advocate for the city and the district as a whole.
I have listened to residents and ratepayers (even after being elected!), worked well with others (who don’t always share the same values and views) and helped make good decisions in the best interest of the region as a whole.
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1. What do you see as the GDC’s role in contributing to economic development and growth in this region?
Council has a key role in a number of areas contributing to economic development:
- Providing good quality infrastructure, predictable regulation & consistent planning
- Collecting and disseminating information that helps the community make informed decisions on the direction for the district
- Advocating for the district at central government – ensuring our big issues are nationally significant issues.
- Facilitating relationships between stakeholders to realise opportunities and achieve sustainable solutions in the best interest of the district where there are competing priorities.
Some of functions within these areas, particulatly information gathering and sharing, advocacy and relationship brokerage could be devolved to an Economic Development Agency run separate to Council. But the Mayor and Council have a critical leadership role in advocating on behalf of the region – especially on things like roading, new costs being imposed by central government legislation, etc. And political leadership can help broker mutually beneficial relationships with industry, iwi, land owners, research institutions, entrepreneurs, etc.
Council can also have procurement and banking policies that benefit the local community in different ways.
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2. What is your view of the core role of council? Do you consider there are any current council activities that do not fit this role?
Under new legislation the purpose of local government is now to provide quality infrastructure, regulation & essential services. Opposition parties have pledged to revert the purpose back to promoting sustainable development and local cultural, environmental, social and economic wellbeing.
I’m not completely wedded to Council providing social housing. I have argued it could be sold to a Charitable Trust, housing cooperative or something like ECT but wouldn’t want to see them go to private ownership. I’m also open to Council not owning any or all of its commercial assets (WOF station, holiday park, farms) if there are compelling financial reasons to divest from these enterprises. We need an urgent review of Council asset ownership to identify options and the benefits of retaining or releasing these enterprises.
Tauwhareparae Farms are being well run but I’m not convinced we need to retain them. They were acquired to supplement port income and will always provide low value compared to capital committed, as the trees appreciate so will the capital value. There is no legal risk in selling them and my preference would be as Margaret Thorpe suggests to land-bank them via OTS as they are subject to Treaty claims. This will ensure we get a premium price, they are retained in local ownership and we demonstrate goodwill to the traditional owners.
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3. Businesses have to live within their means, or face the consequences. What is your view with regard to GDC achieving the same discipline around keeping rates increases in check?
Significant savings have been made by previous and current CEO to trim as much as possible. More ‘savings’ could be found but that depends on what we want to give up and what quality of life we can tolerate.
I campaigned on rates rises at or below inflation and we have achieved that. The ‘razor gang’ didn’t make any significant savings. I also campaigned on getting more predictable rates system with smaller variations year on year and we are making good progress on this through the participatory rates review process.
Council league tables suggest we are now one of the most financially sustainable and we rank 26 out of 73 councils for cost of rates.
Councillors are financially conservative and understand the limits of affordability for residents, but the WMT suggests this is not the case. That massive blowout and the need to address some basic first suggest some of the fancy projects need to be reviewed while we attend to the basics first.
If the community has things they think we should stop doing or not start they have the opportunity every year and we listen to that feedback.
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4. What is your position with respect to the re-opening of the Gisborne to Napier rail line?
The railway line a billion dollar public asset that is lying idle while Gisborne and Wairoa businesses scream out for it to make our products more competitive. Some people say logs will never go South on it but there are massive forests between Napier and Gisborne that will provide the anchor business for the line so that containerised seasonal produce and timber coming out and fertiliser going to Gisborne can be transported by rail instead of trucks. Coastal shipping is unlikely to ever be viable if the rail is operating.
More trucks on the road means more cost in maintenance, more congestion and more danger for other motorists – it also means more cost for local businesses and more competition from other places that have lower freight costs.
With the support of 10,000 signatures and $20,000 given by local businesses and residents, we commissioned a study that demonstrated the lack of rigor in the government’s position and the potential for a realistic business case if roads and rail were considered on a level playing field by central government.
A different government next year will reinstate the line if the local business consortium is unable to raise the funds required. Some candidates say they don’t don’t support ratepayers funding the line operation – that has never been a realistic option – but Council could be a stronger advocate for the line.
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5. If you were elected to the council, what activities or actions would you take to ensure Gisborne becomes an even better place to work, live and play?
I will keep doing what I have been:
– all of the above, plus…
– working with the IT sector to establish local computer hubs for young people and families with few opportunities to access IT, career pathways via the Techxpo and partnership with major NZ telcos
– advocating for more central government support for our district (transport, rail, imposed costs, renewable energy, forestry carbon credits, aquaculture, etc.) and working with iwi and other stakeholders on these issues
– leading a gang transformation project focused on employment and working with employers and support services
– review commercial assets
– keep rates at or below inflation
– continue support for better commuter cycling and walking infrastructure
– more emphasis on local housing issues – affordable, healthy housing for everyone, not provided by Council but Council facilitating government, community and private sectors working together
– continue emphasising the importance of opportunities for public input on issues like forestry harvest rules, petroleum exploration applications, legislative submissions, etc.
– continue work on Māori land issues – Council working with landowners to look at how to make the land more productive and/or revert to indigenous forest
– continue supporting illegal dumping prevention and removal, and more ambitious waste minimisation targets.
– continue bringing diverse parts of the community together to address complex issues
– continue voluntary involvement in a wide range of community groups and local issues.
Pīpīwharauroa Pātai
Candidates were asked by the Pipipwharauroa newspaper to answer three questions in approximately 200 words…
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Q1: What is your position on Māori Land and its development in Gisborne District Council region?
I pushed for Council to formally review the issues specific to Māori land, one of the positives to come out of this is a new position dedicated to supporting Māori land owners with options for their land. The massive deficit of unpaid rates and penalties should be addressed by central government and we need to work with iwi and other councils to get traction in Wellington on this.
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Q2: Do you have a particular way you see the Council working with local Iwi Runanga and trust entities to seek better economic and social outcomes for Māori communities and people?
I really want to see the Turanga Local Leadership Body established. As a Statutory Standing Committee of Council that is comprised of councilors and mana whenua representatives this committee will ensure Council will cooperate a lot better than they have to date with local Māori on not only environmental but social, cultural and economic development issues.
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Q3: What is your opinion on raw sewage being released into our rivers as happened in mid August and what would you think should be done to prevent this situation happening again?
This is completely unacceptable and while it makes me feel ill on a number of levels, it is likely to have made some whānau physically sick. I put the heat on Council staff when Ian Ruru brought this to my attention in early July. Since then we have got a lot of traction with staff now working on options for (a) bringing forward the planned upgrades of the system; and/or (b) emergency measures to contain the sewage temporarily so it can be put back into the system once water-levels revert to normal. The health of all our waterways is a priority and I fully support the Turanganui-a-Kiwa Water Quality Enhancement Project that has wide scope and potential to make some real progress.
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How to get New Zealanders motivated
Some ideas on how to get New Zealanders motivated
A short piece based on a virtual interview I did for an online magazine of NZ entrepreneurs.
Boom Town – Rats?
Life in a ‘Man Camp’ is not for everyone: http://www.pressherald.com/life/man-camp.html
When it comes to mining, Australia has many lessons for us. A 2009 report from the Queensland Government and Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) at University of Queensland showed that housing affordability often declines for people in mining towns who aren’t working in the industry.
Stats from the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) show a close correlation between Queensland resources and property booms — median house prices in one suburb soared 65 percent in a year. Great if you’re a property investor, but if you just want an affordable home for your family you might be out of luck.
CSRM studies have documented the “two-speed economy” that follows mining “boom towns”, where people who aren’t working in the industry get a sharp shock when they realise that normal life is suddenly a lot more expensive.
A US Department of Agriculture study published last year found that in three states experiencing petroleum booms, a large increase in production caused only modest increases in local jobs and median household income and employment rose 1.5 percent on pre-boom levels.
There is a range of other peer-reviewed empirical studies on the subject (a few listed below), and I’m happy to look at evidence to the contrary.
So while some incomes will rise during an oil boom, the cost of living for everyone is likely to increase as well — meaning those on a fixed income are in fact worse off. We know that most of the high-paying jobs that go with the territory go to specialists who are brought in.
While this may not on its own be reason enough to say “no” to oil and gas exploration here, it’s important to understand the real opportunities and risks before rolling out the red carpet.
And communities aren’t the only ones thinking hard about the pros and cons. Two months ago Rabobank Group said it would no longer provide finance to anyone involved in extracting unconventional fossil fuels such as oil shales through fracking (see their Oil & Gas policy).
One of the world’s largest lenders, Rabobank is worried about the impact oil and gas production is having on people, productive agricultural land, wildlife and the climate — as well as the release of greenhouse gases and their warming of the planet.
As we are seeing in Taranaki now, there is increasing conflict in the communities affected by the expansion of oil and gas there and a perceived risk to the rural sector from residents near new developments.
A letter to Tiniroto resident John Brodie from the FMG Service Centre says:
“Our Underwriters have confirmed we exclude cover of Fracking and anything related to this activity. Fracking is outside of FMG’s preferred risk profile and is not something we would be willing to cover as we do not insure any risks relating to the mining industry.”
I agree that Gisborne refusing to welcome fossil fuels production here won’t make a serious dent in global greenhouse gas emissions. But global agreements don’t happen out of thin air — they tend to come from grassroots movements that influence local government, national legislation and eventually international diplomacy.
The people of Gisborne taking a stand would help the industry and government to think twice and take notice. But that’s a decision for our community to make, and soon. Last year 2000 locals asked for public notification of any mining resource consent yet Gisborne District Council has chosen not to do so. I think now more than ever we need a forum for the community, our government, iwi and industry to sit down and talk about what the pros and cons really mean for Tairawhiti.
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REFERENCES:
http://apo.org.au/research/benefits-boom
http://www.regionalaustralia.org.au/research-policy/policy-issues/
http://www.lgaq.asn.au/c/document_library/get_file?p_l_id=189033&folderId=98699&name=DLFE-9119.pdf
http://www.regions.qld.gov.au/dsdweb/v4/apps/web/content.cfm?id=16447
Weber, J. G. (2012). The effects of a natural gas boom on employment and income in Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming. Energy Economics, 34(5), 1580-1588. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2011.11.013
Jacquet, J. 2009. Energy Boomtowns & Natural Gas: Implications for Marcellus Shale Local Governments & Rural Communities, NERCD Rural Development Paper No. 43, January 2009, 63 pp., University Park, Pennsylvania: The Northeast Regional Centre for Rural Development, The Pennsylvania State University. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421512006702
Inequality – A Gisborne Crisis
Author Max Rashbrooke will speak about the new book in which a number of contributors investigate the increasing inequalities in New Zealand, the alternatives and the implications of both for our communities.
More details: www.inequality.org.nz/upcoming-events
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Fast growing inequality is one of the most important issues confronting New Zealand today. Once known as an egalitarian society, New Zealand has seen inequality increasing more rapidly than almost anywhere else in the developed world.
In Gisborne, income gaps have widened sharply in the last 30 years. Analysis of Census data from 1986 and 2006 shows that income inequality in Gisborne has increased by nearly a third. This data shows that income growth is going more to the top than the lower end.
Max Rashbrooke will be in Gisborne on Saturday 14 September, 2pm, at the Holy Trinity Church, corner of Derby Street and Palmerston Road, talking about New Zealand’s rapidly rising income inequality.
Max is the editor of the new bestselling book, Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis, which presents key facts about New Zealand’s rising inequality and makes a powerful case for its devastating impact. Just published, this lively and informative book will begin to shape the debate for inequality in New Zealand.
Max Rashbrooke is a Wellington journalist and author. He has written for national newspapers and magazines in New Zealand and the UK, including the Guardian, the Herald, the National Business Review, and the Listener. He was also the 2011 recipient of the Bruce Jesson Award.
Read more: www.inequality.org.nz
My Views on a Multicultural Tairāwhiti
Meeting with youth in a Nepalese village in 2007.
Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council sent out a list of five questions for candidates to answer for them, here are my responses…
1.What is your vision for Gisborne in terms of cultural diversity?
That all Gisborne people can feel proud of their unique cultural heritage and honoured for the diversity they bring to our community.
Gisborne could show other regions how to support the exchange and sharing of diverse cultural backgrounds in a way that enriches our town.
2. The Ten Year Plan says GDC will support the development of cultural groups in the district, what kind of support do you think GDC should provide to the Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council?
As part of GDC cultural responsiveness it could utilise the TMC to be a liaison network with community. GDC would then benefit from investing in the Council by providing administration support and resources. The Council could discuss further with GDC how it might like to have input into Council discussions.
3. What regular interaction do you have with groups of people from cultural backgrounds different to your own?
I have worked on aid and development programmes in Asia, Africa and the South Pacific but most of my work has been here in Gisborne and mostly within the Māori community. While I have Tongan whakapapa, my upbringing was pretty middle-class Pākehā – though I did spend a lot of time at marae, in hui and kapahaka as a child. Marrying a woman from Ngāti Porou and coming to live here has meant I have a direct family connection to mana whenua and have immersed myself in the culture of Māori communities both in Gisborne and on the Coast where we are intimately involved with a whānau marae. My wife and I have only ever spoken Te Reo Māori to our children and we’re committed to them being educated and socialised in Te Reo as well as the exposure they have everywhere to English. So we understand something of the struggle people from minority linguistic, religious and ethnic communities have to endure in this Anglo-Saxon dominated society.
I have been a founding member of the Tairāwhiti Inter-Faith Network and more recently the Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council – both are small but important networks that encourage people from diverse backgrounds to come together for the common good.
I’m regularly invited to Tongan and Pacific Island community events and recently participated in discussions around the establishment of a local consortium of Pasifika peoples focused on Whānau Ora initiatives for Tairāwhiti. I have supported migrants with immigration issues and negotiated on their behalf with immigration officials and lawyers. I have helped organise multicultural community events that bring people from diverse cultural backgrounds together in our neighbourhoods.
4. What, if any, common challenges are you aware of for local residents from ethnic minority groups?
Negative stereotypes are still around. Such unfair stereotyping of any group can detract from the community as a whole being able to draw from the energy and contributions a group can make.
There are still some groups over-represented in crime and educational failure and under-represented in business leadership and educational success. Initiatives like the Tongan Homework Support Programme utilising local volunteers and working with the students while the parents learn English at EIT is an exciting community-based response to do something about this situation.
Some particularly new to New Zealand arrivals can often feel isolated so strengthening community connections for those families is important. Also there needs to be support for ethnic minority groups to be able to feel that they have a home in our city and can adapt in ways that are useful to them, while also maintaining their own culture.
5. What are the biggest opportunities you see for attracting new immigrants and refugees to Gisborne?
As a city if we genuinely aspire towards sustainable solutions to the challenges that ethnic minorities face, this may attract their talents to our region.
There are opportunities to ask the Government to consider resettling some refugees here as they settled Burmese refugees in Nelson ten years ago. There are also a number of local businesses that rely on migrant workers – not only in low-skilled horticultural work but high tech positions like computer programming and materials technology. I met a PhD from Bangladesh who was working at Pultron and subsequently head-hunted by a company in Melbourne – he had some awesome ideas about developing composite materials from flax fibre here.
If Gisborne can show that it celebrates diversity and wants to involve ethnic groups in meaningful discussions on relevant issues – this would enhance the decision making process of GDC.
Moral challenge requires alternative investments
Always a voice for sensible decision-making, Brian Wilson’s Opinion Piece on local petroleum exploration was no exception. Brian succinctly outlined some of the fundamental challenges we have as a community if the oil industry gets established in Gisborne and questioned any benefits the industry might bring.
The greatest challenge of course is a moral one: why would we welcome an industry that is, probably more than any other, responsible for causing catastrophic changes in our climate? What are we going to tell our grandchildren when they ask why didn’t we make the transition to renewable energy faster?
And yes, anyone suggesting we need to change and still using fossil fuels is compromised, but that’s a bit like saying Gandhi and Mandela should not have spoken English during their struggle against colonisation.
The transition to renewables will take time – it took petroleum a few decades in the early 20th Century to supersede coal as the primary fuel – but the longer we allow cheap access to fossil fuels, the longer the transition takes.
Humans have already discovered five times more oil and gas than we can consume without pushing planetary warming above the critical two degrees increase. We don’t need to find any more.
I was at a meeting with a representative from Z Energy recently where they talked about the concept of ‘permitted oil’ as opposed to ‘peak oil’. Last month Z Energy partnered with Norske Skog and others to invest over $13 million in a biomass development project in the Bay of Plenty using woodchips and sawdust to create biofuels. That kind of money is not just green-washing, they are serious about using our existing resources to reduce New Zealand’s $6 billlion/year addiction to fossil fuels and our community should be talking to them.
Scion, the forestry research institute has estimated that eight biomass plants around the country could replace ten percent of our crude oil requirements using just the current waste from the wood industry.
A recent Auckland University and Vivid Economics report commissioned a group New Zealand’s most influential business leaders, suggested that green growth may not out perform the dirty alternatives if the goal is short-term profit but a different way of measuring growth and wealth may be required.
“The benefits of green growth policies do not always show up rapidly as higher growth, and higher short-run growth should not be a necessary criterion for a good green growth policy. This is because conventional measures of growth do not measure the state of the economy’s stocks of wealth, and many valuable environmental outcomes are not traded in markets, so improvements do not appear as growth. A green account addresses these deficiencies.”
Renewable energy industries do however have a much higher job creation result for the same investment in fossil fuels, and Tairawhiti is well placed to take advantage of any shifts in the allocation of resources around the national economy during the transition period.
Gisborne District Council has committed to reviewing our policies and plans as they apply to petroleum exploration and production. As a result of public concern, our Council reportedly has the most robust process for assessing resource consent applications from this industry.
As a community we are still waiting to have a well-informed, rationale discussion on the issues and while central government has indicated a willingness to resource this, they are still rolling out more exploration permits and changing laws to reduce opportunities for public input in the decision-making process.
The local body elections will not provide the best opportunity to have this discussion but candidates should all be able to clarify their understanding of the issues.
What would you do with 40 million dollars?
The possible sale of the Tauwhareparae farms should be part of a review of all council owned property says City Ward district councillor Manu Caddie who is making it part of his election policy for the October local government elections.
While he is not committed to a sale at present he feels the financial returns from the farms do not justify the capital investment they represent. One possible solution would be to have the Office of Treaty Settlements buy them on behalf of the traditional Maori owners.
Mr Caddie is frustrated that a promised review of the council’s business units has not yet happened, mostly because of staffing issues following the departure of the chief financial officer and the delay in finding a replacement until after the rest of the staffing restructure was completed.
“Philosophically I have no problem with the council owning commercial entities provided they have either a strong income earning capacity or provide some other significant social, cultural or environmental benefit,” he said..
“I have complete confidence in the governance, management and operations of the farms, they are in the top ten performing units in the district and I believe those responsible for maximising profits from them are doing a good job of getting the best out of them. I also agree with Hilton Collier that there are opportunities for innovation and value-adding along the supply chain that the directors could focus more resources on.
“However, the financial returns provided by the farms do not justify the capital investment they represent.
“I disagree with the assessment that the return on investment has been over 15 percent for the last ten years. Including the land value in the ROI is dishonest accounting as it is not realised until the asset is actually sold and land values can go down as easily as they go up, though admittedly it is less fickle than some other investment options.
“If we took the actual dividends paid, and perhaps even a portion of the capital reinvestment retained, it seems term deposits and even conservative options like Government bonds would have delivered millions more to offset income that the council otherwise derives from our rates.
“Some sectors of the community have a strong emotional attachment – our rural councillors have tended to favour retention of the farms no matter what, though I have heard a number of farmers are keen to see council ownership reviewed as soon as possible.
“The farm directors and managers over the years have been responsible stewards of the land by committing significant Overlay 3A areas to reforestation, though I would like to know more about the biodiversity offsetting proposed that would allow them to clear a substantial Protected Management Area of indigenous vegetation that will take some time to replicate elsewhere.
“The farms have significance for local Māori and competing Treaty claims on the land meant that they were left out of settlements to date. So there is an option here that would take the risk out of the valuation price not being realised if the property went to market as the Office of Treaty Settlements would be obliged to purchase for no less than the latest registered valuation.
“That option would guarantee that the farms will be retained in local ownership rather than being snapped up by an absentee owner. It would also provide a significant gesture of goodwill from the people of Gisborne to the traditional ‘owners’ of the area and combined with other investment capital from Treaty settlements could pursue some of the innovation potential.
“So, at this stage I’m not saying I am committed to the sale but I am very motivated to have a thorough and independent review of council retaining ownership.
“We should not let politicians get in the way of the facts! I think we need to have a good long look at the likely scenarios should we decide to sell or retain the farms and what protections can be put in place to ensure councillors don’t just squander any proceeds on popular projects that could diminish rather than enhance the overall financial position of council,” said Mr Caddie.
Proposed EEZ changes “undermine democracy”
A government proposal to exclude public input on exploratory deep sea oil drilling is likely to meet strong opposition from iwi and local authorities.
Minister for the Environment Amy Adams yesterday released a discussion document suggesting all applications for drilling in the Exclusive Economic Zone that would see all permits going straight to the Environmental Protection Authority as non-notified applications.
Gisborne District Council made a submission on the current legislation during its development that expressed concern that decisions made on EEZ marine consents will be “based on trade offs between the environmental effects of proposed activities, that largely manifest locally, and the national economic benefits, that often are not realised locally.” For this reason Council wanted to ensure “all applications for marine permits are publicly notified.”
Mr Caddie points out that exploratory wells like the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico and Montara disaster in Western Australia have been responsible for the worst disasters in recent years. “This year there have been at least two more well blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico, Apache Corporation in February and the Hercules gas well blowout last month that destroyed the whole rig after it was abandoned and burnt for days.”
District Councillor Manu Caddie says the changes are another undermining of democracy as the EPA is made up of political appointments and a presentation he recently attended suggested EPA officials know little about resource management issues.
“The EPA senior officials were asked questions about issues like baseline monitoring and cumulative effects but did not seem to understand what those concepts even are. So there is not much confidence in this body to do a decent assessment of potential impacts, let alone the issue of excluding the public, iwi and local authorities from any input.”
Mr Caddie will be joining a ‘Demo for Democracy‘ at 2pm on Monday outside National MP Anne Tolley’s office. The protest is part of a national series of demonstrations by New Zealanders concerned about the raft of legislation being passed under urgency that demonstrators believe undermines democratic principles.
“The petroleum industry says they have nothing to hide, so why would the government want to deny Kiwis the right to make a submission on any proposal to drill in deep water where the risks are much higher than any current wells drilled in New Zealand?”
Submissions on the proposal are due by 5pm on 25 September.
Ask Ratepayers Before Deciding on Extra $2 Million for Theatre
Expecting ratepayers to fork out an extra $2.1 million dollars for the War Memorial Theatre without asking if they support the decision is unacceptable according to District Councillor Manu Caddie.
Mr Caddie was responding to news that the War Memorial Theatre upgrade will cost $9.6m instead the $7.17m budgeted and approved in Council’s Ten Year Plan.
Staff and some councillors are recommending an extra $2.1million is borrowed because debt is lower than forecast and the expense is ‘therefore affordable’ and ‘not luxurious’.
“I beg to differ. Spending an extra $2million of ratepayers money really needs to go to them before a decision is made” said Mr Caddie.
“The community was told 70 percent of the Theatre funds would come from external sources, now it looks like that could drop to closer to 50 percent and $4.25m worth of rates would be used to make up the difference.”
“The Theatre is a important part of our civic infrastructure and used by many parts of the community, but it now has a much higher price tag than the $6.8m estimated in 2011 and the $7.2m approved in the Ten Year Plan last year.”
Mr Caddie says he could be agreeable to upping the Council contribution to 33 percent which would require $1,050,000 of loan funds, but still believes it would require a special consultative procedure if the decision was to be made before the next Ten Year Plan.
“We couldn’t find even $15,000 for the Skate Park, a Council-owned asset that is used by more people in one weekend than the War Memorial Theatre sees in a month, so I really can’t stomach committing over $2million without proper public consultation.”
“While the loan swaps we are locked into may mean there are advantages in spending on bringing projects forward, we really need to get some sense of the cost for replacing Council administration buildings before rushing into unplanned spending.”
Mr Caddie says Council should go back to the organisations that have granted funds for the project so far.
“First we need to explain that the project has cost a huge amount more than the best estimates we got in 2011 and see if they are willing to add up to 25 percent to their grant to help cover the difference. If that is not an option then we need to explain it may take require longer than expected to secure the funds. The project is not planned to be completed until 2016 so we have some time still.”
Mr Caddie said he is impressed with the external funds secured by Council staff and the War Memorial Theatre Trust and would be willing to help find the additional funds required from external sources.
The matter will be debated by Council at their meeting next Thursday 5 September.
My position? 20% of commuter trips by cycle by 2020
Yeah, Waikanae is not a commuter cycle route (well, probably half a dozen cyclists a day) but the point is we need to invest in commuter cycling infrastructure, get some baseline data on where we are at now and develop a concrete plan to see substantial mode change by 2020.
Kaiti to Wainui Cycleway Gets Green Light
News that work on the Kaiti to Wainui cycleway can now proceed has been welcomed by cycling advocates.
Councillor Manu Caddie said he was very pleased that after 20 years a cycleway and walkway had finally found enough political support to get prioritised in the roading programme.
“It is really shameful that the project’s staunchest supporter Muriel Jones died before her dream was realised” said Mr Caddie. “There are a few people who have worked for a long time to see this happen and who never gave up – Richard Coates, Kathy Sheldrake and Phil Evans have carried the torch the last leg and the people of Gisborne have supported cycleway development with huge volumes of submissions over recent years.”
Mr Caddie said it was time for Gisborne to take the next step and develop a much bolder vision for commuter cycling corridors throughout the city.
“We need to make this a cycling centric city – while logging truck size and numbers are going to keep increasing the trade off has to be serious investment in safe routes for cyclists and pedestrians” said Mr Caddie.
“Painted lines are a token gesture, we need dedicated cycleways that make it quick and easy for cyclists to get around this flat, small city with a great climate. Anyone standing for election in the city ward needs to get their heads around how we will be improving the transit experience for cyclists and walkers.”
Mr Caddie said the bulk of Council funds spent to date on cycling and walkways had gone into the recreational infrastructure but he wanted to see more attention paid to routes around the city for commuters.
“People should not have to fear for their lives when they ride a bike. Gisborne used to have 20,000 cyclists in the 1960s, we can get back to those sort of numbers relatively quickly if the infrastructure makes it easier rather than harder to leave the car at home for the majority of city residents.”
Funds for the Kaiti to Wainui cycleway will come from Regional Roading Funds after an assessment of costs to improve roads for heavy vehicles between Tolaga Bay and Matawhero found that only $1.5 million of $9 million available will need to be used for that project. The cycleway is the second highest priority project in the regional roading programme and an application to NZTA will be submitted in the next month and construction is expected to be completed this financial year.
The project had been set to proceed three years ago but changes to the NZTA funding priorities set by the Minister of Transport meant further delays as cycleways are now considered a low priority by central government. The current Government Policy Statement for transport commits 50 times more on seven new highways than the total budget for cycling and walking infrastructure.
Mr Caddie said he expected a few supporters of the cycleway to attend the Regional Transport Committee meeting at Lawson Field Theatre on Thursday afternoon where a paper noting the news is on the agenda.
A Dark Day for the District
A decision by Gisborne District Council to give the green light to Canadian company TAG Oil for an exploratory well to be drilled west of Gisborne city has been condemned by an RMA Commissioner.
Manu Caddie, who is also a Gisborne District Councillor, says he is supporting an application for a judicial review of the decision based on the public interest test, cumulative effects and the way potential cultural impacts have been handled in the assessment phase.
“Two thousand local residents signed a petition last year requesting any application to drill in the district be publicly notified. All they want is a chance to look into the application and make submissions if they have concerns.”
The Council’s Regional Policy Statement and Combined Regional and District Plan are largely silent on drilling activities and the Council has agreed to review the plan once the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment issues her report on fracking later this year.
“The PCE in her interim report on fracking raised a number of real concerns about drilling on the East Coast and the lack of regulation in the petroleum industry as a whole” said Mr Caddie. “Until those concerns are addressed the public should have the right to examine applications and comment on them.”
“An industry representative said just last week that they have nothing to hide, so why are they afraid to give our community the opportunity to be part of the decision-making process.”
Mr Caddie said he understood the company had threatened to leave the district if the application was publicly notified and comments from vested interests meant staff felt pressure to let the application go through non-notified. “I’m sure everyone will deny that is the case, but this is what staff have told me.”
Mr Caddie said it was a sad day for the district and democracy. “The petition of 2,000 citizens must be the largest set of submissions Council has received on a single issue and it is bitterly disappointing that a simple request to have the opportunity to make comments at a public hearing – for or against the proposal – has been seen as less important than the desire of the company to rush into drilling.
Mr Caddie said he believed Council had good grounds to notify the application – while the risk of significant immediate pollution may be limited to a well explosion like the one that happened in the United States last month or limited contamination of land and streams, the cumulative effects of the activity should be taken into account at each stage and the RMA allows for public notification when the risk may be small but the potential effects significant if something goes wrong.
“There is scant information in the application on the process for rehabilitating the site while industry publications suggest at least half of all wells corrode within 30 years allowing fugitive emissions of gas and oil, long after they have ceased production. The area is around known fault lines and aquifers, who knows what impact drilling into those could have.”
The documentation provided with the Council decision suggests one or two individuals within local iwi had signed off on behalf of the tribe with no evidence of hui-a-iwi to provide a mandate or majority of iwi members’ endorsement.
“Iwi and hapū have a right under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, New Zealand law and international agreements to make free, prior and informed decisions on activities that impact on their traditional lands, waterways and air space. From the information supplied I can’t see evidence of that happening in this situation and a number of iwi members have expressed extreme frustration with the process used by the company to consult with iwi.“
Mr Caddie said central government should provide much more support and resources to iwi and hapū that are faced with extractive industries moving into their area.
“Around the world we have seen indigenous peoples welcome industries that make grand promises then leave after ruining the environment local peoples have depended on for generations. It is a familiar story we are seeing played out in our own backyard.”
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Gisborne District Council: Decision Documents
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CONTACT: Manu Caddie – Tel. 0274202957 / Email: manu@ahi.co.nz
Challenging Child Abuse Statistics
A new Child Poverty Action Group report has ranked the regions around the country on their child abuse statistics While Tairāwhiti is not amongst the highest areas we’re not near the bottom either. Being somewhere in the middle is positive considering our high proportion of young people and low socioeconomic status.
The data presented in the paper suggests that higher rates of child abuse are associated with socioeconomic deprivation rather than what age or ethnic group you belong to.
We will be contacting the authors to understand more about how they defined ‘substantiated’ as there a number of levels within the CYF system that could have been used as the measure.
I agree with the authors when they suggest even a cursory examination of the New Zealand data such as that presented in the report suggests that dealing effectively with child abuse will entail paying a great deal more attention to socioeconomic deprivation than has been the case so far. While the Government’s White Paper identified deprivation as a risk factor in child abuse, it failed to propose any measures to address it – on the contrary it sought to trivialise the role of income poverty by introducing “different sort[s] of poverty – poverty of affection, poverty of protection, poverty of expectation, poverty of educational stimulation, poverty of positive role models” (p.26). The White Paper focused on ‘benefit dependency’ as a risk factor for ‘vulnerable children’, however the analysis in the CPAG report suggests that may not be a useful approach.
And basically they are saying it’s not because a child is Māori or Pasifika that makes them more likely to be abused or neglected, it’s to do with socio-economic deprivation and ‘ethnic clustering’ in the social stratifications: “It is clear from the census data that low incomes and the effects of poverty tend to be clustered in certain areas and that Māori and Pacific people are disproportionately over-represented in these areas.”
Ethnic stratification exists in New Zealand, and while for Māori and Asian communities it is static or improving, for Pacific peoples it is getting worse.
The report says “There has been extensive research on the impact of ethnic segregation overseas but almost nothing in New Zealand. Ethnic stratification and ethnic clustering have not officially been identified as issues requiring attention in New Zealand and so are not measured by any central or local government agency. Yet the disproportionately high rates of child abuse among Māori across the country suggest that this aspect needs to be considered, especially as ethnic clustering is so closely associated with socioeconomic deprivation.”
It is impossible to disentangle ethnicity, poverty, poor health, overcrowded housing, and lack of access to employment and services from one another.
I have been asking for Council to report on these inequality issues within our region and it is on the staff work programme to do so. These are the kinds of things we can do something about locally instead of just saying it is a central government responsibility. Central government is part of the problem and locally we can do much more to address these issues than big bureaucracies can.
Justice for Teina Pora!
Recently, new information and evidence has come to light that suggests Teina Pora should never have been convicted of rape and murder in 1994:
This petition calls on the Minister of Justice Judith Collins to support an urgent and independent inquiry into Teina’s conviction. It is supported by a growing list of individuals and organisations, not least of which is the Police Association itself.
Please click here to: SIGN THE PETITION
Thank you for supporting this campaign to get the NZ Justice system to fix a mistake it has made.
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Well Done Waikirikiri!
The recent debate over Charter Schools, National Standards, class sizes and other proposed changes to the education system has rightly caused much concern amongst educators, parents and employers. The emphasis on basic numeracy, literacy and language skills at primary level has been useful but has also resulted in a lot of extra work for teachers and has meant resources that would otherwise go into producing more well rounded students have been diverted.
So it is with a lot of pride we read the Education Review Office report on Waikirikiri School that was released this week. Waikirikiri is a Decile 1A school – that means it is located in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in one of the poorest regions of the country.
One of the features of Waikirikiri is that half the school has a teaching and learning programme completely in Te Reo Māori, while the other half is bi-lingual with instruction in both Māori and English. Staff work hard to ensure both sides of the school have activities that compliment the other and a strong sense of unity is maintained across the school.
Given the significance of the home environment, the management team and previous BOT made whānau engagement our top priority. ERO recognised this: “There is a strong sense of pride and belonging in the school that is shared and expressed by staff, students and the wider school community. Many whānau have long-standing and intergenerational connections with the school. They are increasingly engaged in the school… A high percentage of whānau attend meetings to discuss learning, progress and achievement with their children and teachers.”
While the introduction of Tomorrow Schools in the 1980s provided both opportunities and challenges for poor communities, schools in Kaiti have always been able to find skilled and committed people to lead them. ERO believes: “The school is very well led by a capable principal and a committed board of trustees. The principal, teachers and trustees have high expectations that the school will perform well. Significant professional learning and development for teachers has been a priority. The provision of effective teaching and learning to improve student progress and achievement continues to be the priority.” This high calibre of leadership is reflected in academic results: “School achievement information shows that students in mainstream classes achieve well in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Students in the immersion whānau, achieve well in Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori (NWRM) in kōrero, pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau. Some students make accelerated progress in reading and pānui.”
It is also reflected in the social and cultural development of students: “The school curriculum is effective in promoting and supporting student learning and students benefit from a curriculum that reflects te reo me ngā tikanga tuturu o Ngāti Porou. The New Zealand Curriculum and te Marautanga o Aotearoa provide the flexibility for the school to localise their own curriculum, affirming of the student’s identity to Te Papa Tipu o Horouta, the history, place and people of the Horouta canoe, unique to the school community. It has been developed through ongoing community consultation to put students at the centre and makes authentic connections to Ngāti Poroutanga.”
So while some may argue that the current public school system fails Māori and isn’t producing young people ready for work, there are plenty of outstanding examples – even in our poorest neighbourhoods – where the public education system is producing young people that know who they are, what their responsibilities are and how to work hard for the benefit not only of themselves and their family but also the wider community and their country. Congratulations Waikirikiri!
Sunshine Sermons 
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