killing me softly with his song

This post covers a range of areas that are interrelated and they are: the adequacy of consultation with Māori and how the current system is another divide and conquer strategy from the Government with a direct whakapapa to past practices designed to alienate land from Māori. It also looks at the proposed exploration process for vast tracts of lands currently in process and adds in the massive job losses at Department of Conservation who manage one third of this country's land.

One very disturbing aspect of the recent Supreme Court decision dismissing the appeal on the Māori Councils bid to halt the sale of Mighty River Power was their acceptance that the Government had adequately consulted with Māori. The actual consultation process was woefully inadequate and a total smokescreen and it reminded me of the way previous Governments used to pretend that Māori were consulted with. The approach is a derivative of the divide and conquer ideal so loved by oppressive regimes and is still being used willy-nilly by the Government to advance its agenda to sell off and exploit the land..

Carwyn Jones wrote about the Supreme Court decision and said

I accept that the technical requirement of consultation may have been met, and therefore understand the Supreme Court’s decision on this point.  However, what this does suggest to me is that bare requirements of consultation are not likely to be of much help to Māori when it comes to issues such as this.

Recently Tangatawhenua.com has said this about the exploration permits to advance proposed mining of a very large area of land

Please panui far and wide, because if past or present ‘consultation’ is anything to go by the whanau, hapu and iwi probably won’t ever hear about it, it’ll be quiet meetings behind closed doors with Crown picked and preferred representatives

This proposed mining covers

permits to explore for metallic minerals over 8,261.09 sq km of prospective land in the Taupo Volcanic Zone in the central North Island.

The tract stretches from Lake Taupo to Tauranga, encompassing Tokoroa, and stopping just short of Whakatane.

"This process will ensure exploration permits are granted to the best operator(s) capable of delivering safe and environmentally responsible exploration programmes and will maximise the return to New Zealand from this valuable resource.

and they love putting in the consultation aspect

"At this stage, we are seeking input from iwi, hapū and councils in the area, to identify areas of particular sensitivity."

It is worth considering how the Government in the past alienated Māori land – this is one way they did it.

The Native Lands Act 1865 was a major mechanism used by the Government to alienate Māori lands but how did it actually work. The preamble gives a direct answer to the purposes of the Act where it says the Act was, “to encourage the extinction of such propriety customs and to provide for the conversion of such modes of ownership into titles derived from the Crown”. 

Section 48 barred all other interests in the land except those interests named in the title and this was devastating to the previous ownership model used by Māori. Section 23 authorised the Court to issue certificates of title but only 10 persons could be named and if the land did not exceed 5000 acres then the title could not be issued to a tribe, but in practice this issuing of 10 persons was applied to all blocks of land even if they exceeded 5000 acres. These 10 people had full legal authority as tenants in common which meant that if someone died their interests did not pass to their heirs but rather to the other co-owners of the land. 

So many hundreds of owners were cut out of their land by these provisions; they were alienated in favour of the 10 named persons. Furthermore only evidence presented in court was considered in any dispute over the ownership. Once notification was made interested parties had to be personally present to lay their evidence down and if they didn’t see the notice, were sick or unable to travel to the court, their rights, even though known by the judges, were discarded and not even considered. 

Often many presumptive owners did not even hear about the court date until after the period allowed for appeals had expired. 

Customary right-holders were forced into the Native Court Hearing if one of the 10 individual claimants created an application, other presumptive owners were not given notice, the Court refused to consider anything other than the evidence of those present at the hearing. The Treaty made rangatira absolute owners of their land and this Court process took away the trusteeship, kaitiakitanga role, and mana of those rangatira through legislation. The Crown had guaranteed those rights and the rights of thousands of Māori within the treaty and the Courts (as an extension of the Crown) had extinguished them.

The latest job cuts to the Department of Conservation are also related to this issue because one third of the land in this country is managed by them. The Green Party and Forest and Bird are rightly concerned about the biodiversity of our endemic species and they say

"With the department already pared to the bone these latest cuts will mean less protection of our special native plants and wildlife,"  Green Party conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage said.

"DOC manages more than a third of the land in New Zealand and the argument that volunteers and a few corporate sponsors will fill in the gaping hole these cuts and continued pressure on department spending create is nonsense.

"National is trying to turn DOC into a corporate entity focused on stakeholders and corporate sponsorship at the expense of its key role to to protect and preserve native plants and animals," Sage said.

More than 265 jobs have been cut from the Department since National took power. Ninety-six positions were cut in the last restructuring in 2012 alone.

John Key the Prime Minister says that DOC are overstaffed lol. He’s not interested in what the Auditor General recently said about DOC

The move came after a report from the Office of the Auditor General praised DOC's structure, saying regional staff were its biggest strength. It also warned of the risks of relying on commercial partnerships, as the department tries to shore up its coffers.

So we have a new land grab by the Government under the guise of exploration for minerals with a dubious consultation process with Māori and we have a reduction in Department of Conservation adequacy to protect our endemic species and the land they are charged with protecting. The exploitation and alienation of Māori and their land continues and the process is not dissimilar to the underhanded and dishonest way it was done in the past. 

Dr DOC

I can hardly get my head around the news that Department of Conservation (DOC) has just cut down a 500 year old tree to extend a nearby tramping hut. This is just insanity - these trees should be venerated and worshiped for the aspects of nature and life they display - they are not firewood. Just so disgraceful that DOC would do this and the excuse used by the manager

NZH

DoC Buller area manager Bob Dixon said the department had invested $75,000 transforming the 1960s ex-forestry hut.

Moving the hut would have been "phenomenally expensive" in a constrained site; "and we have plenty of trees". It was standard operating procedure when there was a risk to people.

"We are not interested in Mr Lusk grandstanding, particularly when the safety of people is uppermost."

and what has Mr Lusk said

"DoC's excuse was health and safety," Mr Lusk said. "But it's been there for 500 years and (survived) about 20 major earthquakes."

Indeed - it is just a line about health and safety - the money is where the real motivation came from. This mindset of disrespect to nature and our connection to it, has contributed to much of the ill within our societies as we create distance from nature - if you don't know it then it is easier to destroy or exploit or kill.

This is not our nature position, this is imposed and alien to our natural sensibilities - the system we have created is just that - created. And it can be uncreated as well, over time. This must be done to get the balance back.

This tree was our tree - a living entity that deserved protection - shame on DOC for cutting instead of caring.

Thanks Mike in the comments for this photo and that information 

if we let them

I’m increasingly concerned about the proposed open-cast mine on the Denniston Plateau and also the Crown Minerals (Permitting Crown Land) Bill. That bill has seriously eroded the protection from mining that we give our most protected land. That Bill allows decisions on access to conservation land for mining to be made by the Minister of Conservation, as well as the Minister of Energy and Resources and that a economic benefits test be included in the evaluation. This is important because of the proposed Escarpment Mine Project on the Denniston Plateau. That’s an open-cast mine on a unique, fragile ecosystem with the devastation accepted from both sides of the argument. This ecosystem was assessed recently in a BioBlitz by Forest and Bird, and over a weekend 505 species were catalogued, including a new discovery of a moth and 77 species of insects. We just don’t find this ecosystem intact any where else – it is unique. The mine will dig up 6 million tonnes of high quality coal for export. That’s 12 million tonnes of CO2 spewed into the atmosphere when it’s burnt. The Environment Court and The High Court have both agreed that the effects of coal on climate change cannot be considered under the Resource Management Act and the appeal to the Appeal Court is pivotal to putting the brakes on this insanity of a mine.

We can’t pin any hopes on the courts I suspect – no it is going to be up to people power, it is us that will stop them. What about the Department of Conservation aren’t they working to protect the Plateau? Their submission to the RMA was neutral, neither for nor against. But a Department of Conservation briefing paper to the Minister, released under the Official Information Act, says "The entire Denniston Plateau lies within the "West Coast Kawatiri Place" and is identified as a "Priority Site for Biodiversity Management. It is also described as a nationally outstanding landscape…". This landscape will be permanently altered by the mine and overburden dumps and this has the effect of, “leaving post rehabilitation in the vicinity of 75% of the altered landscape unrevegetated” The briefing paper also describes how the “current ecological integrity” of the Denniston Plateau will experience “profound change” including the increased exposure of acid forming rock which would,” likely create a far more significant acid mine drainage problem”. 

They all know what will happen and they don’t care because of the supposed economic benefits but they are all illusion. They admit that at the moment the market for coal has slumped, they talk about 400 jobs – that’s the same number of workers recently dumped when the Spring Creek mine closed down so there are no new jobs. They base their big payoff on imaginary future scenarios that don’t consider any macro or micro event that could affect the maximum potential money (assuming everything goes exactly right), and their future predictions are junk, fallacy. Funny that the opponents to this mine have facts - abundant facts. Facts like the inevitable damage the mine will cause, the 21 identified inconsistencies between the Resource Management Act and proposed mine showing adverse effects on the environment that are more than minor. Facts like inconsistencies between the stated objectives within local, regional and national planning documents and the activities of this mine. These are FACTS. The opposite of the wishes and hopes of the economic growth fantasists, and they won’t change their minds, no. Their minds are made up. But they need the acquiescence of the people to do it. They can only do it if we let them.

For another brilliant post on this subject matter please read Claire Browning at Pundit - she writes so well and she hits every nail on the head. 

dying to save them

I just don't understand why keas have to die to test whether 1080 baits are attractive to them or not. Can we not test these baits first or is that too hard. I know the arguments around 1080, the improvements in the forest and native species, the birdsong and the flowers - but I cannot reconcile throwing poison into the environment to kill them - it just seems like more hubris from people rather than looking, listening and learning from Mother Nature. After all, stoats were brought here deliberately by the colonists to help sort the rabbits out, which were brought here deliberately - the solution created more problems than the original problem and that's because nature wasn't considered at all - it was just a thing that could be managed, manipulated and mangled to achieve man's ends. That worldview is destructive to our environment and society - it distances us from ourselves and our heritage as living organisms within the total ecosystem. That worldview considers us seperate from nature and is in opposition to indigenous worldviews where the holistic nature of reality is endorsed.


ODT

Department of Conservation has reported the deaths of seven keas following a recent 1080 pest control operation on the West Coast that was designed to prevent the birds eating poison baits. They follow seven kea deaths reported in the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier area in 2008, with the possum-killing 1080 poison pinpointed then as the most likely cause of death.

So sad that these beautiful unique birds have died. I hope we sort this out soon.

Te Waihora is worth more than money

This is a scandal. Ministers of Conservation and Agriculture influencing the decision to extend, on conservation land, a polluting grazing licence that DOC had told the farmer was not going to be renewed - meanwhile no consultation with iwi and the joint management plan for Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere), ignored. The protection of Te Waihora mocked by conservation minister wilkinson. The Greens are on to this, sadly the maori party are nowhere to be seen, as usual.

Stuff

The Green Party has accused Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson and Agriculture Minister David Carter of leaning on the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Greenpark dairy farmer Barry Clark was told by DOC in May that his grazing licence on conservation land near Lake Ellesmere, south of Christchurch, would not be renewed. DOC's decision not to renew the licence was overturned at a meeting in August involving Canterbury-based ministers Wilkinson and Carter, Clark and Mahaanui area manager Bryan Jensen, and a five-year extension was approved. Extending the lease contravened DOC's policy of removing grazing from the lake edge to protect the environment and upset some DOC staff. It also contradicted what Clark was told by the department in 2004 – that the next five-year term of his lease would be his last. Clark's lease is the last for grazing cattle on conservation land around the lake's edge. Internal DOC emails said it was embarrassing and unfortunate Clark was invited to reapply for his concession.

The decision was made without thinking about the environment or conservation of this lake or the relationship that DOC is supposed to have with Ngai Tahu. Within the Te Waihora Joint Management Plan it clearly states

"The rangatiratanga and kaitiaki of Ngai Tahu are upheld by Ngai Tahu and respected by the department within the management of Te Waihora and that that management is in accordance with tikanga and kawa.”

Is this respect for Ngai Tahu?

In September, more than a month after it was decided Clark's lease would be extended, Ngai Tahu contacted DOC to ask why it was not consulted. DOC staff replied "no concession had been processed or issued" and Clark's application would be sent to the Canterbury Conservation Board and Ngai Tahu for comment. Norman said it was extraordinary that the Government "lied" to Ngai Tahu by suggesting the decision had not been made.

No that is not respect - it is the opposite. How can any iwi or hapu have any confidnece in DOC or the dim minister? This joint management plan was the first and it was completely ignored. If there have been lies - then what the hell is going on. The sooner full control of the Te Waihora is given back to Ngai Tahu the better.

it just takes communication

The issue of respecting maori cultural beliefs has come to the attention of the media recently with the carrying of a couch and barbecue up Mt Taranaki and then cooking it up on top. It is interesting to read the responses.

Local Iwi have said this - Taranaki Daily News - Stuff

Climbers standing at the top of many New Zealand peaks, including Aoraki Mt Cook and Mt Ruapehu, are trampling over Maori protocols, according to a Taranaki Maori leader.

Toka Walden said yesterday there were "cultural values" at many sites around the country which tangata whenua would like to have upheld. "The core part to this is about whakapapa – the people's link back to the land, the family tree that stems from our ancestors out into the land, that is what ties the iwi back to these sites," he said. The summit of Mt Taranaki was the the head of a Taranaki iwi ancestor and the head was sacred, he said. People were free to stand and cook in other places on the mountain but should stop short of the highest points, he said.

He stopped short of saying climbers should not stand at the summit of New Zealand's mountains. "We would encourage people not to even go near the summit, but we know that is not realistic," he admitted.

Climbers make some interesting points

New Zealand Alpine Club executive officer Ollie Clifton told the Taranaki Daily News the organisation did not have a stance on cultural considerations and did not specifically advise climbers not to stand on summits. He said that was "a big ask" of climbers. "For climbers, standing on the summit is the whole point," he said. But climbers need to be aware of the culture of the places they are going and should respect them, he said.

Taranaki mountaineer Ian McAlpine said he has been approached by a number of people who said they knew nothing of cultural rules and customs. "A lot of people don't know the protocols – including Maori," he said. Mr McAlpine told the Taranaki Daily News he had been leading parties up the mountain for 40 years, and had never heard of the summit protocol.

He is calling for a meeting to be set up between all Taranaki iwi, DOC and park-users. "We didn't know about cooking – what else is there? "We need to know what other issues there are that might cause offence," he said.

It is all about information and communication. Let us all learn together.

Down south they are more advanced along the path - The Timaru Herald - Stuff

South Canterbury mountain guides say they are well aware of Maori protocols when it comes to Aoraki-Mt Cook, but it could be a different case for private climbers.

Mountain guide Charlie Hobbs said the climbers should have checked with the local iwi before taking a barbecue and couch up the mountain. Mr Hobbs said his climbers were reminded of what was expected of them while climbing. "You can't defecate or leave rubbish or do anything with the intention to destroy or alter in any way the beautiful, pristine, spiritual place. "The only thing we can leave there are our footprints."

Climbers were not taken to the summit, out of respect, Mountain guide Bryan Carter said. "For Ngai Tahu, the mountain represents their ancestors. "If you stand on the summit, it's as if you're standing on the head of their ancestor."

Mr Carter said climbers had to keep the waterways clean, and scattering ashes was frowned upon. There was no prohibition for cooking, but anyone who did that "wouldn't be very popular", he said

Well there you go - it can be done, it is being done - what a fantastic challenge and opportunity for all alpine clubs to upgrade their knowledge and add another dimension to the absolute purity and connectedness of climbing.

off his head

This story about young christians carrying a couch and barbecue up to the top of Mt Taranaki for a feed and relax is disturbing. This mountain is sacred for maori, but unfortunately that sentiment is either not known or not cared about.

Stuff

A group of 25 young climbers took the North Egmont route and hauled a couch and barbecue up the mountain so they could relax in style. ... The group spent 12 hours on the mountain, three of which were spent cooking and relaxing at the summit.

I'm all for people having fun but the lack of knowledge of maori customs and beliefs is really a stumbling block to creating a country for all of us.

There is a strong response here

Barbecues and graffiti on top of Mount Taranaki have outraged Taranaki DOC boss Phil Mohi. "The act of cooking over an ancestor is tapu – it's something that you just don't do," he said.

He said the summit barbecue was disappointing because the young people there probably didn't realise or hadn't learnt that the mountain and especially the summit is a very sacred place for iwi of Taranaki.

"We discourage camping at the summit and try to make people aware that the very highest part is the most sacred of all – and ask climbers to avoid standing there.

"There's a difference too between eating prepared food for sustenance and actually cooking on the summit," he said.

Barbecue organiser Jordan Millen said climbers were not trying to offend and were unaware they were doing so. "We are sincerely sorry for any offence we may have caused during this trip on Mt Taranaki, we were unaware of any tapu or the sacred nature of the summit and that it was not respectful to cook there," he said.

A good apology - I don't blame the kids, the knowledge is not mainstream but it should be.

get the rats

Rats found on Ulva Island are very bad news. This is now an emergency situation where the authorities have to go into overdrive. They still haven't caught the stoat/s on Kapiti Island.

From The Southland Times - Stuff

Endangered birds in one of New Zealand's leading wildlife reserves are under threat again after a small population of rats was found on "rat-free" Ulva Island. Twelve rats have been found in traps on the island in the past fortnight. A juvenile rat was found, which means a breeding population has been established on the island. The island had been rat free for 12 years. If the island was not cleared of rats within six months then the protected birds that had been released there, including the mohua and saddleback, would disappear.

This is very serious and the likely way these rats got to the islands is via boats. This island is open to the public and this will need to change. The island is a window to our past and our future if we want it. As Busted Blonde says on Roarprawn in a very good post on the issue

If they have caught 12 in a fortnight then there is a strong possiblity that there are hundreds already established on the sanctuary. Ulva is a window on what Stewart Island once was -alive with the haunting melody of a myriad of nativel birds and lush rich flora.

I have just sat outside taking photos of a pair of kereru in the tree. Whilst they were sitting there eyeing up hopefully their new home, a pair of piwakawaka flitted around them and the tui looked on from above. I want my son to be able to experience the cooing of kereru and the mad antics of tui. Let's plant great swathes of new bush and get serious about eradicating pests - it could be done if we had the will and the heart.

Hat tip - Roarprawn

Te Waikoropupū Springs

I am blessed to live close to a natural wonder that is world renowned - Te Waikoropupū Springs. At the moment over 500 people a day are visiting this cultural and environmental sacred area. Didymo is the biggest environmental risk and the waters cannot be touched but there is also a risk in offering only a part of the cultural interpretation that is also important. With context we create bonds and connections and explanations of cultural aspects have something to hang off.

What are Te Waikoropupū Springs?

Research has shown that a huge system of flooded chambers exists in the buried marble under the valley. Overlying the marble is a thick layer of sandstones which do not permit the passage of water through them, and act as the ‘cap rock' over the waters within the marble. In the Waikoropupu Valley the surface river has eroded down through this cap rock to a point where the Pupu Springsunderground water, at great pressure, has been able to burst through and emerge as springs.

and from wikipedia

The freshwater springs are the largest cold water springs in the Southern Hemisphere and second only to the Antarctica’s Weddell Sea in clarity. Every second between 10,000 and 14,000 litres of water are released from the springs, whose depth has never been accurately determined.

The horizontal visibility of the water in the springs has been measured at an average of 63 metres, a world record for fresh water. This value, which was verified using specialist optical instruments, approaches the theoretical maximum for optically pure water.

Te Waikoropupū Springs is wahi tapu - a sacred place.

At the entrance to the walkway to the springs, the Department of Conservation has placed a sign: "Te Waikoropupu Springs are a taonga (treasure) and waahi tapu (a sacred place) for Māori, both locally and nationally. The legends of Te Waikoropupu are told in the stories of Huriawa, its taniwha (guardian spirit). In Māori tradition the Springs are wairou, the purest form of water which is the wairua (spiritual) and the physical source of life. The Springs provide water for healing, and in the past were a place of ceremonial blessings at times of birth and death and the leaving and returning of travellers."

This is the only current signage and intrepretation given on site to the visitors and this annoyed me because the DOC person has to go around to say to many visitors that they should not eat or drink near the waters and picnics are a no no too. There are no signs telling people about this and this is adding to poor perceptions. Imagine you are from overseas in a beautiful area next to a river of unbelievable clarity and power - the perfect place to have a picnic. Maori concepts of tapu are associated with eating and drinking because those activities are used often to break or release tapu. It doesn't seem good enough to try to respect maori concepts but only provide a fraction of the context needed to make the concepts understood. If someone tells you that you are doing something wrong - you feel bad and sometimes this feeling and externalise into negative feelings about a group. "Sorry but we ask that you don't have a picnic here because maori believe it is sacred and eating and drinking is not allowed." simply encourages people to have negative feelings about maori. Much better to put a fence at the top rather than an ambulance at the bottom. Much better to have a sign that explains the context of tapu.

Taniwha Scales

I did a bit of research and the management plan offers hope.

Vision - Moemoeä

The management of Te Waikoropupū Springs reflects the wähi tapu/sacred nature of this important taonga tuku iho/treasured resource.

The kaitiakitanga/guardianship role of Manawhenua ki Mohua is accepted and respected by all.

Te Waikoropupū is maintained in a natural state.

Excellent catchment management ensures that the waters of Te Waikoropupū remain pure and strongly flowing.

The cultural identity of Manawhenua ki Mohua is maintained through protection of the mauri/life force and wairua/spirit of Te Waikoropupū.

The community takes pride in sharing Te Waikoropupū with visitors.

Low profile facilities protect the area and enhance visitor experiences.

The natural, historic and cultural importance of Te Waikoropupü is clearly explained using carefully designed and located interpretation that is readily accessible to the public.

The plan is a 10 year plan that began in 2009 and i am looking forward to the vision being implemented. Already the name has been fixed from pupu or waikoropupu springs to the correct Te Waikoropupū Springs and this is good. But there is much to do and allowing guided walks which offered intrepretations and context is a good place to start. Meanwhile 50,000 to 60,000 visitors each year walk away from Te Waikoropupū Springs missing 75% of the story.

Footnote - I want to thank everyone involved in protecting this area - this post is about improving things and strengthening connections between people.

sicko/s in southland

The black-billed gull is only found in this country - it looks like a red-billed gull except for the difference in bill colour - as you'd expect. Why oh why has some sicko in southland gone out and shot, and smacked to death over 100 of them? There is no rational reason - but these people or this person is still out there and whilst a human - their partner or child - don't look like Black-billed gulls - who can say that they won't be next.

From Stuff

More than 100 of the rarest gulls in the world were massacred as they nested near Wreys Bush in Southland.

Department of Conservation Murihiku biodiversity ranger Ros Cole said more than 100 adult black-billed gulls were found dead beside the Aparima River at Wreys Bush on November 24.

Most of the birds died from bullet wounds, but others had broken bones and some chicks were found starving to death beside their dead parents, she said.

Shotgun cartridges were found beside some nests and an autopsy confirmed shotgun pellets were the most likely cause of death, Ms Cole said. "They have gone into the colony and gone mad. It's pretty sad that people want to shoot these birds and leave the chicks to starve," she said.

DOC Murihiku compliance and law enforcement ranger Kelwyn Osborn said the shooting was the third involving the endangered native gull in two months.

The THIRD!!! This is getting sicker and sicker - who is doing this and can you guarantee they won't do the same thing to their family or anyone else.

tempting buns are not for revenue?

The department of conservation - the title would imply protection and conservation but is that what they actually do? We have seen the enroachment of commercial interests into the conservation estate - the stall at Cathedral Cove, for instance. The director general of the department of conservation has had some hard questions to answer and his answers don't convince me.

From Stuff

Battling with a $54 million budget cut has shifted the Conservation Department's focus toward reaping commercial rewards – but this does not mean the environment will suffer, its director-general says.

Al Morrison has fended off Green Party accusations that it is focusing on attracting big business at the expense of biodiversity.

That budget cut is real and a disgrace.

Morrison - When you say we have got a commercial focus, what it means is we have a lot of New Zealand involved in conservation ... the untapped part in involving New Zealand in conservation is in business. It is not, I can assure you, so we can get lots of revenue."

The untapped part??? What is he talking about. It is untrue to say that you have had a budget cut and are courting commercial interests but not for revenue - why are you doing it then al?

Green MP Kevin Hague at an environment select committee meeting yesterday argued there was an obvious tension between the department's needs to maintain a focus on conservation values and trying to make inroads into business.

For example, when an icecream kiosk opened at Coromandel's Cathedral Cove beach last year, a flurry of angry emails went to Prime Minister John Key and then conservation minister Tim Groser, saying DOC's decision to allow commerce on the beach was "philosophically wrong". This showed that trying to make money from conservation land in this way was misplaced, he said.

But Mr Morrison said only a handful of people had objected and, on his visit to the beach, the vendor was not a nuisance – and was in fact selling "tempting" buns.

So we go from philosophically wrong to tempting buns. That is a fail in my book - it doesn't answer the question regarding the underlying philosophy - or maybe it actually does - (shudder).

Good on the greens for skewering this spinner.

fish off the rocks mate

You have to laugh at the absurdity of this - A russian billionaire wants to build a 230m concrete path across coastal rocks so he can go deep-sea fishing from his Northland getaway during his twice-yearly visits. He wants to be able to get his quad bike down there and will paint it natural colours - so it will blend in. At the end of the path will be a pontoon - 4 metres by 14 metres. He is a bit of a keen fisherman apparently.

So who opposes this and why
From NZH

The Department of Conservation and Historic Places Trust are opposing the resource consent application to build the path and a floating pontoon.They say the plan will have more than minor effects on the environment and is contrary to parts of the Resource Management Act.

and

the Northland Regional Council is recommending it be approved

I wonder if tangata whenua have been consulted because if not then that needs to happen ASAP. I hope this grotesque vanity will not be built and that the russian billionaire enjoys this place the way it is rather than remolding it.

rat poison and birds = a big no no

Spilling rat poison from a helicopter into a lake on an island sanctuary for our most protected parrot - the kakapo. Horror story? James Bond unlikely scenario number 205?

From The ODT

"A 700kg load of rat poison has fallen from a helicopter on to Fiordland's Anchor Island, a safe haven for endangered kakapo.

A storage pod full of brodifacoum cereal pellet baits fell from a helicopter yesterday and landed in the large freshwater lake on the 1300ha island in Dusky Sound, Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson said.

Eight hectares of land surrounding the lake has been searched and no pellets have been found.

"Anchor Island is home to endangered kakapo and the immediate response of DOC staff on the ground was to ensure the birds were not at any risk," Ms Wilkinson said.

"Two kakapo in the vicinity of the lake have been removed to another island as a precaution. It is highly likely all the poisoned baits landed in the lake.

"Brodificaum does break down in water and DOC will continuously monitor the lake over the coming weeks to judge what, if any, ecological impact the spill has had."

Whatever caused this whether human or mechanical error - someone should be held responsible - imagine if under this type of scenario ALL the kakapo were killed. The time to stop that happening is BEFORE it happens. Tighten up and sort this out.

send the doc for DOC

Try to silence people and they don't generally like it. Let's hope that the good people within DOC go round this attempt to stop information and the true involvement of DOC in opening our national parks for mining, getting out in the open. It won't work and is a terrible indication of where DOC leadership is at. Are they are colluding with the mining interests?

From Stuff

"Department of Conservation (DOC) staff have been told not to talk to lobby group Forest & Bird without permission in the wake of the information leaks relating to proposals for mining in national parks."

Of course DOC say it is not because they don't trust Forest and Bird or that they believe the leaker of the real story is from DOC - the email is to protect staff. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

DOC in it for the money

Well the department of conservvation has completely lost the plot - it's not about conservation anymore, or protecting the flora and fauna - it's about making money.

From stuff

"Director-general Al Morrison said attracting more businesses to work on the conservation estate was a priority for DOC this year."

It needed to work pragmatically and be a more efficient business, while in the past it had been driven by "high principles".

Yes you have forgotten your principles DOC you have forgotten why you are there.

"A new "commercial business unit" was being set up, to be headed by a person recruited from the private sector who would implement changes that Mr Morrison said would make some people "nervous".

Mr Morrison said establishing the new commercial unit was also a response to the possibility of more energy-generation projects on the conservation estate – which covers more than eight million hectares."

So the truth revealled a bit more. The department of conservation isn't opposed to (mining) energy generation our national parks because they want to make commercial gain from that. Morrison you are a gutless weakling.

"It's now fashionable to be seen as green. If we're not leveraging off that, we are dumb."

That shows why you are an absolute shocker morrison - you don't actually care - you are just being fashionable - I say again you are a gutless weakling that just cares about your own income and being 'fashionably' green. Well get this mate - some of us are green because we believe.

unspoilt beauty spoilt

The greens have nailed this issue. There is no way that a business should get a concession at Cathedral Cove and the fact that DOC are doing it for revenue is beyond sad, what about protecting the environment DOC, what happened to that imperative?

From Stuff

"Residents and holidaymakers near the remote and unspoiled Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel Peninsula are appalled an icecream stall is operating there under a licence granted by the Department of Conservation.

The cove's crystal waters and famous arch are accessible only by boat or a half-hour trek.

DoC initially issued the licence for a seven-week trial period, pending approval from the Thames Coromandel District Council.

A public meeting early next year will give people a chance to respond to the developments in and around the cove.

But residents feel the icecream stall should not have been allowed in the first place. They also told the Herald the shop is already operating, without council permission.

"It is astonishing and shocking that DoC would not only grant a licence ... but would do so without any consultation with the community that loves and protects the place," said Mr Hawley.

Waikato conservator Greg Martin said DoC was faced with diminishing state funding and had to find ways to fund its work.

But Mr Hawley said it was not worth ruining the beauty of the site for the 8 per cent of the shop's earnings that went to DoC.

That is not much money is it? The fact is that this is the thin edge of the wedge or as we used to say, "In like a needle, out like a plough." Once the precedent has been set, others will use that.

I quite worried about DoC, especially with the underhand deals they are doing around the place. What is going to happen when brownlee gives them the word for the mining? - they will cave in like wet newspaper.

DOC heavy duty tramping nappies

New sign on Routeburn Track

"People walking the Routeburn track need nappies for the trip, according to bogus, yet realistic, Department of Conservation signs.

Printed on cardboard in the familiar green and yellow colours, the signs bear even the authentic department and Great Walks logos.

But that is where the similarities end, with messages advising people to wear nappies and directing people to a public toilet up a steep rock face."

I'm a fan of absurd humour. Good on you.

Routeburn view

Protecting O Tu Wharekai for everyone, for ever

Upper Rangitata Photo PeterBray panoramio.com

It's great that the public get a say on the future of our rivers, waterways and wetlands - like in this example from The Timaru Hearld

"The public is set to get their say on the future of the upper Rangitata River.

The management of recreational opportunities will be outlined in a Department of Conservation discussion document, and DOC wants the public to be involved."

I have had and sometimes still have, real issues with DOC. But i'm pleased to give credit when it is due. DOC wants public imput and that is the way to do it.

"O Tu Wharekai (the upper Rangitata River and Ashburton lakes) is one of three wetlands around the country managed as part of DOC's Arawai Kakariki wetland programme."

Thank you for using the maori name.

"DOC community relations programme manager Gemma White said the area is the most intact freshwater and braided river ecosystem remaining in the high country.

"We want public feedback and comment about where and how public recreation opportunities are provided within this important area." Ms White said the Arawai Kakariki programme was aimed at restoring wetlands with the assistance of the community and increasing knowledge about methods for wetland restoration along the way.

"In addition to its outstanding biodiversity, O Tu Wharekai is highly valued for its recreation opportunities."

The discussion document is available to the public for comment until November 30."

Sustainability is not about locking people out it is about letting people in. The more we realise we are part of the ecosystem, we are part of nature - then the more holistic approach we will take with the ecosystems and the more success we will have in setting up sustainable approaches that allow recreation, conservation, relaxation.

Wetlands are such underrated yet important ecosystems. Teeming with life and essential for so many creatures both fauna and flora. To the unimaginative eye wetlands look like wasted space - (sarcasm alert) hey lets drain them - then we can build houses yay and make money double yay.

We need to maintain our wetlands and in some case revert land back to wetlands.

Wairau River - still fighting for life

Fighting dams on our rivers takes time and energy. These are the people that must be convinced.

"The Environment Court has appointed a judge and three commissioners to consider the appeal against TrustPower being granted resource consent to build a hydro scheme on the Wairau River.

Judge Gordon Whiting, of the Auckland Environment Court, will preside. Judge Whiting holds an economics BA and a law degree from Otago University and was admitted to the Bar in 1968.

Helen Beaumont, former assistant parliamentary commissioner for the environment (2000-2007), has been appointed a commissioner for the hearing. With a professional background in environmental chemistry, she has focused on environmental health and the connections between the quality of the environment and human well-being.

Commissioner Dr Alex Sutherland holds a Bachelor (first-class honours) and Masters of Engineering and a PhD in civil engineering and mathematics.

In 1967, Dr Sutherland joined the University of Canterbury as a lecturer in civil engineering and was engineering dean from 1987 to 2005.
The third commissioner, John Mills, graduated from Lincoln University with a degree in agricultural commerce in 1975.

He owned and managed a 3000 stock-unit sheep and beef farm in the Te Anau Basin from 1981-1999 and served on the Southland Regional Council from 1989-1998, seven of those years as deputy chairman."

A a good mix of skills to be able to distill all of the arguments and make an unbiased call?

What do they want to do to the Wairau River?

"TrustPower received consent last year to build a 48-kilometre canal on the southern side of the river and take about 60 per cent of the river's flow to produce 72 megawatts of power for the $250m project."

Department of Conservation - what do they say?

"Nelson-Marlborough conservator Neil Clifton said DOC was not opposed to the hydro development but wanted to protect bird habitat and food sources.

The deal meant TrustPower would leave more water in the river during the summer nesting period, he said.
DOC has agreed to a flow-sharing regime that will see TrustPower get the first five cubic metres per second (cumecs) above the minimum flow and two-thirds of any flow above that.
Minimum flows at the scheme's intake, above Wash Bridge, vary from 10 cumecs in summer to 20 cumecs in spring."

And this is telling -

"TrustPower community relations manager Graeme Purches said DOC would not receive any money."

I oppose doing these deals. Save the stilts and stuff the river?

How about saving them both, and our communities by opposing these schemes. Reduce demand and change the way we think about energy - that is the answer.

Creating dubious schemes that often cause many more problems than they solve is yesterday's thinking and solution.

DOC - sitting on the fence just gives you splinters up your bum

DOC is gutless!

"The Department of Conservation says it has a "neutral stance" on the proposed amendment to the Nevis River Water Conservation Order.

Doc's counsel Pene Williams told the special tribunal considering the amendment yesterday that the department neither supported nor opposed the application."

If you cannot decide on whether this is good or bad for the environment then I suggest you all stand down so we can employ guardians of the environment not useless yes men/women.