moby dicks

So the police have been sent in, on a navy ship, to "intervene in the protests only when they impeded the right of the survey ship to conduct its operations." Key says, "... last night, my understanding was a naval ship was deployed and it's now in the region." Key doesn't know how many officers on board or how they will balance out the right of activists to protest LAWFULLY, against the rights of Petrobras - that is an 'operational' matter. Luckily there will be lots of cameras out there to show how these operational matters get played out.

This was a classic from parata

Acting Energy and Resources Minister Hekia Parata said she was in constant contact with Petrobras but had not spoken with the Brazilian company since the protest began.

hardly constant then is it? Why would you think they care what you think anyway.

And this little titbit

The Government was working on legislation to govern future deep-sea drilling, and Petrobras would not be able to drill before this was in place.

Hmm - wonder what is in that legislation.

oil survey ship stopped

Fanastic effort by the activists in stopping Petrobras today. We will not tolerate drilling and exploitation and the sooner they realise this, and pack up, the better. The government has called for calm - there is no calm and there will be no backing down on this issue - this is a line in the sand that will be defended - with vigour. We know your bogus arguments about money and 'economic benefits' and they are all worthless because we don't believe them - we never will, because we have heard from other peoples about the effects of your polluting, degrading industry and we have seen it here too. As in other countries, the indigenous people of this land are leading the battle to protect the land and sea. They lead because they hold the mana and they are directly affected.

NZH

The Government is calling for calm after Greenpeace protesters today disrupted a Brazilian oil giant from investigating deep sea oil drilling off the East Cape. Greenpeace said swimmers from a protest flotilla of five vessels entered the water today and diverted the oil survey ship the Orient Explorer off course.

The flotilla was supported by East Cape iwi Te Whanau a Apanui, which said the company had no right to be in the waters east of their tribal lands. "This is not a protest," iwi spokesman Rikirangi Gage said. "This is an act of defence of our ancestral lands and waters that have sustained us for generations."

The powers that be will not like this and that is good. Greenpeace are experts in high visability protests that generate publicity and we need these. We also need the deeper understanding of what this is all about and that is - supporting Te Whanau a Apanui in their fight to defend their life. We all want the same result so let's keep up the pressure on Petrobras, Parata, Brownlee and Key. I expect silence from the maori party. The Greens and The Mana Party (just testing the name out) will keep pushing hard.

Make no mistake, any inch they get on this issue will turn into a festering sore - people power will stop them.

back away from the dangerous animal

I'm not going to gloat - too much - but this is a great victory. They have seen the people and their anger and they have backed away from their dangerous plans to open up more of our most protected areas to mining. Thank you to all who contributed to this win. Now onto the next one, because their will be a next one. This backdown has drawn a line in the sand and that is good for opponents of this governments policies. It will be easier to get another line in the sand, and then another and before you know it, they will be gone. And whilst not wanting to get personal the biggest loser is gerry brownlee.

from Stuff

"Mr Brownlee and Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson this morning announced that plans to allow mining on 7000 hectares of Schedule Four conservation estate land - which included parts of the Coromandel, Paparoa National Park and Great Barrier Island - had been permanently shelved."

"Mr Brownlee acknowledged the decision was influenced by the huge public outcry and concerns that controversy over allowing mining on a small area of the conservation estate would undermine an industry with "enormous potential''."

"... Greenpeace Senior Climate Campaigner Simon Boxer said the decision was "a heartening example of people power in action"."

"This is a historic victory for the record number of New Zealanders who stood up to protect our most treasured places and for a vision of a truly sustainable and progressive 21st century economy for New Zealand."

"... Forest & Bird advocacy manager Kevin Hackwell said the decision effectively created a cross-party consensus against mining on protected conservation land."

"''The decision is a victory for the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who marched in Auckland and other centres against the proposal and who sent almost 40,000 submissions during the consultation.''"

"... Green Party leader Metiria Turei has a private members bill in the ballot that would require such a change."

"Today's decision is a major embarrassment to the Government, whose senior ministers were touting mining earlier this year as one way to lift New Zealand's economic performance and help bring about a "step change"."

All very good and now we must raise our gaze to the oil and gas exploration and black sand mining and the various other ways they are trying to exploit our world and us.