KEY NOT COY WITH TUHOE

Thank goodness. We were a bit nonplussed when watching Tv3 one night about a month ago, when  Patrick Gower speculated on the government giving Tuhoe  the Urewera National Park  lock stock and punga trees but allowing public access.


Today John Key took the unusual step of making sure that Tuhoe was clear on the matter and that the rest of New Zealand was clear on the matter.


We are glad about that. It was shaping up to be a bloody big mess.

We also think that there is a real need for some  more clarity around some of the Foreshore and Seabed issues as well. 

Now if only we could get some more sanity around the ETS....... 

RANGI WEEPS

We are speechless.




We really don't know what to say other that this breaks BB's golden rule. Use words bigger than Wheelbarrow more than three times in one sentence and you are in serious danger of sounding very silly.

BIG TICKS FOR GROSER AND JOYCE

Tim Groser and Steven Joyce have been star performers for the government and both have been given the recognition they deserve by the Prime Minister. We are pleased that Tim has been given the chance to lead the weighty and complex job of International Climate Change. His wisdom and pragmatism will give New Zealand the chance to optimise any trade gains that can be made from world wide rush to Emissions Trading. We need to ensure that international policy does not impact negatively on the backbone of our economy - dairying.

As for Joyce - it's well known that he has the capacity for a heavy workload and a head for long term strategy - his sector relations are also superb. The education portfolio will benefit from his helicopter roll.

The lack of large changes to Cabinet will dismay Labour who will have been looking for blood. While they will be able to make some mileage out of Anne Tolleys demotion, there is little else wher Labour can gain any traction.

Key has put his two "fix it" men in charge of the areas that are the two biggest risks - that type of decision making just underscores the PM's growing reputation for pragmatism.

AND THEREIN LIES THE TRUTH

We still think that Climate Change is a load of tosh. And we fervently believe that the only true beneficiaries of an Emissions Trading Scheme will be the margin traders..

So here is a simple lesson why we have been hoodwinked.

ETS Slides

A RING OF CONFIDENCE

We are not - nor will be unquestioning believers in Global warming. We have seen the world wake up to the obvious manipulation of some of the core science of climate change in recent weeks. Now this.

Coming to light in recent days has been one of the most extraordinary scientific detective stories of our time, bizarrely centred on a single tree in Siberia dubbed "the most influential tree in the world". On this astonishing tale, it is no exaggeration to say, could hang in considerable part the future shape of our civilisation. Right at the heart of the sound and fury of "Climategate" – the emails leaked from the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) in East Anglia – is one story of scientific chicanery, overlooked by the media, whose implications dwarf all the rest. If all those thousands of emails and other documents were leaked by an angry whistle-blower, as now seems likely, it was this story more than any other that he or she wanted the world to see.

Now we not skilled in any area of science however we can read and this article in the Daily Telegraph makes for very compelling reading...

Seems the whole debate could rest in the rings of a tree...

MONDAY FUNDAY

Today was such a joyous start to the week. We watch as Spanky dropped his bottom lip on the TVNZ news when he found he was still part of the problem and not the solution after John Key announced that National and the Maori Party had done a deal over climate change. Spanky thought he was in negotiations with Key and he looked close to tears when he realised he had been had by Key and Turia.
Key made him look like a complete pratt. Actually Turia and Key together made him look like a pratt. Poor spanky.

It really made us laugh out loud. And all credit to the Maori Party. Their pragmatism will save New Zealanders money. However, there will be a price for National and we wonder if tobacco legislation will be the bargaining chip. The Maori party is dead set in seeing some progress on this issue. We still think that we are going too far on the Emissions trading front as do others but at least the impact has been softened somewhat by the horse trading.

WHO IS SETTING THE CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA?

Well if you listen to Matthew Hooton here on RNZ Nine to Noon - It appears the Climate change officials think that they know best. Seems they were a bit late getting advice to the relevant Ministers about how the changes to the Aussie ETS scheme would impact on New Zealands scheme. The Australians have put their scheme on hold. It never included primary industries and Forestry like our insanely bold scheme. We, like Matthew understood that this government wanted to align our scheme with the one across the Tasman so why, apart for some ideological reason would the climate change team downplay what was happening in Aussie? They do not run the country. They should not be allowed to run the country. They are there to give free frank and timely advice. We think a change of personnel could be useful.

UPDATE and just in case there is any doubt that the Aussies are having a rethink - heres some more from Reuters on an ETS scheme

ACHTUNG BABY PINUS ACHTUNG

Well chop my tree down and call it firewood. Kiwiblog has a great post on the command and control of Forestry by MAF-

This is silly beyond silly. Its the work of short sighted imbeciles. Its time David Carter gave some direction to the forestry unit in MAF. It needs some serious pruning.

WELLINGTON HIVE AND OTHER COMMENTATORS SAY LABOUR WIN BY A NOSE ON DAY ONE

We need more substance and quick from the Nats - and they need to say it with confidence and force. Queen Been at Wellington Hive says it with her usual elegance..


We here at the Prawn endorse her every speech point.

NZ BUSINESSES NOT MEASURING FOR GREENHOUSE GASES YET

The word is that the government is also finding it tough developing tools that will adequately measure GG.

Companies not measuring greenhouse emissions

New Zealand companies are ill-prepared for emissions trading, a new survey shows.

A nationwide survey of 2794 firms found the overwhelming majority were not measuring their greenhouse-gas emissions and had no plans to start.

The sectors expected to face the biggest bills from the price of carbon agriculture, forestry, manufacturing and transport were the least prepared.

The findings, released yesterday, follow the passing of legislation setting up an emissions trading scheme (ETS) that will force polluting industries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions or pay penalties.

The bill was pushed through Parliament under urgency after Labour struck deals with the Greens and New Zealand First. The National Party opposed the legislation, saying it was rushed.

National's climate change spokesman, Nelson MP Nick Smith, said the survey showed New Zealand had "a huge way to go" to be ready for the implementation of an ETS.

"It reinforces National's view that the legislation was rushed through Parliament without many businesses understanding the full impacts," he said.

"We need to sit down with the business community, particularly in this very uncertain business climate, to make sure that the way in which we implement the emissions trading scheme is not going to sock another blow to the engine room of the economy."

Critics warn the ETS could result in the loss of up to 22,000 jobs by 2025 and shave as much as $8.5 billion off gross domestic product.

The poll conducted for the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development revealed only 7 per cent of companies were measuring their greenhouse-gas emissions and only 12% were developing plans to do so.