MAORI MINING MONEY AND MANA

So Maori are talking to the government about Mining. We always reckoned that this was where the greatest opportunity lay for Maori - beneath the earth as we predicted here months ago.

So now we see that the Big Swinging Dicks have swung into town and are talking to Gerry and Key about just what deals can be done.

All good we say.

But the best thing we saw in the PM's statement was this.

"I wouldn't say there was a universal desire for Maori to be engaged in mining but there's the potential and they at least want to have the discussion. Given the nature of their engagement, we thought it was a good idea to have that discussion."

He said he was also aware that the Iwi Leaders Group did not speak for all Maori and Government would be talking with other groups as well.

While the Government had made it clear it would not mine in schedule four land, it was interested in expanding other mining activities, Mr Key said.

It was conducting aero-magnetic surveys and having talks with interested parties.

It shows that there has been a shift in the governments thinking. That there has been a realisation that the mana monster aka the Iwi Leaders forum needs to be put in its place. And its time for the government to start talking to some of the Maori Land incorporations.

Excellent.

HEROINE OF THE VRWC

I always enjoy reading the Dominion in the mornings while waiting on my morning takeaway coffee from a little cafe called Mixed Business which is just north of Bordeaux Bakery on the Terrace. It is the favourite place for many Terrace Worriers.

Anyway, the young barista there is a pleasure to deal with. She remembers your name and your order and always has a smile for her customers.

This morning as I was propped up at the bench reading the paper, some young fellas started to talk about mining and how terrible it was. Anyway the aproned coffee maestro-ess gave them a verbal biffing.

Mining was a good thing she told them - the economy needed it and there was wayyy too many lies being told about the size of the holes, she lectured. Actually the only big holes were the gobs of the two young fellas as their jaws dropped in the face of the assault they got from the coffee queen.

She was polite but strident. We like that in a chick.

The boys, full of derision, tried to take her down with some puerile insults so we came to her aid. (not that she needed much. )

" She is right - the Greenies are spreading waay too much false crap - we are not going to be facing big huge holes" everywhere," we told them.

The surliest of the two young fellas then suggested that perhaps I also believed in the tooth fairy..

I suggested that he was the one who was being taken for a ride and gave him my best withering stare and he kinda melted like gold from the Martha Mine.

Anyway , the Barista from Mixed business was still bantering with them when I left.

So if you are in town or in need of a caffeine fix - head to Mixed Business.. Its our kinda place.

Knee Jerk

We posted a link to this story about the decimation of the bee population in the United States on our Facebook profile.

Disturbing evidence that honeybees are in terminal decline has emerged from the United States where, for the fourth year in a row, more than a third of colonies have failed to survive the winter.

The decline of the country's estimated 2.4 million beehives began in 2006, when a phenomenon dubbed colony collapse disorder (CCD) led to the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of colonies. Since then more than three million colonies in the US and billions of honeybees worldwide have died and scientists are no nearer to knowing what is causing the catastrophic fall in numbers.

The number of managed honeybee colonies in the US fell by 33.8% last winter, according to the annual survey by the Apiary Inspectors of America and the US government's Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

What I found interesting was a comment on my post from a leading member of the local VRWC jokingly blaming the decline on Obama. (As an aside the problem began on Bush's watch.)

There is a danger in any closely or loosely aligned group of group-think occurring. One area of group think that appears to be a feature of the right of center political blogs in New Zealand is global warming. Another is promotion of mining in the conservation estate that 40,000 people marched against last weekend.

This group think can evolve into the kind of roving bands of internet thugs that rove the threads of Kiwiblog and that suppress meaningful discussion.

GOFF DIGS A BIG HOLE

NO GOLD JUST SHIT.

Labour’s mining hypocrisy laid bare




Labour’s hypocrisy over mining has been laid bare, says Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee, after new figures released by Crown Minerals today showed Labour approved more than 200 permits for mining on the Conservation Estate.



“This from the party that launched a campaign yesterday saying it was explicitly opposed to mining conservation areas – not just Schedule Four land, but conservation land full stop,” Mr Brownlee said.



“But if that wasn’t enough, we also have the release today of information that Labour approved a mining consent on land considered special enough to warrant Schedule Four status, the very behaviour Phil Goff has been decrying as unthinkable.



“It turns out Labour approved a permit in 2006 for mining gold, garnets and other gemstones on 168.5 hectares of land at Hart Creek, inside Paparoa National Park.



“Labour’s credibility on this issue is now shredded,” Mr Brownlee said.



Figures released by Crown Minerals [attached] show 218 permits were approved under a Labour government for mining inside Department of Conservation land between December 1999 and October 2008.



“The information shows Labour were happy for mining to take place on 21,961 hectares of land, meanwhile the government is seeking approval to release a mere 7,058 hectares of Schedule Four land, of which as little as 500 hectares might be mined,” Mr Brownlee said.



“And now Labour is running a web campaign that says ‘We’re against the idea of mining in our conservation areas.’



“This represents a new standard in hypocrisy,” Mr Brownlee said.

COPPERHEAD ROAD

WHAT LIES BENEATH

We make not secret of the fact that we support discrete mining in National Parks - if thats where the gold, silver, tin, coal and rare earth minerals lie.

Now there has been a bit on nonsense reported here and there that Maori wont want a bar of the mining proposals. We have said all along that there is much Maori land butting up to National Parks and some of the sites that will be prospected.

One we know very very well is Rakiura, Stewart Island.

Rakiura became a National Park after a deal was done with Rakiura Maori Land Trust in 1999 to forgo the right to log the trees on the Lords River Blocks. The trustees got about $11 million and the land was managed " as if it were a National Park. " It then formed the anchor and the argument for the rest of Stewart Island to become a National Park.

So we are hoping like the trustees of the past deal who made the best of a once in a lifetime opportunity that the new Rakiura Trustees are open minded to the possibility of mining the Lords River and some of the other land parcels under their guardianship.

What needs to happen is that the Trustees need to talk to the government about checking out what lies beneath Trust land. The Waitutu Incorporation and some of the other Maori Trusts in the Catlins and western Southland and Hokonui and Waimumu need to think about the opportunities as well.

The best decisions are made with the most facts at hand.
Piggy backing on the governments prospecting seems a sensible thing to do.

To completely disregard the opportunity would be to disenfranchise future generations of Rakiura beneficiaries.To say no before all the facts are known would be a travesty as the trustees are obliged to ensure that all opportunities are explored, analysed and tested.

And the current trustees need not fear the wrath of the Mayors. They did not like the Lords River deal much either until they were made to understand that what was good for Rakiura Maori was good for all of Southland.

This is an opportunity that must be seized upon. There are risks but the rewards could be great.

DOWN DEEP

IN OUR BACK YARD - COME ON IN ..

We are heading south in about a month to Stewart Island in particular to a cute littlemuttonbird island at the entrance of Port Pegusus. We are pretty confident that any mining on Stewart Island is going to be In Our Back Yard.

We know one of the key areas on the island that is under consideration is likely to be the Tin Range. An ugly rock scarred ridge that sits atop Port Pegasus.

Mining has been attempted their before but it was too hard. It is also home tosome of what are called the rare earth minerals.

Pegusus on a good day is stunning - on a bad day it is hell.


We are confident and supportive of any attempt to mine in our back yard. Just as long as they sweep up the yard and put out the rubbish when they leave.