So much for not against all mining
June 20th, 2012 at 4:00 pm by David FarrarRussel Norman said:
Mr Norman said that though the party would not support any new coal mines it did not oppose any new mines for other minerals.
The BOP Times reports:
Green Party members worried about gold mining in Te Puke are to meet locals to discuss what they see as potential risks to the community.
Not against all mining – yeah right!
Note that the Greens are meeting locals. So this is a bunch of people who do not live in Te Puke heading down there to interfere.
Diamond drilling and exploration mining for gold and silver was already under way at Muir’s Reef mine on No.4 Rd, 15 minutes drive from Te Puke township. …
Glass Earth is the company involved in the operations in No.4 Rd. Chief operating officer Simon Henderson said the area involved was farmland and nobody would be displaced by mining and no areas of significant natural value would be destroyed.
Mr Henderson said the company had no plans to expand to a large gold mining operation but had received “encouraging results”, allowing for mining to continue until at least the end of this year.
The only community feedback on the set up of a potential goldmine had been positive, despite concerns raised by the Green Party, he said.
“Te Puke is struggling with the devastating effects of Psa which has left a large hole economically and socially with many people leaving the area.
“Gold mining is a golden opportunity for Te Puke to have a new stream of development which does not rely on kiwifruit and will inject jobs and money into the local economy,” Mr Henderson said.
I suspect not many people who actually live in Te Puke will want to say no to jobs and income.
June 20th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
This sort of prosperity – from any type of extraction – must not be allowed in New Zealand:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ-zfUUjBiQ
And this is just the direct benefits of extraction: in the US manufacturing is experiencing a huge renaissance because of the resultant cheap electricity prices.
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
Greens mining policy:
If it looks pretty if you hang it round your neck then its okay to mine.
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
The Luddites are true enemies of a modern NZ economy.
Vote:These bunch of communists, disguised as enviromentalists, would send us back to the times of carts and oxen.
June 20th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
I thought the summaries of that Norman interview were generally misleading. The NBR one you’ve used might be an actual mistake: ‘did not oppose all new mines’ would reflect “I mean obviously you’ve gotta look at the localised environmental impact of a particular mining operation. I mean so it’s case by case.”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1206/S00016/russel-norman-the-nation.htm
[And also their headline: "Greens might approve some mining"]
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
So have the Greens actually come out against this proposal yet?
Or is this just dog whistling?
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 4:56 pm
Its Catherine Delahunty, so no big suprise, she is the anti mining lady of the greens. Same modus operandi as they used over the Wahi mines expansion, get a load of Green members to come in from out of town and make a fuss about it, and try and close down any mining operations.
In fact you could say its the Greens standard position on everything. Its not often its locals that are complaining, and if it is, its usually a minority, the rest are just green party rent a mobs.
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
Yeah the Melons have elevated scum to new levels. The pricks had several meetings around here on fracking, most of their arguments were shot to pieces and their arses got handed to them on a plate. They are keeping the heads down now.
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 5:51 pm
What we have to do is change the way we look at the Greens & see through the shit. We are force fed propaganda about saving the planet & led to believe that the Greens care only for clean water & fluffy Kiwi chicks.
The reality is that this is only window dressing & the real agenda is to make us pliable members of a new socialist world order.
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Yeah what nasska said.
wat dabney, see all of the happy people in North Dakota? Greens will never allow that, the fucking commy bastards have lemons for breakfast to start the day sour
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
How broad is the Green definition of mining?
Vote:Does it include Quarrying for road metal?
Does it include sand mining for building pads and kids sand pits?
Does it include Zeolite mining for kitty litter?
Does it include Peat mining for potting mix?
Does it include mining Stone (Otago Stone) for facing buildings etc.
To illustrate their anti mining point perhaps they could create a small “mining free zone” where they could demonstrate what a world without mine related materials would look like?
June 20th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
Who’d be in the mining business? Costs a fortune to set up and then you have to deal with this bunch of eco-loons day in and day out… Although as the enemies of capitalism get further and further they stick their nose into evermore businesses.
And when they finally kill whats left of free enterprise, well it’ll be capitalism’s fault of course!
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 6:28 pm
So apparently “not being against all mining” means that you have to ignore any potential risks from all mining. That’s a funny interpretation of the phrase, dpf. I would have thought it was entirely possible to not be against all mining while still being concerned about environmental risks from mining. Are you saying that you don’t care about “possible risks to the community”?
A bunch of national politicians meeting members of a community to talk to them about things happening in their community. Who ever heard of such a thing. Personally, I’m pretty mad about this “John Key” fellow, who doesn’t even live in Christchurch, going down to that city and trying to interfere with their lives while they’re trying to rebuild.
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
“How broad is the Green definition of mining?”
Definitely includes mining of rocks for the wearing of round the neck to exhibit ethnic sensibilities!
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 8:28 pm
I can see why it frustrates some here. Smart move from the Greens to realise they’ll never stop mining absolutely but that they can be involved with local communities where mining might take place in the future and enable interest in all aspects of that. Why not? It also could change the ‘bloody greenies’ attitude that prevails in some quarters.
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 9:47 pm
FWIW: The Muir’s Reef goldfield is a relatively old one, that has been well-looked over and picked at by others since the late 19th century. It is NOT a new prospect, or a new ‘field. This fact is something that Delahuntey et al wilfully choose to ignore, and the media never bother to investigate. If Glass Earth are prepared to put in the money and time to have another go on a reef system described in the 1920′s as ‘being the despair of mine managers and investors’ they deserve to be encouraged, and if successful will certainly bring money into the district. The Greens of course don’t see this as being a positive, and it has to be noted, also protested at Glass Earth’s Talisman operations (Karangahake) last year – again the site of an old gold field. No prizes for guessing who was the chief stirrer.
Vote:June 20th, 2012 at 11:17 pm
Front page of ODT today was all about the benefits of mining to the local community, lots of operations going and starting, not just oceana gold – Oceana by themselves are worth about 20 million to the community each year. Greens better have some pretty awesome ideas if they want to not make people poor with their misguided ideology
Vote:June 21st, 2012 at 6:31 am
It’s a leadership issue.
The Greens appear to mistake nay-saying for leadership. To my mind, if the Greens were to promote their policies as economically viable ones, or to explain how they might be economically viable, or how they might put food on peoples’ tables, then they might start to win a few more converts. But that might require actual leadership.
Mining in New Zealand for example, it’s human rights and safety record is far better than Chinas. But The Greens would rather have us buy foreign, and export pollution and human rights misery to China than invest in safer, greener processes here at home.
No actual leadership there then.
The ecological consequences of dairy farming on the water-system are several. Does the Green party advocate for technological approaches to minimise this, or for reallocation of funds to encourage greener practices? No, it rather appears to favour demonising the farmers that ‘create’ the wealth. That’s not leadership, its bullying.
No economic breakdown of the benefits of building factories to employ people and and exporting wind-farms, solar power panels, efficient bicycles lightbulbs or investing in more research and development get publicised. Rather, we see them using our funds to buy opinion which supports their myopic views. No leadership there, just cheating.
No getting involved in the SoE legislation to advocate for regulation, or improved emissions, safeguards against pollution visible, rather a sea of ‘Nos’, as they are against it ‘in principle’. No leadership, just shit-stirring.
Every four years we get a slick Green campaign showing lots of cute kiddies, to persuade voters that Green is the ethical option, but behind the scenes they are ensuring that most of those kids will grow up in an economic desert, and probably have to emigrate when they do grow up if they wish to marry and raise their kids in some kind of comfort.
If they had some awesome ideas, I’d love to see them discussed in public rather than the pointless shit-stirring they appear to favour as their chosen political strategy right now. Until they get a ‘leadership gene’ into their party they will never elevate themselves above being a glorified pressure group. Perhaps that is the limit of their ambition – the evidence is suggesting it.
Vote:June 21st, 2012 at 8:53 am
Great comment Lee
Vote:June 21st, 2012 at 8:57 am
One of the best comments I have seen on KB Lee. Farrar should post it on the front page of his blog.
Vote:June 21st, 2012 at 10:46 am
Do you really think that the Greens care a fig for what other people think, or how they conduct themselves.
They are beyond rational thought because they are always right. They are actually dangerous to New Zealand’s interests but the media have been well taken in by them.
Vote:June 22nd, 2012 at 6:20 am
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