Opinions / The Conservatory
recent Opinions/The Conservatory
by Edward Greig | 2:47 am, 20/09/2010
Michael Laws leapt in to control the possible story over his apparently scandalous relationship and resulting text messages. His claims of there being political motivation behind the story seem a little odd, though. As Laws is not running for Mayor of Whanganui again, the only person with political motivation I can see is from Laws himself. Seeking to gain maximum exposure, and possibly gain some sympathy, Laws may have reached the point of no return in the belief no publicity is bad publicity.
by Edward Greig | 2:15 am, 23/08/2010
An increase in regulations promoting warmer houses may be populist, but it isn’t necessarily good for everyone, nor is government support actually needed for good housing.
by Edward Greig | 11:28 pm, 22/08/2010
Weeks like this don’t come often enough between elections. By now, Chris Carter will probably be gone from the Labour Party, and it’s certain that he signed the death warrant in his own handwriting.
by Edward Greig | 2:05 am, 09/08/2010
Writing from the past, I can’t determine the full fall-out and final result, but for now I am celebrating the recent OUSA referendum result.
by Edward Greig | 1:21 am, 26/07/2010
Following their investment of settlement funds and businesses, iwi are becoming economic powerhouses. It is time that the government recognised this and took advantage of this large pool of capital.
The Conservatory - 14
by Edward Greig | 10:27 pm 11/07/2010
Of all the reasons not to mine, one of the most flimsy is the claim opening up a small percentage (0.001 percent) of DOC land to mining will destroy New Zealand tourism. This comes on the back of the notion that we are ‘clean and green’ and this, and only this, promotes us to the rest of the world as a worthy tourist destination.
In fact, surveys have shown about 50 percent of the tourism industry doesn’t appear to be overly concerned about considering mining in Schedule 4 land, with some considering it an opportunity to expand the economic base of our GDP.
For a start, tourists who travel this far are not authentically worried about the environment. In arriving in New Zealand from the other side of the world, they have already made it very clear how concerned they are about carbon emissions.
Most modern tourism is based on packages. Few people come here, or to any foreign country, with the intention of wandering through the wilderness. And those who do are rarely considered tourists and often contribute less to the local economy. Most tourists will stick to the Queen Charlotte track, and the other packaged local wilderness adventures.
Europeans who are serious about the environment aren’t going to come here anyway; they travel to the closer equivalent, Switzerland (number one green country in the world). Those who would boycott New Zealand if we open up mines were never serious about coming here in the first place.
We have a lot to offer than is not ‘no mining’. New Zealand is cheap, relatively safe, and similar enough to make travel easy for Westerners, while being different enough to offer a little ‘experience’. Iconic areas should not be opened up to mining, but to claim that mining in itself will impact on an ethereal notion of ‘clean and green’ is a little silly.
There is no certainty mining will significantly harm the environment either. There are risks, but smaller, localised mines and ensuring clean-up will minimise environmental damage.
Mining and tourism are compatible, as shown by the situation just across the Tasman. Australia manages to promote its vast wilderness while reaping the significant monetary rewards of mining. Historic mines around the world have become tourist destinations in their own right.
Realistically, how much of the tourism dollar are we really going to lose to mining? Very little, and as long as mining is considered carefully, we shouldn’t let this rather unfounded argument have much sway.
