All articles
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Te Ohu kaimoana crying crocodile tears over Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary
It’s said that in war the first casualty is the truth. Increasingly this is now the case in politics and economics as well.Over the last week or so we’ve witnessed Te Ohu kaimoana crying crocodile tears over the “removal of Maori Treaty rights”. And sadly many are buying into this bullshit. Let’s back the truck up a…
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Here’s why we took the site office at the proposed Ruataniwha Dam for a 100km road trip
Early this morning, we travelled to the proposed site of the Ruataniwha irrigation dam in Hawke’s Bay. With a small crane we uplifted the construction site office, put it on the back of a truck and drove it 100kms to Napier. There we left it at the door of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC).
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Ruataniwha dam down but not out… yet
The proposed Ruataniwha Dam is the poster child of Big Irrigation.
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Is there a dirty big irrigation scheme planned near you?
In the last two weeks, one third of people in Havelock North have fallen ill with a gastro illness that originated in the town’s water supply. The source? Most likely contamination from cows, sheep or deer.By all accounts the last couple of weeks have been hell for the people of Havelock North. This isn’t what’s…
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Ruataniwha looks dead in the dirty water
It’s been a tough few weeks for think-big irrigation and industrial agriculture.
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3 big reasons why we need ocean sanctuaries now
Last Friday, US President Obama announced the creation of the world’s largest ocean sanctuary, and today governments from all over the world are meeting at the United Nations in New York to develop a new treaty to save our oceans. This is fantastic news for our blue planet. Two-thirds of the ocean sit outside national borders,…
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Havelock, water and Ruataniwha – it’s time to join the dots
In the last two weeks, roughly 4500 adults and children have been struck down with a waterborne gastro illness found in Havelock North’s water supply. That’s a third of the town’s entire population.Most likely source? Ruminant farm animals - quite possibly cows.The crisis has sparked concerns about industrial agriculture - not just in the Hawke’s…
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John Key is the last man standing as another oil rat prepares to jump ship
The revelation that Shell has advised its investment bank to offload its $1 billion New Zealand portfolio is another big nail in the coffin of the Government’s petroleum agenda.
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Three myths the electricity industry wants you to believe about solar
MYTH 1: Solar is only for the richThe most common argument we hear against solar energy is that encouraging it will somehow widen the gap between rich and poor. The logic goes that because “only rich people can afford solar”, the so-called poor people without it will then have to pay a larger share of…
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Drought is real… but dams and irrigation are not the answer
There’s no question about it - drought is causing serious problems for our farmers and communities.