Candidates give views on environmental issues

October 3rd, 2013
[by Greg Rzesniowiecki]

Tasman District Council and Motueka Community Board candidates gave their opinions and policies on environment issues last Friday at a meeting hosted by The Renewables.

Joanna Santa Barbara introduced the candidates and outlined the procedure, whereby each candidate got 5 minutes to speak. The Renewables had previously circulated prospects with questions on climate change and the Transpacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

Coincidently Anna Louise Cole, one of the community board candidates, offered that she had just come from a meeting of the Nelson Anglican Synod where the decision has been taken to divest from fossil fuelled energy investments. Anna was one of 4 candidates to the Community Board who presented their views on the questions raised by the Renewables.

Forest and Bird were also offered an opportunity to place questions before candidates. The issues identified by their Beth Bryant were centred on 'nature's right to be' and the elimination of cats from the Tasman region.

Candidates talked to the issues presented, on Environment and the TPPA. Most didn't know much on the TPPA and or had only recently come to appreciate its potential impact on the New Zealand community.

Richard Kempthorne, the incumbent mayor, as part of his opening comments reiterated his offer made at the last Tasman Council meeting Thursday 19-9-2013, to forward the community's concerns to central government on the TPPA. He reported that today he'd written to the Minister of Foreign affairs and Trade Tim Grosser on the concerns of the Tasman Community arising from the TDC meeting.

Richard said he understood the problem in our increase in the use of Carbon. He supported the development of the sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. He was very impressed with Generation Zero's 'What's the Hold Up' tour in July and wanted to promote their cause.

As Mayor he understands the issue of Climate Change and in reaching determinations in Council must balance competing claims. His approaches to sea level rise is moderate and is guided by Ministry of Planning and Environment. Council is planning with a sea level rise of nearly a metre by the end of the century. This has large implication for the Tasman region.

Richard also commented on the issue of orchardists burning crop waste. He justified this where it was prunings or whole blocks removed to deter canker infection. It is important that the disease be contained and not spread, fire here being effective.

He also addressed TDC's 'Rural Land Review' saying that the Council felt the need to balance land use demand to enable farming practice to continue. In respect to dairy farming he was emphatic that farmers must protect our rivers and streams.

The other Mayoral candidates in attendance were Maxwell Clarke, Kit Maling and Steve Richards. Maxwell Clarke, resident of Richmond, an environmentally aware landowner in Lower Queen St. Maxwell talked on a number of issues affecting the Waimea Estuary and where he was opposed to the spreading of sewage at Rough Island. He is opposed to pesticides and herbicide usage in the care of his own property, and indicated that he would advance this cause in Council.

He also indicated opposition to the Lee Valley Dam proposal on the basis of cost, caution in respect to Earthquake consequence and the further intensification of agriculture on the Waimea plains, which increase nitrate leaching and other run off issues into the Estuary.

Maxwell said that he supported efforts toward renewable energy. He shared that it is important that we live in harmony with nature, and that he has endeavoured to do this on his own piece of land, citing several examples.

Kit Maling came to New Zealand from Canada as a youngster with his family. He has led a diverse life; twenty years as a police officer as his professional golf career found the sand trap. Kit has been an orchardist on the Waimea plains for 15 years and has always been a keen fisherman, so knows his way around our rivers and coast line. He supports keeping our waterways and coastal areas clear and clean.

His concerns include the Council's debt and the cost of rates, acknowledging the impact growing rates have on Tasman's large proportion of retired people, who often exist on fixed incomes. He is supportive of schemes where schools adopt a stream in their local areas, citing an example in Mapua. He is passionately opposed to litter left on the banks of our streams and coastline.

Kit is opposed to bottom trawling as he likes fishing for schnapper. He also supports placing native bush into Queen Elizabeth trusts for protection. In respect to the TPPA, Kit felt he needed more information on its implication.

Steve Richards is the co-owner of the pleasantly eccentric Jester House restaurant and tourist mecca in Tasman township. He previously was the McGillicuddy Serious party candidate for the Tasman district. The Party's theme being the 'great leap backwards'. He did not realize how prescient this idea was given the looming changes we face. The biggest issue is Climate Change.

Steve said his awakening about these issues came in the 1990s with his investigation of Peak Oil. He reminded us that essential human needs are food, shelter, and socialization and that it is particularly beneficial if we can have fun also.

Steve supported the idea of the triple bottom line in measuring Council's success. Thus the measures must be beneficial for the social well being, environmental health and sound economic value. In this regard Steve questions why we produce so much rubbish, before approaching the question of whether we need to develop more landfill capacity.

He offered this approach to a number of issues before Council. He supports open orchards on public land, as a means to move toward food security. On the TPPA, Steve supported the draft resolution to advise NZ negotiators on what constitutes the public interest and concerns in this complex and secret matter. He offers leadership around the idea of building resilient communities.

In attendance were three prospective councillors, Paul Blackham, Tara Forde and Rob Francis. Paul Blackham's history was in financial markets as an advisor. His strength is in analysing emerging trends, so he felt he offered skills with Council's financial affairs. The credit boom which led to the Great Financial Crisis (GFC) has more sting to come. He felt that Council must move from 'nice to have to need to have.'

Paul also supported the triple bottom line approach to social, environmental and economic accounting. Paul strongly felt it inappropriate for Council to be increasing its debt in this period. He saw both Peak Oil and Climate Change as issues which will impact Tasman. He has come to the Motueka region intent on being in a place that nurtures resilient community. Paul offered himself as one who has foresight, and as an advocate for developing local skills to meet our shared challenges.

Tara Forde has done an extensive apprenticeship in public politics, as a previous Community Board member, working for the local MP Damien O'Connor and in her education with a Master's degree in Public Policy. Tara has worked in the tourism and hospitality industries. Tara is a member of the Renewables. She will be the youngest Councillor if elected.

Tara said that the traditional view that Council is about rates, rubbish and roads is a limited view. She felt it was a loss the removal of the 4 well-beings from the Local Government Act; environmental, economic, social, and cultural well-being of communities.

Tara felt that Climate Change is the biggest issue facing TDC and New Zealand, and that Council can help to promote a low carbon future. She said there is a bias in subsidy and funding for car and motor vehicle transport and little to encourage safe biking. This is imperative in the Motueka area to ensure that children get to and from school safely. More people on bikes in the Motueka means less fossil fuel burnt.

On the TPPA Tara supported the draft remit seeking the NZ's negotiators maintain the public interest concerns. She felt that the negotiators need be mindful of agreement that might breach Te Tiriti o Waitangi provisions.

Rob Francis greeted the meeting with a traditional Maori mihi. He is the TDC's Environmental Educator, someone who understands that human activity is dependent on healthy environment. Rob is originally from Hawkes Bay and now considers Motueka and the top of the South as his home. He imparts a sense of urgency about the environmental issues we face.

The way we are doing business is not sustainable; we do not realize the level of required change to meet the challenge. We must be taking sensible actions. Climate Change with its extreme weather and sea level rise; sea water permeating Motueka's aquifers affecting water quality makes it the priority. This places demands on our infrastructure; waste-water treatment, the Motueka River stop bank, and storm water system pressured through weather events.

Where do we get the money for these projects, what goes forward? Not all can happen at once, so priorities are needed. Rob felt that we must get more out of TDC's business units and suggests the establishment of commercial groups to manage these investments so we get better at business. TDC needed to be ready to pay in the event of future disasters which appear likely to increase. Rob wants to 'invest in people for people', to be a strong voice for Motueka, the Tasman region and the Planet.

The community board candidates present were, Anna Louise Cole who was briefly introduced at the commencement of this report, along with David Ogilvie current board member, Dana Wensley and Linda Woodgate.

Anna Louise Cole traces her NZ heritage to an 1840 ancestor. She trained in early childhood development and managed a childcare centre in Nelson. She sees her role as supporting critical thinking on issues for the community. For Motueka she sees the biggest issue as sewage treatment. Why spend millions on a large project when residents can deal with wastes both solid and grey-water, on site through composting toilets, and other micro sewage systems.

We could encourage people back on to their septic systems to alleviate the overload in the town system. With sea level rise the waste system is problematic and needs a complete rethink. On the library redevelopment Anna Louise feels that we could do with smaller projects, affordability being the major constraint.

Anna Louise was critical of building homes on low lying land on concrete slabs. She felt the Christchurch earthquake experience and the recent floods prove this method to be a poor choice. She felt that Council ought have a role in strengthening community and in terms of food security that reliance on monoculture was false economy.

Anna Louise was critical of the TPPA negotiations and felt we'd be better off out of it. She felt that the negotiations were overtly influenced by USA corporate interests and that the concerns coming from the public in Japan mirrored this concern.

David Ogilvie, sitting Community Board member, concentrated his comments on the question of Climate Change. He is a long standing member of the Motueka community and remembered weather events from the past. He said that he was a little torn in being at the meeting as the IPCC report was released at the same time and he very much wanted to be home to review its presentation on the TV media.

David indicated that he held a bit of scepticism on the issue of Climate Change. He shared that the Council in its consideration of sea level rise and stop-bank protection, is guided by the Ministry of Planning and Environment's guidelines which anticipate a sea-level rise in the order of 0.8metre by 2090.

David offered that this 77 year time frame ought be considered looking back to 1936, 77 years in the past. Back then who would have anticipated the World we now inhabit? So going forward how can we possibly know what is to come?

Dana Wensley is a New Zealander who has lived a long time in Canada and now returns to Motueka. She has considerable qualification having a Ph.D. in Law from King's College and that some of the work she had been associated with in Canada could be seen in the Carbon Capture Report. She is a strong believer in community.

In respect to the TPPA, Dana supported aspects of the draft resolution, the Renewables circulated to prospects. Dana raised with us that the environment has 'a right to be' in itself, and that we must be mindful of the fact that all we do impacts the shared environment. Critical is the need 'to limit harm to the environment.' Understanding this we can then adapt and mitigate our activities to minimize this harm.

Dana shared some of her Canadian experience; upon arriving at Toronto she travelled through a green belt on the edge of the city. It wasn't so much green in colour as brown, however it was a place that coyotes, raccoons and other native animals could live in a natural state and despite their proximity to the urban environment happily co-exist with humanity. She said that Toronto folk didn't mind these creature's occasional forays into their yards.

In Canada Dana saw and was involved in initiatives which could have application in Motueka; recycling programs, where residents were quickly taught to get their rubbish well sorted as it wasn't picked up if recycles were in the waste bag. In Toronto householders were encouraged to have rainwater barrels, the council supported community educators and pesticides and insecticides were banned from Council usage.

Dana believed the Community Board could play a lead role in researching ideas and the sharing which would foster community resilience and adaption to change.

Linda Woodgate said that she and partner Peter's life in Motueka for the past 10 years is the longest period in one place. They had previously run the Arcadia Organics shop which they let go of to concentrate on their natural health practice. She shared that she didn't have much knowledge of the TPPA, however felt that it was a difficult marriage as it attempts to bring together nations with diverse cultures and variation in their democratic practice. She felt that it meant large corporates encroaching further into our lives.

Linda offered that whilst she does not have full knowledge on all issues she would approach others with expertise and passion on issues that matter. Her background in business was in the area of moving things along; products and ideas and she felt this dynamism would prove an asset on the board. Linda said she is willing to listen, and has a passion for the well being and health of the community.

Candidates were asked questions from the meeting floor which they all got a chance to answer. Questions related to Climate Change, environmental education, treasuring the environment, GE food crops and the permissibility of cats given their predation on bird life in the district were dealt with.

With the exception of David Ogilvie's sceptical view and mindful of Dana Wensley's advise; she felt it better 'to not make an issue about the name, rather the effort ought be to concentrate on the effects', all were clear that change in the climate is here.

In respect to the issue of environmental education there was a mixture of answers, ranging from Kit Maling's view that it is a parental responsibility, and Anna Louise's concern that children are being asked to clean up the mess of the older generations. Most felt that Council has a lead role in educating the public in respect to the environmental effect of human activity. The issue for some being the cost constraint.

Tara dealt to this with the comment that many millions are proposed to be spent on large infrastructure projects versus the approximate $300,000 ear marked for environmental education in TDC's budget.

Richard Kempthorne was helpful here in identifying that although the 4 well beings had been removed from the Local Government Act, and the introduction of the new purpose statement, that a lot of concerns of the community fit into legitimate business of the Council, including linking with the community. Council continues to fund the Environmental Education officer's position.

To a question about banning GE Food cropping from the region, all prospects agreed with the exceptions of Richard Kempthorne and Dana Wensley who wanted to leave it open to a case by case approach, to allow for sensible opportunities that might be developed with beneficial properties.

Beth Bryant asked about 'Treasures of the Environment' and wanted responses as to whether the same rules that Council imposes on the public in respect to cutting down native trees ought apply to Council. She raised the issue of schools and their involvement in the Muddy Buddies and questioned this practice in relation to teaching children respect for the environment.

This promoted a range of responses. All felt that the general rules must apply to Council activities. In respect to muddy buddies event on the silt flats in the estuary, Steve Richard's response was typical in that he said there was benefit for participants in the event and that the silted and muddy estuary is an altered environment as originally it wasn't a muddy bottom.

Forest and Bird's other key question is the elimination of cats from the region and/or in lieu as a start the micro-chipping of cats to establish owners responsibility for their actions similar to dog owners. None of the prospects were supportive of a blanket ban, all preferring an educative approach to the issue of predatory felines.

The Renewables thank the candidates who participated in Friday night's meeting. It was an informative sharing of views and ideas. It is for the Tasman and Motueka residents to make their choice about who they see leading local affairs for the coming 3 years.

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