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Forest & Bird » Terrestrial

1. Mandy
   Administrator

   Even economic commentators like Rod Oram have come out against dairying in the Mackenzie basin and spoken generally about the short-sightedness of the government's plans to lift our GDP -

   'To try to keep its high volume, low value model working it is throwing increasing quantities of water, nutrients and capital at increasingly poorer land. The ultimate expression to date is the plan to bring cows indoors in the Mackenzie Basin.'

   And he's said a few harsh words about the government's plan to mine our national parks. Have a read if you haven't read it already.....

   http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/business/3350436/Epoch-defining-insight-and-the-govt-missed-it

   So far, 1800 people have sent an e-card to John Key asking him to keep the Mackenzie country brown. If you haven't sent an e-card, send one now. We need to keep the pressure on!

   http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/mckenzie-country-/dont-turn-our-mackenzie-country-brown

   Posted 1 year ago #

2. Mandy
   Administrator

   On our travels throughout the Mackenzie country and beyond we popped in on poet, mountaineer and fly fisher Brian Turner. In this vid (6 minutes) he explains what the Mackenzie means to him, and how he feels about it turning into a giant farm. I came away from the whole thing feeling quite moved....check it out....

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBhYy0LyHBo

   Posted 1 year ago #

3. Speargrass
   User Profile

   Brian and Graeme Sydney speak about the clarity and colour of the light in our highland tussocks.

   Those pivots will be the end of those beautiful hues commercial irrigation will displace those tussocks, the colour and light will be gone and something in the soul of this country will be extinguished. sold for the price of a milkshake.

   I am out the back to watch a bit more I am lucky I guess at least I saw it for what it really is.

   The file is too big to load here and I wont shrink it it can be seen here.

   http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/Weathered/Gloaming/P3060007-1.jpg

   Posted 1 year ago #

4. Speargrass
   User Profile

   
   

   Posted 1 year ago #

5. emma-kate
   User Profile

   Stunning photograph, Speargrass!

   This was on stuff today:

   http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/farming/3402049/Dairy-farmer-appeals-ECans-restrictions

   Poor old prosecuted dairy farm developers aren't allowed to fill a significant swamp with effluent discharge....boo hoo.

   Posted 1 year ago #

6. Mandy
   Administrator

   Looky, looky Sam Neil has also lambasted the idea of dairying in the Mackenzie Country

   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10631033

   And in this piece Anton Oliver's speaks out about the proliferation of dairy farms in the SI.

   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10631035

   For the most part, the Herald has done very little to cover the Mackenzie country issue, so its good to see both of these articles feature prominently on their website.

   Maybe we *can* get Aucklanders to care about South Island issues?

   Over the past few months, I have casually polled Aucklanders to see whether they have ventured to the SI, or whether they can pinpoint the Mackenzie country, and while the majority of them have gone to the mainland (once or twice), they struggle to identify this iconic piece of country.

   That said, they can be particulary star-stuck in this part of the country, so it's good to see megawatts like Sam Neil, getting behind this campaign....

   Posted 1 year ago #

7. Marina Skinner
   User Profile

   If you're going to the Ellerslie Flower Show in Christchurch, head for Forest & Bird's exhibit to get an idea of the impact of bright green irrigation cirles in the Mackenzie Basin. The exhibit in the Hort Galore marquee has shocking turf circles superimposed on a beautifully bronzed tussock landscape.
   It's a strong message - and the exhibit won one of the show's 16 bronze awards.

   Posted 1 year ago #

8. auckland anne
   User Profile

   I don't know if I'm reading too much into this one, but I loved the three cow-hide-covered cubes at the front to of the same F&B display too - a comment about cubicle cow farming on the Mackenzie tussock landscape?

   Posted 1 year ago #

9. auckland anne
   User Profile

   Hey, and it's not right to say that Aucklanders don't care about the SI. Don't even go there with starting that old gingernut nonsense up. Just remember where a lot of letters and pressure on pollies comes from to get things like protection of West Coast forests, and the like. From all over the country. Even Wellington...8-)
   But it is good to see support from Sea-lebrities (got that one from Kirstie seeing as it's Seaweek - very good).

   Posted 1 year ago #

10. auckland anne
    User Profile

    Have been told by the F&B Facebook editor-type that photos of the F&B stand that won bronze award at the Ellerslie Flower Show are on their way. Stay tuned...

    Posted 1 year ago #

11. Marina Skinner
    User Profile

    Forest & Bird's Ellerslie Flower Show exhibit about the irrigation threats to the Mackenzie Basin ...

    

    Attachments

    1. Ellerslie.JPG (90.9 KB, 0 downloads) 1 year old

    Posted 1 year ago #

12. auckland anne
    User Profile

    Just a reminder about the Action Weekend that F&B is organising at Twizel on Anzac weekend (24th-25th April) http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/events/mackenzie-action-weekend

    Posted 1 year ago #

13. Kaipara
    User Profile

    The McKenzie Country is still NOT safe despite the decision to retract the effluent disposal applications for factory dairy farms there.

    The risk is that proposals are going ahead, and the agri-developers proceeding with their applications to take water for irrigation in the upper Waitaki with the result there is still the threat that tens of thousands of dairy cows are destined to despoil the golden landscape of the McKenzie.

    This type of devlopment will result in a massive loss of biodiversity as the rare and beautiful golden tussock ecosystem will be destroyed and replaced by green grass.

    The proposals will also result in ground and surface water contamination on a massive scale as cow effluent seeps through the ecosystem and into the alpine lakes in the Waitaki catchment.

    The Government needs to act now to protect our iconic Mackenzie country and suggestions such as a National Policy Statement would provide a considered plan for the whole region rather than ad hoc decisions being made on a case by case basis.

    Posted 1 year ago #

14. Kaipara
    User Profile

    Sure enough, its evident the agri-dvelopers are just playing the waiting game tactic.

    Consents for irrigation are still being sought by Southdown Holdings Ltd, Williamson Holdings Ltd and Five Rivers Ltd.

    They also retained the land use consents (valid for five years) for converting the golden tussocks of the McKenzie Country to irrigrated green grass patches, and for the large sheds.

    These companies are still on record asserting that cubicle-based diary farming is right in the McKenzie Country.

    Withdrawal of the applications for discharge consents are just a delaying tactic. Let the public opposition calm down and dissipate and quietly go ahead with it in 2-3 years time.

    Just as well conservationists never sleep !

    Posted 1 year ago #

15. Kaipara
    User Profile

    Don't let the mining smokescreen cloud this issue off the horizon too ! We need to support EDS efforts to fight this in the courts while keeping up the lobbying pressure on the Government that allowing this to happen would be another tragedy for our iconic landscapes.

    Mining in our NPs, intensive dairying in our iconic landscapes, water resource ripoffs in Canterbury. It's all on !

    Posted 1 year ago #

16. Kaipara
    User Profile

    Another aspect aired elsewhere, but also part of this debate ....

    "Back in August 2007, the then Labour Government acknowledged that continued intensification of dairy farming like that in Canterbury was posing a threat to public health through its effect on drinking water."

    Imagine what factory dairy farming will do to the groundwater acquifers of Otago if this is allowed to proceed in the McKenzie Country. Not just taking huge water resources from the acquifers for irrigation of paddocks and stock water, but also the downstream effects of waste-water from this type of operation.

    "The Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, Dr Alistair Thompson, said then that the Canterbury Plains Water scheme that aimed to irrigate 60,000 hectares of farm land for dairy farming, had the potential to cause significant health problems. 

He said that a study by ESR showed a clear link between intensive dairy farming practises, contaminated drinking water and sickness."

    If dairy effluent runoff from normal dairy farms is too polluted for humans to safely drink, what impact does a factory dairy farm effluent have on the stream and wetland ecology of an area like the McKenzie Country and the aquatic ecology of the high country river systems ???

    Posted 1 year ago #

17. Mandy
    Administrator

    This was on the front page of the press - woo hoo!

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/3599206/Mackenzie-handover-slammed-as-ecocide

    Posted 1 year ago #

18. Mandy
    Administrator

    Ah, and a nice interview with our conservation advocate and former Mackenzie-ite, Nic Vallance -

    http://95bfm.com/assets/sm/195559/3/NicVallance.mp3

    Posted 1 year ago #

19. Mandy
    Administrator

    And another one on Radio Live -

    http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Nicola-Vallance-Forest--Bird-advocate-on-ecological-threats-to-The-MacKenzie-country/tabid/506/articleID/13646/Default.aspx

    Go Nic!

    Posted 1 year ago #

20. Mandy
    Administrator

    Nice Tom Scott cartoon in the Dom Post today - hopefully this is syndicated throughout all of Fairfax's regional papers!

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/cartoons/

    Posted 1 year ago #

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