Saturday's Bluegreen conference at Te Anau was a chance to see and hear how different agencies around the country are proposing to deal with a range of environmental issues, including climate change and the government's 'cap and trade' programme. The presenter I found most inspiring was Guy Salmon, who had recently returned from Finland, where he was studying the process used by their central and local governments to make decisions. The consensus style used by Finland and Denmark is an excellent model for New Zealand, Guy said, and result in policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. We hear politicians of all stripes repeating this phrase, but the Finnish model is, I believe, essential for making the aim of having productivity balanced by environmental health, a reality. Several of the other presenters were well off the mark and behind the times with their vision for a 'sustainable New Zealand', but will hopefully have picked up some ideas from the better speakers.
4 comments:
I agree with your thoughts regarding consensus politics. Decisions should be made based on what is right rather than parties often striving to establish points of difference. It has also struck me that in our political system it is often not what is said that gains support, but who is saying it.
Maurice Rodway writes a similar piece in todays letters to the editor, Southland Times. Perhaps he's reading your blog Robert! It sounds like a very good idea this collaborative politics and bsprout seems to think so too.
It was interesting to read the Herald interview with Metiria Turei, also at the bg conference - her comment was that the 'elephant in the room', agricultural green house emissions, wasn't mentioned at all! With all the high country farmers in the room and the habit National has of innoculating any difficult issues, this is not at all surprising.
Off-topic but have you seen this?
http://snowybramble.blogspot.com/2007/10/flouride.html
There is a lot of correspondence around flouride in the paper right now and the Ministry has poured big money into their promotion in order to swing the referrendum.
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