And it's goodbye from him...

Water privitization

Interested in how plans to privitize our water are progressing?
Red Alert has this well constructed deconstruction of Rodney Hide and John Key's plans to make us pay more for our water, starting in Auckland but coming soon to a city or town near you.

West Plains orchard - today's labour.

I'm planting another orchard of heritage apple trees today. Well, digging the holes at least. There are over 200 trees to go in and it'll take more than one day's graft but I have friends to help so we should get it done this week. It looks like cold, cold weather is due this weekend coming, so we'll not waste time dithering.

South Canterbury Finance collapse

Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce head Peter Townsend said the impact if the company was allowed to fail would be "gigantic".

Kapiti sharebroker and analyst Chris Lee said claims of its failure would pull the rug from under the South Island dairy industry were "hysterical".

Jim's gracious letter

Jim Fenton, (ex) candidate for Environment Southland council writes in today's Letters column:

Nomination withdrawn

Apologies. With an unfortunate rush of blood to the head I decided to stand for a fourth term as a councillor on Environment Southland. Unsurprisingly, my family and friends have since questioned whether, in my twilight years, I would be physically able to do justice to this position if I was re-elected to the council. On consideration I cannot but agree with them and accordingly I have withdrawn my nomination. With nearly 30 years of local body service I would like to express my appreciation to the many voters who have shown their confidence in me over this period of time.

Jim Fenton, Invercargill



That's a very gracious letter and well writ Jim.
 
Now we are 13.

Like a passing wind

Good luck with ERO Bioneer!

The Brute Squad ... in Otatara???

Trevor Mallard writes:

"Hearing that Anne Tolley pleaded for the Diplomatic Protection Squad (DPS) to intervene in the Invercargill creative writing exercise is almost impossible to believe."

That is unbelievable!

Mallard goes on to describe the uses to which John Key puts the Diplomatic Protection Squad:

"I want to make it clear I’m not criticising them.

It is just the vast numbers that the PM uses. Taking four to Hawaii. Having five escourting him around parliament. Using them as a battering ram around airports. And as personal servants holding his towel in the gym."

Very odd.

More (coal) smoke screen

"A Wellington think tank claims that the proposed lignite-to-urea fertilizer plant by the government coal miner, Solid Energy, is expected to get more than $500 million subsidies over the first 20 years of its carbon debt."

"The $1.4 billion plant collectively developed by farmer-owned fertilizer company Ravensdown and Solid Energy will be the second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the coal-fired Huntly power station.:"

"CEO Conor English said: "Our information is that the plant would be carbon compliant from day one, and logic tells you that when you are producing the product locally it must be better than producing it on the other side of the world and shipping it to New Zealand."

Read more

And more

And more

(Hat-tip treesoftomorrow)

Bountiful backyards

Today, 12 aspiring backyard-bounty creators will be in my garden learning what to do to transform their own backyard into a cornucopia of fruit,vegetables, flowers and everything else it takes to be surrounded by bounty.

Robyn and I will be showing them how we did it and what it's like to live in a food forest and what it takes to keep it productive.
I'll be busy all day and not writing posts for a blog, I've been assured of that!

It'll be a great day.

Off now to barrow the alpaca poo to the pile of corn husks in readiness for the compost heap we'll build later.

I'll report back after 3.

Coal Corp moves

Don Elder, Solid Energy C.E.O. is breathlessly over-excited (Aug 28) about Southland’s lignite, saying he expects his company to ‘aggressively move forward’ with it’s lignite projects and that Solid Energy was ‘very serious’ about turning that grubby lignite into crude oil, diesel and urea.


Mr Elder says he wants to make his multi-billion dollar plans ‘as real as possible, as soon as possible’.

What he’s not telling us is how much extra his grand plans will cost taxpayers. On October 1st, you and I will start paying for the gas that big industries like Solid Energy belch out, thanks to the Government’s Emissions Trading Scheme.

Don Elder’s plans to put much, much more of that gas into the atmosphere here in Southland, will have to be paid for.

You can guess who will be paying.

Self Sufficiency Lynda says ...

It's the greatest thing since sliced bread: sliced apples, peeled and cored by the Chinese-made contraption that spits out a stark naked apple slinky every seven seconds. These nifty gadgets are all over Trade Me, though I bought mine from the Environment Centre in Riverton. Best $27.50 I've ever spent.

(Sunday Star Times 'self-sufficiently lynda')

Whose rock is this?

The winds of change

(Seleted quotes from the Southland Times with green highlights!).

"The winds of change will blow through Environment Southland at this year's election"

"Twelve positions on the council are in the offing and among the candidates making their first forays into politics are an environmentalist, farmer, former school principal and accountant."

"Lawrence Livingstone and Keith Milne were nominated and they join former Southland Boys' High School rector Ernest (Rowley) Currie, Riverton environmentalist Robert Guyton, accountant Neil Wyeth and council watchdog Pauline McIntosh trying to beat out standing candidates."

Annie's sheep (for Rivetting Kate Taylor)

Annie made this from felt.
The detail is astonishing all the way down to the hooves.

Gollum

This tiny fish has inadvertently helped to prevent the damming of the Nevis river, simply by living there. Good on you Gollum (gollum galaxias).
I walked the Nevis Valley 30 years ago and I did it bare-footed! I've not met anyone yet who can say the same and for good reason probably - it was pretty tough going! Though it was summer, I got snowed-in for two days, sheltering in a 'cabin' at the half-way point, eating food that was left there for the purpose by the thoughtful owners (thank you again whoever you are). I had to make 'shoes' for myself to walk out across the snowy ground - I bound my feet with sacking to fashion footwear that lasted about 100 metres! From then on it was pretty chilly going but I did it! When I got to Cromwell, I bought jandels!
Back to the fish - today's Times carries a story about Gollum's cousins who swim in the more dangerous waters of the Waiau Mouth near Tuatapere, where they are being scooped up, not only by recreational whitebaiters but also by criminal suppliers of the 'whitebait black-market'. Police and DoC staff seem to be making a greater effort this year to apprehend the night-'fishermen', but I suspect that greed will win this battle and the extractive industry that whitebaiting is, will continue, at the detriment of the native fishes.
All the more reason to cheer for Gollum!

Who's That Guy?

Who's running? Neil Wyeth

I'm going to run a series of profiles on the other candidates standing for Environment Southland (Invercargill/Rakiura).
Prompted by a letter in today's Southland Times from Neil Wyeth, here's the first of the series.

Neil Wyeth

Neil was appointed as a Trustee (Community Trust of Southland) in 2000. He is Chair of the Trust's Finance Committee.

Neil is currently a company director and a commercial dispute mediator and arbitrator - he had previously been a partner in a major local firm of chartered accountants.

Neil's present community activities largely revolve around the Anglican Church for whom he is a board member of the Dunedin Diocesan Trust Board. Past interests include the Invercargill YMCA of which he is a past president and life member. Neil enjoys regular walking and golf.


Neil's letter to the editor:

Nominators not named


As a candidate for the Environment Southland elections, I was very disappointed when the names of just two of my five nominators were published.
Two of the three, whose names weren't in the paper, John Prendergast and Wayne Harpur, were people I had worked alongside, for nine years, when I was the chairman of the finance committee, of the Community Trust of Southland, and the other was Ken Connell, a prominent Invercargill businessman and long-time friend.
I wrote to the Electoral Officer and asked him why only two names were published and his reply was, "We only show the first two qualified nominators as this is all that is required under the local electoral act to have a valid nomination. This stops candidates from having potentially hundreds of nominators if they wanted to make a point."
I note that the Electoral Officer for the Invercargill City Council names all nominators and many have more than two and none have hundreds.
I also asked the Electoral Officer, for my election if, when there is no requirement to do so, the names on the ballot papers will be listed alphabetically, and he confirmed that this would happen. This is to the obvious disadvantage, when there is a big number of candidates, to those "at the end of the queue".

Neil Wyeth, candidate for Environment Southland

At the arboretum

Today I'm planting apple trees at the Otautau Arboretum and I'll not be there alone. A team of Open Orchard enthusiasts will help plant the heritage apple trees that we have previously grafted from scions collected from old orchards all around Southland. The orchard we plant today at the arboretum will have trees that were found in the vicinity of Otautau and should thrive there, providing the rabbits don't gnaw them through. I've bought plastic sleeves to protect the young trunks. If you want to help us plant them, we'll be there at 10:30 am.

Next week, we are putting in another similar orchard at West Plains. Both will serve as a 'genetic pool' for future grafting and will bear fruit that any Southlander will be able to pick.

Echium in my garden

This echium is kicking off its second year of life with a burst of growth that will rocket it up to a height of 6 metres, through it's spectacular inflorescence. Bees come from everywhere to share the joy.
I've got them growing throughout my garden and they are a feature of the Taramea beachfront as well.
Originally, they were a feature of beachfronts on the Canary Islands!

Haiku competition

Alan Summers asks:

Would any of your readers and/or yourself considering entering our haiku competition which is also for good causes?

The 2010 With Words International Online Haiku Competition: http://www.withwords.org.uk/comp.html
all my best,

Alan, With Words

I think I'll give it a go. I love writing haiku.

What is haiku?

City car

Otatara School stuns Minister

Stunned Minister

"Mrs Tolley says she was stunned to see the letter"
Well, she's easily stunned!
"Otatara School Board of trustees chairman Justin Reid says the letter was written to promote creative writing."
Very sensible response from the board member.
Mr Reid then goes on to say,
"The school has apologised unreservedly to Mrs Tolley."
Less  so.
This might put things into perspective.

Wild the City

This link takes you to Tessa Bunning's "Wild the City" Blog which:
"exhibits the benefits of providing complex, multipurpose landscapes in our cities.  It will be a guide for embracing the wild in even the most urban of spaces.  It’s for everyone, from urban designers and landscape architects to both the interested and indifferent general community."

Tessa is presenting a seminar at Environment Southland on Wednesday, September 1st, 4:00pm to 5.30 pm, called "Wild The City" (Creating Complex Green Spaces, Encouraging Wildness in our City).
I'll post more details shortly.
(Hat-tip Juliet Larkin)

Burning the prunings

The pruning of our apple trees is 99% done.

I'm burning the prunings to prevent any diseases from establishing or spreading.

The ash will go back under the apple trees.

I love the clean lines the fire creates once the middle has burned out.

Your Vote

There's a website specially made for showcasing the candidates for the local body elections. The Environment Southland page is here.
On the page you are able to ask each and every candidate questions, as sticky, thorny, patsy or prickly as you like!
I hope you will use the opportunity to grill us all. I'm up for it, so if you have a moment, visit the site and throw me a curly one.
So far, no questions have been posted.
It's disappointing ...

Contentious frame

This empty frame has puzzled Rivertonians ever since it was constructed, around the time the whitebait stand cattle yards helicopter pad ferry terminal white elephant viewing platform was built. Why was it built? What's planned to go in it? Is anything going to go in it?

Lately, there's been some movement in the vicinity of the big frame and it seems the Community Board has 'commissioned' a work from a local man, a sculptural piece that will be graceful, robust and, wait for it, non-controversial!

This will be interesting.

I'll bring up-dates as they come in.

For now, watch that space!

Cantabrians irritated by pamphlet

Prime Minister John Key has further inflamed anti-National feeling in Canterbury with his latest attempt to 'test the water' around the dumping of the Canterbury Regional Council. Pamphlets sent out, at the taxpayers expense, to all households in the region asking for views over the sacking of the Ecan council have brought a sharp and far from favourable response from people in the region.

 From the Press:

"The form asks whether people agreed with the Government's actions, if they can rank water issues and when new ECan elections should be held.
Key asks that the voting form be returned to local National MPs."

"Former ECan chairman Sir Kerry Burke said the letter was "self-serving" six weeks out from the local body elections. "It is a party political broadcast actually."
Former councillor Jane Demeter said it was a sham."


"Asked what would happen if survey respondents overwhelmingly opposed the sackings and called for immediate regional elections, the Prime Minister's Office did not reply."

Calling all males!!!!

Today I cycled out to South Invercargill to answer the call for:
"Dads, Step-Dads,Uncles, Grandfathers, Brothers and Family Friends" 
to read to the kids of Fernworth School.
There were plenty of us there, us Dads etc, all ages and all slightly nervous about what they'd volunteered for - reading stories in front of an audience. I met some good men there - I know they were good because they were there! I read 'How Tom Beat Captain Najork and his Hired Sportsmen" and the class I read to, my son Terry's crew, seemed to really enjoy it!
It was great to see the response from the blokes of South Invercargill and I applaud the staff of Fernworth for their great idea.
On the way home, fighting a moderately strong headwind that made hauling my bike trailer-with-billboards a bit more of a challenge than usual, I was hailed by Bev Winiata, who hosts a Community Radio programme and we made plans for an on-air chat sometime soon. She was on her way to interview Tim Shadbolt and promised to do a promo for me during the afternoon - thanks Bev!
There was lots of tooting as I made my way around the city and I'm going to take it all as positive in a thumbs-up sort of way but it may well have been a get-off-the-road message, who knows. Certainly there were lots of waves.
At least I think they were waving!

The One Plan

The Manawatu-Whanganui Regional Council has confirmed that dairy farming will be a controlled activity in the region.

The regional council's chief executive, Michael McCartney, says because runoff from dairy farms is polluting the region's waterways, the activity will now be regulated.

Mr McCartney says dairy farmers will be required to meet effluent and fertiliser management conditions, and must keep stock out of waterways.

The final version of the regional council's One Plan, released on Tuesday, has been written by an independent panel of commissioners and covers the management of the region's natural resources over the next 10 years.

Full story here.

What do you think about that?

The banner I'm campaigning under

Landmark #1 - The Rotunda

Are you allowed to ride a bicycle through Queens' Park?
I kinda scooted, rode at a snail's pace and walked beside my bike, depending on the proximity of gardeners and the signs that warned of spy cameras!

From Te Anau - Annie's chicken dome (with cow)

Nominations are in, the race is on!

Cue TV has invited all candidates to take part in the series of televised debates and I've booked a seat on the Environment Southland candidates panel. The time frame is very short - an introduction then a series of questions from the floor.

I'm looking foward to it very much, in part and as I said to the Cue TV woman who contacted me, because I'm told I have a great face for radio.

It's a free-for-oil!

Petrobras of Brazil was awarded an exploration permit two months ago off the East Coast without any environmental scrutiny, says Labour's Environment Spokesperson Charles Chauvel.
Charles has been reading through the reports obtained by Radio New Zealand under the Official Information Act that show that our government is playing roulette with our environment.
Any Southlander who cares for the coastline, the waters of Foveaux Strait and beyond, the fish and mammals that swim there and the muttonbirds that visit every year, should be deeply concerned at this political lack of care.
Charles Chauvel, despite the record of his own party when they were governing us, is saying,

"The Government must change the law in this area to put safety and environmental considerations to the fore."
and that " "National has no plan to protect the environment."

Time to call them to account.

Te Anau talks

Off to Te Anau for Friday and Saturday to give three talks; morning, afternoon and evening.
The sky looks blue over that way.
Almost as blue as it is here in Riverton.
What a winter!

Heritage seed potatoes

1 Purple Heart
2 Kowiniwini
2 Moemoe
3 Pink Fir
3 Urenika

$5 at the South Coast Environment Centre
Riverton

Thank you John Taylor of Gore

Latest letter

The letters to the editor of the Southland Times around the driftwood sculptures are becoming more and more bold and creative.
Today's, from David Russel makes the point that has become very apparent, that the public, ordinary people, us, we, have a powerful voice and can shape circumstance by our shared responses - we aren't beholden to the actions of bullies, curmudgeons and councils, where those decisions run against the will of the people. It's a very encouraging state of affairs!

 Cunning sculptural plot


I have seen through the cunningly rendered plot surrounding Wayne Hill's clever sculptures.
It's brilliant.
Focus the nation's attention on a great little sea-side "family"and "culturally" friendly town beset by a mean gang of four, and a heartless council attempting to wrap creativity up in toxic paperwork.
That and the big fee surely designed to crush our hero at the centre of the saga.
Enter Jo Citizen and the merry band of free spirited, fun-loving Rivertonians, who set in motion a tsunami of public support.
And to our hero, surfing the support superbly, and continuing to exhibit his wit and wisdom through wood, bigger and better projects beckon.
The plot keeps evolving.
The fees may be waived. For after all, is it not the councils' commercial clients who benefit from the extra traffic.
Imagine the traffic that will be generated by the new "Sculpture Capital of the South", that ought to arise after the council awards Wayne Hill the first of the new Sculpture Artist in Residence?
I predict he will be followed by a stone artist, who will utilise the region's famous pakohe/argillite stone found in pre-sculpted abundance around that glorious coast.
And having got the neurological protest message satisfactorily hammered home, the television crews can be standing by in waiting to document the half-hour show documenting the saga set in motion by Wayne.
So, two things to sort, and let's hope at last, the message to both sets of decision makers is undeniable.
The public is right after all.

David Russell, Invercargill

FH

Coal research

Geoff Evans PhD writes:

I have completed my PhD thesis on the topic ‘A Just Transition to Sustainability in a Climate Change Hot-spot: The Hunter Valley, Australia’
In summary, my research attempts to describe the threat coal mining is posing to local and global sustainability

I hope the research is of some help in our shared struggle for a better world, and (even though it is an academic thesis rather than an easy to read crime novel) that you might enjoy reading it. I am happy to discuss the research with you any time, and feel free to forward the link to anyone who you think might be interested.

The thesis is available on line to anyone interested in reading it at the Australian Digital Thesis system at:

http://ogma.newcastle.edu.au:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:6253

Afternoon light - Fleck's Hall

There's Doug right there!

Doug who?
Doug Bath (He's the blur!)

Pot plant

Incoming

The Asian paper wasp

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Subfamily: Polistinae
Tribe: Polistini
Genus: Polistes
Species: Chinensis
Scientific name: Polistes chinensis
Common name: Asian Paper wasp

He's made it to Riverton, probably amongst fruit delivered from the North Island. He's most likely a queen. Seems either gender can take up the mantle where needed. I have one of these slender wasps in a pottle beside me now. I won't be releasing her. She's very resiliant, having been inside of the pottle for two weeks now and showing no signs of failing and I don't want her flying free around here.

Small town shenanigans

The Southland Express's Phil McCarthy's had some good times out here in Riverton and tells us all about it in his opinion column this week.











He was here when the Verlaines played their 'blistering gig' and Graeme Downes 'lashed out a performance for the ages' and he's followed the paths of Radar and Don McGlashen as they swung into our little fishing village, garnished as it is with sprigs of 'hippy-organic' and he is, so far as I can tell, a Stag supporter, describing Wayne Hill's creations as 'wonderful' and wondering whether his detractors should perhaps 'get away from the estate once in a while'.

"But what do I know", Phil asks, "I don't even live there".

Come on out Phil, you'd be made very welcome. We like creative, flexible, talented, tolerant music and art lovers with a sense of humour. You'd find that 99% of us are like that out here.

(I didn't see you at Radar's 'Eating the Dog' performance, and know you'll be kicking yourself for missing a fabulous night - he's a laugh and a half and an all-round good guy!)

From foreshore to farm

5:30 tonight, Cue TV.

Good decision ES.

Out-going chairman Stuart Collie talked some sense at yesterday's council meeting when he suggested, with regard the artworks in Riverton's estuary, that the council take a softer approach.

From the Southland Times:

" He told the environmental management committee the council should not discourage people from getting involved in artistic activities.
Instead, he wanted the possibility of waiving the fee investigated."

Mark Hunter, Compliance Manager, said that papers to that effect had already been sent to Mr Hill and that he was "waiting to see his reaction".

The ball, bill, bull is in your court now Driftwood Guy!

This is not me

Southland Times

"The local body elections in Invercargill will be a prime example of "celebrity" politics, says a university lecturer. "

That's a discouraging start, given that the photo that accompanies the story is of me. However, the author, Kimberly Crayton-Brown goes on to say,

"One Southland candidate who bucks the trend is Robert Guyton, who has been nominated for Environment Southland.

Well-known in environmental circles but not a "celebrity", and not a politician, Mr Guyton said he would be a good person to vote for because he did not have any "vested interests".

I'm grateful that Kimberly made the distinction. From a lengthy phone interview last night, Kimberly extracted this quote about why I'd begun my campaigning-on-a-bike in at Environment Southland HQ,

""I thought it was good fun to start my campaign on my bike outside Environment Southland itself," he said.

"That's where I intend to end up."

Sadly, or perhaps thankfully, the photo has not made it online, but I'm happy with it and it's got to be good for my campaign.

I'm excited too, about the serendipitous offer from Doug Bath of Gladstone Cycles, to park my bike in front of his high visibility bike shop, right at the traffic lights on North Road, when I'm not riding it.

I bought my bicycle from the shop and it just seems right!

Thanks Doug! (I'll 'do something' on the cycle shop soon, because it's so good!).

Shunda's close-up

Waiting for the Times

Engineers solution

Southland topiary

Local body elections blog

bsprout has started up a blog that will follow the progress of the local body elections here in Southland and will included questionaires sent out to all candidates. Those responses will  published on-line as they come in. I think it's a great idea and bsprout's just the blogger to do a fair job drawing out from candidates what it is they think they are doing, putting their hand up for the various positions.
Click here to visit Local Bodies.