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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Gore mayor on Solid Energy

At a meeting in the Gore District Council today, mayor Tracy Hicks said:

"Solid Energy are shifting their focus from the West Coast mines into coal-seam gas in the Waikato and the lignite seams of Southland."

I wonder if the miners and their families who marched in Greymouth today know that the loss of their jobs is the result of this decision by Don Elder and Solid Energy.
I wonder too, if the people of Gore and Mataura who might be expecting to get work with Solid Energy, look at how casually they pull out from a community when it suits them.
These of course, are just my opinions on the matter, but I don't think I'm too far off the ball here.

11 comments:

Shunda barunda said...

I think you are right on the ball.

We have heard of several families that purchased a house and started with Spring creek not more than 2 weeks ago.

The way Solid energy did this was appalling, surely they could have given them more time to adjust/transition to other work even if they do have to close the mine.

It doesn't surprise me though, despite what some locals think mining on the Coast has never been any different, it has always been a boom and bust industry.

The Coast is littered with ghost towns and is covered with scars, (both physical and emotional).
You would think that after 160 years or so that we would have understood this reality.

But no, every time the price of coal or gold rises the fever sets in and people forget remarkably quickly.

Bioneer said...

I wonder what house prices are like there now.

Anonymous said...

So you are off the ball then.
Mr E

robertguyton said...

Two differing opinions!
Who to trust, who to trust...?

Great gravatar, Bio!

Anonymous said...

3 opinions including your own. I just copied your opinion
Mr E

Anonymous said...

Obviously Mayor Tracy has been too busy availing himself of photo opps. (The Ensign 5/9/12)and has missed the press releases where the Chairman of Solid Energy stated they would consider selling some of their extensive land holdings in Eastern Southland.

Perhaps SE have noticed the reports of vast quantities of Uranium available from the sea, the relative safety of Nuclear power plants and the research on Nuclear Fission as the next step forward.

Tired Farmer

robertguyton said...

Are Solid Energy then, Tired Farmer, devaluing in order to make themselves more attractive for 'sale'? Seems a bad idea for we New Zealanders, but a good thing for buyers, that process, if that's what is happening.

Anonymous said...

Like it or not apart for some highly specialised technology exports the dairy industry is the only one that is holding its own at the moment and in the total context have and will have much to overcome.

It will be interesting to see the out come of negotiations between Solid Energy and NZAS re Tiwai Point, but is hard to see the NZ taxpayer winning whatever is decided.

This is especially true as NZ is increasingly governed by minority groups.

Colin McIntyre "trading"as Tired Farmer.

robertguyton said...

"This is especially true as NZ is increasingly governed by minority groups."

For example, the Act Party?

You are quite right though, Colin - we taxpayers are getting screwed regularly. Who's doing that and why? That's what I'd like to know. I'm very suspicious that it's the wealthy and the corporate, with John Key facilitating the process of theft from the ordinary man and woman.

Anonymous said...

I was thinking more Of the Greens, Maori and ACT controlling the action.

robertguyton said...

The Greens are not in Government, they are in opposition. How can they be 'controlling the action'?