The comment below was made by a visitor to this blog earlier today and resulted from a post that described the Southern Branch of the Feds calling for a peer review of the science thus far collected re Waituna Lagoon. With the author's kind permission, I've dragged it out into 'front of house' to see if it resonates with other readers. If it does, or if you disagree with Piwakawaka's view, you are very welcome to put in your two cents worth.
The refusal to accept science, and to challenge it is a tactic long-used by NZ's commercial fishing industry - and this is no different from the Feds.
I have worked alongside the feds for many years through a variety of issues and topics, and the constant vitriol, attacks, lies and aggression have staggered me, and frankly, no longer surprise me. I also have many farmer friends who refuse to join them, because of their dinosaur-like attitudes to the environment. It's no wonder their membership is dropping.
So tell me, how come the Feds, with a mere 20 000 members get so much airplay and 'power', when an outfit like Forest & Bird with 70 000 members has to push hard to even be heard?
I have worked alongside the feds for many years through a variety of issues and topics, and the constant vitriol, attacks, lies and aggression have staggered me, and frankly, no longer surprise me. I also have many farmer friends who refuse to join them, because of their dinosaur-like attitudes to the environment. It's no wonder their membership is dropping.
So tell me, how come the Feds, with a mere 20 000 members get so much airplay and 'power', when an outfit like Forest & Bird with 70 000 members has to push hard to even be heard?
5 comments:
I would daresay the productive value of those 20,000 Fed members to the national GDP far eclipses any perceived value F&B might have other than a sink for fees and taxes.
ah, except that tourism is NZ's greatest export earner - and organisations like F&B protect the 'clean green' brand our country relies on. 75% of tourists come here to engage with the natural places... and it's worth $21billion per annum.
the diatribe about farmers being the backbone of this country is long out of date. it's time we nurtured what grows our economy, and that is our brand, our (relatively) clean wild places and our unique native wildlife.
I smell faulty logic PM!
The Fed members may farm and swell our GDP, just as the F&B may farm, doctor, teach, buy and sell, speculate, engineer, lay drains or electric cables etc. in order to match the productivity of their farming brothers and sisters. It's what they do outside of their involvement with their chosen organisation that determines their value to the country's coffers, surely. Now, how about assessing their relative values to the environment PM? That'd test your mettle!
ah, i guess the lack of response (personally i feel it's an outrageous situation) shows the biggest danger to the NZ environment. Apathy. if people don't take an active interest in the fact that the few are exploiting the resources that belong to the many (water for example!), then we will lose our own natural heritage, with nary a whimper.
Agreed Anon, but the day's not over yet, nor is the issue.
As Dana Lyon's grandmother said,
"If you want to be heard, SPEAK LOUDER!"
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