Editorial: Getting RMA settings right
OPINION: The Government has been seeking industry feedback on its proposed amendments to a range of Resource Management Act (RMA) national direction instruments.
OPINION: Most people will be aware of the Government's plans to boost coal, oil and gas production to meet energy requirements.
Whatever your stance on the short-term efficacy of renewable sources and developments, it's worth noting a major reason for afforestation in New Zealand right now is offsetting emissions produced from fossil fuels.
Recent statistics show Kiwi farmers doing an admirable job of reducing their on-farm emissions, but the point of diminishing returns has already easily been reached.
If fossil fuel emissions keep up at the same rate in this country, we won't be able to reach our binding emissions targets for 2030 without - you guessed it - planting more trees. Where are these trees planted? Productive farming land. Who bears the cost of this conversion? Hard working Kiwi farmers.
The Government has two stances on this topic. One, increased domestic fossil fuel production will reduce reliance on imports, cutting down on transport costs and emissions and theoretically have a net reduction in emissions despite identical consumption rates.
Secondly, renewable sources are not developed enough to cover surges in electricity usage or convert our primarily petrol-powered transport fleet.
For all the publicity about the necessity of expanding fossil fuel production because renewables cannot supply 100% of the country 100% of the time, there seems to be much less government discussion about fixing or expanding the renewable energy grid in the first place.
Is there some discussion on this long-term plan? Certainly. Is it being given the same priority as the quick band-aid fix that may be shafting Kiwi farmers long-term? No.
Sadly, there is no easy solution. Any reasonable discussion will need to accept that someone, something, somewhere, is going to get a bum deal. Whether New Zealand will have to deal with reduced primary production, spottier energy supplies or a less green country is a bullet we must bite.
The question is, who should put the bell on the cat?
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
If there was a silver lining in the tragedy that was Cyclone Gabrielle, for New Zealand Young Grower of the Year, Grace Fulford, it was the tremendous sense of community and seeing first-hand what good leadership looks like.
New research could help farmers prepare for a future where summer rainfall is increasingly unpredictable and where drought risk is rising, no matter what.
The first calves of a new crossbred dairy-beef offering are now on the ground at a Pamu (Landcorp) farm near Taupo.
Spinach is NZ's favourite leafy green, according to the Department of Statistics.
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