New Zealand’s environment is at the very core of our economic and social wellbeing. Without total commitment to preserving and enhancing the environment we rely on for the bulk of our national income (agriculture and tourism) and our unparalleled quality of life we are lost.
Short-sighted governments past and present have ignored sustainability in the myopic pursuit of growth at all costs while our rivers have become clogged with pollution and our natural heritage degraded.
We squander the very lifeblood of our ecosystem by giving away water, virtually for free, to overseas companies, agriculture and industry.
The Clearwater Action Plan is a suite of fully researched, evidence based policies to stop the degradation of our environment so it can be handed on to future generations intact and if possible enhanced.
The goal is all New Zealand rivers will be swimmable, all ecosystems sustainable.
WATER IS A PUBLIC RESOURCE NOT A COMMERCIAL FREEBIE
We will protect civil society’s access to water for everyday human requirements, drinking, cooking and cleaning.
Beyond those requirements water consents will only be allocated if they are environmentally and socially sustainable. There will be no grand-parenting based on past usage.
Commercial users can opt to be consented users or remain non-consented. Consents for set periods will be auctioned and provide the holder priority but not exclusive access. In addition for commercial users (including hydro generators) there will be a per litre charge.
The per litre price will be determined by the market so ensuring that the commercial allocation goes to the best economic use. Consent owners get first rights to the water at the market price.
The income from the consents and from the per litre charge will be used to establish regional Nature Improvement Funds (NIFs) which will allow Regional Councils to invest in a wide range of environmentally beneficial projects.
The Opportunities Party is the only party prepared to make commercial water users pay a market rate for this vital resource.
POLLUTER PAYS
Water catchments will be assessed for the level of nitrate and other pollutants that the community and the taxpayer will tolerate. Businesses will have their pollutant contribution to the catchment measured. Those who are above the sustainable level will pay a penalty, those below will receive payment from the penalty pool.
Those who don’t pollute will become more profitable, the profitability of those who do will fall. The choice will be clear, clean up your act or face higher costs.
The Opportunities Party is the only party proposing a true polluter pays system.
RESOLVING OWNERSHIP
Both National and Labour have refused to make meaningful progress on resolving the issue of water ownership. That failure is largely to blame for the mess we find ourselves in now.
The Opportunities Party will seek to settle these issues once and for all with due regard to the provisions of the Treaty of Waitangi. This is a precondition for establishing a commercial model for water.
The Opportunities Party is alone in calling for a resolution of the water ownership issue.
This will make for an interesting debate.
It reminds me of the Seabed and Foreshore arguments in 2004/2005 in which Maori claimed, amongst other things, to have customary title to some areas.
It was subverted by some groups into an argument about Maori wanting to own the water in the rivers and lakes.
Some people would say that we already pay for water.
Some people would counter by saying that we don’t pay for the actual water but pay for the means to get it (the reticulation).
It will be a minefield for TOP.
He might well have given up on the rural vote with this.
Subject: Re: The Clear Water Action Plan
From Robert Atack
To Gareth Morgan
Date Today 09:14
Contact photo
Message Body
Hi Gareth
I think you know a lot more than you let on, but maybe not?
It is very confusing, your public statements have mentioned our inaction on climate change clash with say your past promotion of Kiwisaver for one thing, and your political goals?
@405ppm CO2 and nearly 2 ppm CH4 humans are very much in the same position the dynasors were in when they saw the Siberian traps forming asteroid flying through the atmosphere, except the they had a few thousand more years to get use to the fact that they were going extinct, as it took something like 10,000 years of constant volcanic action to do what humans have done in about 200 years.
Your constant promotion of growth is just compounding the situation, not that it matters for everything that is alive now as ‘we’ can not make the situation any worse.
Then there is the 440 nuclear power plants, that will need up to 50 years of power inputs to prevent all of then going ‘Fukushima dumping ton and tons of radiation into the atmosphere – causing the atmosphere to total burn off.
You have got to spend a few hours listening to or reading professor Guy McPherson’s statements and summery of the true situation humans and the rest of life is in
I’m a 4th for dropout, so what would I know? But I have been following all this stuff for the past 18 years with an average of at least 2 hours a day reading about our future, and humans reaction to the truth, I can see you now looking like the 3 monkeys hear see say nothing. I know you will prove me right by not telling the truth to the pig ignorant masses.
This system is a heat engine, even if all 7.3 billion of us went back to running around naked and living in caves it wouldn’t change the position we are locked into.
About the only thing the global ‘leaders’ could do to reduce future suffering (apart from mass sterilisation, or maybe including) is to stock pile suicide pills, I’m sure that would go down like a cup of cold sick.
I know these are just ‘movies’ but maybe it will help you get your head around what Guy and all the pear reviewed info he supplies is showing
The Road, 22After.Com, and for a reasonably good depiction of why you are looking like a primate – Blind Spot
You are saying a lot of good things,but alas I think you are 200 years to late if not several thousand years, as this shirt storm has been on the cards since the first day we planted our first carrot 😉
On election day I will be tossing myself off, as George Carlin says, then at least I will have something to show for my efforts.
If any humans are alive in the next 10 – 20 years they will be radioactive cannibals
Good luck with all you time wasting.
Regards Robert Atack
[Robert, I have redacted your cellphone number which I am guessing you inadvertantly included in the C&P of this open-letter. – Scarletmod]
http://Www.oilcrash.com
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