Auckland running out of petrol & Maori voter suppression: ‘Events, dear boy, events’

By
Martyn Bradbury
-
38
7

When asked what a prime minister most feared, British PM Harold Macmillan is often attributed as saying, ‘Events, dear boy, events’.

So it has come to pass with one week till the election.

Two issues have suddenly erupted over night.

The first are allegations by Massey University Political Lecturer Veronica Tawhai that the following voter suppression issues have occurred…

• Staff being unaware of the Maori roll and insisting electors are unregistered when their names don’t appear on the General roll;
• Staff having difficulty locating Maori names on the Maori roll, even when given identification by Maori electors;
• Staff giving incorrect information about the Maori electorates, electorate areas and where electors can be enrolled;
• Maori enrolled in Maori electorates being given the wrong voting form and having to argue with staff to find and be provided with the correct form;
• Electors on the General roll being told they are unable to vote for a ‘Maori party’ if they are not on the Maori roll;
• Complaints from Maori electors being ignored by those responsible for hearing complaints, such as managers of polling booths.

…the other event is the shocking news that Auckland might run out of petrol in two weeks in a raw example of National’s do nothing for infrastructure over 9 years…

Auckland’s fuel supply vulnerability is well known, and serious

For years different companies have been warning the government that Auckland has a single point of failure when it comes to getting fuel.

It is as simple as that. A single ten-inch pipe is responsible for getting almost all fuel into New Zealand’s largest city, and a large chunk of Waikato’s demand as well. Not just aviation fuel – petrol and diesel as well.

On Sunday it emerged that a farmer digging up swamp kauri had damaged the pipeline, and it could be out of action for two weeks.

It is quite possible that motorists will get through without disruption, but this could rely on everyone staying calm.

READ MORE: Fuel shortage at Auckland Airport could last for two weeks

The industry prepares for this type of thing, with war-game like exercises to work out exactly how to keep stations stocked.

Motorists driving between Auckland and Mt Maunganui, and Auckland at Marsden Point, can expect to see a lot more fuel trucks on the road in the coming days.

We can but hope it is enough.

A 2012 report into New Zealand’s fuel security identified the risks posed by the fuel pipeline, and warned that if it were taken out of action for nine days, around 17 per cent of normal demand “cannot be met”.

The solution the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) came up with?

“This shortfall could be minimised if consumers deferred demand until [pipeline] supply was re-established, for example, by running down their tanks.”

That means, asking consumers to respond to shortages by not filling up.

Energy Minister Judith Collins has said she has been advised that it is “unlikely” that motorists would be inconvenienced. A week out from the election, it is safe to assume Prime Minister Bill English will have his fingers crossed.

…so National’s plan if this well known weakness occurred was just hope that Aucklander’s won’t binge buy petrol?

National’s plan is our collective good will?

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

Isn’t that a tad optimistic to the point of delusional?

The last thing National needed was a reminder that they’ve done nothing to prepare our infrastructure  for the growth they’ve generated.

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38 COMMENTS

  1. Much better viewing the economy crumble from a high-altitude position. The response should have been, CDME + domestic capabilities + Approved first response members. But what ever, small government, whoopee (not)

  2. No problems regarding the liquid fuels issue – Bill will hide it by announcing a new major roading project today no doubt.

    • Welcome to NZ under National; – A failed state.

      The country with a third world infrustructure, where not much is functioning as it shouid be, including housing, rentals, roads, rail, hopsitals schools, clean water and prisons!!!!!

      But help is comming soon, Jacinda is ready to begin the way to deliver a failed state back to life after 9 long hard brutal years under National.

      lets do this!

      @ilovejacinda.

  3. Just demonstrates how reliant on fossil fuels we are.

    However, why aren’t there back up fuel storage facilities available in a city of Auckland’s size? Isn’t this what first world countries would have on hand in an emergency situation which this is fast becoming?

    Proves just how third world our infrastructure is!

    Now wait for it … it’s Labour’s fault … /sarc!

    • MARY-A
      Yes it shows just how much fuel, that we chew through every day also right? boody fightening when you consider how much buring of those hyrocarbons and throwing them into our air can change our local climactic envronment.

  4. It’s going to be very interesting to see how this story unfolds over the coming week and how the govt spins it responsibility for maintaining infrastructure. Terrible timing for the govt – pity that. I can see Winston having a field day with this if flight chaos is the result – and even worse if it starts to impact the driving public too.

  5. But not to worry the National knight-in-shining-armour to the rescue.
    We will make sure the spirit gets through,
    Through hot searing sun, wind blown dust and dirt…..
    Through National government infrastructure failures….

  6. Hang on just one cotton picking minute – one 10 inch pipe is fine by most Kiwis, only the me, me me Aucklanders would suggest that the rest of NZ have to build another one just in case some idiot farmer or contractor breaks it.
    Sure there may be problems for a couple of weeks.
    Don’t expect too much sympathy from the South especially Christchurch and Kaikoura.

  7. … ” On Sunday it emerged that a farmer digging up swamp kauri had damaged the pipeline, and it could be out of action for two weeks ” ….

    L0L0L0L0L !!!!

    I’ll bet that was Cooch making a new irrigation ditch for the critically endangered White Heron for them to have some wetlands… good on ya , Cooch !

  9. We are making a permanent shift to Cromwell on Thursday from Auckland, with two cats in tow!

    Been so looking forward for such a long time to getting down there away from the big smoke and becoming southern folk. Might have to stay in JAFAland a bit longer if we can’t fly out! Bugger!

  10. The good news/dirty tricks dept. are on full alert here.
    Trying to keep a lid on damage whilst early voting rolls on.

    There’s less than 36 hours 95 Super petrol stocks left in auckland and 91 & diesel stocks low.
    Priority is to cart Jet Fuel to maintain the 30% allocation to airlines but this requires every available fuel tank truck in the north island and cleaning and retro-fitting the filtration equipment necessary for the safety /integrity of transferring Jet A1.
    Diesel will be second priority to maintain commercial transport.
    Petrol is down the list of priority.

    Auckland’s economic clout and the fact that all elections are won or lost there dictates priority of supply so Waikato/Bay of Plenty/Northland will be destinations of lowest priority for all fuels from Marsden Point and Mt Maunganui.

    Rank stupidity is glaring in the 2012 Report.
    “The report said storing oil in special tanks in case of an emergency would not be cost effective.

    Nor would having a second pipeline on standby ready for an accident that might never happen.

    “Increasing the capacity of the oil trucking fleet would enable transport of supplies around disruptions in the local supply chain,” the report said.

    “However, our estimates suggest that enlarging the New Zealand trucking fleet to cater for an event that may never happen is less cost effective than relying on shipping additional vehicles and bringing drivers from Australia or elsewhere to meet short term emergencies if they arise.”

    Picture this ,if you can , foreign truck drivers ,fresh off the boat[ no plane seats available] with fasttrack licenses ,operating around the clock at the wheel of 50 tonne fuel tankers over the Brenderwyn and Kaimai hills [ arguably some of the most technically demanding drives in NZ].

    You couldn’t write a better farce if you tried.

    • It’s better than making the 3 million plus who don’t live in Auckland to pay for a back up just because an idiot with a digger breaks it.
      If a back up is so important why don’t the Auckland ratepayers pay for it.
      Short term disruption isn’t ideal but it’s better than expecting taxpayers, country wide, to stump up with a lazy billion or so just to make sure that precious Auckland has a failsafe system.
      No other city has or would expect it.

      • “It’s better than making the 3 million plus who don’t live in Auckland to pay for a back up just because an idiot with a digger breaks it.”

        1/. There was no Digger.

        2/. Auckland International Airport does a little more than service the wants & needs of Jafa’s.

        It’s early days , we’ll see how far the impact of this spreads over the next 2 weeks .
        I predict greatly reduced smugness levels.

  11. Perhaps they’ll use it as an excuse to raise prices some again. Must be time to bring out the cannabis oil-it’s cleaner burning for one thing.
    Oops, did I just say that out loud?

    • The market did sort it out. Why should the taxpayers pay for 100 % resilience? The choice of resilience is a matter for the airlines and the owners of the asset.

      It is not the role of government to manage these risks.

      • It is not the role of government to manage these risks.

        The last time that ideological tenet was put to use was in 1991 when the Mining Inspectorate was reduced and building industry de-regulated.

        Fast forward, and how has self-regulation turned out for Pike River Mine and for leaky-home owners?

        It is precisely the role of governments to manage risk for the greater good. Leaving it up to the tender mercies of the free market will inevitably result in damage, shattered lives, and deaths.

        The experiment has failed. I trust you don’t want to repeat it to see if the outcomes differ? https://lygsbtd.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/stupidity1.jpg

      • So NZDF Exercise Southern Katipo involving 2000 personal from all over the world had to be called. HMNZS Endevour has been tasked with moving volumes of oil around the country. These are things “the airlines and the owners of the asset” as you call it don’t pay for. Neither do the pay taxes enough to justify there own choices.

      • But they(our govt ) are managing this risk and they are using our taxes to fix this mess by using our army /navy whatever to do so why? oh yeah it is the general election on Saturday

  13. Why is anyone allowed to be within 100 meters of this pipeline and why is it running over private farmland and is the landowner being paid to have this fuel line crossing their land ?

    The ONLY fuel line to the country’s largest and most important city is damaged and may take two weeks to repair and has been gushing out thousands of litres of fuel into the environment.

    This is a major disaster and just another example of mass incompetence and negligence.

    The current government was warned that ONE fuel line was not enough in case of a serious incident and would cripple Auckland economically and they have done nothing to address the problem.

    This should be a major election issue and Labour must confront it and dominate the debate about the government’s failure once again to address serious infrastructure problems and not just promise to have an inquiry.

    • Stop being so precious.
      The pipeline is buried some 2 m down and has been without incident for 38 years.
      Successive governments have looked at the issue over the years and wisely decided that spending the one or more likely two billion dollars for a backup was a waste of money.
      Labour wouldn’t be so stupid as to make this an election issue as it would cost them tens of thousands of votes as outside Auckland it would go down like a lead balloon.

      • Really !!! Precious

        Wait until they run out of fuel and then see what Aucklanders think about it.

        38 years and no issue UNTIL now is a bloody stupid argument when it comes to having a back up in case there is an event like we have now.

        This has happened and will directly effect the Auckland economy and the city the size of Auckland should have an alternative fuel supply not relying on only one.

        You are an idiot.

      • Private businesses now ‘structure’ their affairs through shell companies and tax havens ………… to escape from paying liabilities….

        Srylands will also never tell you about the huge amounts of waste and fraud that private companies can do …..

        Take our ex-prime minister and the firm he worked for and made his money at …

        “Merrill Lynch is a case study in `corporate misgovernance.”^1…. insider trading and the works ….

        It vaporized and destroyed 44 Billion of money in eye watering quick time …..

        “by mid-December, Merrill Lynch’s pretax quarterly loss had ballooned to $21 billion”,….

        “the write-downs taken by Merrill Lynch ultimately surpassed $46 billion — incredibly, more than double the entire profit the firm earned over the four-year period preceding” ……

        Such efficiency in destroying wealth rests with the private sector ….

        The Governments bail them out ……………….. http://securities.stanford.edu/filings-documents/1038/MER_01/2009727_r01c_07CV09633.pd

      • and the lack of fuel into our largest city is going to cost billions in lost productivity

        and cancelled flights

        it is government who provide essential infrastructure, that business use to build their business upon

        without that essential infrastructure provided for by government, business could not function

        not such a hard concept to get your head around

      • yes all private and just who profits private companies srylands but who is responsible when you increase the number of people coming here because more people requires more infrastructure stop making lame excuses for poor planning

  14. I’m sure the average Nazional supporter will be more than willing to leave the Remuera tank in the garge and don their teal running outfit.

    Just hope their journeys don’t include traversing South Auckland.

    At night.

    Gee, that safe little gated community can be oh so far away sometimes.

  17. Great, the environment will get a bit of a breather from fossil fuel pollution. It may be a good exercise for the population of Auckland to learn what true energy austerity may look like. Perhaps some may rethink their wasteful, polluting lifestyles? Sorry, though, to hear about the issues Maori voters seem to face.

  18. srylands if its not the role of our government the ones who have been bragging about how well they have managed our economy then why are they using our taxes to fix this mess up and our dads army to help

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