When ever my cynical black splinter of a heart wants to give up on NZ public journalism, John Campbell saves me from despair.
His investigation into the nightmare of slash has been some of the finest journalism of the year…
John Campbell on ‘heartfelt, damning and sometimes angry’ slash report
The Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use, more widely known as the “slash inquiry”, has released “Outrage to Optimism”, a heartfelt, damning, and sometimes angry report into the impacts of slash on Tairāwhiti and Wairoa.
…our under regulated forestry industry that sees so many workers killed and maimed for destructive environmental practices all for foreign owned forestry corporations while our roads groan under the extra weight from the trucking industry moving those logs has never been challenged until now.
We have allowed these Corporations to ruin our environment for their profit and it once again points to the lax regulatory environment so many cowboys operate in.
I’m glad John is holding their feet to the fire.
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Martyn – I wonder if John Campbell will win the Journalist of the Year Award for this?
That says so much more than what you think.
No Mike Hoskings has that in the bag.
Oh I see Mike won again.
This has been happening right under our noses for so long. It is indeed a disgrace that we have allowed this to happen on our watch.
The only solace I find in all this is that Radiata farming is a relatively new industry in our parts.
But this is a consequence of globalisation that has created great wealth, so much so that the average human on earth is better off that ever before. But stupidity was punished and as usual those who gained least from the enterprise picks up the cost while others reap the rewards.
Pulitzer Prize material, this is not.
Who has been the government minister, or minister’s, who have overseen the forestry industry over the last few decades…??? It would almost seem like they could have done better….
From the cut trunks, this looks like plantation slash rather than natural forest. If could be processed into
Woodchip, Mulch, Charcoal, Biochar, or Fuel for Pellet Burners.
Watched Clark Gayfords fishing show this evening , a couple of things jumped out from his discussion on trying for carbon neutral on his show (good on him):
700% increased fire risk for pine trees as a carbon sink.
Microsoft (I think) no longer using pine trees as 50% of their carbon offsets have already burned in forest fires!
Say no to pine trees.
But will Labour wring their hands, shake their collective heads & well there’s nothing we can do…
Been there done that with Nact. They did nothing.
FP it’s more they don’t know what to do.
You should read the report. It has a ten year timeframes
The clock starts nowc
Pity JC didn’t do an article on the Horrhore station carbon farming antics up the coast.
Makes for interesting reading. Google it
Google shows nothing about “Horrhore station,” is it spelled correctly?
Sorry Horehore station
If the State Forest Service were still operating the industry themselves, this would have never happened.
The under regulation of the forestry industry is certainly not news and the problems with the slash, again, nothing new. Here’s an article from just under 5 years ago in Tologa Bay, and that’s without trying to go back even further. The news history of these events over the last several years is repeated too. Exactly the same problems by the way…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/358859/it-was-so-scary-woman-airlifted-from-rooftop-after-flash-flood
So a well known issue . What has this government done about it? Nothing!
What will they do about it? I’m guessing they have no idea. They see this as a bad news story thats needs to be taken off the front page with an announcement. The respose will get no more sophisticated than that!
We’ve got the ministerial enquiry. Tick. We’ve had the announcements. Tick. We’ve just had the billion dollar recovery announcement. But the recovery minister just quit to join TPM. See the pattern? They honestly couldn’t run a piss up in a brewery. And yes, National ignored this too, but they have not been in government for the last 6 years.
I really really feel for the poor abandoned people of the Hawkes Bay. The recovery will not really happen, the government will move on to the next media threat to their control on power. Nothing will be learnt! This winter can irreparably destroy the industry in that part of this country forever. Will any politician care?
Very well put XRAY.
So if National hadn’t ignored it would it be a problem today?
Yes and one party keeps wanking on about there being too much regulation, while both main parties do nothing it seems
Nashy was heavily involved,isn’t he Labour?
WE – people who live in these areas or have family there, have said that since the big floods in Edgecumbe that slash is a danger to everyone and will make any flooding worse by damming up river ways and breaking down bridges and the likes. But then i guess that Nashy boy from Labour did his job and the big businesses just ‘stored’ these huge piles of slash, cause why not. Again an industry that government refuses to regulate, and because it makes the government look bad, like real real out of touch arrogantly so bad, the government literally has abandoned these poor people in the hard hit regions. But then i guess they like to talk about e-cars, cause that is sexy. And besides teh government and its employed stooges have not suffered any loss yet.
” I’m glad John is holding their feet to the fire. ”
Old Nash should be investigated for taking the money so that his forestry mates could continue to operate without due diligence.
And yet we are ranked almost top of the anti corruption index yet forestry like so many other areas including fisheries continue to plunder and destroy our marine and land environment to make huge profits and are protected by people like Winston , Jones and Stuart Nash.
I am guessing Chipkins will not want this and other hidden corruption highlighted by a royal commision of inquiry ?
Not in an election year eh.
” I’m glad John is holding their feet to the fire. ”
Old Nash should be investigated for taking the money so that his forestry mates could continue to operate without due diligence.
And yet we are ranked almost top of the anti corruption index yet forestry like so many other areas including fisheries continue to plunder and destroy our marine and land environment to make huge profits and are protected by people like Winston , Jones and Stuart Nash and a number of the Nasties to boot.
I am guessing Chipkins will not want this and other hidden corruption highlighted by a royal commission of inquiry ?
Not in an election year eh.
calm down calm down industry will be consulted on some non binding guidelines and she’ll be sweet
Yei! Labour! same as Yei! National. I guess you still have a house that is not buried under several metric tones of silt, slash and debris.
once again bratty not wholly the fault of labour this has been going on for yonks the nats are equally culpable
and do please try activate your irony detection equipment
Yei labour, Yei national, both responsible with their lack of inaction. Labour just wasted 3 years of a full majority and managed to regulate nothing.
Despite Labour being well known for regulate,regulate followed by tax, tax,tax.
Or in the last 2 terms don’t do anything.
and the fact they haven’t belies your rightwing bleating doesn’t it bob the last??
No not at all.
I complimented John on Twitter for speaking for Gisborne where I live. Know him mediatically and glancingly personally. Fond of him for his social-democracy.
It does suggest my primary school-mate Stuart Nash was deep in nonsense, more so for the high death-rate of forestry workers. He was a pretty complete fool, not following reality like me, no matter it gave me zero money and him a lot. There would be more news-stories about him but our 4th Estate is underfunded.
if he’s such a ‘crusader’ where has he been for years?…this is NOT a new issue
John Campbell would be better off writing script for a soap opera.
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