Poisoning paradise
Some Canterbury the rivers and streams are too polluted to swim in and the interconnected underground waterways are increasingly toxic. Most of Canterbury relies on… Read More »Poisoning paradise
Some Canterbury the rivers and streams are too polluted to swim in and the interconnected underground waterways are increasingly toxic. Most of Canterbury relies on… Read More »Poisoning paradise
Rapidly increasing prices for electricity are sending some businesses broke. Hundreds of jobs will be lost and those on limited incomes will face a difficult… Read More »Meridian piracy
Climate Change denial is now part of the problem. As New Zealand, and most of the world, struggles with how to overcome problems associated with… Read More »Climate Change Denial
Towards the end of more than forty years in front line journalism I became increasingly aware of the development of an informal duality of citizenship… Read More »Separatism in New Zealand: Part Two; Cultural and traditional harvest of natural and exotic resources
Most hunters will have carefully read the hunting regulations which apply to their areas and have a shooting licence and firearms licence safely tucked away in a back pocket but few will yet have had the opportunity to read the damming report of a year long review of the organisation which manages their sport.
In a time of unprecedented uncertainty about our protection from a deadly disease and the future of the planet it can often be helpful to look back at how our parents and grandparents managed in the face of adversity. They fed and clothed often quite large families through the very tough times of the major economic depression of the 1930s and the dreadful uncertainties of two world wars. In addition, they helped others less fortunate than themselves in an age when that was a traditional responsibility.
These tough times will include the most dramatic changes in farming systems since we put the last of the working horses out to pasture and began using electricity to replace steam engines. There will be fewer and smaller dairy and beef cattle herds, improved breeding technology for cattle and sheep. There will also no doubt be a requirement for a much-reduced reliance on artificial fertilisers.
The recent announcement from newly appointed Tourism Minister Stuart Nash that he will ban freedom camping in vehicles that are not self-contained has come like… Read More »Freedom Campers not invited
With the start of the new dairy season only weeks away the recent death of an estimated quarter of a dairy herd near Cambridge, believed to have been caused by nitrate poisoning, will be a devastating tragedy for the farmers involved. While the number of dead cows is not known the financial and potential production loss will be significant blow.
The longed for long hot summer seems to have finally arrived with soaring temperatures sending hordes to the beaches. Some farmers however may not be… Read More »Global Warming