Press release from Shaping Our Future
18 February 2013

Local Energy Supply to be Considered at Forum

People interested in the future of energy supply in the Queenstown Lakes District are invited to attend a forum to be held at the QLDC Council Chambers in Queenstown and Wanaka (the two venues will be linked by video) on February 25 from 4.30 to 6pm.

This initial meeting will look at the region’s energy use and supply over time – past, present and future. A range of speakers will offer specialist knowledge with a future focus. They include Energy Consultant Lloyd McGinty on the potential of Wilding Pines as an energy source, solar experts Yevrah Ornstein on the future of solar and Scott Jones from Grid Tied Solar.

Organiser Steve Henry of the Centre for Sustainable Practice says the purpose of the meeting is to raise community awareness of our energy use and how supply and demand will be affected in the future.

The forum will call for volunteers to form a task force to take the ideas and develop them further according to terms of reference developed by the Shaping Our Future steering group. This report and the task force recommendations will be presented to a future forum to be held mid year.

Mr Henry said anyone was welcome to attend, and it was hoped that attendees would include people with particular interests in potential energy sources such as wilding pines and alternative energies as well as those with views and expertise around traditional energy sources.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>