Shirley Applauds Meridian Proposal

ACT New Zealand Energy and Environment Spokesman Ken Shirley today applauded Meridian Energy's plan for New Zealand to adopt tradeable water rights.

"ACT emphasised this proposal as part of its report on the Waitaki Catchment Amendment Bill, introduced to accommodate Meridian's Project Aqua," Mr Shirley said.

"In today's complex world, administrative allocations are no longer appropriate for the allocation of scarce resources. Administrative allocations are inevitable bureaucratic, inefficient and highly politicised. They do not ensure the most optimal use of the available resource and, equally, do not provide the optimal environmental protections.

"'First in time, first in right' allocations provide no incentive to use water wisely. They are based on a `use it, or lose it' philosophy. Conversely, tradeable water rights provide incentives for efficient water use. They encourage innovation and the application of new technologies.

"Increasingly, countries around the world - particularly in water short areas - are moving to tradeable water rights.

"Labour has expressed a philosophical rejection of water rights, but we must move beyond mindless mantras and look for innovative solutions," Mr Shirley said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>