18 February 2013

Central Plains subsidy bad news for environment

The Central Plains irrigation scheme is a Think Big scheme that is bad news for the environment, the Green Party said today.

The Government today announced that the Irrigation Acceleration Fund would be committing $1.71m towards the Central Plains Water scheme. This is on top of $4.7 m already approved in principle by Ministry of Primary Industry for the design phase.

“This decision is bad news for the Waimakariri and Rakaia rivers and Te Waihora and puts our groundwater at risk of increased nitrate pollution,” said Green Party environment spokesperson Eugenie Sage.

“Cantabrians love our rivers, lakes and streams, and the fact that many of us can still drink untreated water from our aquifers. The National Government’s promotion of irrigation is putting that at risk.”

Parliament will tomorrow debate the final stages of the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill which extends the term of Government appointed ECan (Environment Canterbury) commissioners and weakens water conservation orders in Canterbury.

Documents obtained by Forest and Bird and released under the Official Information Act in 2010 showed that the legislation was introduced to ensure that the Rakaia water conservation order could be amended to enable Trustpower’s Coleridge and Rakaia irrigation project.

“This Government is happy to change the law to suit its agenda. It is no surprise that the Government is happy to throw away over $5 million on this scheme,” said Ms Sage.

“It is pointless for Government and ECan to spend around $10 million on cleaning up Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) when the Central Plains scheme will increase the pollution load on the lake because it is at the bottom of the Central Plains catchment.

“The Central Plains scheme does not stack up environmentally or economically. Without the significant subsidies it has received from local and central Government it would not be built.

“This is yet another example of the Government picking the wrong winners.”

© 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>>