NZ Politics Daily: the great mining debate

Debates about the environment and mining are likely to play a prominent role in New Zealand politics in 2012. Despite National’s political mismanagement of - and eventual back down over - its proposal to allow significant new mining on conservation land in 2010, this year the Government is likely to aggressively pursue the growth of a larger extractive industry.

This is reflected in three important recent items: Neil Reid’s NZ 'likely Texas of the south' http://bit.ly/z0x1Xk , Adam Bennett’s Government plans to make mineral exploration easier http://bit.ly/AeEixu, and the Sunday Star Times’ editorial NZ’s too poor to stop the search for oil (which is not currently available online). You can also listen to Mike Hosking discuss the ‘billions of barrels’ of oil off the East Coast with GNS Science's Chris Uruski here http://bit.ly/ArDk3T.

The reported potential for those ‘billions of barrels’ will no doubt reignite public debate about the extractive industry. On the one hand there is its potential for creating wealth, employment, and economic growth.

But opponents are quick to identify environmental concerns, and also question where the wealth from increased drilling and mining is likely to end up. In line with this, TVNZ has a report questioning whether the state is currently receiving enough money from those mining on Department of Conservation land – see: DOC income for conservation land under scrutiny http://bit.ly/AFt3D5. Apparently, the 78 mining companies using conservation land are together paying DOC less than a million dollars a year for the privilege.

The Ports of Auckland dispute continues to dominate New Zealand politics. The Herald has attempted to provide a balanced overview and analysis in its Sunday editorial, Cool heads needed at the port http://bit.ly/xNU9zX. Also in the Herald, Matt McCarten demands that Ports CEO Tony Gibson be sacked, and suggests that Len Brown is being naive or disingenuous in his role in the dispute – see: It's time to step up, Mr Mayor http://bit.ly/w45NIZ. For a more rightwing analysis of the dispute, see two other items: Brian Gaynor’s Port's viability hinges on dispute outcome http://bit.ly/vZGgLG and John Roughan’s Port makes its own case for sale http://bit.ly/w5yQud.

The Green’s new leftwing MP, Denise Roche, has broken her party’s silence on the issue in her Frogblog post, Ports of Auckland’s agenda: Casualisation, union-busting and privatization http://bit.ly/zBZtXi. Rather than a strong endorsement of the port workers however, her post concentrates on Green concerns about the environmental angle, privatisation and local democracy.

Labour partisans have been defending their party’s neglect of the issue. Rob Carr argues http://bit.ly/xCzfSK that ‘given the level of media attention already given to these strikes public support from Labour is not needed… Labour should save its press releases for when strikes are getting ignored’. John Pagani also offers up a defence of Labour’s silence (Ports and the unprincipled politics of fudge http://bit.ly/AbtnDp) which, according to Danyl Mclauchlan, can be summed up as: ‘Labour cannot speak up for workers because it loves them so much’.

Danyl Mclauchlan also puts forward the most convincing explanation so far for Labour’s absence from the dispute – see his Dim-Post blog post, Whereof one cannot market research, one must keep silent http://bit.ly/wP9dSL. Essentially it seems that Labour does not want to risk losing support by speaking out in favour of the wharfies without reassurance from their trusty focus groups and polling companies. (Incidentally, Mclauchlan was interviewed this morning on RNZ about economic growth – listen here http://bit.ly/zWmWkw).

Related to Mclauchlan’s arguments about Labour’s reliance on market research, Brian Edwards has detailed some Random thoughts on why Labour did so poorly in the election http://bit.ly/wfrUZR. After outlining a number of factors in the defeat, Brian Edwards points at Labour’s overreliance on focus groups to determine its political programme. This was especially the case, Edwards says, with Labour’s ‘serious misjudgement’ in making its campaign centre on its opposition to state asset sales. While many of those in focus groups might well have signalled unhappiness with asset sales, such ‘opposition will be intellectual rather than visceral, almost a case of what they think they ought to believe as good Kiwis, rather than something they feel in their guts or would change their vote for’. But apparently within Labour, ‘questioning the reliability of focus group information is seen as akin to heresy’.

Elsewhere in the news, Fran O’Sullivan says It's time to make Rena owners responsible http://bit.ly/yncm8S, labelling the Government’s approach to seeking costs ‘pussy-footed’. Clio Francis reports that Occupy Wellington protesters may be ousted http://bit.ly/A6h5aV as the Wellington City Council seeks a legal avenue for their eviction. The Council argues that a ‘stream of complaints’ along with the fact that the site is now a magnet for the homeless and mentally ill has spurred the decision.

Law Commission president Sir Grant Hammond has incurred the ire of Gerry Brownlee over his criticism of the 65 bills yet to be dealt with by Parliament – see: RNZ’s Number of bills sitting on Parliament's books criticised http://bit.ly/yH8Ac1. Lincoln Tan reports on allegations that Chinese chefs, brought to New Zealand as part of our free trade agreement with China, are being paid as little as $8 an hour, under threat of losing their visas – see: Union says immigrants forced to accept pay below minimum wage http://bit.ly/zSilP6.

Finally, Tony Wall profiles a Whangarei teenager who has taken a personal role in the fight against child poverty in New Zealand – see: Teen becomes leading voice on child poverty http://bit.ly/zExj3W. 

Today’s content

Ports of Auckland dispute
Herald on Sunday: Editorial – Cool heads needed at the port http://bit.ly/xNU9zX
Matt McCarten (Herald): It's time to step up, Mr Mayor http://bit.ly/w45NIZ
Danyl Mclauchlan (Dim-Post): Whereof one cannot market research, one must keep silent http://bit.ly/wP9dSL
Robert Winter (Idle Thoughts): Ports management now actively promoting industrial activity: What price "Good Faith"? http://robertwinter.blogspot.com/2012/01/ports-management-now-actively-promoting.html
Robert Winter (Idle Thoughts): POAL, CCOs and Contracting Out: some legal issues http://robertwinter.blogspot.com/2012/01/poal-ccos-and-contracting-out-some.html
Denise Roche (Frogblog): Ports of Auckland’s agenda: Casualisation, union-busting and privatization http://bit.ly/zBZtXi
Scott Hamilton (Reading the Maps): Return of the cossacks http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2012/01/return-of-cossacks.html>
John Pagani: Ports and the unprincipled politics of fudge http://bit.ly/AbtnDp
Rob Carr (The Progress Report): Guest post: Ports of Auckland dispute http://bit.ly/xCzfSK
The Standard: 1951 it ain’t, for now http://thestandard.org.nz/1951-it-aint-for-now/
Russell Blackstock (Herald): Two men and a port in a storm http://www.nzherald.co.nz/russell-blackstock/news/article.cfm?a_id=770&objectid=10778865
Brian Gaynor (Herald): Port's viability hinges on dispute outcome http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10778573
John Roughan (Herald): Port makes its own case for sale http://bit.ly/w5yQud
Kerre Woodham (Herald): Old wounds open in industrial saga http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10778762
Matthew Dearnaley (Herald): Waterfront 'downtime' in dispute http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10778615
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Editorial: Port dispute http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/opinion/mikes-editorial-16jan2012
Rob Oram (SST): The other shipping news

Mining, drilling and conservation
TVNZ: DOC income for conservation land under scrutiny http://bit.ly/AFt3D5
Neil Reid (SST): NZ 'likely Texas of the south' http://bit.ly/z0x1Xk
Adam Bennett (Herald): Government plans to make mineral exploration easier http://bit.ly/AeEixu
Sunday Star Times – Editorial: NZ’s too poor to stop the search for oil (not currently online)

Labour Party
Brian Edwards: Random thoughts on why Labour did so poorly in the election http://bit.ly/wfrUZR
No Right Turn: Growth and distribution http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2012/01/growth-and-distribution.html
Herald: Editorial - Labour needs to find the right chord http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10778947
Steven Cowan (Against the Current): Mallard proposes war on the poor http://nzagainstthecurrent.blogspot.com/2012/01/mallard-proposes-war-on-poor.html
Amelia Romanos (Herald): Sepuloni likely to return for 2014 Waitakere battle http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10778521

Rena
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): It's time to make Rena owners responsible http://bit.ly/yncm8S
Fairfax (SST): Rena anger grows http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/rena-crisis/6258692/Rena-anger-grows

MFAT job cuts
Vernon Small (Stuff): Staff at UN not part of ministry cuts http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6256148/Staff-at-UN-not-part-of-ministry-cuts
Waikato Times: Editorial - Changes for MFAT http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/opinion/editorials/6257278/Editorial-Changes-for-MFAT

Other
The Press: Editorial - Fleeing Govt depts vote of no confidence in the CBD http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/editorials/6255558/Editorial-Fleeing-Govt-depts-vote-of-no-confidence-in-the-CBD
TVNZ: Has the Occupy Wellington site been hijacked? http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/has-occupy-wellington-site-been-hijacked-4687739
Clio Francis (Stuff): Occupy Wellington protesters may be ousted http://bit.ly/A6h5aV
Dion Tuuta (Taranaki Daily News): No easy answer to poverty, poor parenting http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/opinion/6262101/No-easy-answer-to-poverty-poor-parenting
Tony Wall (Stuff): Teen becomes leading voice on child poverty http://bit.ly/zExj3W
Damien Grant (Herald): Slums to replace decent housing http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10778773
RNZ: Hospital losses top $10 million http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/95901/hospital-losses-top-$10-million
Grant Duncan (Policy Matters): Controversies ahead for 2012 http://masspolicy.blogspot.com/2012/01/controversies-ahead-for-2012.html
RNZ: Number of bills sitting on Parliament's books criticized http://bit.ly/yH8Ac1
Lane Nichols (Stuff): Fears Treaty settlement being 'frittered away' http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6261308/Fears-Treaty-settlement-being-frittered-away
Catherine Harris (Stuff): Former MP Rich tipped for capital employers' group http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/6255749/Former-MP-Rich-tipped-for-capital-employers-group
Dene Mackenzie (ODT): Investment in skills and training advocated http://www.odt.co.nz/news/business/194374/investment-skills-and-training-advocated
Lincoln Tan (Herald): Union says immigrants forced to accept pay below minimum wage http://bit.ly/zSilP6
Kyle Macdonald (SST): Time is right to protest via social media sites http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/columnists/6257552/Time-is-right-to-protest-via-social-media-sites
Fairfax (SST): The $2.7b debt could cost Kiwis http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/latest-edition/6257550/The-2-7b-debt-could-cost-Kiwis
Rob Stock (SST): Probe call as supermarket profits exceed food costs http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/latest-edition/6258700/Probe-call-as-supermarket-profits-exceed-food-costs
David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Supermarkets http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2012/01/supermarkets.html
Anthony Hubbard (SST): Smokescreen on filthy truth (not currently online)
Imogen Neale (Stuff): Younger, more violent women behind bars http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/6258433/Younger-more-violent-women-behind-bars
Nikki Preston (Herald): Flash Harris cruises in $70,000 leased council car http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10778996