User:Alan Liefting/Environmental history of New Zealand

This is a sandbox or notepad area for a future article. Only matters pertaining to the natural environment due to human influence are covered. This may become a large project. It may need to be split into seperate sections or summarised otherwise it will become to unweildly.

Environmental organisations

There are quite a few! Criteria for adding groups? Limitation based on size of membership or area covered? There are also many local groups carrying out restoration or protection of local areas. These, by and large started in the 1970s and increased in number until the present.

To be catalogued

• Taieri Plain Environmental Protection Soc Inc - Env court hearung
• Wakatipu Enviro Soc - Enviro Court hearing

Buller Conservation Group

Based in Westport, Buller Conservation Group lobby on issues in the Buller region. Major campaigns include native forest logging, pollution in rivers from coal mining and dirty dairying (not sure of last one ??)

Forest and Bird

Formed in 1923, it is New Zealands longest running and respected (amongst the environmentalists??!!) organisation.

Native Forest Action

Native Forest Action formed from a small group of individuals in 1997 and was quite separate from the Native Forest Action Council. The sole aim was to halt the logging of native forest on public land on the West Coast. This logging was carried out by Timberlands West Coast Ltd (TWC), a state owned enterprise. A Labour led government was elected in 1999. It was a coalition between Labour and Alliance. The Greens were a support partner to the Government and pushed hard for an end to the logging and gazetting of over 130,000 hectares of forest to conservation estate.

Native Forest Action Council

Native Forest Action Council formed out of a number ??? of other lobby groups including Beech Forest Action Council. (name ??)

ECO

The Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa New Zealand was formed on 1971 under the name of CoEnCo. In 1976 the name was changed to ECO.

GE Free NZ

Is this one the most important? See also: Greenpages - a database of Environmental organisations

Campaigns

Save Happy Valley Campaign

In 2004 the Save Happy Valley Campaign formed in order to prevent a new open cast coal mine on the West Coast in the Westport area. It started with a group of Massey, Victoria and Otago University students who occupied the site of the proposed mine. A little later that year Jo Oosterman organised a number of nationwide meetings to highlight the issue. Jo along with Jeannette Fitzsimons from the Green Party spoke at some of these meetings. In June 2004 Solid Energy was granted a resource consent to go ahead with the mining. A number of groups have appealed the decision so it will now go to the Environment Court for a hearing. Another occupation of the site was held in August 2004.

See also: Save Happy Valley website

Lake Manapouri

Save Manapouri Campaign

Pureora protests

Stephen King (sp?) was a major player?

West Coast forest campaign

• 1970s
• 1980s
• 1990s

In 1997 NFA started highlighting the logging with a number of high profile activities including tree sits, road bockages and preventing operation of a helicopter.

Land

• Resource Management Act
• Urban sprawl
• Coastal development
• Rubbish dumps (Kate Valley)
• Squatters (Rangitoto, Canty lakes, Otago lakes)

Caves

Cavers came to realise that their travel through caves creates damage that is difficult to prevent and rectify. Some caves have a permit system to prevent excessive use by cavers. The conditions of the permit vary depending on the fragility of the cave. In the 1990s the New Zealand Speleological Society (NZSS) appointed an Environmental Officer. On occassion some caving trips were planned to carry out the sole task of repairing damage due to years of cavers passing through the subterranean passages. The ethics of bolting (placing a fixed anchor point for ropes) in a cave was also discussed during this time. The 1990s also saw the increase in tourism  ??? in New Zealand and there was a corresponding increase number of commercial caving companies in Waitomo. The modification of Ringlefall Cave in Waitomo by opening up a new entrance to allow for commercial caving trips was an anthema to the recreational cavers. (other caves - pink gumboot, Metro, BWR2)

• Caves with some modification to allow for commercial use:
  • Waitomo Glow worm cave
  • Ringlefall
  • Ruakuri
  • Te Ana Nui (sp)
  • Maori Leap Cave ??
  • Metro Cave
  • Ringlefall
  • BWR I and II
  • Ngarua Cave

Many other caves have some modification to a lesser degree for ease of access for cavers. These modifications are generally fixed ropes and ladders.

Politics

Values, Green Party, local Govt? The 2001 local body campaign featured a number of candidates standing under a Green ticket. [

Population

Since there is a correlation between population and impact on the environment, a discussion on population is appropriate.

Population milestones:

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

New Zealand population growth.

File:New Zealand population graph, past and projected.gif

Water

Water Quality

• "Dirty Dairying"
  • Rotorua lakes
  • Lake Taupo
  • Canterbury ground and surface water
  • Nitrate contamination in Canterbury

Dams

New Zealand has seen a number of grassroots protests over the construction of dams The following section treat the protests in a chronological order. Of note was the release of a report [1] in 2004 giving the hydro electricity opportunities of rivers in New Zealand. The Green Party and Fish and Game were scathing of the report.

Lake Manapouri

After opposition in the South Island the debate became a nationwide issue in 1969.

Clyde Dam

There was opposition of the dam which have the flooded prime orchards and part of the town of Cromwell.

The dam construction went ahead as planned. Geological fault lines in the area to be flooded caused the project to have cost and time (?) over-runs.

Project Aqua

After much local and nationwide opposition the plug was pulled on this scheme.

Dobson Dam

Proposed by locals but not by central government

Wairau River

Contact Energy have done a scoping study ?? for an irrigation and hydro power scheme.

Coastline

• Liethfeild Beach

Nuclear

This is worthy of mention due to the anti-nuclear stance that New Zealand has adopted. Contamination due to the release of radioactive material is a threat to the natural environment. (Social angle, imperialism angle)

The anti-nuclear movement came to a head when the USS Buchanan visited Auckland (sp? angle?). It was met with a flotilla of boats in a show of opposition.

The Labour Party made an election promise to halt the visits of nuclear powered ships. When they were elected in 1984 the election promise was fulfilled by passing the Nuclear Free New Zealand Act (sp?). In 1985 French secret agents blew up the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace protest ship, while at the wharf in Auckland. A foreign photograper on board at the time was killed.

Nuclear power for electricity generation in New Zealand is touted on occasion. The Nuclear Free Act does not exclude the use of nuclear powered electricity generation.

Surveys in ????, ???? and 2004 [2] gave high percentage of opposition to nuclear power stations in New Zealand.

In 2004, a retiring Regional Councillor for the Canterbury Regional Council suggested that nuclear power generation investigated as an option due to opposition to any new hydro-electricity dams. After creating some interest in nationwide media the Regional Council attempted to play it down. [3] This press atatement may have been political grandstanding since local body elections were imminent.

Genetic Engineering

Release of GMO's has some known effects on plants of the same species due to cross pollenation. There are unknown effects on the natural soil life.

A number of local organisations and national umbrella groups formed in the 1990's.

New Zealand enacted a voluntary moritorium on the release of GMOs from 2001 to 2003?????. The HSNO Act, administered by ERMA, [4] is the mechanism for approval of the release of GMO's in New Zealand. To date there have been no commercial (or other type?) releases of GMO's.

Air

Air quality has rarely been an issue for enviromental lobby groups. New Zealand air quality ????? compare with overseas.

Auckland is the most populous city and therefore has the most vehicles. Constant sea breezes keep the pollution levels down ??????

Christchurch, Reefton, Nelson and Timaru suffer from winter smog problems due to temperature inversions.  ???

Cartoons

Grarrick Tremain, Al Nisbet and Tom Scott have some good examples of human impact on the environment.

Entertainment

Fred Dagg saye the Bruce Bayliss invented the idea of not producing waste as a way of dealing with disposal!

Environmentalism in the business community

• Greenwashing?
• Warehouse and recycling?
• Sustainable Business Network (had a Chch predecessor)
• "Eco" products.

See also

• Timeline of environmental history of New Zealand

Further reading

• Environmental histories of New Zealand

External links

• Environmental history in New Zealand
• Statistics New Zealand