Posts by Sacha
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Hard News: The Sound of Music, in reply to Russell Brown,
chosen for "international appeal"
Those foreigners would never appreciate NZ culture. Oh, wait..
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I've enjoyed the mariachi trumpet but have not been able to afford to endure it at a stadium. The experience may well be more palatable diluted through the telly. Wafts of Black Eyed Peas certainly are.
I guess there must not have been any stipulation by RWC2011 Ltd about NZ music when they tendered the contract. Shame they've let down the focus on local throughout the tournament's visual branding and opening ceremony.
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Hard News: Dropping the Bomber, in reply to Sacha,
The Greens' David Clendon also discusses Parata's reply to the parliamentary question he was asking.
I didn’t find that particularly reassuring at the time, and find it much less so now given what is happening off Tauranga. We know some smart and dedicated people, both professionals and volunteers, are working desperately hard trying to avert a major disaster, but so far we have seen just how little capacity we have to manage an accident.
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How much worse would the situation be if we were to allow deepwater off shore drilling, which the Energy Minister and her government are so eager to do, and an accident occurred a long way offshore in foul weather.
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Hard News: Dropping the Bomber, in reply to Sacha,
Mr Joyce said extra policy and new laws would not have made a difference to the Rena oil spill.
Note the framing of regulatory arrangements as "extra". The man shows little grasp of proper governance. Like most of his business chums, sadly for our economy.
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The Energy Minister earlier reassured parliament in the aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico spill that Maritime NZ had expertise and resources.
On 13 April, Hekia Parata said:
Maritime New Zealand is responsible for ensuring New Zealand is prepared for, and able to respond to, marine oil spills. The Marine Pollution Response Service consists of internationally respected experts who manage and train a team of around 400 local government and Maritime New Zealand responders. New Zealand has equipment and other stores strategically located around New Zealand. In addition, the Marine Pollution Response Service assists regional councils with exercise and oil spill equipment. The plan is responsive and is regularly evaluated to ensure it meets changing risk profiles.
Somebody should question Parata about why the internationally respected experts have to be flown in from overseas and she effectively misled the house?
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Maritime NZ funding for oil spill response is not from frozen budget, says Transport Minister Joyce - it's the maritime industry falling short.
"The funding has been frozen at the same level it was when Labour left office. But that funding is not the operational funding that's paid for by industry. That funding is for policy and the development of new laws."
Mr Joyce said extra policy and new laws would not have made a difference to the Rena oil spill.
Maritime NZ director Catherine Taylor agreed, saying the oil response was funded from the oil pollution fund. "The funding that they were referring to related to other core activities of Maritime NZ, so they are not related. It's the safety regulatory side of the organisation that is being subject for a value-for-money and a funding review, not the oil pollution fund."
A Maritime NZ statement also said the maritime-industry funded marine pollution response unit's oil pollution fund was shrinking, with spending over-running funding by $1m annually.
Under the current system, Maritime NZ recoups about $3m from marine industry oil pollution levy payers but spends more than $4m on maintaining response capability. Maritime NZ has consulted with the industry on proposals to amend the levy so reserves do not fall below the fund's $2m threshold. A new levy regime is expected to be in place by July next year.
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Hard News: Dropping the Bomber, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
having these at the scene on stand by would be beneficial to say the least. There is a boom sitting in a warehouse on Auckland Wharf somewhere and I still see nothing around the ship now. Even a boom along the coastline could help. surely?
Apparently they don't work with waves. Or something.
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Hard News: Dropping the Bomber, in reply to peterpeasant,
How the hell did we wind up here via Tauranga?
If a new thread is not started as news develops, old ones get re-purposed. Or something.
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Hard News: The Politics of Absence, in reply to DexterX,
we need fewer people in parliament
I don't see a connection between the problem and that solution. The issue seems more about quality than quantity of governance.
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Hard News: The Politics of Absence, in reply to DexterX,
Joyce mentions the senior civil servants getting the figures together on the likely cost of damages and clean up as “boffins”
He's just spinning prepared lines about needing "experts" from overseas before being able to do anything. In contrast to govt assurances some months ago that preparedness was just dandy.