I’m starting to think there must be something in the water in our southernmost province. Last week I wrote about the 3000 Southland farmers who will require a permit to farm, largely due to the cunning stunts of Southland Fish & Game.
For Fish & Game to now assert they didn’t know their court action would cause the result it did shows either complete naivety, arrogance or both in my view.
Southland Federated Farmers wants Fish & Game’s advocacy role removed, which I support.
Now Southland farmers have another mountain to climb, or specifically those in the Gore district do.
The local council wants to classify the entire Gore district under Section 6 of the Resource Management Act, which would make it an Area of Significance to Māori.
Predictably, Groundswell is on the case and has released a statement saying why the proposal should be strongly opposed. I agree with it.
It makes the point that once land is classified under Section 6 “it becomes subject to counterproductive, unworkable and intrusive bureaucracy”.
It adds that landowners could spend years and fortunes on applications and legal costs just figuring out what they’re allowed to do with their land. The mortgage doesn’t go away while the circus continues.
ACT MP and Primary Industries Select Committee chair Mark Cameron is also on top of the issue. He points out that property rights are being “pointlessly threatened” in Gore.
He adds that “as glorious and historic as Gore may be, it’s just not credible to say the entire district is a culturally sensitive site”.
He also believes that the Gore council’s actions are “more like a land grab”.
The facts, according to the local website, are that Māori arrived in Gore in the early 1800s and European settlers were there in mid-1800s. That’s hardly justification for classifying the entire district as significant to Māori.
You can also read that the district enjoyed the prosperity it derived from agriculture. It then adds that “Gore found comfort in its country roots, music and agriculture”. I’m only surprised the Gore council didn’t allocate Areas of National Significance to farmers and country and western artists.
Of interest is the Gore council website that talks of “45 different ethnicities in the Gore district”.
Groundswell’s Bryce McKenzie, never one to mince words, made the point that if the plan “goes through in Gore it will set a precedent of the rest of New Zealand”.
He added, “We must stop this stupidity in Gore.”
I totally agree, we must stop this stupidity in Gore.
There are many other local government areas with considerably more Māori history than Gore, so if the Gore plan goes ahead heavens only knows where it will end.
I have two questions for the Gore council.
The first is to ask if the council even remotely cares about the hassles its actions will give farmers?
The second is to ask the same organisation why it is so hell-bent on pursuing Section 6 of the RMA when the government has promised to repeal it?
Alan Emerson is a semi-retired Wairarapa businessman and farmer. This article was first published HERE
Southland Federated Farmers wants Fish & Game’s advocacy role removed, which I support.
Now Southland farmers have another mountain to climb, or specifically those in the Gore district do.
The local council wants to classify the entire Gore district under Section 6 of the Resource Management Act, which would make it an Area of Significance to Māori.
Predictably, Groundswell is on the case and has released a statement saying why the proposal should be strongly opposed. I agree with it.
It makes the point that once land is classified under Section 6 “it becomes subject to counterproductive, unworkable and intrusive bureaucracy”.
It adds that landowners could spend years and fortunes on applications and legal costs just figuring out what they’re allowed to do with their land. The mortgage doesn’t go away while the circus continues.
ACT MP and Primary Industries Select Committee chair Mark Cameron is also on top of the issue. He points out that property rights are being “pointlessly threatened” in Gore.
He adds that “as glorious and historic as Gore may be, it’s just not credible to say the entire district is a culturally sensitive site”.
He also believes that the Gore council’s actions are “more like a land grab”.
The facts, according to the local website, are that Māori arrived in Gore in the early 1800s and European settlers were there in mid-1800s. That’s hardly justification for classifying the entire district as significant to Māori.
You can also read that the district enjoyed the prosperity it derived from agriculture. It then adds that “Gore found comfort in its country roots, music and agriculture”. I’m only surprised the Gore council didn’t allocate Areas of National Significance to farmers and country and western artists.
Of interest is the Gore council website that talks of “45 different ethnicities in the Gore district”.
Groundswell’s Bryce McKenzie, never one to mince words, made the point that if the plan “goes through in Gore it will set a precedent of the rest of New Zealand”.
He added, “We must stop this stupidity in Gore.”
I totally agree, we must stop this stupidity in Gore.
There are many other local government areas with considerably more Māori history than Gore, so if the Gore plan goes ahead heavens only knows where it will end.
I have two questions for the Gore council.
The first is to ask if the council even remotely cares about the hassles its actions will give farmers?
The second is to ask the same organisation why it is so hell-bent on pursuing Section 6 of the RMA when the government has promised to repeal it?
Alan Emerson is a semi-retired Wairarapa businessman and farmer. This article was first published HERE
3 comments:
In this instance - and similar ones - where is the strong voice of the people who will be most affected negatively ? The rate payers, the tax payers, lawyers committed to upholding the Common Law, the students ( attending "Indigenized" universities)...........Why is there no robust opposition to these often absurd moves?
I have been reading the latest novel by Paullina Simons who was writimg about how communist Russia sent thugs to Ukraine and forced all the farmers to comply with their collectivisation laws. They set Impossible targets and farmers lost all say on what they could do on their own farms and could not make any money for themselves. In 2024 what is happening in Gore NZ appears be chillingly similar.
This is another article on the same Council that has developed "issues with core management" since the last Local Body Elections.
This is the same Council that has, since above, shown New Zealand "how not to manage" and that started from the moment the Councilor's had issues with the new Mayor, who had issues with the then CEO and the stupidity that followed. We, in New Zealand were "told, that it had all been sorted, we are moving forward". I now wonder, who has got at the Mayor, and made sure he "follows the game plan"?
With the issues that arose from that last Local Body Election, the Minister of Local Govt NZ, should of had a Govt Officials in Gore to "check under the bed sheets, to see what the hell was going on". And He, should do that now. Sadly, the person who is that Minister, I have no faith in - he took to long to "stamp on the toes of the Mayor & Councilor's in Wellington".
Also someone in our current Govt needs to speak to Fish & Game and also DOC, neither organization are elected bodies and/or officials, they follow Govt degree- continued failure to "bring them into line", will see them continue with their collective power surge, because they have got away with once, they will do so again.
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