Actively supporting NZ's endangered Wetland Birds
We have been steering clear of the political and policy issues that arose during the Board of Inquiry into the expressway in order to focus on the dune lake and it's birds. These have been festering away since the hearings gave the NZTA the green light however, and over the last week have been aired in local papers.
The controversy arose when a number of local groups committed to the principles of environmental sustainability were denied stands at a weekend sustainability 'Fair' while the NZTA were invited to participate. This raised the ire of local people who take their green principles seriously, which in turn raised the ire of the new local Mayor who came out in strong support of the NZTA's environmental credentials.
The NZTA has so far maintained a silence on the controversy though the issues it raises are world wide and growing, and centre locally on the credibility of the scientific evidence used by this corporate SOE, (a State-owned stand alone business), in the
The NZTA has so far maintained a silence on the controversy though the issues it raises are world wide and growing, and centre locally on the credibility of the scientific evidence used by this corporate SOE, (a State-owned stand alone business), in the
preparation of its submissions to the Board. As countries have begun taking their environmental responsibilities more seriously in response to growing public concern, so Business has developed strategies to resist and undermine legislative controls. Some of those strategies involve employing specialist companies to develop 'independent' scientific evidence sympathetic to their position. In other cases it may involve more controversial activities that throw doubt on legitimate data, or work to undermine the reputations of the scientists involved. (For a US account of the campaign to undermine Tyrone Hayes findings on the herbicide atrazine, see the February 10 issue of The New Yorker).
The issues raised in Kapiti concern the make up of the Board of Inquiry appointed by the Environment Minister, which didn't include a member with any environmental experience, scientific or otherwise and the quality of the scientific evidence that the NZTA presented to the Board.
We aren't Scientists, but as we went through the relevant evidence it became clear that it was a very rushed job (the project had been fast-tracked), and that the environmental evidence had been consistently massaged to NZTA's advantage. The lack of coordination between the various teams working on the assessment can be seen in the fact that 8 different descriptions of the dune lake were presented ranging from it being definitely a wetland to emphatically denying that it was. It was asserted that the wetland was formed by stop banks along the Wharemauku and yet a simple visit to the site would have shown that this was impossible because the ground was sloping the wrong way.
All the scientists were employed by a privately contracted
environmental firm that had no experience of working in this area. Their evidence consistently underplayed the evidence of the local authority scientists.
The avian scientist spent a year surveying local wetland birds and
failed to encounter 30 percent of them. 20 minutes was spent surveying the birds on the dune lake. More serious was the failure to identify the critically endangered parera or grey duck. Future posts will delve into the history and current status of this duck, suffice it to say that the male differs from the mallard because it doesn't have a green head. They are similar to their mates and mallard females with which they are often confused. Though rare in this area we have seen and filmed them reasonably regularly and they have set nests at the lake over the last 3 years.
In summing up evidence to the Board, the NZTA denied that the grey duck were in the area, despite film evidence presented to the Board. The Board accepted this evidence. There was no mention of parera in their final report and yet subsequently the NZTA have added parera to an endangered species watch list. Subsequently two further nationally threatened species have been discovered in this small urban area -dabchick and spotless crake. About these the NZTA have remained silent.
From this short review it can be seen that those raising doubts about the NZTA's environmental credentials raise legitimate and
serious questions about greenwashing that need answers. At the moment they are being swamped by an ongoing and effective
media management campaign.
Our apologies for posting no images with this. We are on holiday and left our gear behind. Next post we hope to bring photos from the Abel Tasman National Park.(top of South Island).
Track we were listening to while posting this
Siouxsie and the Banshees. This Wheels on Fire (Bob Dylan (again)).
If your memory serves you well
You'll remember you're the one
that called on me to call on them
The issues raised in Kapiti concern the make up of the Board of Inquiry appointed by the Environment Minister, which didn't include a member with any environmental experience, scientific or otherwise and the quality of the scientific evidence that the NZTA presented to the Board.
We aren't Scientists, but as we went through the relevant evidence it became clear that it was a very rushed job (the project had been fast-tracked), and that the environmental evidence had been consistently massaged to NZTA's advantage. The lack of coordination between the various teams working on the assessment can be seen in the fact that 8 different descriptions of the dune lake were presented ranging from it being definitely a wetland to emphatically denying that it was. It was asserted that the wetland was formed by stop banks along the Wharemauku and yet a simple visit to the site would have shown that this was impossible because the ground was sloping the wrong way.
All the scientists were employed by a privately contracted
environmental firm that had no experience of working in this area. Their evidence consistently underplayed the evidence of the local authority scientists.
The avian scientist spent a year surveying local wetland birds and
failed to encounter 30 percent of them. 20 minutes was spent surveying the birds on the dune lake. More serious was the failure to identify the critically endangered parera or grey duck. Future posts will delve into the history and current status of this duck, suffice it to say that the male differs from the mallard because it doesn't have a green head. They are similar to their mates and mallard females with which they are often confused. Though rare in this area we have seen and filmed them reasonably regularly and they have set nests at the lake over the last 3 years.
In summing up evidence to the Board, the NZTA denied that the grey duck were in the area, despite film evidence presented to the Board. The Board accepted this evidence. There was no mention of parera in their final report and yet subsequently the NZTA have added parera to an endangered species watch list. Subsequently two further nationally threatened species have been discovered in this small urban area -dabchick and spotless crake. About these the NZTA have remained silent.
From this short review it can be seen that those raising doubts about the NZTA's environmental credentials raise legitimate and
serious questions about greenwashing that need answers. At the moment they are being swamped by an ongoing and effective
media management campaign.
Our apologies for posting no images with this. We are on holiday and left our gear behind. Next post we hope to bring photos from the Abel Tasman National Park.(top of South Island).
Track we were listening to while posting this
Siouxsie and the Banshees. This Wheels on Fire (Bob Dylan (again)).
If your memory serves you well
You'll remember you're the one
that called on me to call on them
to get your favour's done
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