Lets get Topical

Just a small post today. So recently there have been alot of news reports on the protesting by Greenpeace on the deep sea oil exploration. After reading the article, there were various comments that struck a chord with me and I would like to share them with you and hear your throughts on the topic

                    Photo Credit: New Zealand Herald

"Environmental campaigners disrupting oil exploration off the East Cape are standing in the way of "better jobs and better incomes" for New Zealanders, says Prime Minister John Key" (John Key)

"I think that we should look at tapping our natural resources like coal, gas and oil in a way which minimises any damage to the enviroment (farming probably causes more enivornmental damage!). Althought oil exploration could create jobs on the rigs and associated jobs and industry on the mainland, how much of this new generated wealth will actually flow out of NZ" (User Comments)

"Why shouldn't the new oil be used to run our own cars and industry at cheaper prices rather than be sold on the international market where we have to compete in a spot price market. And will any compensation be given to the local iwi and local community" (User Comments)

"The value to NZ in this is very minimal short term gain. I note National have commented that the mining of this area is "worth the risk", most likely referring to BP's recent diaster in the US. Key has been told by Crosby Textor to use the line that they (Greenpeace) are standing in the way of jobs for New Zealanders. The group that Key is referring to is a very small number of job oppurtunities, who will be paid NZ rates, which according to English are 30% lower than Aussie and that's good for business.The real issue is a continual lack of NZ production and initiative by the Key Government to create production. Handing out an exploration licence for a minimal fee is lazy government. Giving away a precious resource to a foreign owned interest is criminal" (User Comments)

I personally believe we should be investing in more sustainable energy, what are your thoughts??

To read the full article and comments follow:
Debate: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10718567
Article about protesters and government: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10718679

Short Sited Auckland

Just like a person who cannot see into the distance, Auckland transport are not looking to the future in terms of population growth and what this means for our roads. As most of you have noticed, there are extensive construction works happening in the viaduct motorway in Auckland City. This project includes building a north bound tunnel with 3 lanes and then opening up ALL 4 viaduct lanes for south bound traffic (Auckland Motorways 2011). The tunnel will greatly improve the flow of traffic from both southbound and northbound directions during peak times.

               Proposed result (Auckland Motorway, 2011)

So what is wrong with this you ask?
Well, there are several things actually. By failing to invest in southbound tunnel which would enable a demolition of the viaduct overpass lanes, the following points show what is wrong with this.


1. Missed opportunities for enhancing the space in front of historic birdcage building which connects with Victoria Park market and Victoria Park. By not grasping this opportunity, we have yet again failed to improve the connections within Auckland City. 

2. Failure to provide infrastructure for future growth in Auckland. By 2030, the proposed population of Auckland is to be around 2 million. Auckland Motorways have stated that the reason they have not built a southbound tunnel at the same time as the current tunnel is because of funding. I know that I am speaking as an outsider, but to me, it makes a lot more sense to spend that much more today and have a job done that will inevitable need to be done in the future. If they had done it now, then they would have saved time and money that could be better spent on other sectors (such as the health sector) as the workers would already be digging up that area. Now, when this tunnel needs to be built, they will have to spend hard earned taxes on re-digging up the same area.


Now i must admit that another main reason for not building the southbound tunnel now is because they are looking to tie it in with the proposed harbour crossing. Although this looks great for the future, these investments needed to be made years ago. And surely they can still build the tunnel now and then tie it in with the new harbour crossing???

      Proposed Harbour Crossing (Auckland Motorway, 2011)

If you would like to read more on this project and the proposed harbour crossing then follow these links:
Victoria Park Tunnel: http://www.aucklandmotorways.co.nz/northern/victoriaviaduct.php
Auckland harbour Crossing: http://www.aucklandmotorways.co.nz/northern/ahc.php
What are your thoughts with this? I'm keen to hear.