Otago University to start reducing fossil fuel use
The University has a 3 year plan to decrease its carbon fuel use.
forestry
Guest Post: Sneaky and sudden Government move on genetic engineering
A guest post on a Government attempt to change the Resource Management Act to prevent local councils from restricting the planting of genetically engineered trees.
Labour and the Greens announce forestry policies
Labour announced policies today seeking to reinvigorate the Forestry Industry and to promote more local processing of logs. And the Greens have announced a policy designed to increase the use of wood in local buildings.
Is it always better late than never?
Minister of Labour Simon Bridges today said he welcomed the Review of Forestry Safety and that he has asked Worksafe NZ to review […]
Workers Denied Access to Information
The NZ Logger magazine has published attack after attack on us since about August of last year. You have to read them to believe them. Industry players and Editorials suggesting we are the problem in forestry safety! One even suggested UNIONS were exploiting workers in the industry through our safety campaign. I contacted the Editor to ask for a right of reply. It was written with minor changes and expected to appear this month. Now they won’t run it…. Have a look at it yourself.
Tale four – the Death of Philip McHardy. Killed 31 August 2011 – struck by a tree
Philip McHardy was killed while working in a pine plantation block in Overton Forest Winton on 31 August 2011. He worked for Don Contracting and was working in a Southern Forest NZ Ltd managed forest.
Unionists Under the Bed
Forest Owners representative Sheldon Drummond suggested the union movement campaign around forestry safety was motivated by the “large un-unionised workforce” in forestry. In Sheldon’s mind this is clearly code for “bad motive”. Interviews with workers tell the story of their working lives, the long hours they are working and how safety issues are relegated when they are on the hill.. Fearing that if the article identifies them in any way there will be consequences – they are adamant that reprisal is a real risk. Sheldon sees none of this….
The Silence is Killing Them
The NZ Forestry Sector is completely unmonitored – It is one of our most dangerous industries and no one seems to know what is going on. From my perspective it appears within officialdom and the Forest Owners themselves, no one really cares.
100% PURE…going…going…gone…
When the 2009 ‘streamlining and simplifying’ amendment to the RMA was rushed through parliament last year, many concerns were raised about new abilities for the Minister for the Environment to use National Environmental Standards (NES) to override local government regulations. Now an NES on forestry is being pushed through. It’s scary stuff.