Monthly Archives: May 2020

by Tony Orman The arrival of the migrant native bird the cuckoo used to be eagerly listened for around October 1. The bird is small and is more often heard than seen, identified by its distinctive whistling call repeated several … Continue reading →

Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage needs to take a basic biology lesson on the difference between a vegetarian herbivore and a carnivore predator, says a hunting and conservation advocacy. Laurie Collins spokesman for the Sporting Hunters Outdoor Trust (SHOT) said Minister … Continue reading →

The Government’s recently announced freshwater reforms are a masterclass in rhetoric over substance, says a trout and salmon fishing advocacy, the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater Anglers. The widely held view is that while Government listened to the science, acted … Continue reading →

Opinion by Michelle Terry Reducing pesticides, using—not wasting—our resources, and creating truly ‘green’ jobs in Nature. Can we do it?  In contrast to other countries which are reducing the impact of toxic chemicals on their natural environments, the New Zealand … Continue reading →

by John McNab The Quota Management System which government uses to manage the saltwater fishery should be dumped says national fishing advocate Legasea. Legasea has been working for over three years on an campaign titled Rescue Fish  to salvage the … Continue reading →

Struggling commercial fishers and environmentalists say the White House is exploiting COVID-19 to privatise the ocean writes Alexander C Kaufman in the Huff Post (USA). These are some extracts. The full article is at  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-seafood_n_5ec83d11c5b6b214329566e4 Since lockdown measures in the … Continue reading →

by Ben Hope A Coromandel environmentalist Reihana Robinson has slammed New Zealand’s use of poisons such as 1080 and brodifacoum. “To mass poison a landscape is ecological madness,” she said. In addition, the whole “pest” management policy lacks efficiency and … Continue reading →

A conservationist and one of the instigators of Predator-Free New Zealand has blasted a national conservation organisation Forest and Bird and the Department of Conservation for creating a “tapestry of theft and deception” to sabotage the original concept while setting … Continue reading →

“If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live.” Maurice Maeterlinck, “The Life of a Bee”  In the last 50 years agrotoxins have spread and are pushing bees to extinction. The … Continue reading →

by Ben Hope Wallabies given a dishonourable mention in government’s recent budget as a pest needing money to combat them, could be earning valuable local and export dollars money by way of meat and hides says a hunters’ environmental advocacy … Continue reading →

An opinion by Tony Orman The government is considering proposals to change the way the high country is being farmed. But how well qualified is government and its bureaucracies to formulate a constructive set of management proposals? How well has … Continue reading →

Opinion by Michelle Terry   “$1.1 billion for nature jobs”? Was this a first draft budget presented to NZ as the final version?   Using the word Nature to describe pesticide and herbicide use is stretching the truth to the … Continue reading →

What has happened to the 2017 promises by the Labour, Greens and NZ First parties – now forming government – to tangibly start the task of cleaning up the public’s waterways after decades of neglect? That’s the question two prominent … Continue reading →

               The Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) has congratulated the Government for announcing that it is going to implement a measure that CAFCA has advocated – namely, applying its proposed national interest … Continue reading →

Book Review “Duped – The True Story behind Predator Free New Zealand”  by Les Kelly. Self published. Available from predatorfreenz@gmail.com, Price $25 plus postage i.e.$29.50 for urban delivery or $33.50 for rural delivery. Reviewed by Tony Orman Marlborough conservationist Les … Continue reading →

An opinion by Tony Orman Education is so important. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato once said “If a man neglects his education he walks lame for the rest of his life.” But is education delivering only good values and the … Continue reading →

Opinion by John McNab The New Zealand Department of Conservation (DoC) employ scientists to come up with conclusions that will be deemed favourable to the pro-poison policies (aka policy-based evidence-making.) However, if a scientist comes up with the unwanted realities, … Continue reading →