Author Archives: Andi Cockroft

The removal of more than 400 tonnes of invasive weeds from Lake Horowhenua sounds impressive. It is. Sadly, it is also not a cure. For decades, raw sewage was discharged into the lake. That legacy does not disappear because a … Continue reading →

Commentary by Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ New Zealand’s legal limit for nitrate-nitrogen in drinking water is 11.3 mg/L. That figure dates back to World Health Organisation guidance from the 1960s, designed to prevent an acute infant condition known as methemoglobinemia … Continue reading →

Guest Commentary by Dave Rhodes Wetlands were once treated as nationally significant. Councils inventoried them. Policies were written. International obligations under the Ramsar Convention were invoked. There was urgency. There was language about protection, restoration, and intergenerational responsibility. That urgency … Continue reading →

Feature article by Andi Cockroft, Chairman, Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations NZ (CORANZ) The headline in a recent  “Star Sunday Times” was “Red alert – rampant red deer risk irreversible damage to Fiordland”. And the opening paragraph of the article … Continue reading →

Guest Post by Dave Rhodes I have not conducted a line-by-line review of Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff. What follows is drawn from the author’s interviews, publisher material, and multiple independent reviews. The core argument is simple. Modern Western … Continue reading →

Transpower has told Parliament it will likely need to use the Public Works Act more often to expand the national grid. Electricity demand is forecast to rise more than 60 percent by 2050. Transmission corridors will need upgrading. New generation … Continue reading →

The latest round of submissions on the Arms Bill shows something important: dissatisfaction exists on more than one side. Licensed firearms owners argue the overhaul does not unwind what they see as overreach introduced after 15 March 2019. Gun control … Continue reading →

Protest, Power and Accountability Guest Post by Dave Rhodes A US court has finalised a NZ$575 million judgement against Greenpeace over its role in protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. That is not a minor legal skirmish. It is a … Continue reading →

When a government campaigns on reversing its own decision, it tells us something spectacular! Not about fish.Not about industry.But about stability. The latest announcement that ring-net fishing would be banned in selected high-protection zones of the Hauraki Gulf - reversing … Continue reading →

Structure Matters: Institutional Design Is Not Cosmetic Guest Post by Dave Rhodes The government has introduced legislation to abolish the Ministry for the Environment and fold it into a larger “mega-ministry” covering housing, urban development, transport, local government and environment. … Continue reading →

There is something quietly liberating about a health expert saying: stop obsessing. Dr Ezekiel Emanuel, oncologist and former White House health advisor, argues that the modern “wellness industrial complex” has distorted the point of healthy living. Diet tracking, longevity hacks, … Continue reading →

Regulation, Risk and Outdoor Responsibility Guest Post by Dave Rhodes Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world. It is also one of the most debated. In New Zealand it is approved for agricultural, forestry and amenity use. … Continue reading →

Six planets will line up in our twilight sky this weekend. No tickets.No bookings.No equipment required beyond your own eyes - though binoculars help. Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter should be visible to the naked eye. Uranus and Neptune will … Continue reading →

The Outdoors Still Matters Nearly two-thirds of young New Zealanders wish social media had never been invented. Half report anxiety or depression.More than half believe the world is on a downward slide.A quarter of young men say they have no … Continue reading →

Two days. That is how long it took for Wellington’s south coast to shift from “open - use your judgement” to “unsuitable for swimming.” The mayor swam. Cameras rolled. The message was clear: monitoring showed risk was low and people … Continue reading →

You Cannot Halve a River Without Consequence For the first time in 40 years, no salmon will be weighed at the Rakaia Fishing Competition. Four hundred entrants.No fish. That is not symbolism.That is signal. The Rakaia was once world-renowned for … Continue reading →

This is an election year. That matters. It matters not because CORANZ aligns with any party - we do not - but because legislation passed in the next parliamentary term will shape rivers, access, hunting, fishing, pest control, freshwater allocation … Continue reading →

Whangamarino Wetland is internationally recognised, nationally significant and regionally important. It is also in decline. A new assessment describes mounting pressure, ecological stress and the need for active intervention. Avian botulism events have killed thousands of birds. A large peat … Continue reading →