by John B Henderson
Introduction:– The late John B Henderson was national president of the NZ Deerstalkers Association. He wrote many editorials in NZDA’s magazine “NZ Wildlife”. In this editorial of Autumn 1973, he wrote of the relationship between politics and the outdoors.
When too many say they aren’t interested in politics, John spells out the reality that there’s no other choice – if you care. In these extracts, he reflects on the 1972 election when the National government were ousted by the Norm Kirk-led Labour Part with environmental and outdoor issues to the fore. These are extracts.
If there were any doubts in the past that the great public debates involving the environment conservation and outdoor recreation were politics issues, then the hard lessons driven home by the 1972 general election should have spelled them for all but the myopic.
An entrenched government paid the price for the many forms of environmental destruction they were either directly responsible for or which they had allowed to happen. and for their neglect, were unceremoniously bundled out of office.
Did the previous National government think it had any friends at all with respect to their blundering with the public’s Lakes Manapouri – Te Anau? (The defeated government wanted to raise the lakes both in a National Park to provide power to a foreign owned aluminium smelter)
Trout Farming Debacle
Did they catch one single vote in that long, immensely costly and stupid trout farming debacle?
Or the blatant attempt to commercialise a sporting fish and the most popular recreational pursuit in New Zealand, for pin money?
Did they not read the newspaper columns or sense the massive wave of protest that ran through the angling fraternity for more than three years and made enemies of thousands of ordinary placid anglers?
Did that government make one ounce of sense in trying to defend a dozen or so weird land deals they arranged a blessing for, involving secret negotiations with respect to public land, the sale of first class farm land to foreign absentee owners?
We now have a different government and it is hoped the public will be just as diligent in examining its record at the next election in 1975. On the credit side we have already seen action that killed the trout farming bill and moves with respect to Lake Manapouri and shonky land deals at Te Anau that look promising.
To those naive souls who continue to bleat that conservation, fishing, shooting and hunting and politics don’t mix I say that is precisely what those who pull the big strings want you to believe – you will continue to do so at your peril.
If the system fails, it is because the government has failed.
Politics and environment are nothing more and nothing less than cause and effect.
Famous Indian Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) once said “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.”
That is so evident today in politics. John B Henderson’s words in 1972 were very wise and sage advice to every New Zealander who choses to vote in November.
Really there is no choice; you must vote.
As so many great brains have said if you ignore the past the future will turn to crap (perhaps slightly different words).
Beware politicians who are not pragmatists. The public needs to inform the politicians not the other way around. Those driven by philosophy are invariably environmental disasters agents – from communists and free-market neoloberals to religious zealots. This is the sort of lunacy that John Henderson predicts with the line “If the system fails, it is because the government has failed.” … and failing it is today.
The government ultimately exists to serve our country and its people .. not the other way around.
In so doing, those who are in government .. must apply sound judgements.
They should not follow their own ideological agendas.
They should stick to what truly serves New Zealand .. and New Zealanders .. best.
They have enormous resources available to ensure they have the best advice.
Why do they find this so apparently, extraordinarily difficult?
Yes John Henderson was good on solid advise, but honestly, Hipkins, leading NZ again, really, and now Luxon looks to have broken his election promises in regards to the Three Waters and joint sovereignty, that was what got him elected, then we have Jones and Bishop, God forbid, the weirdo Greens, or Te Pati Maori, what a choice