Viewpoint

Craig Jepson, Mayor of Kaipara mayor@kaipara.govt.nz

Ideology at your peril

“We don’t talk anymore” was a huge hit for Cliff Richard in 1979. When it played on the radio the other day, I wondered if he was referring to the current political environment! Nowadays, it seems we must put more effort into agonising about who may be offended by saying what we think, instead of thinking about what should be said. It’s time to step out and talk about the issues that really matter to our future prosperity, even when it’s not PC to do so. What should drive our discussions is what is right for the community as a whole. We should not remain mute because the comments may ‘offend’ a vested interest group pursuing a particular ideology. That is the duty of elected representatives. Take an issue like energy. It makes no sense to import dirty coal from Malaysia when we have our own clean product sitting in the ground. It makes no sense to lock up our valuable oil and gas reserves in the name of the green Gaia that demands we rush into building solar farms, windmills and storage batteries at great expense. In California, South Australia and the United Kingdom, the push for renewables at the exclusion of reliable cheap energy has been a road to rocketing energy prices, blackouts, businesses shutting down or exiting to an affordable location. Electricity prices in the UK are so high it is termed heat or eat!

It makes no sense to build another mega dump in the Dome Valley, when dumping waste in the ground is no longer accepted in many of our trading nations. Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Belgium and Sweden have achieved almost zero waste to landfill. This by a combination of energy-from-waste and recycling. No new landfills can be consented in Europe. On average, a New Zealand tonne of garbage produces about the same energy as half a tonne of Huntly coal and can be burned cleaner. The (renewable) energy recovered from the high temperature process can power thousands of homes. In addition, metal and construction aggregates are recovered for reuse. It’s time we talked about building such plants to give New Zealand a cleaner image.

If New Zealand is to work its way out of its economic decline, cheap power is essential. Without it, we cannot lift GDP. Our farmers, growers, manufacturers, exporters and innovators will not flourish without this basic necessity and we, as a nation, will be starved of the funds needed to provide the things that matter like quality healthcare.

The recent goings-on in Wellington should send a clear message to government that they put ideology ahead of practicality at their own peril. It’s a lesson equally as relevant at a local level.