New Zealand's abundant resources - How do we use them?

[Winston001]

Coal, oil, gas. Freshwater. Clean air. Titanium, uranium, gold. Seafood (ever seen the size of our offshore economic zone?), dairy products, meat. Pine trees. I'm sure that the air space above us could also have strategic importance.

That makes me wonder why we're not doing more with this natural abundance in terms of improving the lot of just over four million New Zealanders...

I liked this thought so much that I've stolen it from Hitcher (who won't notice....).

So - what can we do with the natural resources we do have?

How do we do it without raping and destroying those resources?

[Flatcap]

I liked this thought so much that I've stolen it from Hitcher (who won't notice....).

So - what can we do with the natural resources we do have?

How do we do it without raping and destroying those resources?

Easy, we lock them away from evil exploitation so that fat gormless tourists can come and gawp at them

[Hitcher]

Unfortunately most of our more valuable mineral resources are located within national parks or areas of pristine wilderness. The issue then becomes whether or not those areas can be rehabilitated economically after the minerals have been removed. Until they can, any meaningful debate is moot.

[Hitcher]

Easy, we lock them away from evil exploitation so that fat gormless tourists can come and gawp at them

Tourism is evil.

[98tls]

Easy, we lock them away from evil exploitation so that fat gormless tourists can come and gawp at them

To late although i applaud the sentiment.

[mowgli]

I liked this thought so much that I've stolen it from Hitcher (who won't notice....).
So - what can we do with the natural resources we do have?
How do we do it without raping and destroying those resources?

Nothing if we don't stop foreign invaders from helping themselves.

• First we need to spend some serious money on bolstering New Zealand's maritime surveillance capability (Air Force, Navy, Customs). How on earth can we protect our exclusive economic zone if we can't patrol it?
• Second we need to put teeth back into our Defence Force. When (not if) we detect illegal activity occurring within our area of interest we need the capability to apprehend and/or prosecute the transgressors before they simply sail away.

Ask the Taiwanese trawler fleet about a certain run in they had with an A4 Skyhawk and then ask what they did after NZ disbanded the air combat force

[CookMySock]

Unfortunately most of our more valuable mineral resources are located within national parks or areas of pristine wilderness.

So cut it down. That will be "wild".

The issue then becomes whether or not those areas can be rehabilitated economically after the minerals have been removed.

Thats a lot of money for no return though ?

DB

[98tls]

Nothing if we don't stop foreign invaders from helping themselves.

• First we need to spend some serious money on bolstering New Zealand's maritime surveillance capability (Air Force, Navy, Customs). How on earth can we protect our exclusive economic zone if we can't patrol it?
• Second we need to put teeth back into our Defence Force. When (not if) we detect illegal activity occurring within our area of interest we need the capability to apprehend and/or prosecute the transgressors before they simply sail away.

Ask the Taiwanese trawler fleet about a certain run in they had with an A4 Skyhawk and then ask what they did after NZ disbanded the air combat force

Like i said "to late"Even if they had such resources they wouldnt have the nouce to use them.

[98tls]

Unfortunately most of our more valuable mineral resources are located within national parks or areas of pristine wilderness. The issue then becomes whether or not those areas can be rehabilitated economically after the minerals have been removed. Until they can, any meaningful debate is moot.

National parks you say

[mowgli]

Like i said "to late"Even if they had such resources they wouldnt have the nouce to use them.

Which "they" are you referring to 98tls?

[McJim]

Bloke at work today told me that a lot of native hardwood trees were felled in Southland beacause of the particularly fine and shiny paper they produced. This paper was of such high quality that it was much sought after by the upmarket Japanese porn industry.

So we lost native hardwood forests just so middle aged Japanese businessmen could wank over them. Sort of reinforces New Zealand's place in the world eh?

[FJRider]

Tourism is evil.

But it PAYS well

[puddytat]

Hang onto them for as long as we can so we can sell it later when it'll be worth alot more than now...
The Govt. is presently looking at granting rights to the seabed minerals for the likes of RioTinto & China for the stately royalty of about $2.50 per sq/km per year....TOTAL!! Anything they find is theirs alone. RioTinto is itself looking to get the rights to something like 250 000sq/km of the WestCoast of both Islands...all thiers for about$625000 per year.An absolute pittance for the zillions of tonnes of precious metals & coal.
Dont believe me ? Google .. Coalition Against Seabed Mining

[98tls]

Which "they" are you referring to 98tls?

Take your pick........theres only 2 to chose from.Sadly it doesnt matter in this case as like i said "its to late".

[mowgli]

Like i said "to late"Even if they had such resources they wouldnt have the nouce to use them.

Take your pick........theres only 2 to chose from.Sadly it doesnt matter in this case as like i said "its to late".

Well, I strongly disagree. Personnel of the NZ Defence Force are world renowned for their nouse as they defend New Zealanders and their interests. But don't worry, we stick up for all New Zealanders, especially those that have already given up hope themselves - it's our duty.