I'm for justice and equity for all peoples everywhere. I am also for exposing lies and corruption, particularly the lies of the corporations that have a tight grip on humanity, all for profit and control. A grip that has been instrumental in the rape and pillage of indigenous peoples planet wide, for centuries.
The Russian President spoke to youngsters at a festival in Sochi about the prospect of mass-killing supermen who are incapable of feeling pain or compassion
The strongman Russian President spoke to a crowd of students about the prospect of an army of trained killers incapable of feeling “pain or fear” much like the characters in 1992 action movie Universal Soldier.
He revealed that scientists are close to breaking the genetic code which would enable them to create “a human with pre-designed characteristics”.
Well, wars are about money. Ask General Smedley Butler who blew the whistle last round on full scale global slaughter by the money machine/cartel. Watch this man who exposes the Military Industrial Complex. Your government/corporation has recently committed 20 billion dollars to this machine, while kids starve, people sleep in their cars and the most number of teenagers in the world proportionately kill themselves. The Nats don’t particularly care about that, after all their former in-bed-with-the-banking-cartel-leader has been knighted for his efforts in multiplying our debt to half a trillion dollars. What’s new? EWR
Why are martial law military exercises being held in Local Communities?
Forest and Bird chief executive Kevin Hague said in July that documents released under the Official Information Act indicated that ‘the scope of law and regulation that the government is proposing to suspend, to facilitate these developments, is breath-taking’.
Photo: The Daily Blog
Residents in Tasman-Buller question the New Zealand Defence Force’s judgement in staging more huge ‘war games’ in their townships. This year’s exercise began last week and will continue until mid-November. The military exercise continues Southern Katipo, held in Nelson-Tasman-Buller-Marlborough in 2015. This year, West Coast and Kaikoura districts are included.
More than two thousand troops from New Zealand, the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the Pacific and elsewhere are involved. Some military personnel are ‘embedded’ in local communities before the exercise begins.
During the 2015 exercise, Murchison (population 500), was ‘occupied’ by international military forces for one month. While some Murchison residents were comfortable with that, others say it was a stressful ordeal.
Parks and sports areas were requisitioned by the military and declared off-limits to locals, while troops conducted armed exercises around the shopping area, on domestic streets, in rural areas and within Kahurangi National Park.
One woman said that ‘Helicopters buzzed overhead for most of the day, huge military aircraft flew low over our homes, and it was scary waking up to find armed troops running up your street.’
During one exercise, NZDF invited Murchison residents to volunteer to stage a mock protest against the military. Civilians, including a large number of school students, willingly took part, waving placards and throwing water bombs at troops, and they were encouraged to chant and act aggressively toward troops.
The ‘protest’ turned ugly, however, with several civilians being thrown to the ground, handcuffed and dragged away, with several sustaining injuries. One young woman reported on Facebook that she had been pulled into a tank and that she had been assaulted. After a visit from Defence personnel the post was removed.
New Zealand Defence Force director of joint exercise planning Lieutenant Colonel Martin Dransfield later described the fracas as ‘unfortunate’ and said all attempts would be made to avoid a similar outcome during this year’s operation.
Others say that is not good enough and that urban ‘war game’ exercises should be banned altogether, and that a public enquiry should be conducted into the Murchison event.
The use of civilian volunteers in ‘war-game’ activities shows a regrettable lack of judgement on the part of NZDF, and encouraging school students to take part in the exercises is simply irresponsible. One can only hope that new Health and Safety regulations will preclude civilian involvement in order to ensure their safety in the future.
The 2015 war games left an unpleasant taste in some people’s mouths. One woman who took part in an actual protest, peacefully standing with other Murchison women opposed to the military’s entry into their town, said the women were manhandled with unnecessary aggression by troops. She says the ‘war-games’ experience has left her with a lingering fear of the military, and a mistrust of the police, who worked in tandem with them for the duration of the exercise.
If the exercises had been designed solely for humanitarian purposes – support after a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or severe weather event – they would be welcome, but the exercises are fundamentally designed to quell ‘civil unrest’, and that is where the story begins to get very murky.
The military exercises are supposedly based on a fictitious scenario set in a Pacific region called Becara, which is now suffering high unemployment, due to a decline in forestry, coal and gold mining and ‘low investor confidence’. When the Becaran government proposes a new economic vision for the region, some Becarans object and form a resistance movement to oppose it.
What worries some locals is that NZDF also say that the exercises could potentially be used ‘either in New Zealandor one of our Pacific neighbours’ and it’s the admission they could be enacted in New Zealand that gives cause for concern.
Becara bears an uncanny resemblance to the southern West Coast, where the former National Government was working hard to implement ‘special economic zones’ which would allow them to bypass existing regulations in order to speed up the issuance of mining and oil exploration permits.
Forest and Bird chief executive Kevin Hague said in July that documents released under the Official Information Act indicated that ‘the scope of law and regulation that the government is proposing to suspend, to facilitate these developments, is breath-taking’.
And with off-shore oil drilling also a contentious issue in the region, is it too much of a coincidence that this year’s exercise includes a military response to ‘a dispute over offshore oil reserves’?
The Tasman-Buller-West Coast region home to numerous environmentalists who are likely to resist the development of special economic zones and offshore oil drilling, which raises the question of why NZDF specifically asked locals to pay the role of ‘protesters’ against them during the Murchison protest. Denigrating protesters by inference sets a dangerous precedence in a country like New Zealand, where the right to free speech and peaceful protest is still considered a civil right and a democratic privilege.
And finally, if five military helicopters, six airlift aircraft, two Globemasters and an Orion surveillance aircraft were not enough to worry a small town, many New Zealanders would be concerned to learn that a highly sophisticated RQ4 Global Hawk drone, remotely operated from the US Air Base in Guam, also took part in the exercise. It’s role? To capture ‘images of simulated adversary areas of interest’.
NZ Defence say the drone’s visit was in accordance with the New Zealand Search and Surveillance Act of 2012, and that owners of land in the area gave permission for imagery to be taken. This would hardly allay the fears of many New Zealanders likely to be alarmed at the surveillance role the US played in the exercise. Having a US drone this sophisticated, more commonly deployed in US war zones, tracking ‘adversaries’ – simulated or otherwise – over New Zealand land is a matter of public concern.
One local believes that actual surveillance was taking place on the ground well before, and well after, the exercise, and that some military informants were embedded as wwoofers to spy on some residents.
The decision to hold war games in residential settings are a legacy of PM John Key’s tenure, and well overdue for review. New Zealanders don’t need armed troops running up suburban streets, military helicopters buzzing overhead or school students role-playing for the army. Nor do they need foreign drones in the air or military ‘actors’ secretly embedded in their communities gathering information. It’s high time that military exercises were urgently returned to military bases local New Zealand communities allowed to get on with their peaceful lives.
‘Animal Control Products’, trading as “Orillion” is the government-owned factory that makes all the 1080 poison pellets for the whole of New Zealand.
Protesters outside the 1080 factory (2017) in Heads Rd, Castlecliff, WHANGANUI, NZ (PHOTO: Victoria Mitchell)
1080 is an alias for Monofluoroacetate, a chemical. Monofluoroacetate was originally developed and marketed as an insecticide. It functions primarily by interfering with the citrate step in the Krebs cycle [5]. The Krebs cycle is the major and an essential mechanism by which all air breathing creatures utilize food to produce energy. It is therefore universally toxic to all animals, essentially every living thing except plants and some micro-organisms. The degree of toxicity of 1080 is extreme, but varies somewhat among species. It is categorised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as 1A, their highest rating, “extremely toxic” [1,2]. The PAN pesticide database classifies 1080 as one of the few “PAN Bad Actor Chemicals”, by which it means “highly acutely toxic” [2]. It can kill every air-breathing animal. One hundred milligrams is sufficient to kill an adult human [1]. In theory, one could kill at least 20 million people with the amount being dropped into New Zealand Forests every year. Dr Q Whiting-OKeefe (BA Chemistry, Math), MD, FACMI
The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies 1080 as ‘Extremely Hazardous’, most countries ban it outright. NZ uses 85% of the world’s supply.
A must watch if you are new to 1080 is ‘Poisoning Paradise’ by the GrafBoys. For further info see our 1080 pages including a comprehensive list of links to further sources. EnvirowatchRangitikei
Author and conservationist, Graeme Sturgeon, was assaulted, his clothing ripped, his face left bloodied, and his car doorhandle broken, by DoC employees on 17 October 2017.
“…the driver’s door was opened, he was hauled out, and punched in the face by a DOC contractor, Mr X, without warning or explanation.”
There were two witnesses, Dr. Wendy Pond, and artist Diana Halstead. They had been told DoC were loading 1080 poison in the middle of Whitianga and had gone to investigate. All three are senior citizens in their seventies. They had done nothing wrong and were in a public car park and were amazed at the scene that confronted them.
I am told the 1080 poison had apparently been stored in the DoC office in the CENTRE OF TOWN, for approximately six weeks, unbeknown to the Mayor of Thames, Coromandel District Council, maybe also unknown to the Fire Chief, and apparently unknown to the other tenants of the building. DoC were caught out breaking all the rules, in other words !
I should add that the New World Supermarket is across the road, Countdown is 24 Joan Gaskell Road, so virtually next door. The 1080 poison was surrounded by food outlets in other words.
As well as this the 1080 poison was apparently stored in another tenant, Platinum Homes’ storage area. Platinum Homes, I am told, knew nothing off this and are furious.
Here is the witness statement of Dr. Wendy Pond, signed at the Whitianga Police Station today. Diana Halstead has also written a witness statement, which will be posted soon.
PS: The truck photos are in daylight because they were taken by the person who made the contact phone call to Graeme Sturgeon, but the trucks didn’t move until dark – as it was obviously a clandestine operation, and Diana, Wendy and Graeme arrived on dark.
Statement by Dr Wendy Rona Pond, secretary of Manu Waiata Restoration & Protection Society, regarding violent and unregulated actions by Department of Conservation staff in the Liquor King car park, 20 Joan Gaskell Drive, Whitianga around 8.30 pm on 17 October 2017.
1. DoC’s communication guidelines describe consultation as a willingness to take on board new ideas. In my experience, DoC staff do not give credibility to public knowledge, although worldwide the term “citizen science” recognises that the public conservation movement is observant and articulate. I hold in high regard the skills and observations of Coromandel permaculturalists, bushmen, beekeepers, pig hunters, medical herbalists, retired scientists, engineers and tradesmen who advise my secretarial work. These people have observed first hand the harm and cruelty of 1080 and want their knowledge to be respected.
Instead, a wide discrepancy has developed between “DoC science” and its militarisation, and on the other hand public awareness of the harm to the mauri of the forests from the alien chemistry of the poisons used by DoC for predator control, and a strong sense in rural communities that we are entitled to a say in how our forests are managed. Coromandel residents place strong emphasis on the role of forests in recreation and employment and training youth in bushcraft and self reliance.
I believe this gap could be removed with genuine consultation. Meanwhile the gap was the basis for events on Tuesday 17 October 2017. Note that all actions on our part were non-violent.
2. Around 8pm on Tuesday 17 October people gathered to camp and observe and demonstrate at Kaimarama Road learned that bales of 1080 poison baits were being loaded onto trucks in the vicinity of the Countdown food market. Manu Waiata has reported to the Attorney General on the unlawful uses of 1080, but such blatant disregard for public health and safety was astonishing. I decided to make my own observation.
I drove to Liquor King and parked amongst customers outside Platinum Homes. I walked along the cars looking for others from Kaimarama. As I turned around the back of the building I was startled to come across a contingent of men in dark clothing, standing in front of a high cab with the initials HR (HeliResources) and on the tray a stack covered in black polythene, well roped down. I recognised the DoC 1080 projects manager Nick Kelly and the DoC 1080 senior ranger Steve Bolton. In the night shadows I saw Graeme Sturgeon, standing unsteadily with his nose bleeding and his shirt torn open. Tucked against the back wall of the building was Sturgeon’s campervan which is a local icon for its motto above the front windscreen, “See your own country now before DoC poisons it to hell”.
Parked across the entrance to the back car park I saw a saloon with a lone woman standing beside it facing the wall of men. I recognised Diana Halstead by her flaming hair. She told me hastily that Sturgeon had been beaten up by DoC and the police had been called. I learned later in the evening that Diana Halstead had followed Sturgeon in her car and had stopped when the campervan stopped suddenly. Sturgeon had not anticipated he would run into a convoy of trucks at the back of the building. As he was bringing his van to a halt, the driver’s door was opened, he was hauled out, and punched in the face by a DOC contractor, Mr X, without warning or explanation.
The suddeness of the DoC beating beggared belief, until I reflected that they had been caught red-handed in an illicit operation. Diana Halstead’s headlights had shone onto the campervan and she had witnessed the beating.
I realised with a shock that we were at the back of the DoC office newly adopted for the 2017 aerial 1080 operations. I had previously parked here and knew that the trucks occupied an area marked with white lines for public parking.Why were DoC staff loading the trucks in the public car park? I was confounded, but I didn’t have time to reflect.
Diana had stepped out of her car and when I arrived she was being told by a DoC agent unknown to me (Mr X) that she had entered a private work place and was to remove her car. I thought in a flash – there are no notices stating the parking spaces are reserved as a DoC work place – there are no notices stating it is a hazard area – the trucks are not separated by barriers with poison signs on them – there are no poison warning signs on the trucks – this is a clandestine operation – DoC have been caught off-guard by people who recognise what the trucks are carrying – maybe that’s why they beat up Sturgeon – Diana’s car had a clear line of sight to Sturgeon being beaten up – in an unresolved dispute she has a right not to move her car.
3. Right. DoC is bullying her. I said loudly, “Diana, go and sit in your car and don’t move it.”; Then I said to the crowd of men, firmly, “You must all wait for the police.”; A bearded DoC agent (Mr Y) stepped up to me and said, “You havent got a clue.”; I was startled. A scholar whose work is read internationally is told she hasn’t got a clue. I saw the DoC operations manager and his senior ranger couldn’t help being amused. The world split open. None of us has a clue what we are doing to our eco-systems, dosing native forests with an alien chemical – Whether DoC is right or we are right, none of us has a clue about long-term consequences because there is no research – A world authority on scientific method has said that New Zealand’s wholesale poisoning of eco-systems is madness – All of us standing here in this clandestine operation are engaged in madness. This daft human being is enlightened. I began to laugh. I couldn’t stop laughing as each new thought dawned on me. – All our evidence shows that what we are doing to our forests is madness.
4. Now Mr Y saw another chance for ridicule, “What are you on?” he said. This is a sinister side of DoC – staff have been taught to think of us not as scientists, ecologists, skilled bushmen, good men making a living, but as hippies and druggies – mongrels Maggie Barry calls us – this is how the American military are trained to think of common people as the enemy – DoC has militarised aerial poisoning instead of using trapping for local industry and employment. A senior scientist says, “You would only use 1080 if you were desperate.”; The situation in Moehau and Papakai forests is not desperate. The need to use poisoning is a mind-set, not a reality. It is part of DoC’s madness.
5. Meanwhile, DoC staff began moving the trucks out along the far side of the building. There was a sense of haste. They were going to leave before the police arrived.
6. I returned to my car with the purpose of moving before I became hemmed in by the convoy. One of the trucks had already come to a standstill behind my car. Mr X appeared and asked me to wait for all the trucks to assemble.
On reflecting that the violent Mr X had no authority in a public car park, and no authority over a member of the public, and recalling that his instructions to Diana had been against her best interest, I swivelled round and looked square through the back window. The next truck had not arrived and there was a clear space behind me. I put the car into reverse gear, and my foot on the brake to hold it while I checked again for clearance. While I was looking backwards Mr X deftly opened my car door (breaking and entering), took hold of the ignition key, and attempted to pull the key out (intention to detain). I took my left hand off the gear lever, and using both my hands I tried with all my strength to wrestle with his hand. As we struggled, there was moment when his grip released and I could put my right hand over the key. To my utter astonishment Mr X tried again to wrench out both my hand and the key (assault). I was determined to protect my privacy and safety from this man who had already demonstrated that he could act with intuitive violence.
Eventually he let go. I am still revolted by his insinuation and indecent swiftness, and alarmed by DoC’s disregard for lawful process.
Steve Bolton, Doc 1080 senior ranger, had observed the actions of Mr X without intervening, and he now stepped forward and said, “Your car was stopped because you backed into me.” It is clear that Steve Bolton was inventing a cover for Mr X’s action, as my car had not moved. It was still sitting where I had parked it and when I had looked backwards through my rear window, there had been no person in view. If Steve Bolton was behind my car, he would have been able to hold up his hand to stop the approaching trucks and let me out. And I am troubled that a senior DoC ranger did not intercede when Mr X assaulted me.
7. On Wednesday 18 October we held a non-violent demonstration at the mKaimarama bridge. Women, children, scientists, bushmen, people of all walks.
Ninety percent of New Zealanders prefer hunting and trapping for predator control. I watched the HR helicopters flying above a thriving forest canopy that has scarcely a dead tree. The heketara was in full flower, like patches of snow in the bush. This is when native bees emerge and collect pollen. With the decline of honey bees we are dependent on native bees for pollinators. Why would any sane ranger poison them?
Why would a New Zealand government department ignore its local community, militarise its conservation operations, break the law by handling toxic substances in a shopping complex, assault an eyewitness, take the keys of cars in a public space, and leave before the police arrived? Is DoC outside the rule of law?
8. Events on 17 October demonstrate to the public that violence and lawlessness were perpetrated by Department of Conservation, and not by us.
9. I request :
That Department of Conservation is charged by the NZ Police with ignoring public health and safety and with ignoring its own regulations and controls.
That the DoC operations manager is charged with leaving the scene of an unlawful assault without waiting for the police, without providing medical assistance to Graeme Sturgeon, and without supplying the identity of the perpetrator of the assault.
That the NZ Police bring charges of assault and intention to detain against Mr X. This man is not constrained by law and decency and he is a danger to the public.
That Steve Bolton, senior DoC ranger, and Nick Kelly, DoC 1080 operations manager, are charged with failing to intervene when a security agent under their jurisdiction assaulted members of the public who had made no act of violence.
That all DoC staff, and all agents employed by Department of Conservation, are retrained to act without violence; to respect citizen science; and to reach accord with the local community before carrying out predator control and other programs affecting people’s own environment.
I suggest that Mr X is sent to a psychiatrist for re-assessment and then sent to restore physically disabled people. He is a man of intuitive violence and devoid of conscience, but deft.
I suggest that Mr Y is sent to university for re-education. He is daft but he has potential.
Signed Wendy Pond Coromandel
Further updates (23 Oct. 2017)
“The three of us decided we would wait for the police. Graeme S rang Whitianga Police Station and was connected to Hamilton and after an hour or so a policeman arrived, but he went straight to talk to the DOC office staff inside the building. We continued to stand in the cold night air. We could hear DOC staff laughing during their police interview. No medical attention was offered to Graeme S even though DOC staff would have had a First Aid medical kit and a cup of tea in their office.”
COROMANDEL ASSAULT BY DoC – NO POLICE INCIDENT REPORT HAS BEEN FILED !
This morning I spoke with Dr. Wendy Pond, a former Senior Lecturer at Victoria University, Wellington, who was one of the witnesses to the assault on Graeme Sturgeon on the evening of 17 October, 2017, in the carpark at the back of the Liquor King building in Whitianga’s CBD, where DoC workers were loading 20 tonnes of 1080 poison baits, ready for aerial distribution over the Coromandel countryside the following day.
Graeme Sturgeon, Wendy Pond, and Diana Halstead had all come to see what was going on after being alerted to the poison loading operation by John Allen, who in turn had been alerted to it by Benny Rebz. Benny had just happened to stumble on the loading operation by chance and immediately realized what was happening and called an alert.
Diana, Wendy and Graeme had been camped for the night on a farm road, Kaimarama Road, ten minutes drive away, near the site of the upcoming 1080 drop. Their intention had been to be out early in the morning looking for baits and dust in the river, as water ( people’s drinking water ! ) was their main concern. (See photos of the Kaimarama River, beside Kaimarama Road ).
When they had driven back into town, and arrived at 20 Joan Gaskell Drive ( the Liquor King building ), Graeme drove down the alleyway to the public carpark at Liquor King first and was punched while still in his vehicle, he was hauled out of his vehicle, the doorhandle broken and his clothing torn.
Wendy and Diana both filed witness reports with the police, and assault reports of their own, with the Whitianga police on Saturday. I have posted these up previously, but both witness reports are here at the end of this post for those who have not caught up with this outrageous story yet.
All three people are senior citizens in their seventies. Diana Halstead is an artist, Graeme Sturgeon is an author and conservationist and Dr. Wendy Pond is an anthropologist.
Here is what Dr. Pond told me this morning :
After Graeme was assaulted she and Diana were worried about him. He wasn’t in a good way. They assumed the police had been called and waited. Eventually they realized the police could not have been called and rang the police themselves. Constable Bernard Deadman arrived about 10.00 pm. Wendy raced up to him and said “We’ve been assaulted” and he said ” I will talk to DoC first.” and went inside the building, where he stayed for approximately half an hour, before talking to them. They could hear laughter inside. Wendy said it seemed like a long time because it was cold and they were shivering, and shaken by events, and concerned about Graeme’s welfare and felt he should have medical attention.
Wendy said ” The first thing they should have done was attend to Graeme’s medical condition. He was shaky and shaken and his nose was bleeding.”
Graeme Sturgeon was seen by his doctor the next day.
On Saturday, Diana made the long trip back up to Coromandel, from Te Mata where she lives, as she and Wendy had an appointment at 11.00 am to handover their witness statements in front of the local Coromandel policeman Sergeant John Morrissey.
Yesterday, Diana Halstead rang the Whitianga Police and got put through to the Hamilton Police Station ( this happens occasionally in small country towns – you get diverted to the nearest Main Centre ). Hamilton Police told her no incident report had been filed for the night of Tuesday, 17 October, 2017.
Half an hour later Wendy Pond rang and managed to get through to the Whitianga Police. She spoke to Sergeant Andrew Morrison who is in charge of this incident and asked him why there wasn’t an incident report. He replied ” Well I suppose I haven’t got round to it yet. But I have interviewed the man concerned”. ( Wendy is not sure whether this meant Graeme Sturgeon or the man who committed the assault.)
Sgt Morrison also said it was up to the Police whether they decided to lay charges or not.
Dr. Pond has asked me to add this : “The Police, being local, are members of the local community, and the people do not want to get offside with the Police”, and Graeme Sturgeon said to me this morning, “Many local policemen are hunters, and do not like 1080 poison either.”
There are so many things wrong with what happened last week in Coromandel it is hard to know where to start. Fortunately the locals concerned have quite a lot of photographic evidence.
1 ) Loading 20 tonnes of 1080 poison in a public carpark. Platinum Homes, in the front of the building knew nothing of this. They had clients coming and going until 8.30 at night on that evening, I’m told. About six weeks ago they were told they could no longer use the storage area they had been using at the back of the building but were not told that was because it was to be loaded up with 1080 ! There are private homes right next door to the carpark. A busy New World supermarket is across the road and a Countdown supermarket almost next door too. The proximity of 20 tonnes of one of the most lethal poisons in the world to food outlets is alarming to say the least. What if there had been a fire ?! Locals say it appears the Whitianga Fire Brigade were not aware of this substance being stored in the middle of their town.( See Google Earth photos, including residential properties right next door and photos of the workers loading 1080 poison in a public carpark, with no signs saying ” Keep Out” ).
2 ) None of the workers loading the poison are wearing gloves or masks. ( See photos )
3 ) The security guards at the 1080 drop zone had no ID and their vehicle had had its number plate removed and its registration and diesel labels removed from their window sleeves.They had set up a “pretend” high voltage electric fence on a farm road, Kaimarama Road. ( See photos )
4) Most seriously of all, three senior citizens, who were doing nothing wrong and were in a public place, were assaulted by DoC security guards who refused to give their names, while local DoC staff known to the three elderly people did nothing to stop what was happening.( See photos of Graeme Sturgeon with his clothing ripped to shreds and his nose bloodied ).
Witness statements :
DIANA HALSTEAD’S WITNESS STATEMENT TO POLICE RE DoC ASSAULT ON GRAEME STURGEON, COROMANDEL
Author and conservationist, Graeme Sturgeon, was assaulted, his clothing ripped, , ( his jacket and his shirt – you can see the evidence by his collar ), his face left bloodied, and his car doorhandle broken, by DoC employees on 17 October 2017. There were four witnesses, Dr. Wendy Pond, and artist Diana Halstead. They had been told DoC were loading 1080 poison in the middle of Whitianga and had gone to investigate. All three are senior citizens in their seventies.They had done nothing wrong and were in a public carpark and were amazed at the scene that confronted them.
Local people have informed me that the 1080 poison had apparently been stored at the back of the DoC office in the CENTRE OF TOWN, for approximately six weeks, unbeknownst to the Mayor of Thames Coromandel District Council, maybe also unknown to the Fire Chief, and apparently unknown to the other tenants of the building. DoC were caught out breaking all the rules, in other words !
I should add that the New World Supermarket is across the road, Countdown is 24 Joan Gaskell Road, so virtually next door. The 1080 poison was surrounded by food outlets in other words.
Here is the witness statement of artist Diana Halstead, signed at the Whitianga Police Station today.
PS: The truck photos are in daylight because they were taken by John Allen who made the contact phone call to Graeme Sturgeon, but the trucks didn’t move until dark – as it was obviously a clandestine operation, and Diana, Wendy and Graeme arrived on dark.
Statement to NZ Police by Diana Halstead
I, Diana Mary Halstead of Te Mata, make this statement that,
On 17 October I was camped with Graeme Sturgeon and Dr Pond in Kaimarama valley waiting to observe the use of aerial poisoning on the Papakai public conservation lands. We had brought posters for a demonstration to alert the public to DOC’s intention to drop 1080 into the Whitianga water supply.
Just on dark a contact phone call came through to the effect that DOC has been loading 1080 in the Whitianga CBD. I followed Graeme Sturgeon’s camper van into town. We turned into a wide alleyway with herringbone parking on the right hand side of a building. I was right behind the campervan with my full night lights on as it was now pitch dark. Graeme turned the corner at the back of the building and came to a sudden stop because in front of him were four enormous trucks. I couldn’t see any trucking company logos on the trucks, nor any of the 1080 warning signs DoC is required to put up.
In front of me there was a half circle of security guards and DOC staff milling around the front of the trucks so I guessed we had come to a DOC warehouse hidden at the back of the Liquor King shops. Suddenly I saw Graeme S being torn from his vehicle and being manhandled in the full blaze of my headlights. I leapt from my car leaving the headlights on and called out, “Graeme, what are they doing to you ?”; Graeme looked disoriented and dishevelled, his clothes torn and his hat which he always wears, not to be seen. There were no signs or barriers anywhere to say he should not have driven round the building. Also there were no signs or barriers to warn the public that there was a dangerous toxin being loaded in the car park. Handling sacks of 1080 pellets always causes dust and the 1080 dust is poisonous when breathed in.
The security guard that had mauled Graeme S asked me to move my car. At that point I heard Graeme say, “Diana don’t move your car until the police come.”; The same security guard then stepped into my car to take possession of it, but I was quick enough to put my hand through the open window and remove the keys. I consider his was an action of assault as I was standing beside the car and he was acting against my wishes. He should have waited for the police to decide what he was permitted by law to do.
Then another bearded security man, possibly the driver of the leading truck, stepped forward and said, “If you don’t move your car I will move it with my truck.”; I knew I was being bullied with the suggestion of aggression if I didn’t comply. I asked the security guard who had mauled Graeme what his name was. He refused to answer. If there is a road accident both parties are required to give each other their names and addresses.
At this point a DOC officer intervened and said, “Diane, please move your car”; but I could hear Wendy saying to wait for the police. As I did not get into my car the DOC officer moved back into the group of security men. Suddenly the trucks seemed to be receding. Looking back down the alleyway to Joan Gaskell Drive I could see the first of the trucks had reached the highway by means of the alley on the north eastern side of the building. By now I had realised the DOC operational headquarters were at the back of the building and the 1080 must have been stored adjacent to the DOC offices.
The three of us decided we would wait for the police. Graeme S rang Whitianga Police Station and was connected to Hamilton and after an hour or so a policeman arrived, but he went straight to talk to the DOC office staff inside the building. We continued to stand in the cold night air. We could hear DOC staff laughing during their police interview. No medical attention was offered to Graeme S even though DOC staff would have had a First Aid
medical kit and a cup of tea in their office.
The next morning at 7 am we set up our banners at the Kaimarama bridge. Others came to join us. We caught the attention of the traffic between Whitianga and Tairua. Motorists waved and tooted. Opposition to aerial poisoning is on the move.
I would like the following charges to be laid by the NZ Police.
1. DOC stored a highly toxic substance in an urban area occupied by food and liquor outlets.
I was told the operation was uncovered by a member of the public while driving round the building and that the smell of 1080 was recognisable, indicating that 1080 is a contaminate carried on the air.
2. DOC used a public space for transfer of dangerous goods. There was no signage on the trucks or in the car park to warn the public that a toxic substance with no known antidote was being handled in the open.
3. A DOC agent assaulted a senior citizen who drove into an area that was known to him as a public parking area. There was no signage stating that the area was closed to the public.
On the contrary it seems DOC wanted the area to look as if it was still an ordinary parking area so as not to alert the public to what was going on there.
Mr Sturgeon was travelling alone and unarmed. Mr Sturgeon made no action which warranted being pulled from his car. He was not addressed. He was not warned of any transgression. His physical ability to withstand a beating was not ascertained. He was literally dragged from his vehicle, as his ripped clothes testify. If my night headlights had not been shining on the scene and if I hadn’t called out, I think Mr Sturgeon would have been beaten up even more. These are actions which our media attributes to terrorists and mafia gangsters.
4. There was no reprimand from the DOC managers when the security guard under their supervision committed an unprovoked assault by beating up Mr Sturgeon. DOC managers did not provide Mr Sturgeon with medical assistance.
5. A DOC agent had committed an assault on a senior citizen but DOC managers allowed the agent to leave the scene before the police arrived and without providing his identity when asked.
6. DOC managers left the scene without calling a doctor to examine Mr Sturgeon.
7. Also I wish to challenge these actions by Department of Conservation, Hauraki Office :
DOC managers did not apologise to Mr Sturgeon for the assault, leaving the impression that they condone the use of violence.
DOC managers did not provide Mr Sturgeon with first aid even though a first aid kit must have been held in the DOC office. They did not even bring Mr Sturgeon a cup of tea.
If DOC’s actions were lawful, why were thy conducted after dark and why did staff react with excessive aggression against three elderly people all over 70 who entered a public car park. The men seemed jumpy. I believe we were witnesses to a criminal activity. If this had been a bona fide activity there would have been no cause for the alarm they showed when three senior citizens arrived on the scene.
I request that I am given the name of the DOC security guard who tried to take possession of my car. He knows who I am and I have a right to know who he is. If he was doing an honourable job, would he want to keep his name hidden?
I request a copy of DOC’s explanation for why they beat up Mr Sturgeon.
In 2013 I was one of the artists who demonstrated against the poisoning of Moehau’s public conservation land. The NZ Police guards shared their lunch with us. In 2017 the DOC managers removed public consultation from the process; used violence against intelligent public commentators; and conducted aerial poisoning in the style of a military operation. Signed Diana Halstead Thames
COROMANDEL AERIAL 1080 POISON OPERATION – POISON STORED BY DoC IN WHITIANGA CBD
By Carol Sawyer
The 1080 poison for this operation had apparently been stored in the DoC office in the CENTRE OF TOWN, 20 Joan Gaskell Road, for approximately six weeks, unbeknown to the Mayor of Thames, Coromandel District Council, maybe also unknown to the Fire Chief, and apparently unknown to the other tenants of the building. DoC were caught out breaking all the rules, in other words !
I should add that the New World Supermarket is across the road, (photo above) Countdown is 24 Joan Gaskell Road, so virtually next door. The 1080 poison was surrounded by food outlets in other words.
As well as this the 1080 poison was apparently stored in another tenant, Platinum Homes’, storage area. Platinum Homes, I am told, knew nothing off this and are furious.
Below are Google Earth street view photos, showing that this was a completely unacceptable place to store 20 tonnes of 1080 poison !
It must be remembered that sodium monofluoroacetate (Compound 1080) is a World Health Organisation Class 1A Eco-toxin, with no known antidote, and banned in most countries.
This situation was uncovered by a young man who lived over the fence in a housing estate because the smell of the cinnamon in the 1080 baits was recognizable in the air!
This situation (DoC loading up the 1080 poison) was uncovered by Benny Rebz around 5.00 pm on the 17th October. He alerted John Allen who came down to see for himself and then alerted others.
Photos :
Looking down the road from the Liquor King buildingThe DoC office and storage area is at the back of the Liquor King buildingHouses exactly next door to where 20 tonnes of 1080 poison baits were stored for approximately 6 weeks. They were completely unaware apparently. This poses a huge risk had there been a fire! The other major (& clearly unknown) risk to these people is the toxic dust that must have been in the air when loading and unloading the 1080DoC staff loading 1080 poison in Whitianga CBD for Coromandel drop 2017 Photo: John Allen via Carol SawyerDoC staff loading 1080 poison in CBD Photo John Allen via Carol Sawyer
The purpose of this article is to shed light on some topics that have garnered considerable attention over the years and to show the underlying thread that surprisingly connects them all.
Another reminder from the GrafBoys regarding the dropping of 1080 into our waterways. A clip from the recent election campaign for Ban 1080 party. See links to their site & channel on our 1080 pages. All other links and resources can be found here. EnvirowatchRangitikei
And yes, that garden on the header image is my old garden … I don’t garden as much these days (other priorities) but I buy organic or from local gardeners… EnvirowatchRangitikei
Vanessa, a blogger from Taihape turned her parents front garden into a food space, pictured above, especially to show folks where food comes from … not necessarily the supermarket. Check out her blog HERE.
It’s well documented how harmful GM food is for your health (see our GMO pages) and it’s being foisted upon us whether we like it or not. Whether we protest, make submissions, voice our opinions etc etc or not, our voices are virtually ignored these days. Our current govt/corporations are determined to have us eat their products & in many cases we already are because they are not required to label their wares. However you slice & dice this it is downright fascist. We are forced to drink fluoride, chlorine and other unknown substances in our water (or spend a fortune filtering or distilling ourselves), to eat our mainstream veg and fruit that are sprayed to the hilt with a raft of chemicals and poisons (unknown to most purchasers because again no requirement to label them as sprayed or with what) … and unless we buy organic at often treble the price. Our meat is not exempt, just observe all the nice yellowy fields around the countryside, these are sprayed with Roundup that contains Glyphosate & is recommended by at least one I know of, agricultural text books, being as they say quite harmless. As harmless as dish liquid farmers tell me with a smile and as if I have two heads for even questioning their wisdom (which they acquired from Monsanto, no questions asked). These farmers spray it over everything. They love it. One proudly told me when the soil’s plowed under it’s perfectly safe for the stock to eat the grass that grows there. They think because you don’t drop dead on the spot it really IS harmless. Nobody bothers to look at the independent research or consider the LONG TERM effects. Anyway there is plenty of info on all of that, including the independent research, on our Glyphosate pages.
The point of this post before I get too carried away was to highlight the fact you can grow your own uncontaminated food, even in small spaces. Google that and there are many articles on gardens in small high rise apartments even. Nothing’s impossible. There are some other ideas on our Food pages also.
Wally Richards: see the relevant links below
For Kiwis (and anybody else) we have our own Kiwi gardening guru Wally Richards. Wally also features in a gardening group at thecontrail.com. His website even provides a telephone number you can ring for advice if you’re stuck &/or you can sign up and receive regular updates and news about gardening.
(Updated Monday 16th October 2017) Note these pages WILL be updated weekly.Over 21 Years of bringing these gardening pages to the Internet(from June 1996 to present. Making this site one of the oldest web sites in New Zealand)Orginally the web address was http://www.manawatu.gen.nz/gardening
Changing The World
Garden by Garden!
“Surely by now there can be few here who still believe the purpose of government is to protect us from the destructive activities of corporations.
At last most of us must understand that the opposite is true:that the primary purpose of government is to protect the destroyers of our Earth, our Home from the outrage of injured citizens.
If we do not resist using whatever means necessary, we condemn ourselves, our children and future generations to trying to exist on a lifeless planet.
Make no mistake, we are in a fight for our very survival.”
QUESTION MORE“If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take,
their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.”
This will indeed challenge your reality… it is always easier to believe the official story but let’s face it, official stories are becoming tattered & threadbare these days. Media was sold out long ago. Investigate for yourselves … EnvirowatchRangitikei
3/11 was Japan’s 9/11. It’s all documented folks!
This investigation has been endorsed by the engineers who designed and built Fukushima Diiachi
It took them three hundred years and trillions of dollars to build a theatre of darkness, yet the light of only one match can burn it down. Do not let this light go out, ARCHIVE AND POST!!!
This is the most censored and slandered report on the web. If you want to help the world avoid future nuclear catastrophes, possibly one near you, ARCHIVE AND POST THIS EVERYWHERE, Only you can make a difference
NEW ULTRA HIGH RESOLUTION FUKUSHIMA PHOTOS
(make sure you expand them to see them clearly, and post them and everything else EVERYWHERE)
“Experts warned that eating this GE wheat could lead to significant changes in the way glucose and carbohydrates are stored in the human body, which could be potentially deadly for children and lead to serious illness in adults. Yet despite the seriousness of these findings, regulators are ignoring and dismissing such warnings. According to the Institute of Science in Society,10 the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved at least five such GE food products already.”
The more we learn about genetically engineered (GE) foods, the clearer the dangers become. I’ve warned you of the potential dangers of GE foods for many years now, as I was convinced that the artificial combining of plants with genes from wildly different kingdoms is bound to cause problems.
As the years roll on, such suspicions are becoming increasingly validated. In recent weeks, we’ve not only learned that GE…
Elana Freeland joins Kev and myself in the second hour laying out the case for scalar wave directed energy weaponry having been employed igniting the fires in Santa Rosa, and elsewhere in California. To help support KBS please subscribe to Truth Frequency Radio via my archive page here…. http://truthfrequencyradio.com/kevbaker/ Visit my site… http://kevbakershow.com/ Tune into The Kev Baker Show, Monday to Thursday on http://www.truthfrequencyradio.com/listen-live SIGN UP TO THE KEV BAKER SHOW & TRUTH FREQUENCY RADIO’S FULL ARCHIVES FOR OVER 30 LIVE SHOWS! http://truthfrequencyradio.com/amembe… Remember to join our FREAKY FRIDAY Facebook Page… https://www.facebook.com/FreakyFriday… Remember to join our TRUTH FREQUENCY RADIO Facebook page… https://www.facebook.com/truth.freque… Join the facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/truthtube451Kev Baker Show Kev Baker has been on the front lines since 2009. Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, Kev was recently featured in VICE magazine as a front-line consultant and expert on activist groups in the United Kingdom. You can listen to Kev Baker on AM/FM in Colorado, Oregan, California, Sydney and London or tune into any of the TFR internet streams or listening options. Kev Baker has set his mark as a professional broadcaster by featuring cutting edge analysis, current events and breaking news. However he does not stop there! Together with his co-host Johnny Whistles, Kev is joined by a great panel of expert researchers and whistleblowers in the field of space technology, metaphysics, human origins, black operations and international terrorism. Seeking the answers to age old questions and dechipering the world around you painted by the mainstream media.. this is the Kev Baker Show! And remember… WHERVER YOU ARE …. MAKE IT T.F.R. Show Archives — http://www.truthfrequencyradio.com/kevbaker FACEBOOK — http://www.facebook.com/truthtube451 Twitter http://www.twitter.com/TruthTube451 Youtube http://www.youtube.com/truthtube45 Join my facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/Truthtube451
Save your real/organic/heirloom seeds people. They’re gold! See our resources page (main menu) to read ‘How the Other Half Dies’. (The real reason not the one you’ve been told). EnvirowatchRangitikei
The increasingly globalised industrial food system that transnational agribusiness promotes is not feeding the world and is responsible for some of the planet’s most pressing political, social and environmental crises. Localised, traditional methods of food production have given way to globalised supply chains dominated by transnational companies policies and actions which have resulted in the destruction of habitat and livelihoods and the imposition of corporate-controlled, chemical-intensive (monocrop) agriculture that weds farmers and regions to a wholly exploitative system of neoliberal globalisation.
Whether it involves the undermining or destruction of what were once largely self-sufficient agrarian economies in Africa or the devastating impacts of soy cultivation in Argentina or palm oil production in Indonesia, transnational agribusiness and global capitalism cannot be greenwashed.
In their rush to readily promote neoliberal dogma and corporate PR, many take as given that profit-driven transnational corporations have a legitimate claim to be custodians of natural assets. There is the premise that water, seeds, land, food, soil and agriculture should be handed over to powerful, corrupt transnational corporations to milk for profit, under the pretence these entities are somehow serving the needs of humanity.
These natural assets (‘the commons’) belong to everyone and any stewardship should be carried out in the common interest by local people assisted by public institutions and governments acting on their behalf, not by private transnational corporations driven by self-interest and the maximization of profit by any means possible.
The Guardian columnist George Monbiot notes the vast wealth the economic elite has accumulated at our expense through its seizure of the commons. A commons is managed not for the accumulation of capital or profit but for the steady production of prosperity or wellbeing of a particular group, who might live in or beside it or who created and sustain it.
I’m reblogging this article from 2014 to remind us all of the evidence. WHO some twelve months or so ago decided that glyphosate was probably a carcinogen. That got everybody frantically spreading the word however the probably has now given them a convenient little out for later in my opinion anyway… going by what has since happened, that being the major flip flop they’ve done. So … to recap, they (IARC) look at the myriad of independent research and decide on the probably carcinogenic scenario (yes rats fed very diluted glyphosate and GE corn for two years grew enormous tumours all over their bodies) then a year or so later do an about turn. Even if their current conclusions are correct they don’t inspire much trust in their processes to have done a major flip flop like that within a year. And remember, first up after the Séralini experiment Monsanto went…
This is info from the US so the juices are not necessarily available here in NZ. The brand names are familiar though. I learned not so long ago from a contact that growers they knew who grew for export sprayed glyphosate (in Roundup) around their orange trees so the product goes up the roots and into the fruit of course. How could it not? That destroyed all my hope of eliminating by peeling. This product is so invasive it’s been found in breast milk and urine. Kiwis love it and slather it all over everything. Including the authorities who spray it relentlessly over the roadsides to keep it all TIDY. Why? Small wonder one in three of we humans are dying off with cancer. EnvirowatchRangitikei
Oranges are NON GMO. They have a thick skin and glyphosate isn’t used on the citrus trees themselves. So WHY did five major brands all test positive for glyphosate in their products. According to citrus farmers, they spray the weed killer between the rows of trees. The average person in America consumes 2.7 gallons of orange juice and 3 pounds of oranges each year. “100% Pure Orange Juice” is a common claim used by many juice brands that allow consumers to feel safe when serving it to their families on a daily basis. However, recent testing revealed that every one of the five top orange juice brands Moms Across America sent to an accredited lab tested positive for glyphosate weed killer. Its time to let the corporations know that we don’t want to drink glyphosate!
Wireless Kills Trees. A six-year study of trees around wireless cell towers reveals the ‘invisible’ damage of exposure to RF radiation. Radiation from wireless technology is now jeopardizing the health of our trees and other plants. “Tree damage in the vicinity of mobile phone base stations” by Waldmann-Selsam and Egar in 2013, documented suspected RF radiation related tree damage and RF radiation readings over a period of six years.
It found significantly higher RF radiation readings by damaged trees as compared to undamaged trees. Sometimes damaged areas and undamaged areas were on the same tree, in which case RF radiation levels were found to be higher near the damaged areas. Because trees are unable to move, differences in RF radiation levels from fixed sources like cell towers can result in very different RF radiation exposure micro-environments in different parts of the same tree or bush.
Enormous 1,300 feet holes have opened up in one Europe’s biggest glaciers, sparking fears that another major eruption is about to rock Iceland.
Vatnajokull is spread out over 8% of Iceland and spans many volcanoes. During the past few years, increased seismic activity in the area has led to the ice cap melting, causing numerous floods in the region.
With the appearance of these new holes on the glacier, scientists have warned that a catastrophic volcanic eruption could be on its way.
Disclose.tv reports: The cavities in the ice mean that the ground lying beneath the glacier is exposed for the very first time in many hundreds of years, or perhaps in thousands of years, ever since the glacier was formed. Scientists are now worried and said that it is important to be vigilant against creating more calderas, which boost the chances of there being a glacial flood.
Workers at the Route 91 festival during which Stephen Paddock unleashed his massacre have reportedly been given back their phones and laptops by the FBI only to discover that all messages and videos from the night of the attack have been wiped clean.
According to a Las Vegas resident who posted a status update on Facebook, “A bunch of people that worked the Route 91 said they got their cell phones back today. They all said that all their phones are completely wiped clean! All messages and info from that weekend are completely gone. Anyone else experience this?”
“A few different people who were vendors there are all saying the same thing,” the woman later comments.
Later in the thread, a Route 91 worker confirms the story, commenting, “Of course. It’s an active federal crime scene. They can wipe it clean. I was the beverage manager for…
aplanetruth.info “DEW – Directed Energy Weapons – Even the head of Cal Fire for the state said on CNN he had no idea what started the over 60 strikes that came out of nowhere in the middle of the night without warning. Sudden, unexplainable winds kicked up to 60-70 mph, blue flashes and sparks were seen above by many, including me. Cars were torched, yet trees untouched. Homes were reduced to unrecognizable rubble….”
Elana Freeland – Yes, this is the EXACTITUDE OF DESTRUCTION offered by AI (artificial intelligence) – run directed energy weapons attacks dependent upon our ionized, electrified atmosphere: structures gone, trees intact. For the military mind, it’s impressive, indeed (READ MORE AT LINK)
Shocking evidence proves there are inexpensive alternative cancer therapies that are used by doctors all across the world. You must watch this!
If you have any questions or concerns please send us an email: contact@7stepstohealth.com
See the scientific evidence proving it is possible to reverse and eliminate cancer once and for all without drugs, pills, themo, radiation, or surgery.”
What a farce. Having also just posted on checking what’s in your food and where it’s from. NZ the clean green illusion, along with the GE free illusion … APPROVING GE potatoes. Please see our GMO pages for independent info on the safety of GE food. Watch Dr Stephanie Seneff on the topic (video below the article). And see also our Glyphosate pages. Glyphosate & GM go hand in glove. And grow your own potatoes or buy organic. People are sicker now than they’ve ever been. Something is wrong here. Their so called progress is failing us. What can you do? Get informed for starters. There are other sites with up to date information to do this with recommendations for action. GE Free NZ can be found here, and on their site is a page with individual districts that may include yours.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), a trans-Tasman regulatory body, has approved 6 lines of GE potatoes (A1139) carrying genes from viruses and bacteria to stop discoloration and alter vital nutritional components [1]. The NZ Minister for Food Safety has let down NZ consumers yet again by failing to carry out a thorough public safety evaluation.
The joint submission from GE-Free NZ and Soil and Health highlighted many studies that show harm from eating GE foods, which FSANZ has dismissed and ignored. [2]
The FSANZ decision states, “No public health and safety concerns have been identified in relation to food derived from the potatoes developed by the Applicant.” This statement is highly misleading and contravenes a “duty of care” to the consumer. FSANZ openly acknowledges it does not require feeding trials or genomics testing.
“How can FSANZ give consumers an assurance of safety when they do not require any animal or human feeding studies? There is no evidence that the potatoes are safe to eat,” said Claire Bleakley, president of GE-Free NZ.
Check out our Glyphosate pages for further info & research links on this poison that we’ve been told for decades is harmless as dish liquid. Kiwis love it and spray it everywhere … while refusing to examine the independent research … all with official approval. EnvirowatchRangitikei
The GM foods giant Monsanto is calling for an investigation into an agency of the World Health Organisation. That’s after the body published a report claiming some of the company’s products, like the weed-killer glyphosate, are linked to cancer. Monsanto says the WHO ignored two major studies that found no connection to the disease. RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air Subscribe to RT! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c… Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTnews Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_com Follow us on Instagram http://instagram.com/rt Follow us on Google+ http://plus.google.com/+RT Listen to us on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/rttv RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 1 billion YouTube views benchmark.
Thanks to Carol Sawyer for this piece of investigation. Just how organic is organic these days? With NZ’s current sell out to corporate interests I’m wondering more and more. Just how honest are these industries being? Some of these people just refuse to examine the independent research and profits win out over our health & conservation. Folk need to think about this as they purchase products from a country that falsely advertises itself as ‘clean and green’, and pledges to be protecting its wildlife. Gone are the days. All these advertising ploys are just that and pay little more than lip service it appears, to sustainable practices. EnvirowatchRangitikei
I have talked to many, many Central Otago vineyards over the last month and it has … become completely clear to me that it is perfectly possible to maintain a low, no-nuisance rabbit population without using cruel poisons… Carol Sawyer
PEREGRINE WINES, CENTRAL OTAGO – KILLING FALCONS ?
Why is a vineyard that names itself after a FALCON, has a brand logo that is a stylised falcon, and is certified organic with BioGro, using a poison that will kill falcons by secondary poisoning ?!!! Today I have been sent these photos and the irony has just struck me.
Their website says “A natural extension of our passion for the land, Peregrine are dedicated to helping protect some of New Zealand’s rarest native birds. As well as taking part personally in some of this country’s most successful preservation programs, Peregrine is proud to have worked with the Wingspan Trust, the Department of Conservation and the Fiordland Conservation Trust.” ???!!!!!!
I have been compiling a register of Central Otago vineyards who do not use cruel poisons on their vineyards, (see link is below also, but it is not yet complete) and when I spoke to Peregrine about a month ago I was told they had used Pindone on some of their surrounding land on the river boundary, but about 30 metres from the vines. I have today rung the poison contractor (name supplied). That information I was given was incorrect. He has told me that Pindone was spread on ALL their surrounding land, just not on the vineyards
The Eastern Falcon DOES eat carrion and can be killed by ingesting poisoned rabbits. Many hawks are killed this way too. NOT GOOD ENOUGH PEREGRINE !!!
I have talked to many, many Central Otago vineyards over the last month and it has therefore become completely clear to me that it is perfectly possible to maintain a low, no-nuisance rabbit population without using cruel poisons. The vast majority of vineyard managers do just that! Good rabbit fencing, shooters, and dogs work well.
Peregrine are on the Central Otago Wines register of vineyards that do not use cruel poisons (1080, Pindone, Magtoxin ) on their vineyard land. Should they stay or should they go? Is using the stuff on surrounding land acceptable?
As well as this they are exporting their wines. Peregrine say on their website : “We are thrilled to have cemented our relationship with our premium US wine importer, Vineyard Brands as a result of a visit earlier this month by Greg Doody, President and CEO of Vineyard Brands. During the trip hosted by our owners, Lindsay, Jude and Fraser McLachlan a long term business agreement was signed that will see our full range of wines distributed across the US.” It is a pity their website is so dishonest!
Phil McGabe www.kasm.org.nz
After opening up New Zealand’s regional parks for mining,
The government realised that harvesting minerals from the sea floor is the new game in town.
International momentum and attention from businesses and government have spurred this move.
Currently, there are many countries looking at programs for exploitation.
New Zealand holds the 5th largest marine estate in the world.
Up to 200 Nautical Miles away from the land is marked as it’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
Accounting for roughly 1% of the planet’s surface,
So the potential mining interests and associated risks are voluminous to say the least.
New Zealand isn’t the first country to “OK” Seabed mining,
In the case of Papua New Guinea,
The Community didn’t know about it,
Until AFTER they’d already consented.
And the process for approval here, isn’t exactly above water either,
so to speak.
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