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Meet the next 'Moa'. Why is the NZ Green Party not condemning the extinction threat to the critically endangered Teviot Flathead?

Craig Hutchinson (context, nuance, free speech, privacy)Aug 5, 2020, 7:14:36 PM

Earlier this week I looked on the NZ Green Party's website for a statement on the Labour-led government's Lake Onslow 'pumped hydro' project. I couldn't find one. So I asked the retiring Green Party Energy and Resources Spokesperson, Gareth Hughes. I included a link to my earlier post:

https://www.minds.com/waimak_one/blog/nz-labour-s-mad-energy-idea-1136410724734169088

I think I have offended him. His response:

I would like to decline the opportunity thank you. When your first line is “First we have a fake-left Prime Minister with a fake Covid19 narrative. Now her fake Labour Party (they've just destroyed thousands of workers jobs) is pushing a fake energy policy.” And you quote that thoroughly discredited Michael Moore documentary I don’t feel it would be a worthwhile conversation.

Interesting. I didn't ask for a conversation. I asked for the Green Party's position on the Lake Onslow proposal. Aside from showing Mr Hughes' inability to see the wood for the trees, we are still none the wiser as to the Green Party position on the pending destruction of the last remaining habitat of the Teviot flathead galaxias:

Teviots are classified as ‘Nationally Critical’, the same threat status as the kakapo - making it one of our most endangered galaxiids in New Zealand. Teviot galaxias populations remain in just one area on earth - in a few headwater streams of the Teviot River, surrounding Lake Onslow. Their total remaining habitat could fit into an area of less than a hectare. {1}

The Green Party must take a position on this issue before the September election. As the supposed political defender of New Zealand's environment, I had hoped for, at best, a strong condemnation, or at least a meaningful response. Perhaps the Green Party prefers hundreds of wind turbines, solar panels, heavy machinery, and roads over pristine landscape and our native fauna? Perhaps they're turning blue-green? As yet we don't know?

This may not be the only species threatened by the Lake Onslow project, though it's the only one I know about. An ecologist's analysis is needed.

So what is to be done? We keep plugging away, and look for support where it can be found, including amongst people with whom we may not agree with on everything (heaven help us if that was the case, we'd never get anything positive achieved). We look to partner with people who aren't too sensitive to see the big picture.

I'll keep you posted.

[Aside: I can't help wondering what my old mate and sometime campaign partner, Rod Donald, ex- co-leader of the Green Party, would make of this. Though we were active in different political movements, we could debate robustly, agree on some things, and disagree on others. But we listened to, and respected, each other's views. Maybe we weren't 'woke'.]

{1} http://www.intergalaxiid.com/teviot-flathead.html

{2} Image © Simon Madill from:
https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/freshwater-fish/non-migratory-galaxiids/teviot-flathead-galaxias/