Mana list MP Hekia Parata piloting exploration waka into deep oil fields
By Alan Tristram
The well-known National list MP for the Mana/Kapiti area, Hekia Parata, is not so well-known for her role in encouraging more oil exploration in the seas not far from the disastrous Rena oil spill off the East Coast of the North Island.
Ms Parata, who herself comes from the East Coast, has stated publicly she and the Government are committed to ‘realising the potential’ of New Zealand’s petroleum basins.
In a lead story, the Sunday Star Times points out that, even while the authorities struggle to deal with the environmental devastation of the Rena oil leaks, the Government is pushing ahead with plans to tout our oil reserves to overseas buyers.
Ms Parata on oil
It quotes Ms Parata as stating:”New Zealand is blessed with an abundance of energy resources and the Government wants to use those resources in an environmentally safe way to secure our energy future.
“Oil and gas companies have emergency response plans in place as a matter of good business practice.”
Meanwhile, as the Times says, the Ministry of Economic Development is planning to get a provider to market to overseas oil exploration companies – with promotional workshops in London, Singapore and Houston.
But the Green Party’s marine spokesman, Gareth Hughes, MP, says the Government needs to call a halt to its marketing campaign and rethink its policy of allowing more offshore oil exploration.
I think they are all contemptible, but Labour was promoting deep sea oil just as much as National, also for Kiwi Saver to pay out in the future we have to keep drilling for oil, that is what growth is based on, such a shame the Green Party couldn’t work that one out.
Kiwi Saver = a need for growth, the only way this system is going to continue growing is if it finds more energy… oh and keeps destroying your children’s futures.
Getting cash at any cost from the environment will always come back to haunt the
advocates. She’ll be recommending oil exploration off the Mana coast next, or maybe a spot
of mining. That would justify giant roads for mega-trucks.