Coal News No 18
Champagne for the PR team
Recent media reports on the shifting of critically-endangered land snails on Mt Augustus show a high level of sophistication in Solid Energy's campaign to mine coal at the expense of biodiversity.
DOC's official policy is that shifting the snails and destroying most of their habitat is likely to make them extinct.
But reading a recent Christchurch Press story (5.12.06), you'd think DOC had reversed its position. The story has DOC scientist Ingrid Gruner saying she's reasonably confident the snails will survive. Ingrid may have been refering to the 20 snails released in a trial to see if they'll survive in the short term, rather than the long-term survival of the species. But in the world of PR its perception that matters, not facts.
The Press story also notes that Ben Hutana of Ngati Wae Wae "helped the snails on their way with a Maori blessing". This gives the impression that Ben and everyone else in Ngati Wae Wae is happy with what's going on, and we know that's not true. But again, its perception that matters.
Something we do know, is that Solid Energy has been busy grooming support. I experienced this myself as a member of Ngakawau Riverwatch when we had a meal paid for by the company. "It's on the Pizey Card," joked one of the SE people.
Mark Pizey is SE's national environmental manager. He also happens to live in Hokitika, very close to DOC's top man on the Coast, Mike Slater. SE's head office is over the Alps in Christchurch, which you might think is a more appropriate place for Mark to live. But in Hokitika he's not only close to DOC, but to Ngati Wae Wae as well.
SE's largesse is not restricted to free dinners. The company funds many social and cultural groups. When Save Happy Valley wanted to hire the Waimangaroa Hall for the weekend when we launched the Happy Valley occupation, the hall committee decided to refuse us since they get a generous grant from...guess who? And not long ago, Mike Slater's daughter won a sports scholarship to Australia funded by SE. Mike helped SE out (wittingly or unwittingly) by posing for a photo at the ceremony on Mt Augustus where the snails were blessed. He was wearing a SE safety jacket with SE logo clear to see. The Westport News had this photo blown up large for its front-page story. It gives the impression Mike is working for SE. To an extent he is.
Getting back to the Christchurch Press, the story above did not mention the Save Happy Valley Coalition or its current court action aimed at stopping SE shifting the snails. The dreaded E-word (EXTINCTION) was nowhere to be found, and the only reference to greenies was to note that we'd badly underestimated the number of snails on Mt Augustus (In fact we'd used DOC figures).
A later Press feature (9.12.06) on shifting the snails begins with SHV's Francie Mountier discussing biodiversity decline and the risk to the snails. It does include the E-word and sports a large photo of Powelliphanta Augustus.
So SE isnt getting it all its own way.
Briefs
SE's proposed coal-fired power station in Buller seems less likely with the government's draft energy strategy favouring renewable sources of electricity.
Having survived a very wet winter and spring, Save Happy Valley Coalition's occupation of the proposed Cypress Mine site is now in its 11th month.
It appears most of the weka in Happy Valley have been killed after eating rat poison from poorly-designed bait stations set by SE's pest contractor Mike Bygate.
SHV lost its High Court case where it challenged the government's decison to allow SE to move the rare land snails from Mt Augustus and destroy almost all their habitat. There's no decison yet in SHV's Environment Court case. This is the important one, and Ill make it the subject of the next Coal News.
