He'd made claims that the court
action Greenpeace and Te Whanau a Apanui were undertaking against the government was a stunt to keep their
opposition to petroleum exploration in the public eye running into the
election.
The article pointed out that the application would not get into court until well after the election,
so it would have been poor planning if it had been designed as an
election stunt.
The Gisbourne Herald also ran a great letter by Terry Miringaorangi, that pretty much sums up the sentiments felt by many people throughout New Zealand:
There are some things that are worth more than a short term financial gain at the expense of the environment.Not on my land... Saturday, September 17, 2011
As an owner of landblocks along the East Coast from Whangara to Opotiki, I will not allow any mining or drilling on the lands of my tupuna. Why? Because I say so.
This crazy National Party gives out permits to oil giants that place Tangaroa at risk, but now they seek to place the mother of Tangaroa, Papatuanuku, in danger.
I urge all the landowners to protect the whenua that has been handed down to them. If you need guidence, don’t take other people’s views and make them yours. Just think of your own kuia and koro who brought you up and who taught you right from wrong — that is where you will find your answer. Kia kaha koutou.
TERRY MIRINGAORANGI
It's a very selfish thing to sacrifice the environment and disregard the needs of future generations. We should look further ahead and take into account our responsibility to ensure a clean environment for future generations.
There are implications to following down a destructive oil exploration path that's been shown in stark reality with the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which is still adversely affecting inhabitants in the gulf of Mexico.
We can learn from those mistakes and take advantage of worldwide innovations to create a progressive country not beholden to the oil companies.
