Today, Stuff reported:
Yeah right! Maritime New Zealand's Director and Chairman are undertaking an "independent" review of Maritime New Zealand. Don't make me laugh! And a dodgy spook to boot heading up the operation... Why do I feel this will be a complete white wash?
They don't call it crony capitalism for nothing and I guess a job for one of the "good" old boys is just as acceptable now as it ever was.
$1 million dollars... Wow! That's truly pathetic! With the Western Bay of Plenty District Council and the Tauranga City Council deciding who get's a slice of that minuscule pie, be assured there will be oodles of preferential treatment going on and most of the businesses that have been impacted won't see a damned red cent.
In fact there's been a well orchestrated propaganda campaign run in order to limit the liability of the shipping company, Costamare Inc. and its subsidiary, Daina Shipping Co. Part of reducing costs is to leave the wreck where it is, much to the disgust of many locals.
Let's make this clear; leaving the toxic MV Rena half salvaged on Astrolabe reef is not an option and it needs to be fully removed along with the remaining 365 shipping containers. Anything less will be environmentally unsound, not to mention an eyesore.
National's failure to properly respond to the Rena disaster is probably the best argument against their plans for deep sea oil drilling. If they cannot properly clean up the mess left from this relatively small disaster, what hope is there if we have a Deepwater Horizon in our waters?
As usual the government is gambling with our futures when clean technology means we don't need to gamble at all. Pound for pound clean tech creates around twice as many jobs as polluting industries. But I guess it's too much to expect National to be reasonable... They are after all personally profiting from putting the environment and people's lives at risk.
The man who presided over illegal spying at the GCSB will head the independent review of Maritime New Zealand's response to the Rena grounding.
Simon Murdoch was director of the Government Security Communications Bureau for six months last year, when internet millionaire Kim Dotcom was placed under illegal surveillance.
He was named as head of the Rena inquiry by MNZ today, just a day before the one year anniversary of the cargo ship grounding on the Astrolabe Reef, off the Tauranga coast.
The review will examine the MNZ response to the Rena crash and look into whether there were factors that contributed or limited its effectiveness.
It will be overseen by Transport Ministry chief executive Martin Matthews, MNZ chairman David Ledson, and MNZ director Keith Manch.
Manch said a review of large scale incidents, carried out independently, was standard practice for emergency response organisations.
Yeah right! Maritime New Zealand's Director and Chairman are undertaking an "independent" review of Maritime New Zealand. Don't make me laugh! And a dodgy spook to boot heading up the operation... Why do I feel this will be a complete white wash?
Murdoch, who is conducting the review, was also chief executive officer of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet from 1991 to 1998, and was an advisor to former Prime Minister Robert Muldoon.
He spent most of his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade where he became chief executive officer in 2002.
Murdoch has held diplomatic postings in Canberra and Washington, and has undertaken other reviews in the fields of foreign affairs, security and emergency response and management.
They don't call it crony capitalism for nothing and I guess a job for one of the "good" old boys is just as acceptable now as it ever was.
Meanwhile, the Bay of Plenty community has been given $1 million as a "goodwill gesture" by the company that chartered the Rena.
$1 million dollars... Wow! That's truly pathetic! With the Western Bay of Plenty District Council and the Tauranga City Council deciding who get's a slice of that minuscule pie, be assured there will be oodles of preferential treatment going on and most of the businesses that have been impacted won't see a damned red cent.
In fact there's been a well orchestrated propaganda campaign run in order to limit the liability of the shipping company, Costamare Inc. and its subsidiary, Daina Shipping Co. Part of reducing costs is to leave the wreck where it is, much to the disgust of many locals.
Let's make this clear; leaving the toxic MV Rena half salvaged on Astrolabe reef is not an option and it needs to be fully removed along with the remaining 365 shipping containers. Anything less will be environmentally unsound, not to mention an eyesore.
National's failure to properly respond to the Rena disaster is probably the best argument against their plans for deep sea oil drilling. If they cannot properly clean up the mess left from this relatively small disaster, what hope is there if we have a Deepwater Horizon in our waters?
As usual the government is gambling with our futures when clean technology means we don't need to gamble at all. Pound for pound clean tech creates around twice as many jobs as polluting industries. But I guess it's too much to expect National to be reasonable... They are after all personally profiting from putting the environment and people's lives at risk.
