But providing wider education choices is not the answer. It is merely a possible consequence of getting it right.
What we need to create on the Chatham Islands, is the perception that it is an awesome place to live, work, raise kids and retire too. That it is the next land of milk and honey. Which it actually is… well sort of.
We need to make it a desirable destination to visit and work, because they both go hand in hand. More visitors, more workers, more workers: more capacity for visitors, or something like that.
How can we turn this around then?
By creating, overnight, such a demand for workers, that wages exceed anything elsewhere in NZ and providing employment and housing for them.
No, I havent lost the plot.
It really is simple.
Every scrap of quota that is caught in the EEZ economic exclusion zone should be processed on the Chatham Islands.!
It is irrelevent whether it is caught by NZ vessels or JVs, it must be processed here on Rekohu.
This would solve, pretty damned quickly, the employment problems, the energy problems and the shipping problems.
Processors would need to upgrade facilities and import staff and provide housing (up to a standard).
Factories would need to be extended. Freezer capacity would need to be increased. Shipping of frozen product would need to be improved and increased significantly.
Put it this way. Would the big fishing companies that currently plunder the Chathams area, turn their backs on the millions of dollars that they are making in profits at the moment? No
They would work smarter.
They would get rid of their 180 metre factory vessels that stay at sea for 6weeks at a time and run smaller trawlers, perhaps out of here, which catch and land every week or so, based on Rekohu. They would supply land based fuel. They would process here and they would ship from here. It would probably work out more cost effective for them anyway.
All it takes is for a concerted approach, by all groups, the Trust, the Iwi groups, Council, MAF, Farmers etc, and the highly influential (in some people’s view) Taylor Baines Review team to recommend it to the Government and it could happen. It would also be beneficial to the Islands to have a Minister made specifically responsible for the Chatham Islands, such as what occurs with Norfolk Island and the Aussie government.
Thats my answer anyway. I havent done the figures but I did sit down and try and work out exactly how mu
ch value in $terms there was in all of the quota for this area, and all I got was a headache. So I gave up.
Just like everyone else is giving up.
The $20 million patch up isnt necessarily the answer either.
I agree that the redevelopment of wharfing facilities at Port Hutt may be a good idea, but if you really think that the only reason that the current shipping service costs so much is due to weather delays, then you really dont have a very good grasp on the situation at all. In fact there is really only one thing that you do have a grasp on, and its not shipping.
I am also not convinced that relying on windpower is the answer either….. Yes we all know that it can blow down here…. but it doesnt do it all of the time……… and generating the power from wind is easy…….. its storing the excess for later use that is the expensive part of the game….. Any way, more from me later.
I would love to hear your views.
Tune in for the next posting, we will discuss the impact of the global credit crunch, local Iwi politics, local business movements and ways in which the Govt could help improve our lot.
If you have a view on any of these issues, or any issues at all, send us an email. We’d love to hear from you?
Rekohu
Hey Freddie
see my next posting>>>>
Comment by rekohu — December 10, 2008 @ 4:37 am
Over a four year period I have been prompted by some people from the Chatham’s to start a new shipping service, as some were not happy with the service given by KL.
In the last year I have looked and listened and offered suggestions, from a 55 meter ship on a weekly service, to a 124 meter vessel on a fortnightly service, none of these are any good to you people, so you say.
Well, last week another Island Group accepted a 124 meter Roll On/Roll Off ship from me, so they could load the freight on the lower deck and carry a full load of Cattle on the upper deck, hey what a great idea. Now it has only taken this Group of Melanesians a few months to work this out, your still deciding.
This afternoon I have just been asked by a second group, way up in the Pacific if they can have an identical vessel and as soon as possible.
Hey this is funny and strange, two groups of people who live in far harsher conditions to Chat’s people, have made decisions by using knowledge gained from those who know and used it to put together a package in a very short time.
So I am writing this because of two phone calls I have had from the island this afternoon, calls that the Char’s people could be about to make a huge mistake and take a backwards step that may just cripple the islands forever.
Somebody on the Islands, very quickly needs to take the Boards hands and lead them to Wellington and explain some basic understandings to them and stop them from making decisions on insufficient, unfounded and incorrect knowledge.
You could have had a new ship and new freight service, run and controlled by yourselves eight months ago, but insufficient, unfounded and incorrect knowledge has stopped that.
Good luck Chatham’s, you certainly need it.
Graeme Dunstan
Comment by Graeme Dunstan — April 2, 2009 @ 3:22 am