The best beaches in the world are found on Great Barrier Island according to Gary Taylor from the Environmental Defence Society.

That is why he believes this National-led Government’s recent announcement that this beautiful island is a potential site for mining was intentionally “provocative”.

This week on the David Shearer Show, Gary talks about a range of environmental issues including mining Schedule 4 land and how New Zealand can be world leaders in “Green Tourism”.

He bemoans the poor quality of our water in streams and rivers and says Federated Farmers could learn from dairy farmers whom he believes are incredibly innovative.

Starting his career in journalism, Gary has gone onto to be one of New Zealand’s most prominent commentators on environmental issues.

The show is live Thursday morning at 9.05am on 104.6 Planet FM or listen online at www.planetaudio.org.nz Search: Shearer.

In 2005, David Shearer was working for the United Nations in Jerusalem when a Kiwi comedian walked into his office. Te Radar, star of the hugely successful series Off The Radar, interviewed David for a documentary he was making on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict but this week, on the David Shearer Show, the roles are reversed.
Radar gives his thoughts on filming in places like Jerusalem and East Timor and talks about his new show, Eating the Dog, where he celebrates the stories of New Zealanders ‘who will never get their face on a banknote’.
This is a light-hearted interview with plenty of substance.

The show can be heard live on 104.6 Planet FM at Thursday 9.05am or online at www.planetaudio.org.nz Search: Shearer.

This week on the David Shearer Show I talked to Martyn Bomber Bradbury. Bomber is a huge believer in public service radio. He also started up the music channel ALT-TV and has extensive experience across all forms of media in New Zealand including a regular spot on Radio New Zealand with Jim Mora and a show on Triangle TV called “The War on News”.

Bomber talks to David with irreverence about politics and the New Zealand media, in particular its treatment of the current National Party-led Government.

Witty, opinionated, and humorous, Bomber is a great interview and well worth a listen.

I was born and bred in Auckland and have deep roots there. A first class public transport system is vital for Auckland both in terms of anticipated population growth and revitalisation of the city centre. And of course we must have a seamless public transport system to get fans to the Rugby World Cup games.

I was delighted to read the joint ARTA-KiwiRail press release this morning on the preferred route for the CBD rail loop project. This is good news. It is the kind of project that would provide the significant economic benefits that the government supposedly wants from its transport investment.

The cost is roughly similar to the Puhoi-Wellsford road, the benefits are far greater, so why is Joyce not keen on this one? An interesting question when petrol prices are their highest in 18 months.

By the end of this year, Aucklanders will have elected a mayor who will preside over the biggest local body organisation New Zealand has ever seen. The structure of the Auckland Council has not yet been fully defined but one thing is for sure – the mayoralty race is going to be a fascinating contest.
This week on The David Shearer Show Manukau City Council Mayor talks to David about his ambition to become the first mayor of the new Auckland Council.
He also reflects on his early years in Taumarunui, his experience growing up in the South Auckland suburb of Otara, his close ties with Maori and the Pacific Island communities and how that upbringing has shaped his view of the world.
After suffering a heart attack in 2008 which required heart bypass surgery, Mr Brown says he is now 100% fit and he will need to be as his likely combatant, current Auckland City Council mayor John Banks, is a canny political operator with an experienced team on his side.
The show is live tomorrow at 9.05am on 104.6 Planet FM and can be found online at www.planetaudio.org.nz Search: Shearer

I can’t believe that Steven Joyce is going ahead with the Puhoi to Wellsford Road of National Significance. It’s nothing more than a holiday highway to get people to the eastern beaches quicker in the summer. Getting the Auckland public transport system ready to cope with the Rugby World Cup next year is far more important. We’ll be a laughing stock when our international visitors find out that a road to allow Aucklanders to have a swim took priority over a first class public transport system.

Here’s the press release in full.

Uncosted Puhoi to Wellsford plan pure road overkill

Awarding a contract for route investigation work on the so-called Puhoi to Wellsford Road of National Significance is an example of pure ‘road overkill’, say Labour’s transport spokesperson Darren Hughes and Mt Albert MP David Shearer.

Darren Hughes said: “This Government is fast making a travesty of the term roads of national significance.

“Transport Minister Steven Joyce’s new definition of a road of national significance is a road of National Party significance. There’s a huge difference.”

David Shearer said: “Mr Joyce is on record as saying in Parliament that one significant reason for building this road is for people travelling to the eastern beaches.

“That does not meet the criteria of national significance. Making it easier to go for a swim is hardly justification for spending goodness knows how many tens of millions of dollars on a road that will have marginal if any impact on the country’s economy, and not for many, many years at that.

“It is significant that Mr Joyce won’t talk in detail about the cost of even this first stage of the contract,” David Shearer said.

“He knows that in the wider context of Auckland transport issues, this project doesn’t stack up. There is a whole range of public transport projects, like the CBD rail tunnel, that offer far greater benefit to Aucklanders.”

Darren Hughes said he was well aware from travelling around New Zealand that provincial areas were desperately worried about the lack of funding for maintaining local roads, let alone improving them.

“These are roads that are vitally important strategically and economically to regions around the country.

“Mr Joyce fails to grasp this reality. He can see the importance of Aucklanders being able to get to their weekend baches quickly, but when it comes to appreciating the crucial significance of local roads to people who are the backbone of this country, he’s missing in action.”

National’s plans for a merger in the Research Science and Technology sector show it lacks a clear strategy on making innovation a driver of economic growth, Labour’s Research Science and technology spokesperson David Shearer said today.

It’s been reported the Government intends to merge the Foundation for Research Science and technology with the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology.

“National needs to explain to the sector and to Kiwis how this merger will have a major positive effect on innovation in New Zealand,” David Shearer said.

“How will a merger benefit New Zealand? Will it allow us to compete with Australia, which has made a major commitment to innovation?

“A review of the structure of the sector by MoRST last year concluded the foundation should be retained as a separate entity.

“We should always strive to find efficiencies but my sources are telling me that any savings from merger of MoRST and FRST would be negligible.

“So what is this talk of a merger really about?

“I suspect it’s false activity by the Research Science and Technology Minister Wayne Mapp, desperately trying to make up for a lack of a plan.

David Shearer says the proposed merger is not the grand plan the sector is calling for and which New Zealand needs.

“New Zealand needs vision for its innovations to be international commercial success stories, not the tinkering we’re seeing from National with talk of mergers,” David Shearer said.

“The Government has talked a big game on R&D but it’s showing little sign of how its sees the industry becoming a wealth creator for New Zealand.

“National needs to set out its direction for innovation.

“It needs to tell New Zealand how a merger will fit into the Government’s overall plan, because at the moment, I don’t see one.”

I posted this on Red Alert. Go to Red Alert to see the comments and post a comment if you wish to.

Reaction to the CRI Taskforce appears generally positive, especially amongst those working in CRIs. There is, however, quiet disquiet amongst some in non-CRI research institutions and of course universities. I’m less interested in institutions, but more interested in what is best for NZ science and NZ itself.

The first major recommendation – relaxing the stipulation that CRIs make a profit – seems sensible. CRIs should be creating value for NZ, not for themselves. They should wash their own faces, be self sustaining. But CRI scientists doing research offshore to enable that CRI make a profit is of no value to NZ.

But the other major recommendation – to grant CRIs more long term funding – raises important questions if the overall aim is to fund excellent science and NZ’s best scientists. It is accepted that science needs long term time horizons and scientists shouldn’t spend their lives filling out funding application forms. But couldn’t those two requirements not be met simply by lengthening the funding period? That would also enable more strategic science.

The CRI Taskforce recommendation essentially means shifting funding from a contestable pool into the CRIs with the aim that this increased share will lead to better science with all the spinoffs around innovation that we anticipate. We’re not sure yet what indicators will be used to measure that excellence within the CRIs, that will come later.

The opportunity cost is that this funding will not be available to scientists not part of the CRI system. Some scientists will not receive funding though their work might be better. My question is whether this move, therefore, lifts science excellence.

Of course the easy answer is more money for everyone, but that’s not the question, nor from the sound of it is new money a very likely prospect. It will provide job security and institutional stability for CRIs – a legitimate issue – and perhaps too what the Taskforce was thinking.

This is not to take a CRI side or a university one. Both have outstanding scientists. (I’ve noticed a tendency to type-cast as a supporter of one or the other). My motivation is to see the best science done for the greatest benefit of NZ. I’m at a loss to see how that necessarily follows from this part of the CRI Taskforce.

But maybe I’m missing something here, I’m happy to stand corrected – please fill me in!