IT”S TIME FOR KIWIS TO STEP UP AND STOP THE ECONOMIC SABOTAGE
Alan Simmons & Sue Grey 13/4/2022
Comment.
First No Fuel now no phones! New Zealand is becoming increasingly reliant on overseas interests to survive.
A protest is currently underway at Marsden Point trying to save our fuel independence after threats to pour concrete into the Marsden Point to Auckland pipeline.
In these uncertain times with ongoing supply chain issues it makes no sense to rely solely on international oil companies shipping all our fuel in tankers from overseas.
The Marsden Point oil refinery was built for 10 million pounds in 1964, with its pipes pumping fuel direct to the large Auckland market including Aviation gas. Having successfully refined oil for many years it was given away by a Labour government to the five major oil companies along with a gift of $80 million to help them transition. What has been confusing is that we do produce quite a lot of oil as a by product of the Taranaki gas fields which is all exported to Australia because it’s quality is said to be too high to refine in NZ.
Without any consultation with the taxpayers of NZ, the 5 major oil companies have decided to close down our only oil independence oil refinery and import everything. Our Labour government yet again is missing in action and appear to be supporting the move.
Most New Zealanders cannot understand how getting rid of our energy independence is in the public interest, especially when 400 or so jobs will be lost as well.
We surely need to take much better care of our assets and resources to ensure that our national interests and security are protected. Some things are simply too important to be left to vested interests to decide based only on the interests of their shareholders. At the very least we need an urgent public conversation about these matters so we can give instructions to our representatives.
Why can’t the government see that? We built it, we gave it away for whatever reason, we gave them 80 million to help with the transition. They have failed to deliver to our expectations, so now we want it back. It seems vital we keep the ability to fuel our industry and transport here in NZ.
While we protest over our ability to make and transport our own fuel, another major crisis looms involving our ability to communicate. Very few land lines are left nowadays and most people have transitioned to cell phones. After an indecent rush to install cell towers often outside peoples homes before the public could have a debate or object, Spark and Vodaphone are proposing to sell off those very cell towers to overseas interests. They say they are looking at large investors like pension funds whose focus is clearly profit, not service.
I am reminded of another kiwi asset sold off to overseas pension funds, the Kaingaroa forest, where access to Kiwi fisherman and hunters was immediately shut off. Kaingaroa Forest often cited as the biggest man made forest in the world was planted by new Zealanders and at it’s prime given away to large corporate who then on sold the assets.
I am staggered. Faced with an ongoing international crisis after crisis our self sufficiency is surely essential for our resilience. If these assets are disposed of we face the risk of being unable to communicate and unable to drive.
The Wellington occupation showed kiwis are still creative and readily able to reconnect with our traditional No 8 wire mentality for overcoming challenges. But why sabotage our options? When it takes three weeks for an oil tanker to get here, it seems a smarter solution to save and if necessary repurpose the assets we already have. If we can’t communicate we have an even bigger potential but avoidable problem.
This government has lost its reasoning power, is selling us down the drain with gay abandon. Our so called “opposition” government is no better, nodding in globalist agreement.
It’s time for our people to wake up, step up, and take back our New Zealand.
