Attitude infection hardens around rivers
Have you managed to avoid this infection that’s going around? A common HAIA unwellness sweeping the country is a subclinical affliction mainly affecting the brain. HAIA stands for HowAmI Affected. Symptoms are varied and may come on gradually. Initially, impairment of vision is exhibited with unilateral loss of sight.
Clarity in the other eye is clouded by colour, varying from red, blue, to green and occasionally black and white. Some cases display random outbursts of vocalisation, most intense about 6pm when exposed to a TV. The main presenting factor of HAIA to be aware of is severe hardening of attitudes. Confused thought patterns and lack of understanding interferes with ability to reason and apply rational thought. When present it creates and aggravates unfair divisions between regions of NZ.
Nowhere does this appear more evident at the moment than during talk about our rivers. That all New Zealand rivers should be swimmable is a commendable aim. One proposal to achieve this goal is to tax irrigation water and use that money ‘‘to repair environmental damage’’.
Not surprisingly 80 per cent of polled voters agree with this policy because it does not affect them. Complacent smugness makes people vulnerable to the Lack Of Intelligent Thought virus (LOIT), a secondary infection which often results and both conditions may become chronic.
LOIT induces blindness to facts. Like the increased farm production from water and more
Confused thought patterns and lack of understanding interferes with ability to reason and apply rational thought.
export dollars, the thriving rural communities, the Irrigation NZ findings indicating no correlation between areas of high irrigation development and regions with poor water quality and the reality that many city waterways aren’t swimmable. I would rather immerse myself in the Waikato River above Hamilton than below it, or take kids for a dip in our local creek than the Maitai in Nelson.
The dairy sector celebrated stock exclusion from 97 per cent of dairy waterways with 27,000 kilometres of fencing, riparian margins planted with millions of native trees, and 99.4 per cent of 44,386 regular stock crossings having bridges or culverts.
Last year DairyNZ spent more than $28.5 million on research, development and environmental work. Farmers have invested over $1 billion to protect waterways.
This commitment and investment is outstanding and now it’s time to recognise urban water pollution and clean it up. But let’s not do this by taxing agriculture. Don’t forget the aptly named rock snot fouling previously clean waterways. That certainly was not caused by farming.
Rock snot will never be eliminated so now the government employs staff to check and educate travellers heading north from the South Island. Tourists were responsible for introducing didymo, among other problems, so it’s high time for a visitor tax.
Obviously I ampassionate about anything that impacts farmers, making me highly susceptible to HAIA.
A prescription of ARBANZ medication to sufferers like myself helps maintain intelligent brain health when exposed to preelection campaigns. I want a unified country with All Responsible, Benefiting All New Zealanders’’. Swallowing a few KIPP pills does help to Keep It In Perspective.
Joyce Wyllie is a sheep farmer at Kaihoka in Golden Bay.