Stop the Drilling - Petrobras in the East Coast

The timing was ironic – just as the BP Mexico gulf oil spill was breaking news, our government announced it had awarded a contract to explore for oil in a region off our East Coast that stretches from Te Kaha and out beyond the East Cape.

Around the same time, National MP Gerry Brownlee’s plan to allow mining for gold and coal in our precious spaces met with fervent nation-wide protest, which led to the Government backing down and even extending the protected status of more conservation land. 

We can have a similar effect on the planned exploration for oil. 

It seems ludicrous that while some countries are taking out and extending existing moratoriums on offshore drilling, our government has blithely given the go-ahead to explore for oil of our coastline, in some cases up to twice as deep as the well which led to the BP Gulf of Mexico disaster.

What lessons have been learnt from the BP catastrophe? Every boat in the region, every boat in the country was not enough to manage the spill effectively.  If there were a spill in NZ, who would we call for backup?   We haven’t got fleets of Louisiana shrimp-boats available to trawl around miles of boom.

The people of the East Coast have recently been brought together in their grief over the loss of Moko – a dolphin who enjoyed the company of people.  In the Gulf of Mexico whole pods of dolphins have died – with oil covering their blow-holes and frying the skin off their backs.  Their food has been poisoned, the water has been made toxic from millions of litres of oil-dispersants BP used. 

We cannot allow our Government to permit the Brazilian company Petrobras to explore or drill for oil anywhere off the coast of New Zealand.  The horror of what can go wrong is all too real.  New Zealand’s economy has so much to lose, and comparatively little to gain from handing over drilling rights.

There is a group on Facebook called “Stop the Drilling on our East Coast” – with over 4000 members, and more than 200 people have already confirmed they will attend a public meeting this Saturday to address the issue.

Guest speakers include Ora Barlow from Te Kaha (Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Whakatohea, Ngati Porou) who will be presenting a slide-show about the plan to explore for oil in the Raukumara Basin.  She will talk about the history and the dangers of deep sea drilling, and provide some new insight about Petrobas as well an overview of the global status of oil drilling.

MP David Clendon, (of Ngapuhi/Te Roroa and Pakeha heritage) is the Green Party spokesperson for the environment.  He will also be speaking, and will let us know the most effective ways we can act to prevent drilling going ahead.

Copies of the Greenpeace petition will be available to sign, or sign it here - it calls on the Government to stop all plans to open up New Zealand’s coastal waters to off-shore drilling and stop any expansion of coal mining – demanding a clean energy future that helps to combat climate change. 

The ‘Stop the Drilling’ public meeting will be held from 2pm this Saturday 31st at the Opotiki College hall on St Johns St.  All are welcome.