Since organising the “Rally of Hope’ gathering in Napier on Wednesday which protested against plans to drill and frack for oil on the East Coast and also to celebrate all the good things we have in Hawkes Bay, it has been pointed out to me on more than one occasion the hypocrisy of protesting against oil companies while living an oil dependant life. While I accept the truth in the accusation, it isn’t quite that simple.

I freely admit I am addicted to oil like everyone else I know in NZ. However we now know beyond all reasonable doubt that the continued burning of fossil fuels at current rates will relatively soon lead to irreversible climate change and by later this century the end of civilisation as we know it.

But like any addiction, I think the first step is to admit to the addiction and then seek help. I guess while trying to wean myself I have been making massive changes to the way we farm, concentrating on sequestering carbon into our soils by holistic and biological fertility management. I have stopped using aircraft to apply fertilizer and am trying to perfect holistic grazing management and getting animals to spread fertility around the hill paddocks by giving them free choice minerals. (lots to learn yet!!) I am working to become largely self sufficient in nutrient inputs on the farm using products we make ourselves or are sourced locally. Phosphate still comes from overseas in the form of Guano from Indonesia. We will continue to monitor the feasibility of this.

I have taken 3 young people onto the farm to begin a Community Supported Ag type scheme to produce food for local consumption from an environmentally aware farm, and will soon open our farm not only to the visiting public but to people who want to have some ownership and build a relationship with the land and help to further the dream of sustainability.

Thanks largely to the Air New Zealand Environment Trust almost 100,000 trees have been planted on the farm in the last 4 years, and we remain committed to increasing bio diversity and restoring eco systems.

On a personal note, I am aware of every litre of fuel I burn and try to justify that in the bigger scheme of things.

So please understand, I am trying to kick the habit!! And that is why I am seeking help from council and government and the wider community because yes I have a problem but I can’t beat it on my own. Like trying to give up smoking while living in a family of smokers and all your mates smoke, I just can’t do it by myself!

While oil is the lifeblood of the economy and most of the stuff we take for granted these days, we have to remember that humans have only had this addiction for a bit over 100 years, an infinitesimal time in the history of our species.

SO HERE WE ARE AT THE CROSSROADS.

Do we put the hammer down and hit the wall in the road ahead at full speed (as per National government policy) or do we take the other road which might look a bit dusty but with human ingenuity and a new found respect and understanding of the web of life this alternative road could be much more fulfilling and give us more time to enjoy the journey.

I am an eternal optimist and believe that humans can still choose the alternative road, but the intersection is approaching fast.

You are invited to join us at www.thefamilyfarm.net.nz
 

Thanks to all the amazing people that attended the rally in Napier yesterday and the many more that supported us in various ways.

Here's links to what the Dominion Post and Hawkes Bay Today newspapers had to say about the 280 people that turned up to protest against drilling and fracking in Hawkes Bay and also celebrate all that is good about living in HB

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6314535/Anti-fracking-group-protest-inNapier

http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/hundreds-turn-out-in-cbd-to-protest-frack-mining/1250861/

It was a brilliant turnout and we definitely sent a strong message to council and hopefully government. Hopefully the attention generated by our rally has helped raise the levels of awareness about the dangers of fracking to the wider public.

It isn’t easy giving up your time and making a stand like we did yesterday but it is empowering to be doing something to help create the environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just future that we all want.

The question most asked since the rally was “How did you get to Napier” and of course I drove from our farm at Elsthorpe. We are all addicted to oil to varying degrees and just like the people asking the question I am a mortal human being trying to do the best I can for my family and wider community. I guess I realise that our collective prosperity ultimately depends on the prosperity of all other life that we share this planet with.

Therefore to get over this addiction we need help from not only those around us but the councils and government who are supposed to be there to support our health and prosperity.

We have been telling ourselves for such a long time now that a growing economy is critical to our prosperity, that it has become a religion that we don’t question (some may be offended that I am questioning it). We pursue this “economic growth” regardless of the consequences. Of course we need an economy but it must operate within ecological limits.

Our wealth is not just our money it is equally

Social: Human development

Economic: Self-reliance, Sustainability, Flexibility, Balanced and Equitable development

Political: Independence, Sovereignty and security of nation state and Governance

Cultural: Identity, Unity and harmony, Preserving and Promoting culture and heritage

Environmental: Preservation through environmentally sustainable development

Drilling and Fracking for Oil in Hawkes Bay does not increase this wealth and ultimately will not make us happier.

I am organising a rally in Napier on Wednesday 25th January to coincide with the Hawkes Bay Regional Council meeting with Tag Oil. Please send this message out to all your contacts and ask them to join us at 12pm on Wednesday 25th at Clive Square in Napier.

Let’s make this go viral. People who care need to be there!!

A RALLY OF HOPE

It’s time to stand up.

The Brighter future promised during the last election campaign is not going to happen by creating more climate change and corporate profits for overseas companies. Therefore it is time to rally to send a strong message to councils and government that drilling for oil and fracking is not going to create a better future for our children.

The rally is part protest against Tag Oils plans to drill and frack “The Bay” but equally it is a celebration of all we are privileged to have in Hawkes Bay with our beautiful landscape, water and climate and of course all the amazing people that make up our society.

This is the Hawke’s Bay we want to regenerate and invigorate to pass on to future generations.

Rally will start at Clive Square Napier at 12pm Wednesday 25th and move to the HBRC building by 1pm.

Please come along and bring all your friends and family and have some fun!!

Blessings
Greg

This is the title of a workshop I am organising with Joel Salatin who runs the very impressive Polyface Farm in Virginia USA(www.polyfacefarms.com). Joel has been referred to as the most recognised farmer in the world and as the most influential farmer in America. His mission is not to build an empire but to create a highly productive highly profitable regenerative farming system that produces quality food that consumers pay a premium for, while maintaining a balanced life which creates opportunities for his children to find their niche on a farm they want to be part of.

It feels like my generation is the last of an era, when all kiwi families had some connection to a farm. If you lived in town, then school holidays would include visits to an Aunt and Uncle or Grandparents in the country. Days would be spent tagging along observing and helping out where possible (now they are just tagging!) What an experience for a town kid to get their hands covered in mucous but marvel at the miracle of life after assisting the birth of a lamb, or the realization that even after your best efforts, animals still die and so an opportunity to develop an understanding of the circle of life. Or simply exploring the land, building huts or trying to catch an eel in the creek.

What sort of world are we leaving for our children? That is the question that has sent us on a journey of educating ourselves about the state of the planet and researching ways to make our farming business more sustainable.

Sometimes it’s hard to see the big picture when we are living on such a beautiful farm in the best country in the world. My wife Rachel and our three children aged 5 and 4 year old twins live on Mangarara Station in Central Hawke’s Bay. It is a 610ha sheep and beef property we have been fortunate to take over from my parents. We live in a small 104 year old cottage beside 30ha Horseshoe Lake, so as you can tell we are pretty passionate about our little slice of paradise!!
So what have I learned and what do I think the future holds?

The first realization is the phenomenal growth that has occurred over the last 100 years. The twentieth century was the century of oil. In 1900 the world produced 150 million barrels of oil. In 2000, it produced 28 billion barrels, an increase of more than 180-fold.
The fast growing supply of cheap oil led to an explosive worldwide growth in food production, population, urbanization and human mobility. In 1900 the population was around 1.5 billion today we have about 6.8 billion. Population is growing at 79 million people per year, that’s almost 20 more New Zealand’s added to the planet each year and each person is consuming more each year. All anyone alive on the planet today knows is growth. (with the occasional hiccup along the way!)