A future of fake snow and land-based fish

Ski field failures, agricultural emissions, marine heatwaves and land-based fish farming. This week, the isolated climate change news section became entirely redundant

Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Friday, October 14, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.

In today’s edition: review of parliament's workplace culture ordered; an interview with Winston Peters ahead of the party's annual general meeting; solving big problems using NFTS and engineered wood; but first, the week that was, in what can now just be called the news.

Editor and designer go surrealist on imaginging the future NB: not how land based fish-farming will actually work (Image Getty/Tina Tiller)

Fact-checking the responses to the agricultural emissions plan

Composing this in my head yesterday, I had “It’s been a big week of climate change news” kicking around as an opener, but the through-line of today’s stories illustrate how redundant that sounds. Four stories this week might poetically be divided into stories of the land, the sea and the sky and popped under a climate news header, but combined they cut across politics, business, the economy, farming and sports. On Tuesday, we got the government's announcement about the proposed agricultural emissions scheme. On that, I think it’s worth pointing to Stuff’s Olivia Wannan’s fact checking of some of the statements made in response.

The first big business casualty of climate change?

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) being put into voluntary administration might be the country’s first big business casualty of climate change. As is often the case, the road to this one has a scientist standing on the side of it trying to inform us before it happened. As Newsroom’s Andrew Bevin reports, climate scientist James Renwick wrote a report for the ski industry body two decades ago looking at the question of how much longer ski fields will be able to remain viable. RAL’s situation is not wholly the result of climate change but the likelihood of increasingly bad ski seasons and needing to rely on artificial snow for winter sports and recreation is a reality we’re facing a bit earlier than predicted. Artificial snow was used for the Beijing Olympics this year and this New York Times piece outlines the lengths China had to go to to make enough of it. 

Severe marine heatwaves are on the rise

Andrew Bevin’s story helpfully made the jump to the next story for me by mentioning the death and dumping of 1,300 tonnes of salmon in Marlborough after a marine heat wave. Yesterday we had a new report published on the health of our marine environment. In short, not at all good. The Herald’s Jamie Morton has a thorough run down. Severe marine heatwaves, as well as hotter, more acidic waters are on the rise. Stuff’s Anna Whyte spoke to people who believe we can turn the situation around. I’ve covered the impact of warming oceans on New Zealand’s salmon farms before. People now send me salmon news which is how I found this next story from Doug Sail in the Timaru Herald yesterday.

Government backs land-based salmon farm idea

Sail reports on the potential for sustainable land-based salmon farming. This is where we potentially end with some optimism. New Zealand's first such farm could be built near Twizel. Yesterday the government announced $6.7m in backing for the further development of the prototype. I am very aware that reading climate change news is often a lot for people. It’s a lot for me. But it's not really a subcategory any more and some of these stories have been the biggest, and most consequential this week. It’s why, if you’ll forgive the plug, I always enjoy reading our environment newsletter, Future Proof, edited by Ellen Rykers. Rykers has a knack for finding the news that suggests people are very capable of acting with the future in mind.

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Workplace culture to be reviewed again at parliament

RNZ’s Katie Scotcher reports that parliament's Speaker, Adrian Rurawhe has asked independent investigator Debbie Francis to find out if there's less bullying and harassment in the precinct since her last inquiry. Francis’s first report was published in 2019 and found harmful behaviours to be systemic across the parliamentary workplace. One of the recommendations of the 2019 report was that progress be reviewed every three years. All parties have promised cooperation on the new review although Act party leader David Seymour was going with “probably participate” at this stage. Seymour called the review "tone deaf" saying the need for officials to come in and check on elected representatives indicated a lack of trust in the public who voted for them.

Guess who’s back, back again?

Following the 1News Kantar poll on September 27, I said we’d be using the NWOWP (Never Write Off Winston Peters) acronym again. The Gone By Lunchtime crew discussed The New Zealand First (NZF) party’s 3% poll result on September 28. Both Ben Thomas and Annabelle Lee-Mather actually were prepared to Write Off Winston Peters, with Lee-Mather suggesting the Act party will pick up some of the vote that used to go NZF’s way. Nonetheless, the party will hold its annual general meeting in Christchurch this weekend. Newsroom’s political editor Jo Moir spoke to Peters ahead of the meeting. Peters details which of the current government’s current reforms he opposes and what he makes of the local government election results. 

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Solving big problems using NFTS and engineered wood

Professor Anthony Hoete is trying to solve some of the biggest housing problems in Te Ao Māori with new tools and technology. He talks with Bernard Hickey on This week’s episode of When the Facts Change about using NFTs to bring together dispersed iwi land titles and engineered timber to turn iwi forests into homes that are carbon sinks. 

Click and collect

• Trucking industry warns of pared back waste collection services due to driver shortages

• If you felt light to moderate shaking early this morning, there was a 5.7 magnitude earthquake near the top of the South Island

• Following up this story about a tax bill on a lump sum ACC payment, a look at other unfair taxes

• Relief may be coming on the price of tomatoes (it's something right?) 

• Departing mayor of Invercargill, Sir Tim Shadbolt shares the working title of his upcoming book and some wisdom

Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.

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It’s Friday so…

Time for the news you've been waiting for. The fattest bear has been crowned. Bear 747 aka Bear Force One is the winner of Fat Bear Week 2022. It came down to a battle between 747 and female rival 901 (her before and after photos here). 747 has taken out the competition before, winning Fat Bear Week in 2020. You can see 747 in all his 1,400 pound glory, complete with a short video, here or his before and after photos here. This year’s competition was not without controversy though after a voting scandal rocked the community.