New Zealand: muzzling scientists (and Keys' "rock-star economy")

It took me quite a long time of sleuthing to track down this article wchi certainly didn't make it into the headlines.

It certainly should be in the headlines.

Although everything is expressed in nice civilsed ways to hide the impact there is no doubt that this is fascism in action.

Can you really say you live in a democracy when leading scientists and academics are silenced.

In fact the silencing of scientist goes back a few years

JimSalinger is an Auckland-based climate change scientist who formerly worked for . He is NZ's foremost researcher in climate change who used to work for the Crown Research Institute National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) until he was sacked in 2009 (under this very government) for speaking to the press.

Climate scientist fired for talking to media

The comments by scientists show just how endemic this is.

Fears proposed code could gag science

Some scientists fear a proposed code governing what they can speak out about is actually an attempt to gag them.

Radio NZ,

2 October, 2014

The idea is referred to as the 'code for public engagement', and could sit alongside the Royal Society's existing Code of Ethics.

The Prime Minister's chief science advisor Sir Peter Gluckman said the Royal Society has been asked to look at its current Code of Ethics and decide if it is up to scratch. If it is not, then consultation will begin on a new code.

Some scientists fear a proposed code governing what they can speak out about is an attempt to gag them.  Photo: SCIENCE PHOTO

Sir Peter said scientists have no need to feel they will be gagged under the proposed guidelines and that it will be up to the Royal Society to decide whether to create the new code or stick with its existing Code of Ethics.

Listen to more on Morning Report ( 3 min 58 sec )

The proposed new code is, according to Sir Peter, becoming common practise around the world because governments are concerned that scientists are straying into advocacy rather than sticking to their expertise.

Sir Peter said countries across the globe are reviewing codes of ethics after comments made by scientists about a major Italian earthquake and Japan's 2011 tsunami and earthquake.

And scientists in New Zealand are not immune to straying outside of their areas of expertise either, he said.

Sir Peter said the new code would encourage scientists to speak out, but give them guidelines for doing so.

Sir Peter Gluckman.

Photo: SUPPLIED

Concern among scientists

The existing Code of Ethics states that scientists may only represent themselves as experts in their fields of competence, must be fair and balanced, declare any conflicts of interest and ensure their public statements are supported by research.

Scientists spoken to by Radio New Zealand said there is no need for a new code and some fear that such a code is actually a way to rein them in.

Academics are allowed to speak out because of clauses in their contracts that encourage them to be the "critics and conscience of society".

And scientists working for government institutes rarely talk to the media about controversial topics, are not allowed to speak two months before an election. Before speaking to media they also have to get permission from their organisation.

Dr Mike Joy is a freshwater ecologist who has spoken about water quality and often disagrees with the government.

One government lobbyist described him as the "foot and mouth disease of the tourism industry"; Prime Minister John Key has claimed Dr Joy's data may not be factually correct and trade minister Tim Groser described him as "deeply unhelpful."

Dr Joy however, believes the current code is thorough enough and suspects the new code is a way for the government to silence its critics.

Dr Siousxie Wiles won the Prime Minister's Science Communication Prize last year. She agrees with Dr Joy that the existing Code of Ethics covers all that is needed. And she too wonders if the code is intended to rein in scientists.

Professor Shaun Hendy from Auckland University hopes the new code will encourage scientists to speak out, rather than rein them in.

He said the Fonterra botulism scare last year showed that there was a problem with scientists' freedom of speech.

He said in that case, the experts either were working for Fonterra, or for government agencies, and so did not feel comfortable speaking out about the contamination.

He is concerned there is now a climate where scientists are not encouraged to talk about controversial or difficult subjects.

In the meantime, we can expect more of this - 'pesky greenies' getting in the way of unfettered exploitation and rape of our resources.

I mean to say, after Deepwater Horizon, who would want any checks and balances to the oil industry put in place?!

"Green tape" said to be strangling oil and gas industry

An energy conference in Auckland has heard a scathing attack on what's termed as bureaucratic "green tape," amid claims it's slowly strangling the oil and gas industry

The results of the election are scarcely out and Key's "rock-star economy" is going down the toilet.

See how dairy prices are going down while national debt is moving (perhaps even more quickly) in the opposite direction.

Dairy price plunge 'a kick in the guts' for farmers

Federated Farmers dairy chair Andrew Hoggard says a major drop in prices at last night's GlobalDairyTrade auction is "a kick in the guts" for farmers.

NZ Herald,

1 October, 2014

"There's no way to dress this up as anything but a kick in the guts," said Hoggard.

International dairy prices fell back to levels not seen since May 2012 at the overnight GDT auction, bringing with it a fresh wave of selling in an already weakened New Zealand dollar.

The GDT price index dropped by 7.3 per cent since the last auction to US$2599 a tonne, making for a 48.5 per cent decline since prices peaked in February.

"Unlike most of our competitors who are subsidised there's not one Kiwi farmer looking for a hand-out. We may not like what prices are doing but we know this is market forces at work and while it often runs in our favour, this season it isn't," Hoggard said

He said "dislocated European milk" resulting from the crisis in war-torn eastern Ukraine was having a big impact on international dairy prices.

"This is the auction result that brings the chickens roosting in the Eastern Ukraine home to us on-farm."

In wholemilk - the most important product for New Zealand dairy farmers - the price of powder fell by 10 per cent to US$2443 a tonne since the last auction two weeks ago.

Last week, Fonterra said it had revised its forecast farmgate milk price for 2014/15 to $5.30 a kg of milk solids from a previous forecast of $6.00 a kg.

The cooperative said then that wholemilk powder prices would need to reach US$3500 a tonne by March next year if the forecast was to be achieved.

The price of skimmed milk powder - an important line for the country's second biggest dairy co-operative - Westland Milk - fell by 2.7 per cent to an average price US$2,540 a tonne.

Price falls were across the board. Buttermilk powder prices dropped by 11.3 per cent to US$2723 a tonne and sweet whey powder prices by 9.3 per cent to US$1,175 a tonne.

BNZ currency market strategists said the New Zealand dollar, having pushed higher to US78.60c last night, fell to as low as US77.80c after the GDT result. By early morning the currency had regained ground to trade at US78.00c.

AgriHQ dairy analyst Susan Kilsby said stocks of dairy commodities were building across the globe due to Russia's current ban on importing dairy products from many Western nations, and a lack of urgency from Chinese buyers, while at the same time global milk supplies are expanding.

The AgriHQ Seasonal Farmgate Milk Price for the 2014-15 season fell by 5 cents to $5.05 per kg of milk solids following the GDT auction, indicating that if the latest GDT prices were achieved across the entire season the milk price would be just $3.90/kg.

"The volume of whole milk powder being offered on GDT is at its seasonal peak and buyer demand is simply not strong enough at present to clear the large volumes without prices being impacted," Kilsby said in a research note.

"A farmgate milk price of $5.05/kgMS means that most farms will be barely covering costs of production meaning there will be virtually no cash available for debt repayments or discretionary spending such as upgrading plant and equipment," according to Kilsby.

ANZ rural economist Con Wiliams said the failure of global dairy prices to recover added further downside risk to Fonterra's already-reduced 2014/15 milk price forecast.

Based on the auction's outcome, ANZ reduced its forecast for the 2014/15 payout to $4.85/kg, "assuming a modest bounce back in global prices".

"This sits well below the average cost of production for farmers and will have a significant impact on discretionary spending," ANZ rural economist Con Williams said. ANZ estimated that about 70 per cent of the dairy sector has exposure to floating interest rates.

"A lower dairy price also has significant implications for the wider economy and monetary policy," ANZ said.