Suppression of Information

5 th of March 2012

Our current National-led government is systematically suppressing information ( that we are paying for ) in order to justify pursuing policies on the provision of transport that are inconsistant with best practice and advice and which are totally inappropriate for the long term strategic needs of our island nation. 

In 2010 the Bolland Report which was commissioned by the Ministry of Transport to provide independent advice on the costs and benifits of rail freight concluded that competitive edge that rail enjoys is increased even more as the price of fuel rises. It was only made available the New Zealand public after a request for it was made under the Official Information Act. 

In 2009 the public of New Zealand were denied access to the Ministerial Briefing on Oil Prices and Transport Sector Resilience which warned of the inevitable vulnerabilities New Zealand faces due to our high dependence on fossil fuels.

In 2010  Dr Michael Pickford  Independent Economic Researcher and former Chief Economist at the NZ Commerce Commission wrote a report criticising the methodology used in the 2nd SAHA report to justify the Kapiti Expressway.

On the 25th of May 2011 during interviews on Radio New Zealand National and on (Australian)ABC Radio the Chief Economist from the International Energy Agency warned that their latest research showed a sharp decline in oil production capacity while there was a sharp increase in demand from China and India and concluded that 'the age of cheap oil is over'. The Ministry of Economic Development's website states that the IEA is recognised as the world-leading authoritative source of information and analysis on energy trends and forecasts, and research and development.

All our efforts to bring these issues into the media to be debated during the lead-up to the November 26 General Election were ignored. 

 In March 2012 we are currently  waiting for the Ministry of Transport to respond to an Official Information Act request made in mid February for access to the section on Rail Transport in the 2011 Briefing to the Incoming Minister of Transport which has been completely blacked out. 

Alan Preston for Save Our Rail Northland

5 March 2012

e-mail: saveourrailnorthland@gmail.com