Power Shift Down South

Our local body elections have been and gone and what a dramatic change we have in our councils. Different people are now sitting in the seats of power and different ways of thinking are being stirred into the stagnant mix we had before.

Environment Southland has, in Ali Timms, a Chair who actually speaks out in favour of the environment instead of as a mouthpiece for Federated Farmers and the Invercargill City Council has members who set personal goals that seem to be borrowed direct from Transition Towns.

We in the South do have some testing challenges ahead with the proposed lignite mining and the impending putrification of the Waituna Lagoon, but now we have some real champions for environmental common sense in places where they can really make a difference. We have hope.