More hand wringing. Can you ever have enough?

This article in the Marlborough Express has a couple of comments from Councilors at yesterday's meeting;

Peter Jerram; "We should have done this a long time ago."

Francis Maher; "Frost fans had caused, "a lot of hardship to people""

I would like to think that in the words of L.V. Martin "It's the putting right that counts". The people of Marlborough have suffered. Some of them have suffered tremendously because of this issue. While the 1000 or so fans in the district are still a huge issue, having a system in place to enforce responsible use of new fans is a positive step. In all reality this mirrors steps being taken in Tasman and The Hurunui. The environment has suffered enough. The residents have been pushed to breaking point. Change is coming.

So how'd the meeting go?

Well by all accounts not to badly.

In fact I am informed that the tone of the discussions centered on the fact that it appears that all the councillors were mightily concerned at the effects. They appeared to basically agree that the situation is out of control with the current regulations and that it needs putting right. The was also talk of concern that the fans that are already installed could not be legislated against, but there you go. The best that could be done there appeared to be monitoring the scale of the disaster rather than putting it to a stop.

Sorry we all told you so for so many years. You may assume that it provides the public a cold comfort indeed to be proven right. No sign of any apologies form any councillors who had previously been involved in granting consents for fan installations.

There you go.

For those so inclined, a copy of the section 32 report on the plan change can be downloaded from here;

Suddenly its gone quiet. Too quiet.

There is a possibility, that I was mistaken. Yes, I know hard to believe.

In this post two days ago, I claimed that there had been no monitoring of frost fans by the Council except for an abortive (and embarrassing) debacle about two years ago and one earlier this year for which the results had not even been published.

A small bird has told me that the results HAVE now been published. I have yet to have a copy hand delivered, but I understand there is something in there that will come as a bit of a shock.

You might want to sit down.

Both fans measured were found to be non-compliant with the District plan.

I know, I know, it came as a shock to me too.

Surely the growers were taking great pains to make sure they were protecting the environment and their neighbours?

Surely the frost fan installers (I presume that this was FMR as I understand that they are Amarillo fans) were professional in making sure their clients weren't exposed to breaching the District rules?

Wait! I know what's happened! By some amazing fluke they have selected the only two non-compliant frost fans in the district. Curse their bad luck!

Apparently there's still more (trust me, I'm still reeling). Both fans apparently exhibited special audible characteristics (tonality and impulsiveness), which make them particularly annoying.

Wow! That's not the best is it?

I suppose it could have been worse, there could have been someone (perhaps even a family) living next door who had been there for many years before the grapes were planted and the fans put in. This family could in theory be 100m away from these fans. Boy, it's lucky that's not the case and that they didn't measure the noise outside their house!

Hang on. There IS a family living next door who had these fans planted 100m away from them?

And the noise was measured at 74dBA L10?

Wait a minute, that can't be right. That level of noise is the same as having an un-silenced wood chipper running outside your bedroom. Surely they would complain? Oh they did? Years ago? and the Council wrung their hands for how long?

So now they're going to do something right?

Right?

Meeting 1:30pm Monday in the Council chambers. Item 1. Frost fans.

Show them the money!

Art for art's sake. Wine for money's sake.

See if you can pigeon hole these people;

Making the list of quotes and sentences attributed to people below was intended to be fairly serious, but in retrospect, there is a certain humorous aspect, that is not helped by my (random (really!!)) arranging of them.

Geoff Matthews:

• "It's shaping up to be one of the best vintages."

Stuart Smith:

• One of the big advantages with wine, is that consumers can't get enough of it. Even though New Zealand's production - and world production - is steadily climbing, Smith says it's likely we'll be "running out of wine" to fill demand.
• "We aren't going to have an oversupply,"
• "There's no point in taking grapes that we don't need and turning it into wine that we can't sell
• the extra wine would have to go off shore as the domestic market would not be able to absorb it all.
• "I believe we are doing a good job of managing it,"
• "Each year we have made projections about sales and growth, and each year these are fulfilled and often surpassed. This year is no exception,"
• "Managing a supply-demand imbalance in the long-term interests of the industry will inevitably involve short-term pain."
• "Without doubt, the situation was exacerbated by the global recession. As a result, lower profits are the reality for many in the industry this year."
• "I think it is a problem, but some companies are doing very well in matching their supply to the markets."
• Wine would end up being sold unprofitably if production levels remained high
• "Inevitably volumes will increase
• "Well, I like drinking wine"
• "I don't think quality is the issue,"
• Setting a minimum price for a unit of alcohol would be the best way to address excess drinking by youths.
• we don't come cheap
• "we've one of the highest returns (per bottle),"
• Profit is not there until you have the money in the bank
• Activities such as drinking and smoking, which are perceived as bad for health.
• "What we have to do is maintain that and the only way to do that is maintain the growth and ensure the marketing dollars are spent wisely."
• "I don't hold any fears for the quality of Marlborough sauvignon blanc."
• "The council should not be attempting to find middle ground between two warring factions."
• any contractors breaking the rules needed to see the "full wrath of the law".
• Rural residents simply have to put up with rural situations
• "We are in a period of change and long term the industry has a fantastic future but it's going to be a readjustment."
• everyone is entitled to their opinion
• overseas investment was a good thing for the New Zealand wine industry because the investing companies came with their own distribution channels
• the wine industry makes a big impression on the landscape here

Allan Scott:

• Sensible management, taking only what was needed and taking advice of others.
• gross oversupply would "kill the industry"
• "It's been a bit crazy with plantings in water-short areas and in areas which are obviously uneconomic, putting a lot of pressure on the infrastructure."

Dr John Forrest:

• The "shite 20 per cent" of last year's vintage should not have been on the market, cane numbers should have been reduced The industry should have been given some teeth to control what was being sold overseas.
• people are losing control of Marlborough sauvignon blanc and bulk exports. Quality is all important
• most wineries took in more fruit than they needed, of which he estimated about 20 per cent was of compromised quality.

Marcus Pickens:

• the large vintage will mean the demand of overseas markets will be consistently met, both with quality and quantity.

Neal Ibbotson:

• "The market is still growing for sauvignon blanc, so eventually we will come back in supply-demand balance. Sales are still increasing."
• wineries would place restrictions on growers to ensure the wineries stayed market-led.

Phillip Gregan:

• wasn't too concerned by what some of the industry perceived as desperation dumping.
• "There's a lot of potential for bulk wine because of the bulk harvest.
• "I'd expect to see substantial growth in the export market in the next 12 months. But just how much by, we don't know."
• I'm not too concerned by what some of the industry perceived as desperation dumping.
• nearly half of the country's wine production is now in the hands of overseas-owned companies. "We take foreign investment as a sign of marketplace success for New Zealand wines," he said. "It means we're successful and people want to be part of it."

Marcus Pickens:

• selling wine in bulk is part of modern-day business.
• wine sold in bulk was usually not premium wine and was not going to be labelled as premium, therefore wine labelled as premium is exactly that

Gary Neale:

• "Australia is absolutely flooded with cheap Marlborough sauvignon blanc,"
• if you keep oversupplying the market, then the prices will not go up.

Blair Gibbs:

• Marlborough sauvignon blanc exports were "absolutely flying"

Alistair Sowman:

• "You are protecting an industry and it provides a massive economic boost to the community, but there are some times when you have to put those economic benefits aside and look at social issues."

Michael Hyson:

• "Until now, they've turned a blind eye."

Come in Spinner!

In the recent article in the Marlborough Express on the upcoming environmental policy committee meeting on the 24th (especially regards frost fans), there were several comments which caught my eye.

Firstly Stuart Smith. Describing the proposed changes as an "ill thought quick fix" seems a bit rich considering the extraordinarily long time its taken and the endless debate that has been occurring around the issue. Then claiming that the rural sector is being "foot tripped every step of the way" is pitiful. How many resource consents have EVER been turned down on an application to install a frost fan? NONE. If that is 'foot tripping', I'd hate to see them get assistance! As for any implication from both him and Jill Bunting that there has been any form of discussions between affected residents, Council and the NZ Wine growers, that is pure fiction. The only interaction has been filing of submissions, court appearances and curt words over the fence. There's been no indication of a desire to mediate or negotiate, probably on account of the separation of significant foreign (not local) ownership of the vineyards themselves. Why would the owner care? They don't live there. Send in the lawyers.

Secondly Jill Bunting. "This is a fair outcome for everyone". What on earth? Yeah, all those people with their houses 100m away from a mechanical noise maker are thanking you now Jill. All those people whose houses are currently surrounded by fans are probably worshiping an effigy of you as I write. "Monitoring of existing machines was taking place". Eh? Where? Do you mean the abortive efforts by Neil Morris a couple of years ago that were so flawed that a separate report had to be written to explain how a 5dB penalty should be subtracted not added? perhaps you mean the testing earlier this year down the Waihopai valley? Good start, only took four years of complaints to action and then we have still not seen the results. THERE IS NO MONITORING. That's why Mr Maassen has said that there needs to be some!

I see Malcolm and Paul got a couple of digs in. But really they're stuffed aren't they? Since their problems can't be fixed by this change, all they can do is hope that things improve for some other soul in an unaffected part of Marlborough (if it exists).

What's missing here?

Excerpt from the summary of the agenda for the upcoming Environment Committee Meeting to be held on the 24th (Monday) of August (be there!);

"The permitted activity rules in the resource management plans for managing noise generated from the use of wind machines for frost protection have proven to be difficult to implement. There has been difficulty in knowing whether all of the wind machines currently in place have actually met the permitted activity standards, prior to the machines being installed. In this regard the rules can not be considered to be effective."

Rules not effective! Really! How long did it take before this was worked out?

Activity rules from wind machines difficult to implement? How about "impossible!" Or more like "never done?". Call it what it really is... THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN MONITORED.

Herein lies one of the big problems with this rule change; no provision is made for monitoring compliance! They will be left in the same boat as before. The rules are made for a single fan when in many cases the cumulative effects will be to blame. Get with the program. If the Environment Court says that cumulative noise is a problem, you need to recognise it! Otherwise you will be wasting more of the ratepayers money getting your arse dragged back through the Courts.

Definitions

Plan: Have the will and intention to carry out some action; "The Marlborough District Council plan to protect the health of residents".

Integrity: Moral soundness; "The Marlborough District Council have acted with integrity when faced with difficult decisions"

Duty: Work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons; "The Marlborough District Council have a duty to protect the environment."

Responsibility: The trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct; "The Marlborough District Council are fulfilling their responsibilities under the RMA and Health Acts"

Rudderless: Lacking in direction, control, or coherence; "The Marlborough District Council are rudderless in the face of providing sound policy "

Inept: Displaying a lack of judgment, sense, or reason; "The Marlborough District Council have been inept in their handling of frost fan resource consents"

Hypocrisy: A show or expression of feelings or beliefs one does not actually hold or possess; "The Marlborough District Council have displayed hypocrisy in dealing with the human impact of frost fan noise"

Clueless: Totally uninformed about what is going on or not having even a clue from which to infer what is occurring; "The Marlborough District Council have been clueless in the pursuit of suitable monitoring methodologies for frost fans"

Indifferent: Showing no care or concern in attitude or action; "The Marlborough District Council are indifferent to the health of the residents"

Definitions of words and examples of their use in everyday language. Some examples are more believable than others.

Is there any sense of responsibility?

With the upcoming meeting of the Marlborough District Council's Environmental Policy Committee (Monday the 24th of August at 1:30pm) the Frost Fan issue will get another public hearing.

A casual observer would have to ask themselves just what the hell is going on?

One group of people want to grow grapes and another want to sleep at night. The two activities should be able to be carried out simultaneously. This is not rocket science.

The problem comes about because of a lack of identifying the problem and acting to ensure that it won't impact either party.

The fault lies predominantly with the Marlborough District Council in its lack of fortitude and an inability to take responsibility for ensuring the productivity of the land and the health of its residents are adequately addressed.

The end result is a situation where one party has an imbalance of affect over the other, and logically the squealing has begun.

Now residents cannot sleep and are livid at a failure to protect their basic right to sleep and growers in a need to try and protect themselves from a potential kneejerk action (now that the mater of the legal ramifications of poisoning the environment are raised) are having to look like idiots by claiming that the current measures themselves are too draconian.

In the middle is the MDC. Happy to let the ship of fools sail on so long as their own personal interests are not impacted.

Or are they going to take some responsibility for the situation?

Frost Fans are equal opportunity annoyers

The good folks in Surrey, British Columbia are finding out that frost fans are more than willing to wake up residents who live next to blueberries as well as vineyards.

(See this article in the Peace Arch News)

This should serve to emphasise that the problem isn't the fan's, so much as the arrogance of those who install them in situations where the health of their neighbours are of little concern.

Another lesson to be reinforced is the lack of fortitude of local government in the face of health of residents on one hand and making money on the other.

Don't discriminate. Go to Remuera.

Great to see NZ Winegrowers Chief Executive Phillip Gregan get behind the gangs to give them a bit of moral support (see article here in the Marlborough Express). Discrimination on the basis of being 'parasitic criminals who commit serious crime' (The Police's words) is a bit much.

I'm sure Phil would be keen to offer alternative employment in Remuera where he lives.

Much noise from the fans up there Phil?

Got to love those absentee owners.

Go on-give them a job! Remember to wear a helmet to avoid being struck by flying loppers though.

Thank you wine industry

Ah yes. For those who doubted the involvement of gangs in the vineyards, the latest edition of the Marlborough Express has an interesting article about the arrest of a group of gang associates, for brawling in a residential area (I don't suppose it matters where brawling occurs does it?).

What gave it away that they were associated with the vineyards?

Unfortunately a bystander was hit by a pair of 'vineyard loppers'. That and the quotes from the Police do tend to indicate a connection.

The vineyards have brought so much to the community.

(Big ups to the Police for their efforts in keeping this situation under close scrutiny. Thanks.)

Wind machines test credibility skills.

In what has been a slightly bizarre twist to the normal towing of the Winegrowers line by the Marlborough District Council, the MDC have agreed to accept several points suggested in the Maassen report put out earlier this year.

Read more here from stuff.co.nz

Specifically, they have agreed to accept the following recommendations (the numbers are the paragraph numbers from the report);

(4) There needs to be a forensic enforcement / monitoring methodology developed by MDC and implemented to identify in at least two key 'hot spots' to understand the scale of the alleged problem including its frequency and duration.

(5) The Permitted Activity Rule should be changed promptly so that:

(a) classification of the activity of constructing and operating wind machines is at least a controlled activity to enable the imposition of conditions that provide for effective monitoring by MDC and a requirement wind machine operators adopt BPO options in line with technological improvements;

(b) the noise performance standard is 55dBA L10 and no other penalty under NZS6802:1991 for SAC applies

While the report contains a number of curious findings and frankly misses the big ticket question "At what level does the noise from frost fans become a health hazard", there are bright spots amongst the murk.

Someone will hopefully be feeling sorry for Stuart Smith (Some head schrang for the NZ Winegrowers clot) who addressed the Committee after they had decided to accept the recommendations (which actually seems fair, since the other respondents to the reports contents were not given an opportunity to speak).

While they're at it, they can feel sorry for Councillor Hope who was stood out of discussions because of the glaring conflict of interest his involvement would have produced.

A little more detail on the new FrostBoss Blades

Just a little. In fact a tiny bit. Really tiny.

So small as to be almost lost.

Still better than nothing.

Frost Boss have published a noise figure for their new fan as being 53dBA L10 at 300m.

Like all things in the world of frost fans, there is no indication of independent testing data, just a figure. The good news is that it's smaller than the previous figure for their 4 bladed fans, and they were already the quietest on the scene. The bad news is that like the Defender, I'll believe it when I read it in a report from an acoustical engineer (or whatever those people are).

Till then, let's hope their testing figures are a little more 'real' than their advertising.

The observant amongst the readers will note the following advert bears a striking resemblance to a picture from earlier advertising. I can only presume that photo-shopping is cheaper than actual photography.

Defender vs FrostBoss the Quiet Battle is joined

Oooo....

Thanks to alert readers who spotted the attached advert in last weeks Marlborough Express, we have a new insight into further developments in the Frost Fan world.

It would appear that Frost Boss haven't been sitting back and relaxing while the cacophony of complaints of frost fan noise continues.

Low and behold their new creation. The C49. Or as Frost Boss would put it, "The New Quiet" (a new more exciting name could be in order).

In fact this release is so low key, this is the only smidgen of information I can find on the new blades.

That's right, no specs, no dimensions, no noise levels. Nothing on their web site. Nada. Very quiet indeed.

It's kind of like seeing a movie trailer without seeing the movie.

So, part of the move towards quieter fans? Oh yes. Why? Because they're too loud. Isn't it funny how you only have to repeat something obvious about 10,000 times before action is taken.

Nobody admits that the old fans WERE too noisy, they just bring out new 'Quiet' fans.

Don't get me wrong (although you know I love the hate mail). Good work Frost Boss. You have (maybe had) the quietest machine on the market with the previous model of 4 bladed fan. The new Defender may be quieter (if we ever see any testing info). But you haven't rested on your laurels. The new looking blade does have sex appeal (nice curves) but is it enough?

Defender vs C49. Let the battle of the quiet fans with no published noise specifications begin!

Hyprocrisy lives on in the MDC

A decision yesterday to allow a resource consent to erect wind turbines near Ward can be seen to be a progressive move.

These installations have sometimes been dogged by complaints from neighbours on a range of topics from ascetics to noise.

It comes as a surprise to this observer to note a requirement for the operation of the turbine to produce no more than 40dB of noise at the boundary of any nearby dwelling built at the date of the consent. (no actual acoustic quality of the noise is mentioned in the article here, just the level)

Noise levels set at the boundary? Great Idea.

40dB (perhaps dBA L10?). Seems very reasonable.

Why has it not happened with frost fans?

Rural residents endure noise levels that exceed 65dBA L10 from cumulative and isolated frost fan emplacements while absentee owners live far removed from the problem.

Good one MDC. You know what side your bread is buttered on.

MDC endangering residents health.

It's a bit tragic isn't it?

Gosh, wouldn't that be awful?

How do they put up with it?

It must be a nightmare!

All good sentiments, but a face to the hell that is living next to frost fans was presented to Marlborough District Councilors today as part of submissions on the Long Term Council Community Plan.

Michael Hyson and his family have been tortured by an unsympathetic neighbour (who probably doesn't even live there) and an apathetic Council who have been far more inclined to pay lip service to action than take any themselves.

This article was published in the Marlborough Express on his appearance today.

It's worth a read.

And if you're wondering if this is some tragic isolated case. Think again. The Hysons are the tip of the iceberg.

How much noise is your neighbour allowed to make before it's too much?

The argument is often bleated in the hate mail that I occasionally receive that "It's the country. Go back to town if you don't like it." Ironic isn't it? Go back to the town if you don't like the noise.

The Hyson's were there first. Does that count for anything?

What noise level is acceptable?

There must be a limit surely?

Is it OK to keep your neighbour awake all night?

At what point does it become a health risk?

Who's taking responsibility for the ratepayers?

Do the Councilors at the Marlborough District Council take any responsibility for the Health of the residents?

How many of them have a conflict of interest with the wine industry that makes them unable to pass judgement?

How many of the Directors of the companies that the Council operate have an interest in the wine industry?

Mr Hyson, if you read this or if someone who knows him can get a copy of his presentation, I'd like to make it available if possible.

Is the Defender a Hoax?

The alert reader will recall my post on the 10th of March where I put forward the proposal that if you repeat something often enough it becomes true (irrespective of the facts). 

This was in response to the distinct lack of testing information coming out about the new Defender frost fan in spite of repeated advertising singing its praises at being ultra quiet.

Well go figure, an enterprising student has reinforced the theory that an inaccuracy repeated often enough can easily pass as the truth. Have a read of this article where a Dublin University Student posted a fake quote which was attributed to Maurice Jarre on Wikipedia (shortly after Jarre's death).

It turns out that the quote was widely reported as genuine to the point where the student felt it necessary to point out his deliberate deception for fear that history would take the quote as genuine. The media it seems was only too happy to report from a source with no attempt at verification and with no questions asked.

Does this sound familiar?

It should.

We've been hearing advertising about the low noise of the Defender fan since December 2008. But still no facts. No journo has asked for any confirmation of the figures, and no independent testing data has been supplied (to my knowledge, and I try to keep abreast of these things).

This could of course simply be the ranting of the fringe element, but I happened to take a drive down Paynters Road in Blenheim on the weekend, and the site where there are supposedly two of those big green Defender fans installed had one Silver fan and one bare pole. 

Still testing by any chance?

I'd like to say that history would be the judge, but you know how easily history can be concocted.

Jack Frost Successfully Predicts Future!!

Ha!

I never want to miss an opportunity to say I told you so, and so I better cut to the chase.

In this post in the middle of March, I predicted that in spite of the problems that have beset the local wineries from economic difficulties, to dumping wine (no matter how many times you deny it, selling 'skins' for nix is still dumping in my book), to cr@ppy weather, Botrytis and more frequent frosts, there would still be a proclamation of an excellent season, because THERE IS NEVER A BAD SEASON.

Golly, imagine my surprise to read this article in stuff.co.nz. Here's some classic quotes;

• "the fruit was brilliant "
  
• "the winemakers rated the chardonnay as the best they had ever seen"
  
• "It's shaping up to be one of the best vintages"
  
• "the quality of the pinot grape was at an all-time high"
  
• "We are really excited about the fruit that we have harvested"
  
• "In 16 years working vintages, this year was the best for quality"
  
• "Marlborough had had a stunning season"
  
• "the region had a great harvest"
  

Ahh... Yes... Another great season.

The Wineries have already placed their adds for the celebration of another great year with fantastic flavours (really, they have).

Hang on, let me check... Isn't the wine still in the tank??

I was interested in seeing a documentary on bottled water, where a doubter who had a hard time believing the cost of a $5 bottle of NZ water stated that "I thought the wine industry had a monopoly on bullsh!t". 

I think you'll find that economic times are hard and the competition for bullsh!t is fierce.

Measurement of frost fan rotation for checking compliance.

Thanks Jack for having me back on the blog. Hopefully I’ve got something here suitable for your readers on both sides of the fence to use to help make sure that every one is playing by the rules.

In October last year I outlined different potential methods for measuring the speed of rotation of frost fans. This was in a follow up to my post on what needs to be measured to ensure compliance, where I backed a system of measuring the speed of rotation to confirm compliance with an accepted level of noise (established by expert testing as part of the commissioning process for a model of fan).

While I outlined several different techniques in theory, I did not have a workable solution for any. I now do.

I have prepared a paper on how to measure the speed of a frost fan and by doing so establishing its compliance with an established noise level.

This method uses a video camera to capture the fans motion and software to measure the rotation. This is a technique that can be carried out relatively easily, at good distances (I have measured fans at over 830 metres distance) and with a high degree of accuracy (the paper describes two additional different measurements that were carried out in order to confirm the rotation of a fan to verify accuracy).

This described method can be carried out at night time with the application of sufficient illumination and provides a record of evidence of whether the activity is compliant or not.

I have measured approximately a dozen fans thus far and have found the technique becomes easier after a bit of practice.

I have published this under the GNU Free Document Licence which gives people the right to freely copy and distribute it with the proviso that is cannot be modified without ensuring that the free nature of the document continues (at least that’s what the legal fraternity seem to believe). In other words, it’s free to use and if you want to use it as the basis for future work on the topic, this must be free also.

 If there are questions on the technique, feel free to leave them in the comments section.

The paper can be downloaded from here. (1.7MB download)

Noise awareness day

Happy Noise Awareness Day!

I am told that today is Noise Awareness Day. The idea being to promote better health through managing noise in the environment amongst other things.

This of course means that it gets top marks from us here at the Frost Fans Blog.

See here for a TV3 piece on noise control.