The Hurunui District Council Responds Positively

The Hurunui District Council have heard a proposed change in the District Council Plan to deal with Frost Fan Noise.

While I have no details on the proposal put forward, or the councils response to it, It would be expected to be formed along the lines of the discussion paper published in the Middle of the year.

First of all kudos to the Hurunui District Council for moving forward with the issue. Whether the changes are right or wrong, they have at least done something positive instead of sitting on their hands. 

Having said that, the proposed changes have yet to be sighted and confirmed as sensible. But at least the public will have their chance to pass comment.

Text of the agenda for the meeting is as follows;

PLAN CHANGE 18 – FROST CONTROL FANS 

 

Report by Manager of Environmental Services – A draft district plan change  (Proposed Plan Change 18) and section 32 analysis has been prepared to  deal with managing the effects of noise associated with frost fans used for  crop protection. The change has been prepared in response to an issues and  options paper prepared on this issue, and feedback received by the Council.  The Council, if it is satisfied with the direction of the change, should resolve to  proceed to publicly notify the change under the Resource Management Act  and call for public submissions. Given the upcoming Christmas break it is  recommended that the statutory minimum time limit for public submissions be  doubled to 60 working days.

The minutes of the meeting should be available here when they are confirmed.

Nelson Wine Grower and Polluter of the Environment, Jeff Marr

It's great to see the Tasman District Council on top of their game. 

It turns out that they believe that the only restriction that needs to be placed on a frost fan being installed is to make sure it's below a certain height.

Reference this news article on the first Frost Fans being installed in Nelson by all around nice guy, responsible vineyard owner and neighbour, Jeff 'Go back to town' Marr.

Are there no noise restrictions in the Tasman District Council Plan?

Wait.....

A quick check of their Tasman Resource Management Plan finds that one of its "main functions" is;

"control of noise emissions."

That makes sense. Shouldn't they have some figures written done somewhere?

Wait.....

A quick check of their Rural Zone regulations finds that they do have noise restrictions that allow for the restriction of unreasonable (according to the Resource Management Act) or nuisance (according to the Health Act) noises. Including figures for checking the noise!

So why aren't they doing anything?

Well, expect the same old story. They will back the polluting wine grower because he has more money and is more likely to throw a legal challenge at them if they try to protect the health and safety of the environment and the residents.

For shame Tasman District Council! Do your job. Protect your rate payers, not the industrialisation of the countryside.

Rural = Expendable II

I'm sorry.

I still don't get it. 

Why would you have a rule that maintained a level of 55dBA L10 at 300m for noise on the assumption that this would be within a tolerable level to allow sleep and then in the same piece of legislation, allow the placement of a frost fan that met that level within 100 metres of a neighbors property.

It beggars the imagination. This MUST be a mistake. There can be no law that allows for a neighbour to produce that much noise that it prevents sleep without some kind of limit.

It doesn't make sense. Whoever drafted that legislation and whoever proof read it and whoever voted to accept it were either incompetent or ignorant. Possibly both.

Bruno's the man

The Marlborough District Council have advised that Bruno Brosnan has been appointed as a designated Duty Planner to answer all public telephone and counter enquiries directed to them.

(Edited excerpt from the Council Web site)

Mr Bruno Brosnan is available from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm, Monday to Friday. He will apparently be able to answer enquiries in regard to matters involving the Resource Management Act 1991. Enquiries received outside the Duty Planner hours will be taken by a Customer Services Officer and relayed to Mr Brosnan who will respond the next work day.

So don't forget that the Council ARE here to work for you. This is their job. This is what we (the ratepayers) pay them to do.

Don't hesitate to give Bruno a call. He may be able to help or to point you in the right direction.

The Marlborough District Council operates a Customer Service Centre to handle all personal and telephone enquiries. It is staffed from 8.00 am-5.00 pm Monday to Friday. Outside these hours the main council phone number will still be answered, to handle any urgent issues such as noise complaints.

Postal Address:	Marlborough District Council PO Box 443 Blenheim 7240 New Zealand
Email:	mdc@marlborough.govt.nz
BLENHEIM CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRE
Phone:	520 7400
Fax:	520 7496
Street Address:	15-21 Seymour Street (Seymour Square) Blenheim 7201

Rural = Expendable?

Why is there a rule in the District Plan in Marlborough that allows a frost fan to be sited within 100m of a residence (not on the same property) if it is zoned Rural?

Do people in rural areas not sleep?

Are they all operating frost fans, so they will be up and about any way?

Are rural neighbours so complacent that they don't mind the sound of whirling blades beating the air into submission within spitting distance of their bedrooms?

Are there rules that ensure that rural houses are built with better sound insulation?

Was there little or no thought put into the Plan when it was drafted?

In my humble opinion, one of those questions is right.

Cartoon: Carbon Footprint

Although I believe the 'Carbon footprint' concept to be a fraud perpetuated by the Y2K, bird flu, Ostrich breeding crowd, any use of the concept by frost fan wielding vineyards deserves suitable scorn just on basic principles.

When is enough enough?

A simple question popped into my head this weekend.

How much noise it too much noise?

The frost event on Saturday morning has certainly highlighted the significant volume of noise that is produced by frost fans, but presumably this noise level is adjudged by the Marlborough District Council as reasonable.

So what constitutes a reasonable level of noise?

They have set a value for an individual machine (55dBA L10 at 300m), but this certainly doesn't take into account the hundreds of machines that operate simultaneously. Aside from one Environment Court ruling that has imposed a need to consider the noise from more than one machine cumulatively there seems to be little comprehension that more machines = more noise.

It's pretty fundamental, it has a legal precedent, and yet I not an installation of approximately 20 Frost Boss machines being installed approximately 2.5km from Renwick.

Now there are a couple of points to note here;

Firstly, Frost Boss fans have a weighty reputation for being the quietest machine on the market due to their four bladed design and subsequent lower rotation speed. However, ultimately there is a noise being produced.

Secondly, at a distance of 2.5km, people tend to dismiss the effect because it seems so far away.

So, how loud will they be?

Calculations on the back of a napkin show that 20 fans producing 55dBA L10 at 300m result in a noise of approximately 50dBA L10 at 2.5km.

This is on the cusp of being intrusive to people's sleep when they are 2.5km away! Yet was any investigation done to protect residents who were closer? (rest assured there are plenty)

Cool! (but not in a good way)

As predicted a cool evening has produced a significant frost event (considering the November date).

In my humble opinion, this would be the worst of the growing season this year. I woke at 3am and a quick drive around the neighbourhood confirmed significant activity with helicopters, frost fans and return stack burners.

This would be the loudest that I can remember a frost event and I presume this is due to the increase in numbers of fans. The cumulative effect is certainly significant.

Interestingly, The cumulative effect has a positive spin of partially masking the 5 minute oscillation of frost fan noise and instead the noise is steadier (Louder, but steadier). The thumps from the blades are still significant, but the longer duty cycle oscillations are less noticeable because of the overall increase in noise.

Consider yourselves softened up.

November frosts are occurring around the country on the back of a few southerly fronts that have recently passed over the country.

No surprise then that frost protection methods will need to be employed to protect the new growth on budding vines.

Also no surprise to learn of the hoards of helicopters being readied for mixing the inversion layers over crops.

The frost fans will also be in action of course, but in an ironic twist of legislation, you can't currently regulate against the noise produced by a helicopter in flight under the Civil Aviation Act or the Resource Management Act. It might be possible under the Health Act if someone was brave enough (or annoyed enough after sleepless nights) to make a complaint that they presented a nuisance (literally, they would be referred to as a nuisance).

So prepare for reports of the massed flights of choppers saving crops across the nation. Also watch for the little anecdotes that are traditionally attached to these reports that tell of the annoyance of the neighbours of these devices.  What a pity! But at least the wine crop was saved! More mind altering drugs for everyone in these difficult economic times. 

Outstanding.

P.S. It's nice to be back after my little vacation. There was no truth to the rumours of my jaunts around the country campainging in the election. If the taxman asks, it was a family holiday!

Frost Fan Trainspotters

I came across an interesting post today about some folks in the US spotting different typs of frost protection devices.

There are several different models including this particular beast.

See the full post here for a good look at some variations,

2 New Amarillo Blades

For those who are interested in such things, there are actually 2 new Amarillo fans spotted out and about in Marlborough.

The first is the strikingly large silver model estimated at approximately 6.4m in diameter. The second looks a bit more like the original blades except for the rounded tips. The images have been scaled approximately in size to provide a comparison of dimensions.

Frost Fan Workshop Day One

How ironic to see that Councillor Jill Bunting is providing the welcome and introductions at today’s frost fan workshop. 

This would be the same Councillor Bunting that sat on the application for resource consent for two frost fans that found that the frost fans would meet the District Plan. Opponents to the installation said they wouldn’t.

Many thousands of dollars in lawyers and experts fees later, the Environment Court found that they wouldn’t as well and ordered new conditions and tests.

This would be the same Councillor Bunting that sat on the application for resource consent for two frost fans that decided that the houses that were adjacent (and opposing the application) were not a bona fide residential area. Strangely enough, the Council Decided that wasn’t quite right and had to state that “actually that isn’t the position of the Council”. Never mind, by that time the residents were so irate they had taken the matter to the Environment Court anyway.

Good work Jill. You made some good decisions there. My rates dollars have been wisely spent.

New Amarillo Blades

Recently spotted undergoing trials in Marlborough is a new style blade fitted to an Amarillo frost fan.

This sucker is a whopper. Estimates from photo comparisons put it at approximately 6.4 metres long. This would be the longest blade diameter currently known in NZ (for a frost fan).

Astute observers will note that the design has at least made some attempt to shape the blades in an aerodynamic fashion, although devotees will realise that it takes more than shaping some curves into the end of your metal to produce an efficient design.

The site of the blade is one subject to a recent Environment Court ruling that imposed a condition of consent that the cumulative noise from both machines should be no more than 55dBA L10 at 300 metres. For those so inclined, take a drive down Paynters road in Fairhall (just outside Blenheim). Or you could view the location here on Google Maps.

For those that need reminding the picture below is the standard Amarillo blade shape. I know they look crude, but......  OK, they have no redeeming features other than being crude.

On another point, I know that I've poked the borax at the Department of Labour (OSH) in the past, but I'm glad to see their message getting through to operators of cherry pickers like the guy in the top photograph. For those who want to know, the accepted safe practice is to be wearing a safety harness when working in a cherry picker. That may be it draped on the rail beside him. Perhaps he took it off so he could reach out of the platform as he appears to be doing.  If anyone cares, please leave a comment on this post and I can try to find out who 'safety first' guy is.

Frost Fan Workshop

The Marlborough District Council will be hosting a workshop on noise issues realated to the installation of frost fans. This will be taking place on the 21st and 22nd of October (yes this week). It will be at the Copthorne Hotel in Nelson Street starting at 9am each day.

To be perfectly honest, this is the second such workshop (the first was earlier in the year), and the game will have to be lifted from the trite posturing of the Council and the industries involved in installing these machines in what has become a practically uncontrolled manner.

Sure they require a building consent (revenue gathering for consultants and Council), and sure if they contrvene the District Plan they will need a resource consent (revenue gathering for consultants and Council).

But untill the real issues of finding and enforcing practical methods of controlling noise in our environment are addressed, there will continue to be an increasing pressure on the Council as arbiters of public safety to review and address the ridiculous standards they have currently in place (Rural rule Section 1.4.2.3).

 

Irrespective of the 'talk fest' issues on display, the following will show if the Council are serious about confronting the growing frost fan noise proplem;

Protect residents from excessive noise from frost fans,

Put practical methods in place for monitoring compliance,

ACTUALLY MONITOR THEM.

For those interested in reading the discussion document that is being used during the meeting, a copy is available here (Be warned, it is a 32 page document and is approx 850kB in size).

What is the Councils involvement with frost fans?

So why is the Council copping so much grief over the issue of frost fans? 

The information below is taken from the Marlborough District Councils web site that outlines their role from a regulatory standpoint. 

The Marlborough District Council is responsible for administering a wide range of regulatory functions, powers and duties conferred by Acts of Parliament.

The council's Regulatory Department administers more than 40 different statutes and regulations.

These statutes include the Resource Management Act (RMA), the Building Act and the Health Act. Generally these involve the council authorising certain activities, e.g. marine farming, and building construction. Having approved consents for such activities, the council monitors them to ensure on-going compliance.

The council's role also includes the investigation of complaints.

The council is required to develop plans that set out policies and rules for the sustainable management of Marlborough's natural and physical resources.

In short, they are responsible for ensuring that the laws of the land that are outlined in Acts of Parliament are observed on a local scale with respect the management of the environment and managing the safety and health of the population. 

They do this via a District Plan. This takes the relevant laws and ensures that a framework for following them is maintained at a local level. 

For the purposes of frost fans, the Council are bound to ensure the following in accordance with the Resource Management Act (these are not the full sections, just some juicy bits). 

Section 3:

Meaning of effect 

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the term effect includes— 

(d) Any cumulative effect which arises over time or in combination with other effects 

Section 16: 

Duty to avoid unreasonable noise 

(1) Every occupier of land (including any premises and any coastal marine area), and every person carrying out an activity in, on, or under a water body or the coastal marine area, shall adopt the best practicable option to ensure that the emission of noise from that land or water does not exceed a reasonable level. 

Section 17:

Duty to avoid, remedy, or mitigate adverse effects 

(1) Every person has a duty to avoid, remedy, or mitigate any adverse effect on the environment arising from an activity carried on by or on behalf of that person.

Section 326: 

Meaning of excessive noise 

(1)  In this Act, the term excessive noise means any noise that is under human control and of such a nature as to unreasonably interfere with the peace, comfort, and convenience of any person (other than a person in or at the place from which the noise is being emitted) 

Likewise, the Health Act; 

Section 29 

Nuisances defined for purposes of this Act 

Without limiting the meaning of the term "nuisance'', a nuisance shall be deemed to be created in any of the following cases, that is to say:  

(ka) Where any noise or vibration occurs in or is emitted from any building, premises, or land to a degree that is likely to be injurious to health:] 

Section 30:

Penalties for permitting or causing nuisances-

(1). Every person by whose act, default, or sufferance a nuisance arises or continues, whether that person is or is not the owner or occupier of the premises in respect of which the nuisance exists, commits an offence against this Act. 

So the Council Set the Rules in the District Plan.

For frost fans they have a set of rules under section 1.4.3.2.

So why is there a problem?

Well, if a developer wants to install a frost fan that exceeds any of those rules, they have to apply for and be granted a resource consent to do so.

Problem here is that there is a history that suggests a failure to comprehend the implications of some of the applications and in some cases a failure to understand basic physics.

In short frost fan resource consent applications typically get approved. 

Aside from the issue of incompetence in dealing with the resource consent process, there is a fundamental problem that has plagued the Council for years.

They can’t / don’t / won’t enforce their frost fan rules or consents with regard noise.

It really is that simple. If a neighbour complains that a frost fan is exceeding the noise limit in the District Plan, the Council have no mechanism in place for ensuring compliance.

None. 

So this is why the Council are copping grief.

Annoyed neighbours of frost fans that are kept awake see no possibility for a resolution to their problem.

The Council have applied a policy that they cannot measure compliance of and cannot monitor.

Touché

Touché. Well done Orchard Rite.

I must have seen the headline at some point in the past, but never twigged.

Orchard Wrong

Something just twigged today. I'm a bit slow I suppose.

You see when I described the noise of the Orchard Rite fans from Royce McKeans property up the Wairau Valley (and let's not forget the Hurunui). I referenced a report from Hegley Acoustics.

This report was completed in January 2006 from testing carried out in 2005.

In it Nevil Hegley records the noise levels of the model 2500D and 3000D Orchard Rite fans at 100 metres and calculates the levels that will be present at 300 metres.

They are as follows (all are L10 values by the way);

Wind Machine      @100m  @300m

2500D at 1850rpm  69dBA 59dBA

at 2000rpm 71dBA 61dBA

at 2270rpm 73dBA 63dBA

3000D at 1850rpm 64dBA 54dBA

at 2000rpm 67dBA 57dBA

at 2100rpm 67dBA 57dBA

at 2270rpm 69dBA 59dBA

Throughout the report Mr Hegley describes the noise as 'tonal' in other words it is exhibiting 'Special Audible Characteristics'. Now these characteristics mean that in accordance with the requirements of NZS 6801: 1991 (the noise standard almost universally used by District Councils) noise that exhibts them must include a 5dB penalty because of the intrusive nature of the noise. (in fairness to Orchard Rite, acoustics experts appear to universally agree that all frost fans running at their efficient speeds exhibit these characteristics).

This means that of all these readings only ONE actually meets the requirements of the Marlborough District Councils noise limit of 55dBA L10 at 300 metres (this figure includes the 5dB penalty for special audible characteristics).

So I presume that if Mr McKean is operating one of these models of fan (and he is certainly operating the 3000D according to the resource consent in Hurunui) then he can only operate them at 1850rpm in order to be compliant with the District Plan (in Marlborough).

Unless he has a resource consent to exceed the limit of course. 

So how do the council ensure compliance with the District Plan? I believe we've established that they don't do any measuring at all. Not before installation, and not after. 

Yet they're required to under the RMA.

Mr Maclean seems to think it can be done and done easily.

And yet they've done nothing.

     Nothing.

          Nothing.

              Nothing.

At least they've done it consistently.

Meanwhile no doubt Mr Mckean is lawfully operating his fans at the lowest setting to avoid making too much noise.

What a tangled web II

Boy, this story about the Orchard Rite fans spreading up the Wairau Valley has simply gotten more interesting every day!

Firstly, Mr Mat Janes from Cape Mentelle has advised me that Mr Steve Meckiff has not worked for them for 18 months now.

He goes further to state that "Cape Mentelle, Cloudy Bay and LVMH have absolutely nothing to do with the vineyard development".  That is pleasing to know and I look forward to hearing that the Cloudy Bay are utilising responsible frost protection methods and sourcing their grapes from suppliers that are like minded. Go Cloudy Bay, I look forward to awarding some sort of Environmental Award for responsible practices or similar. I'm not joking here. If ANY vineyard can demonstrate that they have selected frost protection based on consideration of their neighbours (in respect of noise). I am ready to sing their praises.

HOWEVER, Further information has come to light with regard the story that appeared in the Marlborough Express and in stuff.co.nz 

It turns out that Mr Harry Fowler who said “he was not bothered by the spread of grapes up the valley and said the noise of the wind machines was not really an issue” was telling the truth.

The noise from the wind machines is not an issue for Harry. 

You see Harry lives 4.3km from the fans.

Yes that's right 4.3km.

In fact a few simple calculations will show that if you take the noise produced by an Orchard Rite  3000 model frost fan spinning at 2000rpm it will produce 67dBA L10 at 100m (according to testing carried out by Hegley Acoustics in 2006) and therefore it will be reduced to about 34dBA L10 at 4.3km.

However, if you put 46 of them together, the noise at 4.3km is actually 50.8dBA L10. Now that is interesting, because the World Health Organisation claims that the level that should be present in a persons bedroom to avoid serious health effects from sleep loss is 30dBA Leq. The attenuation of a modern home is approximately 20dB. That means that poor Harry will probably be subject to a noise that exceeds that recommended by the World Health Organisation even though he is 4.3km from the site.

And the news doesn't get any better either. You see the noise calculated doesn't include the penalty of 5dB that is required to be applied by the New Zealand Acoustic Measurement Standard 6801 (and the Marlborough District Council) for all noises that exhibit a special audible character.

I almost feel sorry for him.

Actually I feel a bit sorry for Blair Ensor who wrote the article. I think he might have been a bit misled there.

But you never know... Am I wrong about the 4.3km?

Councils duty to monitor and gather information

Section 35 of the Resource management act sets out the duties of District Councils to gather information, monitor and keep records.

It is this section that provides the requirement to monitor compliance with resource consents and to make that information available for the purposes of transparancy.

It has been established that the Marlborough District Council have been unable to monitor their frost fan requirements per the Plan and their imposed conditions of consent. However, it is useful to read the full section to be aware of the legal requirements and to know your rights when requesting infromation. Remember, they work for you, not the other way around.

35 Duty to gather information, monitor, and keep records

(1) Every local authority shall gather such information, and under ­ take or commission such research, as is necessary to carry out effectively its functions under this Act.

(2) Every local authority shall monitor—

(a) The state of the whole or any part of the environment of its region or district to the extent that is appropriate to enable the local authority to effectively carry out its

functions under this Act; and

(b) the efficiency and effectiveness of policies, rules, or other methods in its policy statement or its plan; and

(c) The exercise of any functions, powers, or duties delegated or transferred by it; and

(d) The exercise of the resource consents that have effect in its region or district, as the case may be; and

(e) in the case of a regional council, the exercise of a recog­nised customary activity in its region, including any controls imposed under Schedule 12 on that activity ,— and take appropriate action (having regard to the methods available to it under this Act) where this is shown to be necessary .

(2A) Every local authority must, at intervals of not more than 5 years, compile and make available to the public a review of the results of its monitoring under subsection (2)(b) .

(3) Every local authority shall keep reasonably available at its principal office, information which is relevant to the administration of policy statements and plans, the monitoring of resource consents, and current issues relating to the environment of the area, to enable the public—

(a) To be better informed of their duties and of the functions, powers, and duties of the local authority; and

(b) T o participate effectively under this Act.

(4) Every local authority shall keep reasonably available at each of the offices in its region or district such of the information referred to in subsection (3) as relates to that part of the region or district.

(5) The information to be kept by a local authority under subsection (3) shall include—

(a) Copies of its operative and any proposed policy statements and plans including all requirements for designations and heritage orders, and all operative and proposed changes to those policy statements and plans; and

(aa) copies of all material incorporated by reference in any plan or proposed plan under Part 3 of Schedule 1; and

(b) All its decisions relating to submissions on any proposed policy statements and plans which have not yet become operative; and

(c) In the case of a territorial authority, copies of every operative and proposed regional policy statement and regional plan for the region of which its district forms

part; and

(d) In the case of a regional council, copies of every operative and proposed district plan for every territorial authority in its region; and

(e) In the case of a regional council, a copy of every Order in Council served on it under section 154(a) ; and

(f) Copies of any national policy statement or New Zealand coastal policy statement; and

(g) records of all applications for resource consents received by it; and

(ga) records of all decisions under any of sections 93 to 94C ; and

(gb) records of all resource consents granted within the local authority’ s region or district; and

(gc) records of the transfer of any resource consent; and

(h) Records of all extensions of time periods and waivers granted by it under section 37 in relation to applications under section 10 (which relates to existing uses), section

125 (which relates to lapsing of consents), and section 184 (which relates to lapsing of designations) during the preceding 5 years; and

(i) A summary of all written complaints received by it during the preceding 5 years concerning alleged breaches of the Act or a plan, and information on how it dealt

with each such complaint; and

(j) Records of natural hazards to the extent that the local authority considers appropriate for the effective discharge of its functions; and

(ja) In the case of a territorial authority, the location and area of all esplanade reserves, esplanade strips, and access strips in the district; and

(jb) in the case of a regional council, records of every customary rights order relating to its region; and

(k) Any other information gathered under subsections (1) and (2).

What a tangled web.

Interesting article in stuff.co.nz on the development of an ‘estate’ (whatever that means) with 240 hectares of vineyards in the Wairau Valley.

The development is being carried out by McKean Estates. McKean Estates being owned by Royce and Susan McKean. Royce (and I’m picking it was Royce and not Susan (don’t get me wrong Susan, you’ve got blood on your hands, but Royce is holding the gun)) is a notorious absentee landlord that is responsible for the blot on the acoustic landscape that is the Waiata vineyard in the Hurunui district. 

The Waiata vineyard planted 53 frost fans using a dodgy resource consent that even the Hurunui District Council is ashamed of granting. 

Now he’s the proud owner of 46 more in the Wairau Valley in Marlborough. This is one of the most scenic and peaceful parts of the country. Well it used to be.

You might think that Royce McKean lives in Marlborough or the Hurunui, but actually he lives in Sumner, Christchurch. Let me tell you, it can get pretty rowdy there on a frosty morning!

Now it can get a bit confusing, but stay with me dear reader. 

You see, there have been reports of gang tensions on the Waiata Vineyard as a result of the workers that Mr McKean has brought in to look after his grapes there. Likewise he and his wife are directors of Wairau Contract Labour Services and I would hate to think that an increase in the gang tensions that has occurred in Blenheim over the past year has a connection with this company that started operating in 2007.

Now Steve Meckiff, who appears in the story in stuff.co.nz as the chief viticulturist in the Wairau Valley is something of an oddity.

He has been linked with an involvement in the frost fan dispute in the Hurunui. Likewise, the internet pegs him as viticulturist and vineyard manager for Cape Mentelle. (errata: see addendum below)

Now the astute reader will realise that Cape Mentelle is in Australia and is famous for its wines, but did you know that they are the %100 shareholder of Cloudy Bay Wines?

Yes, Cloudy Bay Wines, the company that put Sauvignon on the map in Marlborough, owned by an Australian firm. In a link that is slightly disturbing Cape Mentelle was established by entrepreneur Mark Hohnen who also made his mark looting African countries for Uranium.

It gets stranger still, as Cape Mentelle was purchased in 2003 by LVMH.

LVMH is of course the French Holding Company  Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton.

In short and in the worst case scenario, we are having our environment polluted by someone who is farming the profits off to the French. Nice. That gives me a warm glow.

The article quotes one of the development's neighbours, Upper Wairau farmer Harry Fowler as saying “he was not bothered by the spread of grapes up the valley and said the noise of the wind machines was not really an issue”. This would be the same Harry Fowler that is trying to piggy back on the Trust Power scheme to divert the Wairau river so that he can irrigate vast tracts of land. But that’s another kettle of fish. Get it? Fish! Not that they get much of a look in with the power scheme right Harry?

Moral of the story. If your land isn’t suitable you can screw the environment in order to make it profitable. Good job.

Addendum:  An astute reader will note from the comments section below that Mr Meckiff has not worked for Cape Mentelle for 18 months. In fact Cape Mentelle, Cloudy Bay and LVMH have absolutely nothing to do with the vineyard development according to Mat Janes the Public Relations honcho for Cape Metelle. I would like to pass comment on the record of Cloudy Bay in relations to noise pollution from frost fans. If Mr Janes is willing, I will sing their praises on reciept of information that they practice responsible placemnent (or no placement) of frost fans.