I just attended the launch of a high profile campaign to help New Zealanders increase the energy efficiency of their homes and businesses. The new prime time campaign, called The Energy Spot, will screen three nights a week on four TV channels as well as at 13 random times throughout the week. The campaign is costing $4million to run over the next 12 months.
Here are a few details from Gerry Brownlee’s media release:
“The Energy Spot will cover a range of topics of interest to households and businesses, from insulating houses to efficient driving choices, renewable energy options, building design and more.
“This new campaign will give large numbers of people clear, practical information to help them make the most of the energy they use both at home and at work.
I actually support the idea that the government has a role to play in providing New Zealanders with information and practical advice on ways to reduce their energy use. However I can’t help but think that if this campaign had been launched 12 months ago it would have been greeted with howls of ‘nanny state’ and ‘telling us how to live our lives’ by the then National opposition. I can just hear Allan Peachy rallying against this ‘socialism by stealth’.
In the past few months I’ve come to the realisation that the National Party is actually a bit of a fan of the nanny state. They want to tell people what they are and aren’t allowed to do in their own cars, they’re telling everyone to stomach cuts they aren’t willing to make for themselves, and now we have this. Seems it’s not the idea of the nanny state that National was opposed to, just the idea that they weren’t doing the nannying.
Or you could stop buying into their nanny state framing yourself. This isn’t a game, Chris. We need Labour MPs to fight for progressive values, not (deleted offensive Trevor) them away for short-term political gain.
LOL – or the humour.
You are making a joke right?
So they run energy efficiency campaigns offering advise.
you guys however try to make laws on what light bulbs we can use, and the how much water our showers can use.
Can you not see the difference?
and of course there was the public health bill.
(from kiwiblog)
The ultimate nanny state initiative – the Public Health Bill, is not going to be rammed through before the election.
Thank God. This law would have given massive powers to the Government by treating non-communicable conditions such as obesity the same as SARS or Ebola. Advertisers, shop keepers, even the media could be regulated by Government decree in the interests of “public health”.
If Labour is re-elected they will push this law through unchanged. National has pledged to get rid of the powers around non-communicable diseases so the Government can’t set a maximum size for chocolate bars, dictate how big in store signs can be, instrict shop keepers what food to display and what food to hide etc etc.
I dunno if I like this at all. I would far rather see this $4m, and whatever has been spent on the Rightlight campaign, going into subsidies for the bulbs themselves.
Wouldn’t that achieve a better outcome?
The joke’s on you Chippy: that was our secret agenda!
[Deleted, abuse - admin]
Can anyone remember what the Tories said before the election about taxpayer funded government propaganda campaigns? I seem to recall they said a thing or two?
Off thread deleted Trevor
topcat – hardly on subject.
Yep gone Trevor
I agree with climate change initiatives in principle. But it annoys me that in the 21st century, with all the attempts to accelerate particles and cure paralysis with stems cells that there aren’t any mainstream solutions where we could all use as much power as we like without wrecking the environment! I personally can’t save any more power than I do, I even have things unplugged at the wall when not in use.
Surely science can do better than this! Nerds rise up!
Hey Spud,
You are obviously careful not to waste energy and thats a good thing and should be congratulated.
But – watch the ‘energy spots’ that National are putting out – they may come up with another useful idea that you had not thought of.
(and im guessing that a lot of other people would not have thought of – since the adverage kiwi probably waste a lot more energy than they need to).
this is where hipkins dosnt seem to understand the difference between providing useful information to help you make decisions off your own back at your own will vs making legislation to force you to do what the government wants – because the government knows best.
(You were doing pretty well to that point bikerkiwi and then the old troll came out. Par deleted. Warning. Trevor)
Hey bikerkiwi – I will watch the energy spots
I hope something better crops up from science.