Kiwi Community Backlash Forces Wind Farm Shutdown & Gets All New Noise Rules

Kiwis in full-flight: 28th Maori Battalion, Egypt 1941.

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Kiwis fight.

And we are not talking about the dowdy little flightless birds that scurry about on the forest floor at night.

The Maori are a people who fought their British colonists to a standstill in the early 19th century and forced upon them the Treaty of Waitangi, which enshrined terms the envy of every indigenous people who ever found themselves at the pointy end of European colonisation.

That fighting spirit is shared by Kiwis of all denominations. A never-say-die spirit exhibited a century ago alongside their Australian cousins on the beaches of Gallipoli, the deserts of the Middle East and in the fields of France, the boys in the lemon-squeezer hats fought like fury as part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp, creating the enduring and exemplary ANZAC legend. They did it all over again in WWII (see above). And are still at it, sorting out the mess in Afghanistan (see below).

A century on, Kiwis are still fighting for what is just and right. This time it’s about protecting their lawful right to live without unreasonable interference from wind turbine noise; the right to sleep, live in and otherwise enjoy their homes.

Here’s the latest from the other side of the Tasman.

Fresh approaches coming for wind farm noise
Stuff.co.nz
Business Day
Janine Rankin
9 May 2017

A two-pronged attack has been launched on resolving noise problems at the Te Rere Hau wind farm near Palmerston North.

After receiving 1750 complaints and after several court actions, the city council has moved to change the conditions of New Zealand Windfarms’ consent to operate.

It has called for public submissions on new noise rules, which will be considered by its hearing committee.

And early this year, NZ Windfarms underwent major structural changes, with new commercial director John Worth working to cut back on the amount of time the turbines operate and create noise.

The original resource consent for the wind farm was granted in 2005, and 65 of the consented 97 wind turbines were installed.

By 2009, the city council had started receiving complaints from about 20 properties from Forest Hill Rd, Harrisons Hill Rd, Ridgeview Rd and the Pahiatua Track.

City council chief executive Paddy Clifford said in his notice of review that noise from Te Rere Hau needed to be better managed and monitored.

He said there were inaccuracies in evidence given about the acoustic effects of the wind turbines at the original consent hearing, with the effects turning out to be far greater than had been predicted.

Worth said even though the wind farm complied with existing conditions, it was clear those conditions were out of date and needed to be reviewed.

He knew the council was working on new conditions, so was not surprised by the action.

“Ultimately, it’s their direction and their proposal as to what the conditions would say.”

Worth said working with landowners and neighbours to understand the nature of their complaints could be a more constructive approach, and taking steps to alleviate the problems.

NZ Windfarms’ new approach was not just about being a better neighbour, but was also driven by economic considerations.

It was planning a “curtailment” regime, which would see the turbines operating less often, with one of the benefits to the company being savings on wear and tear, and extending the life of the turbines.

New software would instruct the turbines to close down when wind conditions were turbulent, to reduce damage.

NZ Windfarms would follow up with landowners to see whether shutting down on blustery days also reduced noise annoyance.

Another issue for the company was that at times the returns for generating power at the wind farm were low.

Particularly, prices were lower in summer, especially in the evenings.

“If we are not making much money then, that’s an opportunity for us to do something for those people who want to open the windows on a summer evening and have a barbecue.”

Worth said the two processes of reviewing the conditions, and working with neighbours about changes to the operating regime, would work in parallel.

He said there was still plenty of software development to be done to achieve a better balance between business and community needs.

“We don’t have all the answers yet. But this is a cultural change in our approach, about how we work with our community.

“We think that with clever software and analysis we can shift the dial on what noise the community is experiencing.”

Submissions on the proposed changes to noise controls close on Friday, June 2.
Stuff.co.nz

Legendary Kiwi Warriors teaching minor royal how to fight.

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STT’s eyes popped with this effort to put a positive spin on events:

It was planning a “curtailment” regime, which would see the turbines operating less often, with one of the benefits to the company being savings on wear and tear, and extending the life of the turbines.

So. Not running these things is a ‘benefit’?

Indeed it is for neighbours forced to suffer through incessant turbine generated low-frequency noise and infrasound.

However, for those familiar with the wind industry’s blurb about such and such a wind farm ‘powering’ 100,000 homes, those at the end of the line – waiting hopefully in the expectation of receiving warm, fuzzy ‘green power’ – might take a different view and simply remind themselves of the reason wind power was abandoned centuries ago.

That Kiwis are on the war path is no mystery to STT followers.

The wind industry and the cult that follow it – embedded within the institutions that ought to be protecting the rights of people to sleep, live in and otherwise enjoy their homes – have treated and continue to treat their fellow citizens with a form of monstrous contempt which in the course of human history is hard to match. Jack-booted thugs running evil errands for short men with funny moustaches come close.

In New Zealand, and elsewhere, the people who keep fighting, keep winning. Tenacity, perseverance and attitude make all the difference.

No matter how hard the daily battle may seem; no matter how callous the enemy is; no matter how ignorant the media may be of your personal plight, do not despair; keep fighting, because right is on your side.

About stopthesethings

We are a group of citizens concerned about the rapid spread of industrial wind power generation installations across Australia.

Comments

  1. Jackie Rovensky says:

    Oh how they make themselves look like considerate people, nothing about how the complaints are coming so fast and furious they have no other avenue to go but to try and get them back onside.
    However, take a close look at what they are saying and you see admittance that their turbines are causing harm, are causing people to complain about the noise, about how they cannot open their windows even at night, or enjoy a BBQ at their own home. You see local authorities look to solve the real problems complained of by shutting turbines down at night or when the winds are too ‘gusty’.
    All their sweetness and ‘consideration’ is to try and make it seem the problems are something they did not expect – we of course know differently, we know this admission in just the beginning of the end, we know communities fighting these things are winning – yes a little at a time – but they are winning and eventually none of these companies will be able to claim they are causing no harm, because once one admits they are then of course it follows they all must be.

  2. catweazle666 says:

    “So. Not running these things is a ‘benefit’?”

    It is if they can manage to arrange some scam whereby they get paid for it.

  3. “If we are not making much money then, that’s an opportunity for us to do something for those people who want to open a windows on a summer evening and have a barbeque.”

    Oh gees thanks Mr, your kindness is unparalleled by any other dictator I know.. next you will be saying we can come around to your house whenever your turbines become too insufferable ..

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