NOT SO :

1.Visual impact/loss of amenity as evidenced by the unanimous stance of all countryside environmental entities in the UK and that government's countryside advisers - The Countryside Agency.

2. Noise. On overseas experiences, especially in rugged terrain, noise prediction methods are not reliable, and are often incorrect.

The wind turbine installed at Geebes Pass was shut down in 2003, shortly after installation, due to noise pollution.

3. Birds - loss of diversity of bird life/loss of birds.  Not just mortality rates/avoidance of areas with large sweeping turbines/upsets breeding patterns. Overseas studies.

Lawsuits against wind turbine developers have now been filed in California, USA, and several are now pending in the UK.

4. Construction/extensive road widening - to bring materials to site.  Wear and tear on roading.

5. Large concrete foundations. Each Hau Nui turbine took 270 tonnes of concrete and 10 tonnes of reinforcing steel.  Those turbines are smaller than the ones mooted for Quartz Hill. There is an environmental cost in cement production, and CO2 is produced by such process. For Te Apiti, massive concrete foundations are required plus a concrete pad next to each foundation to take a 400 tonne crane. This crane is so vast it takes a 100 tonne crane to erect it on site. 10 metre wide roads must be built to move the crane around the wind power station site. A quarry has been built on the land and a batching plant for concrete is being made on site.

6. Land "locked up" no access - Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). Many safety issues previously ignored by wind power developers have now been identified.

7. Possible TV/radio, video interference

8. More lines/poles to transmit power generated.

9. Possible negative health effects - low frequency noise, now well documented overseas, with studies in 2003 and 2004.

10. Prevents forestry developments, which provide carbon sinks, nearby.

11. Increased traffic - initially while visitors call to view "technopark", and during construction and maintenance.

12. If rural land is involved then the environment is changed from one of rural to one of industrial.

13. The loss of a future eco-tourism potential.  Certain parts of Wellington have this quality.  There has been a 30% reduction in tourism in North Germany, attributed to the plethora of wind turbines.

14. Property values drop. The economic well-being of communities or people affected is compromised.  This will not happen if wind power stations are built well away from housing. We have the space in New Zealand to do this.

Wind turbines at Makara in particular could well increase C02 emissions.  People who would not have visited the area, will (initially) travel to it, to view the new technopark.  People who used to visit Makara to fish, walk, swim, dive, horseride, play golf and peacefully enjoy Wellington City's sunny West Coast,  will have to travel long distances by car - to reach those experiences which would then have been lost.

We say that the hype whipped up in the UK in respect of the greenness of wind power, by the wind power industry and those with a vested interest in developing windpower, should not be brought into this country,  without question.  We must take account of our country's needs and our country's ability to accommodate any negative effects, including perceived negative effects.

We have the luxury of being able to apply "the precautionary principle".

New Zealand hesitated before launching into nuclear power.  Almost every New Zealander will be thankful that we did.  Clearly we did not need nuclear power, but we very nearly built a nuclear power station.  Then we realised the negative effects, so we did not proceed.

The Danish Government has removed all subsidies for wind power. In Germany wind power was predicted to decline in 2003, and such decline is reported to have occurred far more rapidly than expected, while increase in solar uptake in  Germany has exceeded all predictions by 40%. The USA is expecting a significant decline in wind power developments in 2004.

We believe, New Zealand should now heed the negative views on wind power, and act to its advantage.  If wind power is to be utilised it should certainly not be encouraged without added restrictions.  However, wind power is not essential for New Zealand to satisfy its international obligations, and with the advances in solar PV, integrated solar water heating and solar underfloor heating, wind power could well be viewed as"old technology".