Iwi fights Brazilian oil.

This is the second issue that has been hidden enough: Te Whanau a Apanui in the East Coast are protesting against the inspection of oil on their shore by the Brazilian oil-company Petrobras. Down in Dunedin on Wednesday, there was a protest 'celebrating' the first Birthday of the BP oil-spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We can probably all still remember the images of the platform on fire, the pipe gushing out this brown gulch and the beaches slowly getting covered in black. We can probably still remember the animals filthy with oil too. We do not want this to happen here too do we? This is what the iwi is protesting. At least someone is!
Just off Otago another oil company is inspecting oil too, with the permission to build two wells. The one off Dunedin closer than the deepwater horizon platform was from the US coast.

The Government claims that opening up the oil market in New Zealand- allegedly on one of the biggest oil fields in the world- will be beneficial for the economy. They are not taking into account the millions we will be losing in tourism, or the livelihoods of so many who depend on fishing. These fishers will instead have to work long shifts far from home around carcinogenics on minimum wage. This isn't improving the economy for the many, but for the few. The government has shares invested but we will be the ones doing the voluntary cleanups when the rig explodes. Petrobras, just for your information, is amongst the most unsafe companies in the business and even though New Zealand is earthquake prone and the waters rougher and deeper, they will not be using any new and advanced technology. A disaster seems likely and we are the ones paying for it. I personally don't want to see my taxes go to the death of a dozen yound men and women who have no chance of a better job and I certainly do not want to go out onto the beaches that I can see from my window to clean up a mess I did not want and did not create.

Te Whanau a Apanui isn't too big an iwi, but Greenpeace is backing them and the protesters are facing fines that hit the five digit mark, or jail. For peacefully opposing something they disagree with. 600 people protested up north, around 20 here but we need more. Petrobras is already fearing a public backlash, what are we waiting for? This isn't only protecting the environment, it is for Maori rights and to the benefit of us all.