[Austapteryx]

I would like to counter some of the views expressed here. Yes, some of the houses in New Zealand are undoubtedly poorly built, but having grown up in New Zealand, I would have to disagree that many are. It probably depends on where you are, and the North Island at least does not require the standard of housing present in Northern Europe. I would also point out that wood is a very practical construction material for houses in New Zealand as it withstands earthquakes much better than most of the alternatives. The house I grew up in was wooden, was not cold and was not damp, but it was suitably insulated. I do not recall any of the other ones I went to being damp or mouldy either.

On the subject of farming practices, I do remember the cartoon strips by Murray Ball about slips due to removal of trees. Again, this is not consistent across the country. I can remember my mother saying my grandfather found it hard to replant areas in trees which he had so laboriously cleared (My parents have now planted trees on the steeper slopes). I should say that it was not trees he had cleared but gorse. This is a big issue in NZ which is not mentioned above, but is a serious legacy of very early farming practices. That said, I now live in Australia, and was amazed at how few trees there are on the landscape here compared to what I grew up with in NZ. In relation to the cattle fouling up the streams, I should point out that animal life has always defecated, and rains will always wash some of this into the streams. This will not be prevented by fencing streams. The cattle on my parents property do not stand in the waterways, and I cannot recall ever having seen cattle do so. It is much easier for them to drink from a trough.

My parents consistently work with other farmers and read the latest research to improve their farming practices.

If I store my resources now so I can share them when there will be more requirement for them vs sharing them now, does that still make me a survivalist?

[Austapteryx]

I generally support your viewpoint Ilargi, but I have to agree with Positive Dennis, you should be more careful. Correlation does not equal causation and not all science is equally valid. Single reports should be investigated further to confirm validity before being accepted.

The big problem with the GMO debate is that not all GMO’s are created equal. You should not be against all GMO’s but it is reasonable to be cautious about some types. It should be OK to develop GMO’s that require less water for example, or that contain extra nutrients, golden rice for example. Each GMO should be looked at on its merits, not grouped together as a whole. On the issues of ownership and genetic contamination, laws should be put in place to protect the poor. There are a myriad of ways this could be done, it just requires the political will.

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