Pathetic - NZ's Power Crisis
May 12th 2003, 3:22 am
#1
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Pathetic - NZ's Power Crisis
Well, all of us in the land of the long white cloud and short electoral roll are busily typing away in darkened rooms with our feet wrapped in newspapers as we try to save 10% on our electricity usage in an attempt to avoid power cuts soon.
As things stand, we are only saving an average of 4.5% (this is big news here with daily updates on our position) and so we have been threatened with the power for our hot water being cut off by Friday. We are all looking skywards, praying for rain to get NZ's hydroelectric storage lakes back up to the usual levels, but so far to no effect.
Be prepared, when you come to NZ, to be spoken down to by the government in a bldy galling way - we have just been told that we all need the "short, sharp shock" of cold showers to get us to save more. Trouble is, the ones who tend to respond most to these pathetic orders, covering up complete incompetence and profiteering, are the elderly, who are most at risk from keeping their heaters off. A letter in this week's national paper from a chap whose elderly wife is incontinent and often needs to be washed more than once a day also makes me you see the reality of this big, unfunny joke. She'll love her short, sharp shock no doubt.
Pathetic.
As things stand, we are only saving an average of 4.5% (this is big news here with daily updates on our position) and so we have been threatened with the power for our hot water being cut off by Friday. We are all looking skywards, praying for rain to get NZ's hydroelectric storage lakes back up to the usual levels, but so far to no effect.
Be prepared, when you come to NZ, to be spoken down to by the government in a bldy galling way - we have just been told that we all need the "short, sharp shock" of cold showers to get us to save more. Trouble is, the ones who tend to respond most to these pathetic orders, covering up complete incompetence and profiteering, are the elderly, who are most at risk from keeping their heaters off. A letter in this week's national paper from a chap whose elderly wife is incontinent and often needs to be washed more than once a day also makes me you see the reality of this big, unfunny joke. She'll love her short, sharp shock no doubt.
Pathetic.
Last edited by Slippers; May 12th 2003 at 3:24 am.
May 12th 2003, 3:24 am
#2
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Where's that Rainin'Again? Need to send the bastard out to break the drought.
May 12th 2003, 3:25 am
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Originally posted by Bilbo
Where's that Rainin'Again? Need to send the bastard out to break the drought.
Where's that Rainin'Again? Need to send the bastard out to break the drought.
May 12th 2003, 4:05 am
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Thank goodness you were not here in the drought. They pulled all the taps off in the toilets, parks etc. Couldn't even wash your hands. Really disgusting in public areas.
My fave tho is the Garbage strikes, they have a certain potency when its 35 degrees. I loved sliding down the street in Brisbane last year, all the maggots oozing out of the piles of rubbish on the street, and the smell.
Still at least they cant say will the last person to leave NZ turn off the lights!
My fave tho is the Garbage strikes, they have a certain potency when its 35 degrees. I loved sliding down the street in Brisbane last year, all the maggots oozing out of the piles of rubbish on the street, and the smell.
Still at least they cant say will the last person to leave NZ turn off the lights!
May 12th 2003, 4:25 am
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Originally posted by dotty
Thank goodness you were not here in the drought. They pulled all the taps off in the toilets, parks etc. Couldn't even wash your hands. Really disgusting in public areas.
My fave tho is the Garbage strikes, they have a certain potency when its 35 degrees. I loved sliding down the street in Brisbane last year, all the maggots oozing out of the piles of rubbish on the street, and the smell.
Still at least they cant say will the last person to leave NZ turn off the lights!
Thank goodness you were not here in the drought. They pulled all the taps off in the toilets, parks etc. Couldn't even wash your hands. Really disgusting in public areas.
My fave tho is the Garbage strikes, they have a certain potency when its 35 degrees. I loved sliding down the street in Brisbane last year, all the maggots oozing out of the piles of rubbish on the street, and the smell.
Still at least they cant say will the last person to leave NZ turn off the lights!
Cheers - sounds even better over there.
I would like to make it clear though that I am not being negative and I do "get it". I am sending out positive vibes to the clouds and the government has repeated its promise of 1992 and 2001 that this will never happen again and I believe them. This is a "once in a million years" annual opportunity to experience history at first hand and I am positive that we in NZ don't know how lucky we are.
Slippers
May 12th 2003, 5:34 am
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Sounds like NZ needs a couple of big nuclear reactors. Or to dam a few more rivers.
Cheers - Don
Cheers - Don
May 12th 2003, 5:49 am
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Originally posted by pleasancefamily
Sounds like NZ needs a couple of big nuclear reactors. Or to dam a few more rivers.
Cheers - Don
Sounds like NZ needs a couple of big nuclear reactors. Or to dam a few more rivers.
Cheers - Don
Last edited by Bilbo; May 12th 2003 at 5:55 am.
May 12th 2003, 5:59 am
#8
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Originally posted by dotty
Thank goodness you were not here in the drought. They pulled all the taps off in the toilets, parks etc. Couldn't even wash your hands. Really disgusting in public areas.
My fave tho is the Garbage strikes, they have a certain potency when its 35 degrees. I loved sliding down the street in Brisbane last year, all the maggots oozing out of the piles of rubbish on the street, and the smell.
Still at least they cant say will the last person to leave NZ turn off the lights!
Thank goodness you were not here in the drought. They pulled all the taps off in the toilets, parks etc. Couldn't even wash your hands. Really disgusting in public areas.
My fave tho is the Garbage strikes, they have a certain potency when its 35 degrees. I loved sliding down the street in Brisbane last year, all the maggots oozing out of the piles of rubbish on the street, and the smell.
Still at least they cant say will the last person to leave NZ turn off the lights!
I don't know what drought you are talking about but I've been here in Brissy 3 years and their has been no water restrictions in Brisbane at all.
The Gold Coast still has water restrictions in place, due to last years drought, but this didn't effect Brisbane at all. How often do you get water restrictions in the UK if it dosn't rain for a month or so. During the drought last year when it didn't rain at all in Brisbane for more than 12 months it was reported that Brisbane had enough water in it's storage lake to last to 2005 with no rain whatsoever.
So just imagine how much water was being used by the pubic to look after their gardens during the 12 months with no rain, and their is one hell of a lot of gardens and lawns in Brissy. Also people here have a habit here of hosing down their driveways with water instead of sweeping them with a brush. And non of these thinks were restricted at ALL.
Also this so called Garbage strike, the only one I know of was the random one day stoppages when they introduced the new refuge trucks. And I never saw anything like what you are referring to.
Just keeping the record straight.
May 12th 2003, 6:18 am
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Are you kidding me, you do not know australia had a drought. Like er this was just about the biggest effect on the economy in the past 2 years. Sometimes I cannot believe how little news and events knowledge people have here. Can you imagine someone in the UK 2 years ago saying Foot and Mouth whats that?
Water restrictions were on the Sunny Coast.
Bin strike may have been more than a year ago, I didn't actually pencil the dates in my calendar, however the smell remains in my mind.
Water restrictions were on the Sunny Coast.
Bin strike may have been more than a year ago, I didn't actually pencil the dates in my calendar, however the smell remains in my mind.
May 12th 2003, 6:35 am
#10
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Originally posted by dotty
Are you kidding me, you do not know australia had a drought. Like er this was just about the biggest effect on the economy in the past 2 years. Sometimes I cannot believe how little news and events knowledge people have here. Can you imagine someone in the UK 2 years ago saying Foot and Mouth whats that?
Water restrictions were on the Sunny Coast.
Bin strike may have been more than a year ago, I didn't actually pencil the dates in my calendar, however the smell remains in my mind.
Are you kidding me, you do not know australia had a drought. Like er this was just about the biggest effect on the economy in the past 2 years. Sometimes I cannot believe how little news and events knowledge people have here. Can you imagine someone in the UK 2 years ago saying Foot and Mouth whats that?
Water restrictions were on the Sunny Coast.
Bin strike may have been more than a year ago, I didn't actually pencil the dates in my calendar, however the smell remains in my mind.
Of course I know about the drought in Oz but you were talking about Brisbane, and as your profile dosn't say where you are living I assumed you were living in Brissy.
May 12th 2003, 7:45 am
#11
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Re: Pathetic - NZ's Power Crisis
Originally posted by Slippers
Well, all of us in the land of the long white cloud and short electoral roll are busily typing away in darkened rooms with our feet wrapped in newspapers as we try to save 10% on our electricity usage in an attempt to avoid power cuts soon.
As things stand, we are only saving an average of 4.5% (this is big news here with daily updates on our position) and so we have been threatened with the power for our hot water being cut off by Friday. We are all looking skywards, praying for rain to get NZ's hydroelectric storage lakes back up to the usual levels, but so far to no effect.
Be prepared, when you come to NZ, to be spoken down to by the government in a bldy galling way - we have just been told that we all need the "short, sharp shock" of cold showers to get us to save more. Trouble is, the ones who tend to respond most to these pathetic orders, covering up complete incompetence and profiteering, are the elderly, who are most at risk from keeping their heaters off. A letter in this week's national paper from a chap whose elderly wife is incontinent and often needs to be washed more than once a day also makes me you see the reality of this big, unfunny joke. She'll love her short, sharp shock no doubt.
Pathetic.
Well, all of us in the land of the long white cloud and short electoral roll are busily typing away in darkened rooms with our feet wrapped in newspapers as we try to save 10% on our electricity usage in an attempt to avoid power cuts soon.
As things stand, we are only saving an average of 4.5% (this is big news here with daily updates on our position) and so we have been threatened with the power for our hot water being cut off by Friday. We are all looking skywards, praying for rain to get NZ's hydroelectric storage lakes back up to the usual levels, but so far to no effect.
Be prepared, when you come to NZ, to be spoken down to by the government in a bldy galling way - we have just been told that we all need the "short, sharp shock" of cold showers to get us to save more. Trouble is, the ones who tend to respond most to these pathetic orders, covering up complete incompetence and profiteering, are the elderly, who are most at risk from keeping their heaters off. A letter in this week's national paper from a chap whose elderly wife is incontinent and often needs to be washed more than once a day also makes me you see the reality of this big, unfunny joke. She'll love her short, sharp shock no doubt.
Pathetic.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydispl...toryID=3501044
And anyway, if the elderly woman's husband is so concerned about a possible stench because she keeps p!ssing herself, all he has to do is phone up his power company, explain the situation and ask for the ripple meter to be temporarily disabled. Not a major hassle I would have thought.
May 12th 2003, 9:22 pm
#12
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Update:
Public power savings now up to 5.3%, so just over half of that required to avoid hot water power cuts and future black-outs. These savings increasingly starting to bite according to callers to radio stations this morning. It is getting reasonably cold here now.
A number of highly energy consuming companies reducing overtime for their workers and considering future lay-offs if the NZ energy crisis does not end soon (NZ Herald website today).
Slippers
Public power savings now up to 5.3%, so just over half of that required to avoid hot water power cuts and future black-outs. These savings increasingly starting to bite according to callers to radio stations this morning. It is getting reasonably cold here now.
A number of highly energy consuming companies reducing overtime for their workers and considering future lay-offs if the NZ energy crisis does not end soon (NZ Herald website today).
Slippers
May 13th 2003, 5:09 am
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Great news.
Energy minister Pete Hodgson just on the radio: the power for hot water heating in NZ is not going to be turned off for a fortnight yet.
Slippers - staying positive about NZ and Oz.
Energy minister Pete Hodgson just on the radio: the power for hot water heating in NZ is not going to be turned off for a fortnight yet.
Slippers - staying positive about NZ and Oz.
May 14th 2003, 2:03 am
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For those planning a move to NZ, the latest on NZ's power crisis:
Power savings must close in soon on the 10 per cent target to avoid serious problems, says Energy Minister Pete Hodgson.
As the latest figures showed savings had inched up to 5.4 per cent, Mr Hodgson told Parliament yesterday he did not think long hot-water cuts would come in the next week or two and he hoped they could be staved off further.
"The situation is potentially very serious if it doesn't rain and if we are unable to lift savings further," he said when he faced a volley of questions from opposition MPs.
Power savings must close in soon on the 10 per cent target to avoid serious problems, says Energy Minister Pete Hodgson.
As the latest figures showed savings had inched up to 5.4 per cent, Mr Hodgson told Parliament yesterday he did not think long hot-water cuts would come in the next week or two and he hoped they could be staved off further.
"The situation is potentially very serious if it doesn't rain and if we are unable to lift savings further," he said when he faced a volley of questions from opposition MPs.
May 14th 2003, 2:18 am
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Originally posted by Slippers
For those planning a move to NZ, the latest on NZ's power crisis:
Power savings must close in soon on the 10 per cent target to avoid serious problems, says Energy Minister Pete Hodgson.
As the latest figures showed savings had inched up to 5.4 per cent, Mr Hodgson told Parliament yesterday he did not think long hot-water cuts would come in the next week or two and he hoped they could be staved off further.
"The situation is potentially very serious if it doesn't rain and if we are unable to lift savings further," he said when he faced a volley of questions from opposition MPs.
For those planning a move to NZ, the latest on NZ's power crisis:
Power savings must close in soon on the 10 per cent target to avoid serious problems, says Energy Minister Pete Hodgson.
As the latest figures showed savings had inched up to 5.4 per cent, Mr Hodgson told Parliament yesterday he did not think long hot-water cuts would come in the next week or two and he hoped they could be staved off further.
"The situation is potentially very serious if it doesn't rain and if we are unable to lift savings further," he said when he faced a volley of questions from opposition MPs.
I've seen nothing in the NZ herald about new power stations being built or planning for them being rushed through.