#LONELY PLANET INDIA GUIDE HOW TO#
There were conversations about how to diversify and greenify the economy in Taranaki for people who would otherwise have their job security and livelihoods threatened. “Workers from these fossil fuel industries who have helped build the prosperity that New Zealand has enjoyed deserve the certainty of a pathway into decent, well-paying jobs in new industries,” says Huggard. In Taranaki, they’re doing that sooner than most,” says Sam Huggard, a strategic researcher at E tū (meaning ‘stand tall’), New Zealand’s biggest private sector union representing six industries.Į tū participated in several brainstorming sessions and roadshows organised by Venture Taranaki between February and April 2019 to hear the ideas of as many people living and working in Taranaki as possible on what the region’s economic future could look like over the next three decades. “Eventually, all of us will have to confront the fact that we have to act on climate change. The 2018 announcement initially sparked concerns about job losses with one report estimating that unemployment in the region would increase by 4.7 per cent, but that’s where the just transition strategy comes in: the move away from polluting industries won’t happen overnight but strong social dialogue between all elements of the community is crucial to ensure that no worker is left behind by decarbonisation. There are still an estimated 20 oil and gas fields operating in Taranaki, directly employing an estimated 4,300 people, with thousands more jobs linked to industry supply chains. A landmark joint project involving government, workers, employers, Māori, local communities, civil society and other stakeholders, the roadmap is spearheaded by the region’s economic development agency Venture Taranaki with the aim of plotting what Taranaki’s low-carbon future might look like once it moves away from its high-carbon sectors, particularly oil and gas, and dairy farming.
In 2018, the New Zealand government banned any future offshore oil and gas exploration in the country, spurring the creation of the Taranaki 2050 Roadmap. It is also a hub for dairy production and agriculture in the country.īut Taranaki has formulated an ambitious blueprint for just transition which could put it on the world map. Aside from that, this region of 120,000 people has a strong Māori presence and is known as the ‘Texas of New Zealand’ thanks to its large oil and gas reserves. A green and fertile region perched on the edge of the North Island’s west coast, it was put on the tourism map in 2017 when the Lonely Planet travel guide ranked Taranaki second in its global Top 10 Regions list.
The name Taranaki doesn’t currently inspire instant recognition for most people outside of New Zealand.
0 kommentar(er)
