Petition calls for turbine advice

Wind farm building should halt until New Zealand has national guidelines about wind turbines, says Palmerston North woman Jan Dixon. She's starting a petition to the Government to plead for national guidelines on:

 * Minimum distances turbines can be from houses

 * Maximum saturation of an area's skyline

 * "Iconic" areas where wind turbines shouldn't be built.

Until these guidelines are established by the Government, she wants a moratorium on wind farm developments.

She said what's happening now - ad hoc development, case-by-case rulings by local authorities with confusion over what's best and no real planning for the future - will hurt New Zealand long term.

"I'm not against wind farms or wind turbines," said the landscape designer. "I just want people to think about their siting. We need energy, but we must protect our environment long term."

Palmerston North Mayor Jono Naylor has signed Mrs Dixon's petition. Palmerston North City Council next month prepares its submission about Mighty River Power's planned 122-turbine wind farm for Turitea.

He wants the Government to pay for setting up national guidelines for wind turbines.

Individual local authorities could not afford to duplicate the public consultation required to get guidelines for the good of all New Zealand. It should be a Government-led initiative.

"A whole bunch of ad-hoc decisions are being made now," Mr Naylor said.

"We've got to get national guidelines about noise, about siting distances and saturation."

He doesn't want regulations, however. "Local communities still need the power to make decisions about the things that affect them."

He said he was "neutral" about Mrs Dixon's call for a moratorium on new wind farms until there were Government-set guidelines.

 * Copies of Mrs Dixon's petition are at Vautier Pharmacies (except Massey University's), the Elm Cafe, the Hospital Fish Shop, Wet Pets, Hunting and Fishing, Crank It Cycles and the Landscape Yard (Summerhill).

 * Last month, Environment Minister Nick Smith decided the council couldn't be impartial enough to hold the hearing for this wind farm, and called the application in to a board of inquiry. People have until February 23 to make submissions, to the Ministry of the Environment. Forms are available from (www.mfe.govt/rma/call- in- turitea), or the council.

- © Fairfax NZ News