Editorial: Poll frames wind farm debate

DEBATE: Wind farm developments in Manawatu have attracted huge public attention.

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OPINION: Wind farm developments in Manawatu have attracted huge public attention, and likely always will. Because wind turbines are such a visible feature on our landscape, they tend to conjure strong opinions from people.

However, the result of a Manawatu Standard Versus Research poll, published in today's paper, suggests wind farms are not as polarising as many people thought.

Almost 90 per cent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that wind farms are an asset to the region. Seven per cent disagreed, 2 per cent strongly disagreed, and 4 per cent didn't know.

There have been strong – often heated – exchanges between those at the furthest margins of the wind farm debate. What today's poll result confirms is that between the staunch opponents and supporters of wind farm development in the region is an overwhelming majority of people who look upon it favourably.

What the poll doesn't tell us, however, is how many wind turbines on our ranges the public will accept.

With a decision on the proposed Turitea wind farm looming, the poll results should not be construed as endorsing that development. The issues surrounding the Turitea proposal are complex, and can not be adjudicated on by a simple poll.

Mighty River Power's plan to build a 104-turbine wind farm at Turitea has been through a lengthy consent hearing and the Manawatu Standard deliberately avoided undermining that process.

What we wanted to know was how the people of Palmerston North viewed the value of wind farms to the city and wider region. Their response does not give power companies and local authorities carte blanche to erect turbines on every available part of the ranges, but it does give a broader context in which individual proposals can be debated.

It's clear the people of Palmerston North have embraced wind turbines as part of the city's identity, and as beneficial to the region. What isn't clear is whether building more wind farms will erode that benefit to a point where it is eclipsed by the harm inflicted on the landscape and the region's image.

Those who oppose further wind farm developments should not be discouraged. It's important that any wind farm proposal is challenged and tested and the voices of dissension are given a fair hearing. Opinion polls might help in framing the debate, but they must never be allowed to stifle it.The earthquake that struck Canterbury on Saturday has devastated that region, but its effects have been felt through the entire country. We are often told we are vulnerable, but the reality of the risk we live with doesn't truly resonate until we see a disaster with our own eyes. There are now no excuses not to be prepared.

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