SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

I’m relaxing on the hot and sunny deck with an eco-tanka drink bottle full of filtered water and, obviously, my lap-top.  Thanks to the joys of wireless internet I get to sit here, watching life buzz by, as I work.  Sigh of happiness.

And now for my second happy moment of the day – today I had lunch with Green Party MP Kevin Hague.  I didn’t mean to book a lunch date with him.  It just happened.  Joanna Plows, who is my friend’s mother, and also happens to be his Nelson based assistant, saw that I’d invited him to be on the Panel of Politicians for Wild Energy – the green energy design competition we’re organising, and practically insisted we meet up as he just happened to be visiting the Bay the following Monday.  Who was I to miss out on such a lovely opportunity to spend time with a Green Party MP?  Thanks Joanna Plows.

Firstly, the good news.  Kevin said that the National Government didn’t appear to have predicted the immense and well dispersed back-lash against the suggested mining of our national parks.  He says the Government didn’t appear to have formulated a decent ‘back-off and still look cool’ plan.  It was heartening to hear of the country’s wide, varied yet unanimous response to such a silly idea.

Secondly – Kevin.  What’s he like? Where’s he from?  Well I only spent an hour with him, but he seemed a very grounded, stable, sensitive and kind character.  He comes from a public servant background, he used to be the big boss of the district health board down on the West Coast.  And when he was in that job, he had to maintain a politically nuetral public stance, so it’s been quite a change for him to be thrust into the public lime-light as a politcian.

Interestingly, he said the the Greens like to deal with issues in a positive way, but they struggle to see how to get the media’s attention with good news.  Ok, this comes as no surprise does it? In fact, I’ve worked for the Greens as a writer, and I was told exactly this by a stressed out press secretary, many times, back then.  Last week’s news just isn’t good enough!

And what’s sexy about sustainable agriculture?  Well, heaps, actually.  In fact, organics is a very sexy issue economically these days, as it’s one of the fastest growing industries world-wide.  But you know the mainstream media – they’re certain that scandal sells.  I’d love to have a go at helping the Greens create sexy good news.

I found Kevin easy to talk to, and would highly recommend that you contact him with any Green Party related queries or issues you want to discuss.  Though he is a list MP, meaning officially he represents the whole country, and so is therefore a very busy man (just in case he doesn’t reply immediately).  He’s most certainly keen on working with positive and inspiring ideas around conservation and general green issues.  Here’s his often used facebook page.  He comes from the West Coast, and it sounds like he lives up in the hills below Greymouth, near Shanti Town.  What a great spot.  Heaps of native bush and the ocean close by.  It’s a nice grounding peaceful place for an MP to recharge in.

Today’s rating: 8/10

PS today’s promised e-book report – writing, writing, writing and enjoying it.

365 Days of Fun and Chillaxation (as I raise my gorgeous son and grow my good news website to a subscription base of 100,000 people).  The Low Down on this Blog.

Check out yesterday’s blog.

Tags: good news, green