While the National-led Government stumbles blindly along the crooked path towards emissions trading legislation, dragging a naive Maori Party partner with it, there is one piece of news we can rejoice over.

That is the refusal by the Environment Court to allow a whacking great ugly wind farm to be built by Meridian Energy in Central Otago.

Alongside the Environment Court's decision this month after seven weeks of hearings, the emissions trading legislation is a matter of little importance.

Meridian proposed to build 176 wind turbines, each the height of a 30-storey building (160m), over an area of 135sq km on the Lammermoor Range in the uplands of eastern Central Otago.

The wind farm, Meridian said, would ultimately produce 650MW of electricity - enough to power every home in the South Island.

Permission was originally given by commissioners appointed by Central Otago District Council, who came to a majority decision to grant consent to Meridian's Project Hayes plan.

No doubt the commissioners were chosen for their eye to a new revenue stream, but thanks to the sacrificial efforts of a large number of concerned people who formed an organisation called Save Central, an appeal to the Environment Court was mounted.

I thank God for these folk - among them poet Brian Turner, painter Grahame Sydney, soldier, businessman and environmentalist Graye Shattky and former All Blacks David Kirk and Anton Oliver - who have raised and spent tens of thousands of dollars to defend the Lammermoors from an unconscionable act of environmental vandalism.

Their driving force was simply the recognition that if implemented, the scheme would irredeemably sacrifice an outstanding landscape for questionable and overstated short-term benefits and there were other locations, closer to power consumers, where the effects would be less detrimental.

And what a landscape it is. I spent the happiest times of my childhood in Central Otago during summer school holidays over many years and under canvas, and on the rare occasions I visit real New Zealand I can't wait to return to this unique part of our country.

I remember fondly the hours and hours of roaming the hills carrying a .22 rifle and a five-shilling packet of 50 hollow-point bullets, shooting rabbits by the dozen and choosing the best to take back to camp for the pot.

If I were ever in a position to select my last meal, it would be wild rabbit stew with carrots, peas and mashed spuds.