The Insider: Too much dry

Why is water storage so poor in New Zealand?

As many parts of the country cry out for rain, more questions are being asked about why water storage is so poor in New Zealand. The Government has spent only $8 million of the $400 million set aside for commercial investment in water storage and irrigation schemes. Finance Minister Bill English is a bit flummoxed by the inaction and is planning a tour of schemes that have been mooted but have yet to get the commercial support they need to qualify for Government financing.

WATCH OUT FOR THE BULLDOZER

While many businesspeople are cheering on National's plan for wide-ranging Resource Management Act reform, others are urging caution. Environment Minister Nick Smith wants the power to set national regulations which would override consent conditions, and he wants to be able to do it quickly, with minimal consultation. In support of this goal, he cited the desire to ban dairy cows from streams and rivers by July 2017. Smith says it is ridiculous that a national requirement to fence in dairy stock couldn't be implemented until each farmer's resource consent came up for renewal. This may be a wise move, but the business sector (and in particular the resources sector) might want to think about what, say, a future Green Environment Minister might be able to do, given the power to impose regulations over existing consents.

CHILL FACTOR

As if delivering a pitch to potential investors wasn't stressful enough, a gathering of entrepreneurs next month will add a whole new level of discomfort. At the Polar Bear Pitching Event on February 25, businesspeople will have to sell their bright ideas while standing in a hole cut in the ice covering a Finnish lake. For the second year, the city of Oulu (average February temperature minus 9C) is hosting the event, which calls itself "the coolest stage on the globe for start-ups."

NEON KEEPS US IN THE DARK

What's going on with Neon, Sky TV's long-promised new internet-TV-on-demand service? Announced last August, it was to have started before Christmas. That was delayed to mid-January, then last week Neon's Twitter account bizarrely tweeted an image from the comedy movie The Hangover (right), stating "things don't always go as planned" and that Neon was "just taking a bit longer than we'd hoped". This week's word, again via Twitter, was "we won't be live for January but hopefully soon".

FAREWELL TO A BRIGHT SPARK

Electricity lines companies are not looking forward to Alan Jenkins' departure as chief executive of the Electricity Networks Association. Jenkins seems to have been around since electricity was invented, and knows the business inside out. He is being replaced by former Evening Post business editor Graeme Peters, who has been working as chief executive of Agcarm, the industry association for the plant and animal science industries. Networks will not be a complete mystery to Peters, who trained as an electrical engineer. But Jenkins will be missed.

ROLL UP FOR THE BIG ACT SHOW

Act is holding its annual conference next month, but it doesn't do things like other political parties. As usual, the event is being held at Alan Gibbs' farm/outdoor art gallery and Act is selling tickets to the day - $50 for members, and "sightseers" welcome at the non-member rate ($75). Another strange thing is the slogan for the day: "New Zealand the way you want it." This line was used by Rob Muldoon, whose heavy-handed state control should be anathema to freedom-loving Act members.

NICE TRY ...

Like Auckland, NZ Customs celebrated its 175th anniversary this week. It is the oldest Government department by a long way, but its existence has not been continuous. It was abolished in September 1844, when the Government decided to raise revenue by introducing a tax on all property and income - leaving people to assess themselves. Amazingly, there was a big drop in tax receipts, so the following April, Customs was reinstated.