Public's chance to ‘vote’

Press, 27 August 1980, Page 12

Public 's chance to ‘vote’

“Campaign Power Poll” will give the public an opportunity to “vote" on whether New Zealand should Lave a second aluminium smelter. A meeting held by the Coalition for Open Government in Wellington has decided that the local government elections will be used to highlight issues in the debate on electricity pricing. A trade unionist involved with the Coalition, Ms Patricia Sarr, ' said Campaign Power Poll wanted to see democracy put into ’power pricing and energy development decisions.

A coalition spokesman, Mr M. Smith, said the ultimate aim of the group was to stop construction of a second aluminium

smelter in the South Island. “The question is, is it better to sell the electricity to smelt aluminium, which is already being done increasingly round the Pacific, or use the electricity to create a much more diverse industrial base providing more jobs for New Zealanders?" he said, Campaign ■ Power Poll was initially formed with 14 representatives from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Timaru, and Dunedin and included economists, trade unionists, and full-time environ- . mental activists. The group decided to use existing ratepayers’ % groups, church groups,and environmental groups.'

to create an initial network of 2000 people. They will then begin lobbying the main interest groups affected by the smelter decision. A detailed six-month strategy has been prepared, the first round of it being the local government elections. Ms Sarr said the campaign would not put up. any candidates for power board elections, but they would work to see that the issue of electricity prices was raised. Candidates would be challenged to state their position on electricity prices and energy intensive developments. “What we really want to do is make the energy developments and power price a central' feature of

the elections,” Mr Smith said.

The group was opposed to the aluminium smelter because it was electricity intensive and produced just one product. This made New Zealand vulnerable to the price fluctuations and demands of aluminium. Ms Sarr said the decision to build a second smelter meant New Zealanders would . face high electricity bills. She said new hydro dams would have to be built on the Clutha River, add any electricity . from them would be expensive. New Zealand power consumers, as a result, would pay a subsidy to the aluminium smelter for its cheap ■'wer.