Local councils are hopeful the Government will make a move to help the regions combat the effects of climate change, following supportive recommendations from the Productivity Commission.
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Nicol Horrell, the chairman of Environment Southland Regional Council, mirrors that sentiment.
"We would look forward to any help in that area," he told Stuff.
He explained, much like the other regions, Southland is asked to do more, "but the cheque doesn't come with it".
So the coal-fired dairy farmers of Southland want the rest of us to pay to clean up a mess they point-blank refuse to do anything about themselves. But unless they demonstrate some basic willingness to recognise the problem, I think that is going to be difficult to sell to the people of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin - the places where people actually live and where taxes are actually paid. Why should the rest of us subsidise climate change deniers?