Source: Radio New Zealand
University of Otago’s Professor Nick Wilson is part of the independent think tank Islands for the Future of Humanity. (File photo) SUPPLIED/University of Otago
An independent think tank is warning a whole range of potential future international threats could impact New Zealand’s ability to feed itself.
One of the members of Islands for the Future of Humanity, Professor Nick Wilson, a research professor in public health at Otago University, told Nine to Noon the catastrophic risks ranged from nuclear war to disabling AI cyber-attacks.
He said the country lacked long-term resiliency and was highly dependent on overseas suppliers, something which had been highlighted by the fuel crisis.
The group of academics and experts recommended a a National Vulnerability Register, a National Mitigation Register, and a Parliamentary Commissioner for Catastrophic Risk.
Wilson said the group looked at potential catastrophes which would devastate international trade and impact energy imports among other things.
He said the country’s National Risk Register does not detail nuclear war and he believed New Zealand needed to go beyond that register.
Wilson said the group pulled together a mixture of their own research along with curating international research.
One of the main things the group focused on was how to feed New Zealanders during a crisis.
A suggestion Wilson said the group had with building resilience in New Zealand included getting a biofuel refinery that was fed with something like canola oil.
A biofuel storage area near Nelson. (File photo) SUPPLIED/OneFortyOneNZForests-Tim Cuff
“So whatever happens we can feed ourselves and get the trucks that can transport the food to the cities.”
In a crisis situation, Wilson said, New Zealand would run out of imported fuel stocks in an estimated 160 days.
“We need to have either extremely good relationships where we can get supplies like medicines from Australia, or produce food for ourselves…”
Food was seen as the biggest issue for New Zealand in a range of catastrophes, Wilson said.
“We are a very export-orientated economy. We focus on things we do well… not thinking enough about trying that economic success and efficiency with building basic resiliency as we go into a world which is seeing more and more crises.
“We’re thinking how do you keep things going in the long term – after six months, after a year.
Wilson said it would be very reassuring to have guaranteed capacity to be able to feed all of the population, along with keeping critical medicines available and having water supplies and systems which were always working for New Zealand’s cities.
“We’re moving into a world with a lot of risk and therefore building resiliency makes a lot of sense.”
Wilson said the group had been in contact with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), on fuel issues and had filed submissions with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) on issues about hazards.
But generally, he thought there was a long way to go.
“Every crisis provides an opportunity to move forward.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand