"Parting with $600 to pay for the removal of their illegally-dumped rubbish might not worry some, but the prospect of seeing their names in print - and this newspaper will publish their names at every opportunity - just might."
Paua poachers seriously do not appreciate losing their anonymity, and it's a fair bet that the same will apply to those who are caught disposing of their rubbish anywhere other than the proper place.
This is something that all authorities, including councils and government departments, should understand but seemingly don't.
Prosecuting those who break the rules might be expensive, and never guaranteed to be successful, but public opprobrium has enormous power, and without doubt is the best bet for changing people's behaviour, whether it be helping themselves to seafood, failing to control their dogs or dumping rubbish illegally.
Last week's forest dumping furore, fuelled by what many saw as the faux apology issued by the culprit, prompted some to shift the blame to the government for failing to provide the jobs that we in the Far North need so we can pay to get rid of our rubbish.
It will always be thus, unfortunately. Someone has to take the blame for our individual shortcomings, and the government is always an easy option.
In fact it's about showing some respect, for ourselves, our fellow citizens and the wonderful environment that we all share.
There was a much more positive environmental story last week, about an effort being made to protect and enhance it. Ngati Kahu, with support from friends including DOC, Landcorp and the Northland Regional Council, is quietly striving to save the Karikari Peninsula's Lake Waiporohita, one of only a dozen dune lakes in Northland that are classed as being in an outstanding ecological state.
Not so outstanding these days. The lake faces all the usual threats, including invasion by exotic flora and fauna, and nutrients from surrounding farmland. It is at greater risk than most, however, in that it is easily accessible to the public, some of whom have long been using it as a car wash.
So the iwi and friends are setting out to fence it, plant its edges and raise public awareness of its significance. That won't be universally popular - measures taken by Ngai Takoto to prevent vehicular access, and boat launching, at Lake Ngatu did not go down well in some quarters, although that lake is in a worse state than Waiporohita.
To be fair there is possibly an argument that powered boats do more good than harm on Lake Ngatu, but there is no doubt at all that vehicles have long been damaging the edges, and no one could possibly defend the practice of driving vehicles into the water to rid them of sand and salt picked up on nearby 90 Mile Beach.
There is some consolation, though, in the fact that the corrosive nature of the water does more damage to metal than any beach ever did.
Anyway, Ngati Kahu and co deserve huge credit for what they are doing at Lake Waiporohita. And their effort is no longer flying under the radar. They have collected a Ministry for the Environment Green Ribbon Award, very well deserved recognition for people who are doing the right thing by an environment that they, unlike some, value and are prepared to defend.
Others, like the people who dump rubbish in the dunes near Ahipara, along 90 Mile Beach and in Aupouri Forest, are in a different class altogether. They can hardly claim ignorance of the effects of their behaviour. Perhaps it's simply laziness, although dumping rubbish where they do often demands more effort than taking it to where it should go.
There seems to be a simple element of what might be called naughtiness, an attitude that we will do as we like and no one is going to stop us. That's certainly the attitude of the idiots who persist in riding their scooters, skateboards and bikes on Kaitaia's main street footpaths, despite the police campaign to deter them.
The police reckon things have improved since signs banning wheels on Commerce Street footpaths appeared last year, but some don't give a fat rat's derriere. A piffling issue to some, perhaps, but actually it's not. Kaitaia's main street is routinely populated by the young and elderly, and the latter, especially, have good reason to fear encountering some dimwit on a bike or skateboard. It's not much of a stretch to imagine an elderly collision victim suffering severe, life-changing injury.
This isn't just about some high-spirited youngsters ignoring a petty display of authority; the ban is a sensible measure designed to protect people from an unnecessary potential threat to their wellbeing.
Mind you, one or two of those elderly pose a threat of their own with their mobility scooters, which are not banned but in some cases could be ridden with more care. Some of them motor along at a fair old clip, and could do real damage should they collide with flesh and bone.
Better the footpath than on the road though, at least for the rider/driver, as one or two might well discover when, as seems inevitable, they get run over as they trundle along, especially in darkness, where cars have every right to be.
There is no doubt that we all benefit from the displaying of common sense and respect, but that needs reinforcing from time to time, not least in terms of rubbish. The district council has undertaken to ensure that everyone has easy access to a disposal facility, but that, commendable as it might be, won't fix the problem.
What we need is a greater appreciation, on the part of some, of the fact that our negative actions affect others.
We could do with a lot more Lake Waiporohita initiatives and a lot fewer selfish idiots who don't give a damn about anyone or anything. Hopefully the police will make good on their promise to confiscate skateboards and bikes when they are ridden where they shouldn't be, and the naming and shaming of a few illegal dumpers will deter others from following their example.
And a reminder for those who aren't clear on this point - those who find themselves in the District Court, whatever their offence, can be publicly identified. There is no need to obtain their permission, and no right to privacy.
The only hope for anonymity lies in persuading the judge to grant name suppression. Good luck with that.
