Methane Science Accord NZ | Who is involved

Who is involved?

Peter Foster, BSc (Hons) Biochemistry (Otago)

Peter spent about five years in post graduate research before switching to secondary school teaching.
(Science to year 11, Chemistry, Biology to year 13)

Retired in 2000 to convert his small sheep farm to a deer and cattle farm.

Was a 1995 recipient of a FORST fellowship in the Geology Department Otago University.

Leader of Vanda Station Antarctica 1985/86 and leader of Cape Hallet demolition team 1987.

Has studied climate literature since 2007 with particular emphasis on methane since 2018.

Personal Communications
Many discussions with Jock Allison. Hosted Tom Sheahen on his South Island tour, before that I had many lengthy email exchanges with Tom to clarify my thinking on aspects of methane science. Have regularly had email exchanges with Will Happer, William van Wijngaarden and Cork (Howard) Hayden

John Riddell

I am a 64 year old dairy farmer near Gordonton, a little bit north of Hamilton, where I live with my wife, Gail.

I have a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree at Massey, I also have a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Waikato.

I have been interested in Philosophy of Science for more than 40 years. Science is a process of inquiry with rules of logic and rules of procedure that must be followed if you want to have a chance of valid conclusions.

It was obvious to me early on that the IPCC was not following the rules. The use of arguments from authority and arguments from ignorance was a big red flag for me.

Over the last 25 years I have spent an enormous amount of time learning about global warming/climate change. For the last 5 years or so, I have been doing a lot of what might be called data analysis. I download data from organisations like NASA, NOAA or UAH. Data on CO2, methane, temperature and emissions. I copy these data into spreadsheets, draw graphs and calculate trends.

Helen Mandeno

Helen helps her husband manage his family 900 ha dry stock farm called Springvale in Ngaroma (South Waikato/North King Country.) Helen and her husband have two daughters that love farm life and hopes that farming may be an honest enough industry that her children may see a future in it when they are older. We have an Angus cattle herd, Coopworth flock and graze dairy heifers. We are environmental stewards of their farm, aiming to leave it in a better place than it started.

Helen has a BSc from Auckland University, specialising in Biological Sciences. Always keen to extend her knowledge, Helen has completed some Massey University short courses including Advanced Soil Conservation, Intermediate level Sustainable Nutrient Management, Intermediate level Farm Environment Planning. With her science background, Helen soon realised that the stated science blaming ruminants for a large amount of climate change did not add up.

Helen’s greatest aim is that farmers can access the correct information they need to critical think and not Group Think when it comes to issues such as ruminant methane warming.

When she’s not helping on the farm, doing farm accounts or standing strong against methane taxation, she loves dressage, trail running and exploring our beautiful country.

Jane Smith – North Otago

Jane is a sheep and beef farmer and environmentalist.

As a Lincoln graduate and a NZ representative on the Global Farmer Roundtable, Jane sees the injustice and irreparable damage to New Zealand’s pasture-raised livestock sector if politics and alarmist propaganda continue to pin ruminant methane as a climate-change terrorist that must be punished without trial.

Jane simply wants “science and facts” to be at the forefront of any conversation around emissions.

Neil Henderson

I farm sheep and beef in the hills west of Gisborne on a farm taken up as a bush block by my grandfather in 1892.

Ever since I heard about the proposal to put a price on livestock methane emissions back in 2007 I have been active trying to highlight that this methane is part of a natural self-balancing cycle that is warming neutral over time.

Owen Jennings

Retired farmer. Former National President of Federated Farmers. Former Member of Parliament for ACT Party. Helped start the Queen Elizabeth ll National Trust and director for 9 years. Director of various food and health companies.

Deborah Alexander, BSc