Posted by Blogger Name. Category:
Chris Bishop
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DNA
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Extinction
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Hutt South
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Michael Joseph Savage
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Moa
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Norman Kirk
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Trevor Mallard
What's Trevor Mallard up to? The Dom-Post reports:
With nine terms in Parliament under Trevor Mallard's belt, critics might say he is a political dinosaur. But no-one could say his latest idea is old-school thinking.
With "the science of de-extinction advancing quickly", as he put it, the Hutt South MP has laid down a challenge for Lower Hutt and for scientists: Let's work towards the possibility of moa one day striding again through the bush of Rimutaka Forest Park.
While admitting it sounded "a bit Jurassic Park", Mallard said scientists had been making progress on techniques for using recovered DNA from extinct animals to reconstruct new life.
Fifty to 100 years from now, Wainuiomata could again be home to the moa, which would make an enormous difference to the environment, community and economy, he said.
"It would certainly give us international focus and, frankly, I can't think of a better place. Those valleys [behind Wainuiomata] are accessible without helicopter, with a one-hour walk."
The 30 or so businesspeople at the Development Wainuiomata breakfast were expecting election-year fare from Mallard - and they got it. In particular, he had points to make about housing affordability.
But he caught everyone out when he started talking about mammoths being found encased in ice - "effectively quick frozen" - and being so well preserved that in at least one case, blood flowed as the beast defrosted.
We reckon that this is more a not-too-subtle plot from Trevor Mallard to delay his own political extinction, which is what's going to happen if he loses the Hutt South electorate. We guess he'll put his own DNA into storage whilst he's at it, so that he can be reincarnated at some time for another 27 years in Parliament.
But why stop there? Surely someone in Labour thought to store the DNA of Norman Kirk or Michael Joseph Savage.
The last time there was a moa sighting in New Zealand, it turned out to be an elaborate hoax by a West Coast publican. Perhaps that's Trevor Mallard's new career direction; when he is defeated by Chris Bishop in September, he can manage a pub somewhere, and regale people with tall stories about his political career.
We hear the Chatham Islands are nice at this time of year...
