To me it is ludicrous that we have these small groups of protesters in various parts of our country hindering our efforts to become self-sufficient in oil.

On one hand, New Zealanders demand a high standard of living and welfare, and yet when it comes to paying for what we see as necessaries, some of which are excesses, some of our people sabotage our Government's efforts to be self-sufficient. NZ has generally lived beyond its means for decades, relying on our borrowed money and creditworthy-ness to see us through.

We should aim to be self-sufficient in oil for our own wellbeing. That means taking some risks with offshore drilling.

We are entitled to expect our Government to select reputable companies to engage in drilling and that probably includes Anadarko. Protesters seem to forget that these companies don't want spillages or blowouts either.

Apart from risk to their staff, any incident costs them far more in lost production and extra expenses than the remote possibility of significant oil damage to our coast.
Protesters should only make their views known on the steps of Parliament, rather than harassing law-abiding exploration.

The media should give them less attention. The coastline is ours, not theirs.

Bill Capamagian, Tauranga City.