Shane Te Pou reporting for Newsroom worries that environmental policies designed for Twitter environmentalists could devastate our regional economies

I’m worried for my friend. He's worried, too, but less about himself than for his wife and kids. Whether he can provide as he promised he would. As he has always done.

Public policy at its best lifts people up and expands the net of opportunity. But when public servants and politicians lose sight of the impact of their plans on families and communities, the disconnect between Kiwis and their government grows ever deeper. Despondency takes hold. Solutions seem further and further out of reach. Sadly, this is exactly what is taking place in Taranaki as a result of the ban on New Zealand gas - a policy that won't redress climate change, but will inflate energy costs and increase reliance on imports.

My mate is one of thousands caught in the middle of this jarring policy shift.

He's always been a good worker but he never really settled down until he started a family. . .