Source: Tom Kay – Choose Clean Water
Last-minute changes by Minister Chris Bishop to the Resource Management Act will strip local councils of the power to have any meaningful say over the future for their communities and environment, says freshwater campaign group Choose Clean Water.
Spokesperson for the group, Tom Kay, says the changes represent a significant overreach of power, are undemocratic, and will create a policy mess that will take years to clean up. Meanwhile, communities and the environment will suffer.
Changes introduced to the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill by the Minister in two amendments papers today will, among other things, prevent councils writing or changing plans and policy statements until 2027, give the Minister the power to modify or remove provisions of a Regional Policy Statement or regional or district plan, and weaken restrictions on commercial fishing and farming industries.
“Despite claiming to be for the benefit of council efficiency, these changes effectively grind vital planning to a halt while allowing increasing pollution. Councils won’t be able to move ahead with protecting things that are important for their communities—like drinking water sources or coastal fisheries—until the Government says so.”
“Making any changes to plans will only be allowed if they fit within the Government’s fundamentally-flawed worldview—like if they enable narrowly focused short-term economic growth regardless of any impact on communities or the environment.”
“It’s more than clear now that the Government was dishonest about wanting decisions made at a local level. This is smash and grab law making: Bishop seizing decision-making power for himself as Minister and making the changes to policy that polluters want, while the public and councils are effectively cut out.”
Several changes made through Bishop’s Amendment Paper #328 will further weaken the public’s protection from agricultural pollution, and reflect changes asked for by agricultural lobby groups Federated Farmers, Beef & Lamb, and Dairy NZ in their submissions on the Bill.
“The Coalition Government’s clear goal is to strip away all meaningful protection for the environment and the public. Their undemocratic process is making a mess of the law and a mess of the places we live in and love.”
