Nick Smith

National Environment Spokesperson

February 12th 2003

More Treaty political correctness in HSNO laws worries National

Government proposals announced today to strengthen the Treaty of Waitangi provisions in the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act will only extend the delays and problems for research institutes and hold back the knowledge wave, says National's Environment Spokesperson Dr Nick Smith.

"This is just another chapter in political correctness over the Treaty gone wrong. Maori should have no more rights to be consulted and involved in decisions than other citizens.

"Dangerous chemicals and organisms do not discriminate on ethnicity and nor should the law that controls them. Non-Maori New Zealanders have the same desire to ensure our native plants and animals are protected.

"We have already seen significant research projects on issues like foot rot stymied because of the Government's warped interpretation of the Treaty. These proposals will only make this problem worse.

"Parliament must learn from the way the Resource Management Act Treaty provisions have been used as a means for some iwi to clip the ticket of developments. We must not allow the same corrupt culture to be extend to research and the importation of new products for agriculture and industry," said Dr Smith.

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