22 June 2012

Media release

Transmission Gully Proposal approved

The Environmental Protection Authority has today issued the Transmission Gully independent Board of Inquiry’s final decision granting the New Zealand Transport Agency, Porirua City Council and Transpower New Zealand Limited’s resource consents and confirming notices of requirement for the Transmission Gully Proposal.

The Board of Inquiry made its decision less than nine months from public notification of the applications, under the EPA’s process for nationally significant proposals.

EPA Chair Kerry Prendergast said the decision takes to five the number of proposals considered by boards of inquiry since the EPA was established in October 2009.

She said the result “illustrated the way in which the EPA process could be applied effectively to streamline decision-making”.

Ms Prendergast thanked the board for their time and commitment.

The final decision is available here .

Ends

Note to editors:

Since the EPA was established in October 2009, boards of inquiry have released decisions on:

• NZTA’s Waterview proposal
• Contact Energy’s Tauhara II geothermal proposal
• Department of Correction’s Wiri Prison proposal
• NZTA’s Transmission Gully Plan Change
• NZTA’s Transmission Gully Proposal.
•
A further two decisions have been released during this time under the pre-2009 amended RMA process:

• Contact Energy’s Hauauru ma raki windfarm proposal
• Mighty River Power’s Turitea windfarm proposal

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>