Oil and gas industry not safe enough for expansion into the North

Hone Harawira, MANA Leader and MP for Te Tai Tokerau

Thursday 5 June 2014

“The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has found that government regulation of oil and gas drilling is woefully inadequate – with a pile of big issues that desperately need to be sorted” said Hone Harawira, MANA Leader and MP for Te Tai Tokerau.

Dr Jan Wright released her report on the regulation of drilling for oil and gas yesterday.

“This includes the fact that council’s aren’t required to notify local communities of plans to drill in their backyards, that no one has to check if drilling causes leaks into ground water, and it’s not even clear who picks up the tab if something goes wrong.”

“And National’s hell-bent on expanding this shambles out to other regions, with plans for thousands of wells in each, because they care way more about profits for foreign corporates than the safety of Papatūānuku and people. It’s yet another example of why they have to be voted out of government.

“Whānau, marae, hapū, and iwi from all around Te Tai Tokerau are strongly opposed to the expansion of oil and gas drilling and fracking on our lands and in our waters, and now we’ve got even more information for the case against it, so I mihi to Dr Wright for that.

“There are much safer and sustainable ways to build jobs and raise incomes in the North – and there are lots of great ideas for development if the government actually listened to and supported the people on the ground.

ENDS

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