Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader

Member of Parliament for Northland
20 JUNE 2016

Rogues Give All Responsible Farmers a Bad Name

New Zealand First joins the honest farmers of New Zealand who are appalled by the few who are stealing water, says New Zealand First.

“Farmers get consents to use our streams and rivers, and they comply – but their collective names are being besmirched by a few rogues,” says New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“The fact is that regional authorities, like ECan, need to come down harder on water thieves. Authorities have the law on their side, and they need to act on it. Clearly they are not if new data is correct and water crime exists on a huge scale in Canterbury.

“It is concerning for the whole country and the industry. It begs the question, what on earth does ECan think it is doing and what is the government doing, having meddled with ECan, to see that the law is observed.

“Farmers should be able to rely on their local consenting authority to weed out wrongdoers and slap stiff penalties on them. That’s fair for all.

“Farmers have a difficult time as it is showing urban Kiwis that they do their utmost to look after the land. A weak authority allows a few thieves to ruin it for them.”

ENDS

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