Eugenie Sage’s admission that she went against official advice when declining OceanaGold’s OIO application shows the lack of consistency in her decision making, National’s Land Information spokesperson David Bennett says.

“The Minister revealed in Parliament today that her official advice directed her to approve the application, but she ignored it.

“This came after the Associate Finance Minister even described the project as having ‘substantial and identifiable benefit’.

“Clearly she values her own ideology above her official’s and colleague’s advice, but when 350 jobs and $1.5b in export earnings over the nine year project duration are on the line, people deserve for decisions to be fair and objective.

“The Minister’s personal views are clouding her judgement as a Minister and costing New Zealand jobs and economic development.

“Potential future applicants will be apprehensive and can’t have any certainty when she continues to make decisions based on her own whim rather than any official advice.

“The tests set out by the Minister of Finance are there for a reason, and it’s her responsibility to New Zealand to implement them rather than relying on her own personal values system.”

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