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Govt rides roughshod over community, Council and environment

Govt rides roughshod over community, Council and environment

The passing of the Point England Development Bill into law last evening is an example of arrogant, high handed behaviour from a third term government intent on riding roughshod over communities, micromanaging Councils and ignoring environmental concerns.

The removal of Point England’s Reserve status, preparing it for sale to private developers, is a significant loss for the people of East Auckland and all New Zealand. It sets a precedent for any other Reserve land to be taken by legislation and sold for housing without consultation. It leaves the status of the Resource Management Act in tatters.

This law overrides local government functions by legislating away Council decision making, even to the level of directing the contents of a local park management plan and the design of a sports field. Council should be left alone to plan local parks. They have the staff, the local knowledge and are the correct organisations to do that.

“Government was been shown up as badly mismanaging housing and when caught out, is lashing out with a high handed bungling law by taking a much loved sports fields and open park land from the community. The Government is also misleading the public by saying it can protect the endangered birds. It has had no scientific advice this was feasible, is not listening and does not care about the endangered birds or the environment.

It is now National Party Policy to sell Reserve land to developers and make laws that remove both community, councils and expert input from the decision making process.

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This is a sad day for democratic participation, the environment, but most of all for those people who will only be left with fragmented, badly designed sports fields and for the tiny birds who will return to find their nesting places gone.

This law shows just how arrogant and dismissive of our democracy and the community this government has become” said Mrs Chambers, Chairperson of the Save Our Reserves Group.

ends

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