Press Release

MANA Leader and MP for Te Tai Tokerau Hone Harawira

MANA opposes RMA Reform Bill

Tuesday 11th December

“Yet again the government is moving to put the interests of their big business and their property developer mates ahead of our environment” said MANA Leader and MP for Te Tai Tokerau Hone Harawira following the first reading of the Resource Management Reform Bill in Parliament this afternoon.

The bill seeks to further cut the timeframes involved in gaining resource consents, to reduce public participation in the resource consent decision-making process, and to limit the ability of local councils to regulate against environmental harm.

“I don’t for a minute buy the government’s line that the changes won’t alter the ‘sustainable management’ principle of the RMA. How can you cut, reduce, and limit and end up with the same? You can’t”.

“And I don’t buy any argument that because the Treaty clause is still in (so far) that Iwi and Hapū won’t be affected. It’s already hard enough to get our concerns on the table and these changes will make it that much harder, not easier”.

“The government’s only concern here is to get consents signed off faster and with less interference so that their business mates can count their profits sooner rather than later and to hell with the consequences for future generations”.

“Yes we need economic development and more jobs – but not at the expense of clean waterways, air and land. The government’s vision for Aotearoa as the world’s farm with a foreshore of private marinas and mansions for the rich and having the seabed dotted with oil rigs is not progress. It’s a future death sentence,” concluded Mr Harawira.

ENDS