Federated Farmers to Appeal Prison Decision

Federated Farmers to Appeal Prison Decision

Federated Farmers of New Zealand (Inc) today announced that it had lodged an appeal with the Environment Court against the decision by the Minister of Corrections to designate a site in the Meremere / Te Kauwhata area for the South Auckland Men's Corrections Facility.

"The Minister's decision is out of line with his own Department's policies on where prisons should be located", said Federated Farmers' North Waikato Chairman, Peter Buckley.

"Prisons are clearly supposed to be located close to the populations from which they draw. The rural Waikato heartland is no place for an Auckland prison.

"We are concerned at the scant regard that Minister has paid to the provisions of the District Plan which aim to protect the rural amenity of the area.

"If it were to go ahead, the proposed prison would have a large impact on the local area. The Minister is not proposing to do anywhere near enough to mitigate the adverse effects a prison in the area will have on the local community.

"All in all, we think it proper that the Minister's decision should be reviewed by the Environment Court", concluded Mr Buckley.

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