Government Should End Northland Prison Madness

Friday 27th Apr 2001 Dr Muriel Newman Media Release -- Other

ACT Northland-based MP Dr Muriel Newman said the Government should see sense and abandon plans to spend up to $500,000 of taxpayers money appealing a decision against the planned Northland prison.

“The Government is wasting its time and our money with an appeal. The Northland Regional Council carefully considered the case for a prison on the Ngawha site and came up with a categorical ‘no’ to all aspects of the resource consent proposal.

“The process of choosing this site and planning the prison has been flawed from the outset. The current proposed site wasn’t even among the 100 or so properties originally considered – but then again, neither was a property at Puhipuhi previously bought as a potential prison site.

“In the meantime the projected cost of building a prison on the chosen site has skyrocketed from $40 million to $100 million.

“Enough taxpayers’ money has been wasted on this plan. It would be outrageous to blow another $500,000 appealing against a well-thought-out decision.

“The Minister of Corrections needs to finally accept his failure, drop this ridiculous proposal, and urgently seek a sensible alternative site for the prison,” Dr Newman said.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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