Greens correct United Future RMA misinformation

Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons wants to clarify confusion arising due to misinformation from United Future over the Green Party's role in today's resource management bill rewrite.

Parliament today agreed to remove the terms 'spiritual', 'cultural landscapes' and 'ancestral landscapes' from the definition of historical heritage in the Resource Management Amendment Bill (No 2).

Ms Fitzsimons said she was concerned that United Future MP Larry Baldock was telling journalists that the terminology had been inserted into the Bill at the select committee stage by the Green Party.

"This is not the case. The wording was brought to the select committee by Government officials at the request of the Labour Government. There had been no prior discussion with the Greens," Ms Fitzsimons said.

"The Green Party did not put forward any proposals on culture and heritage at the committee.

"However, the removal of the terms today is unlikely to make much difference as the same matters are covered by the terms 'wahi tapu', 'culture' and 'historic site, place or area'," Ms Fitzsimons said.

For this reason, Ms Fitzsimons did not call for a party vote and neither did anyone else.

"The removal of words from a Bill is not going to make the matter go away. New Zealand has to come to terms with Maori cultural and spiritual beliefs and aspirations if we are ever to live in harmony with each other," she said.

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