10 September 2009
Media release

Labour pledges to suspend tree felling law

Labour today pledged to suspend and review the tree felling provisions contained in Clauses 52 and 151 of the RMA Bill passed through parliament under urgency late last night.

"The public can stop the felling of Auckland trees by ensuring National is not the government on 1 January 2012 when the change is due to take effect," New Lynn MP David Cunliffe said.

"Labour is committed to the immediate suspension of the tree felling provisions should it win office in 2011, so these unworkable rules never come into force."

"These clauses are an anti-democratic override by National and its developer mates of the legitimate environmental processes of local councils," said Labour Auckland Issues Spokesperson Phil Twyford.

Labour vigorously opposed the tree provisions of the RMA Bill in a stormy five hour debate last night, which included voting against the last minute supplementary order paper introducing the liberalisation of trimming provisions.

Labour moved to delete clauses 52 and 151 from the Bill but, despite support from the Greens, Progressives and Maori Party, was defeated. Labour moved to exempt the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area and this was also defeated 58-64.

Labour also moved an amendment to clarify that the scheduling of trees could be done on a group basis using maps as well as site visits, but despite assurances from Minister Nick Smith that group scheduling was permissible National voted against even this clarification.

"National cannot have it both ways - if it opposes reasonable group listing provisions it is supporting death by a thousand cuts," said Lynne Pillay MP, proposer of the amendment.

At the conclusion of the debate Hon David Cunliffe sought to have the trees clauses voted on separately from the rest of the Bill so that Labour could record its strong opposition to them. National's Nick Smith vetoed this procedure, forcing the Bill to voted on as one question.

ENDS

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