350 Aotearoa is condemning the Government’s latest Fast-Track Approvals amendments as a dangerous “Henry VIII-style power grab that shreds democracy and hands royal privileges to mining companies.”

“These amendments look like they’ve been written by Henry the Eighth himself - it appears that Luxon’s government has discovered the Tudors tab on Wikipedia,” said 350 Aotearoa campaigner Adam Currie. “The amendments strip the public of appeal rights — off with their minds! — while Ministers coronate themselves the ability to rewrite legislation without even going through Parliament.”

“In a move that could only be described as Henry VIII-core, Ministers are now giving themselves the power to rewrite laws without Parliament’s involvement. Just a quick flick of an ‘Order in Council’, and boom: legislation changed. No debate. No committee. No pesky check-and-balance opposition MPs ruining the vibe. This is straight out of the medieval playbook,” said Currie. “Henry VIII would be proud.”

“And if you thought independent environmental oversight could save us, think again. The EPA Chief Executive - along with his attempts to ensure environmental oversight over fast-track projects - has been ceremonially yeeted from the castle walls. Shane Jones literally celebrated his “burst of sunlight” departure like he’d finally slain a dragon! Celebrating, Jones insists the EPA shouldn’t act like a “some kind of supernatural guardian of the natural world”, which is a weird thing to say because guarding the natural world is literally their job! If anyone has supernatural powers here, it’s the Ministers who now get to conjure laws into existence,” says Currie

“Not content with crowning themselves, Ministers are now extending lord-like powers to fast-track applicants. Mining companies will be allowed to object to independent EPA panel members that might dare to consider placing checks and balances on fast-track applications. All this, while communities, environmental groups and citizens are further sidelined and stripped of appeal rights.

The legislation is expected to pass at the end of the year - with the use of urgency looking likely. 350 Aotearoa will be engaging in the Select Committee process, and is urging the government to halt these ‘tudor-style’ tactics, and allow the Select Committee to complete a full, deliberative process considering these amendments.

“Communities who speak up for clean water, healthy forests and a safe climate aren’t obstacles — they’re kaitiaki,” said Currie. “But this Government wants to silence them and crown pollution as king.” “This is Aotearoa, not Tudor England,” said Currie. “Our future shouldn’t be decided by a handful of Ministers playing monarch on behalf of fossil fuel barons.”

Cindy Baxter, chair of Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, said the changes were “a fundamental undermining of democracy”.

“On behalf of tens of thousands of Kiwis, we have opposed destructive seabed mining for 20 years,” said Baxter. “The idea that we are ‘stalling progress’ simply because we may appeal is absurd. The Government wants to lock the public out entirely.”

© Scoop Media