Going Fast-track will crash through environmental protections

FMC is appalled that discredited projects that were dead in the water have now been resurrected by the Fast-track Approvals Bill.

“It is outrageous that the government would think that de-watering Morgan Gorge on the Waitaha, and damming the Makororo River is a good idea,” says President, Megan Dimozantos. “Both those projects were found to be environmentally unacceptable when they were looked at in detail. These places haven’t changed since then.”

FMC recognises the need for housing, electricity, infrastructure and economic well-being, yet those things need to be balanced with the health of the environment, and the people who live within that environment. Legislation exists to provide this balance.

Dimozantos isn’t impressed by the Bill riding roughshod over democratically decided environmental planning. “Tens of thousands of New Zealanders have put much time and effort into helping shape legislative documents through democratic processes to manage our conservation lands. The circumvention of laws designed to protect the environment and the health of the land and the people just because those laws are inconvenient for a wealthy few is ethically questionable and undemocratic. Even more so because this list was not available to submitters to comment on during the submissions phase. It is only fair and reasonable for the public to expect these projects to be subjected to appropriate scrutiny.”

“I also want to remind Minister Jones that DOC’s Stewardship Land is not wasteland — as he well knows, plenty of Stewardship Land on the West Coast has high conservation values and has been recommended for increased protection.”

FMC maintains that the Fast-track Approvals Bill is an assault on the environment and democracy and, at this stage, finds it hard to imagine any changes that would make this legislation any more palatable.

The map of 149 projects can be found here.

Photo: Morgan Gorge, (c) Kev England