Legislative Protection for the Ranges Proposed

Media release 17 July 2006

(For immediate release)

Legislative Protection for the Waitakere Ranges Proposed Before Select Committee

This Thursday the leaders promoting the Waitakere Ranges Protection Bill will pitch their case to the Select Committee considering the bill.

Leaders of the Auckland Regional Council, Waitakere City Council, Rodney District Council, and Waitakere Ranges Protection Society, will be putting the case for legislative protection in the first Hearing session from 9am.

The members of the Parliamentary Select Committee that will be present are: Steve Chadwick (Chair), John Carter (Deputy Chair), Georgina Beyer, Martin Gallagher, Hon. Marian Hobbs, Eric Roy, Hon. Dr. Nick Smith, and Metira Turei.

According to the parliamentary website, the Bill is then due to be read in Parliament in August 2006.

John Edgar, the President of the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society, said "The Bill is designed to preserve the natural landscape we all value in the Ranges and to stop them suffering 'death by a thousand cuts' from inappropriate development", as has been forecast by Dr. Morgan Williams, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.”

John Edgar also noted the narrowness of the parliamentary support in comparison to the support and backing of the local elected leaders of the Auckland Regional Council, Waitakere City Council, and Rodney District Council, saying “We would encourage central government to recognize this is a locally-generated bill with strong and majority local support and to commend it as soon as possible to Parliament.”

The hearings will be held at the Waitakere Trusts Stadium, Thursday the 20th of July, beginning at 9am.

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For detailed information go to: www.waitakereranges.org.nz

ENDS

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