Stop The Erosion

Monday 11 Aug 2003 Ken Shirley Press Releases -- Other

ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader Ken Shirley today called upon Prime Minister Helen Clark, and her Cabinet, to stop the erosion of property rights by un-elected and non-mandated pressure groups.

"The latest incident, where local residents have threatened to burn to the ground any development on Matakana Island - near Tauranga - by the Pritchard Group, is outrageous and an affront to the rule of law," Mr Shirley said.

"This 75-hectare residential canal development - to be completed in 2007 - will be subject to the full forces of the Resource Management Act, where elected representatives are statutorily bound to consider the impact on the social, economic and physical environment.

"No pressure group has the right of veto, and any continued threats should be dealt with severely.

"The petition circulated by Taiawa Kuka is a legitimate process, but rather strange coming from one who had been instrumental in negotiating the 200-year lease of the land to the development group.

"No doubt this contractual lease was free of conditions which would have driven the price down but, having secured the payment, the same person is now opposing the development proposal.

"The RMA's seemingly endless consultative hoops more than protect the interests of the environment. It is intolerable for un-elected lobbyists, with a vested interest, to threaten the destruction of a development or to use their position to extort excessive payments" Mr Shirley said.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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