Councils On The GE-Free Bandwagon

Tuesday 3 Aug 2004

Dr Muriel Newman - Press Releases - Local Government

ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader and Northland-based MP Dr Muriel Newman today expressed her concern at moves by the Northland Regional Council and local mayors to declare the Northland region a GE free area.

"As an MP in a Party that looked into the GE issue when it was being debated by Parliament, I am dismayed to find local authorities in my own electorate banding together behind a smokescreen of ad hoc populism," Dr Newman said.

"Media reports today have stated that half the country's regional councils support the need for a legal opinion to clarify what control they have over their area's GE status, and that authorities north of Auckland have already been told they can use the Resource Management Act to manage GE.

"ACT has long believed that New Zealand must take a cautious - but realistic - approach to GE, in order to take us forward as a nation into the modern world. It is a huge concern if councils want to take us in the opposite direction, back to the days of witch-hunts and magic carpets.

"Local authorities already have their hands full with providing services to ratepayers in their region in a cost-effective manner. They should focus on their core business, and leave considerations on GE proposals to the experts," Dr Newman said.

ENDS

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