Maryan STREET
Environment Spokesperson

27 May 2013                                                               
MEDIA ADVISORY

Labour will repeal damaging RMA provisions

Embargoed until 6.00am Monday 27 May 2013  

Labour will repeal any provisions of a new Resource Management Act which undermine environmental protections, says Labour’s Environment spokesperson Maryan Street.

Speaking at a seminar on the RMA held in Wellington over the weekend, she said Labour would support any amendments to processes which allowed the Act to work more efficiently, but would reverse and repeal any changes made by the current government to the principles and purpose of the Act.

“The National-led government is pursuing an economic development agenda at all costs, including the cost of the environment.

“Theirs is an impoverished view of New Zealand’s future, lacking in vision and imagination.

“There are thousands of jobs to be created out of environmentally sound technologies, with a little assistance and some clever research and development. For starters there are many jobs simply in remediation of our waterways.

“Sir Geoffrey Palmer’s analysis of proposed changes to the RMA, especially those to part 2 of the Act, is devastating. He notes they would wreck existing case law, and introduce huge uncertainty for all players, the opposite of what the government says it is trying to do.

“He also points out that the changes would ruin our environmental identity and put at risk an economy built on a $14 billion ‘100% pure, clean, green’ brand.

“I agree. One certainty people can rely on is that a future Labour-led government would repeal RMA provisions which undermine environmental protection and would explore new ways of making our economy productive, without compromising our environmental ideals.

“An environmentally healthy New Zealand will be a more prosperous and productive New Zealand,“ Maryan Street said.

ENDS

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