Hon Amy Adams
Minister for the Environment
28 February, 2014 Media Statement
Tricky Cunliffe continues to mislead
David Cunliffe latest attempt to rewrite history on oil and gas exploration highlights an on-going, casual relationship
with the truth, Environment Minister Amy Adams says.
“As a minister in the previous Labour Government, David Cunliffe knows there was no environment oversight and certainly
no public involvement in the exploratory drilling process under his watch,” Ms Adams says.
“Once again he has been caught out being tricky with the truth. He is trying to create a distraction from Labour’s
woeful environmental credentials.
“Under his government, 36 wells were drilled in the EEZ between 1999 and 2008 with no legislation in place to protect
the environment.
“In fact, the Labour regime only required the Minister for Energy and Resources to sign a permit and required no formal
environmental assessment at all. That’s it – no public comment, no submissions, no consideration of environmental
effects.
“The ridiculous thing about David Cunliffe’s argument is that the EEZ Act introduced by this Government actually
replaces a non-existent environmental regulatory regime for drilling in the EEZ, where the public had no say.
“Under this Government, the public will for the first time get a chance to have a say. The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) can call for submissions from the public prior to granting a consent for exploratory drilling, if the EPA
feels it is required. And before any production drilling can take place, a full public process must be held.
“This means before an oil company can make a single dollar of profit, they have to go in front of the people of New
Zealand and make sure everyone has a say in the full process.”
ENDS