Greenpeace today cautiously welcomed the Government’s announcement of the principles and process to craft legislation to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA).

However the environmental campaigning organisation said the new law must protect environmental bottom lines in a way that the RMA failed to.

"The RMA created a consenting process that traded off private profit driven development against environmental destruction, which cumulatively resulted in an environmental death spiral," said Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director Dr Russel Norman.

"The result is the polluted rivers, spiralling greenhouse emissions and biodiversity collapse we see today in Aotearoa. Our groundwater is now poisoned from the north to the south.

"It is hopeful that the proposed new legislation will incorporate biophysical limits that must not be breached. The test of the new legislation will be exactly what those limits are and whether these public interest environmental protections trump private profit driven applications.

"Whatever replaces the RMA must effectively regulate our most polluting industry - dairying. That means stopping nitrate pollution entering freshwater from milk processing, synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and too many cows."

"We are also pleased to see greater recognition for te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Mana o te Taiao - the mana of the environment. We hope this will both help to redress some colonial injustice while improving environmental protection", said Norman

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