The list of developments set to be expedited by the Government has laid bare the full extent of the destruction the Fast-track Approvals Bill will unleash on Aotearoa’s native habitats and threatened species, says the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) New Zealand.

The Government has today published a list of 149 infrastructure and development projects it has selected to be attached to the Bill.

These projects include open-cast coal and gold mines on land home to kiwi and other rare wildlife; seabed mining in blue whale habitat; and salmon farming right in the midst of a safe haven for critically endangered yellow-eyed penguins.

WWF-New Zealand’s CEO Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb says it is a disgrace the Government is ramming through projects already rejected by experts and the courts on environmental grounds – and in doing so is almost certainly condemning some of Aotearoa’s native species to extinction.

“These projects expose the Fast-track Approvals Bill for what it really is - a corrupt piece of legislation that will strip local communities of their voice and unleash environmental destruction the likes of which we’ve never seen. This is a dark day for nature and democracy in Aotearoa,” she says.

“Our connection with nature is what makes us who we are as Kiwis and what draws in tourists from around the globe. Our political leaders are dreaming if they think New Zealanders will let them get away with trashing our wild landscapes and driving our native species to extinction for short-term profit.

“Kiwis all over the country devote their time and energy to preserving our threatened species with backyard and community trapping projects, bush restoration work, and beach clean-up. This Government’s continued war on nature is a slap in the face to these volunteers and their communities.

“This Government is attempting to sell its Fast-track Bill to the public by claiming it will help us decarbonise the economy. We support the intent to expand renewable energy generation - but 22 renewable energy projects doesn’t excuse the move to reanimate a suite of projects that have already been rejected, or the development of a host of fish farms and new mines without proper consideration of their environmental impact. This list has simply exposed their greenwashing for what it is.”

One project set to be fast-tracked is the Hananui salmon farm off the north-eastern coast of Stewart Island/Rakiura – a proposal which was previously rejected by independent experts over its impact on marine mammals and seabirds.

“Plonking an open ocean salmon farm in the middle of one of our last remaining safe havens for hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) is incredibly short-sighted and could have catastrophic consequences for a much-loved native bird that’s already critically endangered,” says Kingdon-Bebb.

Trans-Tasman Resources’ project to mine the seabed off the coast of Taranaki has also been added to the list - despite the offshore wind farm sector saying the two industries are incompatible, and it having previously been rejected by the Environmental Protection Authority.

“If the Government was really committed to decarbonising New Zealand then it wouldn’t be blocking an entire renewable energy industry in favour of a destructive mining project that is vehemently opposed by tangata whenua and the local community," says Kingdon-Bebb.

The 149 listed projects will now be attached to the Bill with no opportunity for public input.

“This Government is denying Kiwis their right to have a say on this reckless Fast-track Bill and I don’t think our leaders have fully grasped the scale of the opposition they’re going to see from New Zealanders,” warns Kingdon-Bebb.

“Now we’ve had our eyes opened to what’s really at stake, we’re going to see communities around the motu standing up and speaking out against these environmentally-destructive projects and the threats they pose to our very way of life. This Government has got another thing coming if it thinks it’s got an easy ride ahead.”

© Scoop Media