Green Party Member Lan Pham's Bill to prohibit mining on conservation land has been drawn from the ballot today.
"Conservation land belongs to all of us. It is set aside to protect native plants, wildlife and the places New Zealanders love, not to be dug up for private profit," says Green Party environment spokesperson Lan Pham.
"This Bill simply protects conservation land in the way most New Zealanders would expect. It keeps conservation land for protection for everyone to enjoy, not exploitation for a few. It shuts the door on new mining, prospecting and exploration across the 8.5 million hectares of public conservation land that make up around a third of Aotearoa."
"Right now, mining gets a special pass. This Bill closes the loophole whereby mining is treated differently to every other commercial activity on conservation land, letting companies tear into places that were meant to be protected forever."
“The Bill also requires new mining permits to be surrendered if protected wildlife is found on the land it covers, so the discovery of a rare or threatened species can no longer be brushed aside, like the Government has done with their Bill that authorises the killing of wildlife where it stands in the way of so-called ‘development’,.”
"You cannot say you value our native species and then keep handing out permits to mine the ground they live on."
"New Zealanders do not want mining companies let loose on our national parks and reserves. They expect conservation land to actually be conserved," says Pham.
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