Documents obtained under the Official Information Act have revealed the Minister for the Environment is pressuring local councils to allow ‘water take’ consents for a group of farmers that includes her party colleague, in a catchment already showing signs of serious decline.
“The very least New Zealanders would expect from their Minister for the Environment is a duty of care for the environment, no matter their politics,” says Green Party Environment spokesperson, Lan Pham.
“Instead, we have a Minister using their position to try to influence a council’s legal process to help out their mates. It's a gross misuse of power that clearly shows how little care this Government has in being transparent about their conflict of interests.
“These documents show the Minister for the Environment has written to Horizons Regional Council demanding briefings about what is delaying the granting of irrigation consents from a group of Santoft area farmers.
“What this clearly demonstrates is that this Government would rather use bully tactics to allow environmental harm rather than protect the commons that belong to all of us.
“It is extremely concerning to have a Minister for the Environment advocating for a consent for water extraction at all. But, here it appears Penny Simmonds is advocating on behalf of a National MP to get a consent for their private company, which seems to be a major conflict of interest that the Prime Minister must answer for.
“We already know this is the most anti-environment government NZ has ever had; systematically dismantling what remains of even our most basic freshwater protections that even their own previous national governments put in place. But this is another level entirely.
“Our rivers and lakes are too precious and too vulnerable to be sacrificed in back-room dealings with out-of-touch ministers and their mates," says Lan Pham.
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