The Government is restricting the public’s right to have a say on what happens in their neighbourhoods and on environmentally damaging activities, the Green Party said today. “Under proposed changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA), council officers will be able to strike out submissions if they don’t meet a high enough threshold. This means that unless people have the time and money to pay for expert evidence, their submission can be ruled out,” said Green Party environment spokesperson Eugenie...

Environment Canterbury (ECAN) must take responsibility for Canterbury’s waterways running dry, and wind back water takes so that even in times of low rainfall, water is protected, the Green Party said today. There are several reports of spring-fed headwater tributaries of Christchurch’s Ōtākaro/Avon River drying up completely.   “There were warning signs that taking too much water on the plains from aquifers that feed the Ōtākaro/Avon River had a detrimental impact on city streams and rivers,” said Green Party Canterbury spokesperson Eugenie...

The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) must reveal the 9,700 emails it has tried to hide regarding the swamp kauri trade, and front up over why it has concealed information, the Green Party said today. The High Court has said MPI must release the emails to Northland Environment Protection Society (NEPS), which NEPS wants for its judicial review case that MPI allegedly breached the Forests Act by allowing export of ancient swamp kauri logs and planks. “Minister for Primary Industries Nathan...

The Green Party is calling for the Government to give power back to the people of Christchurch to lead the city's recovery by amending the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Bill.

Unless National’s Bluegreens Forum at Lake Tekapo this weekend pushes for strong environmental changes, it will only provide an opportunity for the National Government to greenwash its poor environmental record, the Green Party said today.   “Under the National Government, net greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 11 per cent compared to 1990 levels, 62 per cent of monitored recreational swimming sites are too dirty to swim in, and the Department of Conservation (DOC) is dependent on corporates to do...

New Zealand needs to halt the substantial under-reporting of commercial fish catches and dumping that a new report suggests is widespread in the fishing industry, the Green Party said today. “Systematic under-reporting of commercial catches undermines the credibility of the Quota Management System (QMS) and the fisheries data used to set the Total Allowable Catch.  It means there is a big question mark over whether current catch limits and fisheries management are sustainable,” said Green Party fisheries spokesperson Eugenie Sage....

A proposed new coal mine at Mokau, South Waikato, shows why the Resource Management Act (RMA) should allow local authorities such as regional councils to take the causes of climate change into account, the Green Party said today. Mokau South Resources has applied to the Waikato Regional Council to dam, pollute, and discharge water in relation to a new coal mine it hopes to open under a mining permit it’s held since 1990. Since 2004, the RMA has prevented councils...

Environment Canterbury’s (ECan) lax attitude to cows polluting our waterways is a symptom of a council which is more responsive to central government’s agricultural intensification agenda than the public’s concern for the environment and water quality, the Green Party said today. The comments come on the back of the most recent Environment Canterbury (ECan) compliance report which shows 95 complaints were made to the council about stock entering waterways in 2013 and 2014, with only one resulting in a fine....

An Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report released today, highlights that climate change will expose farmers to more frequent droughts like the one being experienced in the South Island. It confirms that government and farmers must make stopping dangerous climate change a top priority, the Green Party said today. The OECD report concludes that climate change is likely to increase competition for water resources, and exacerbate the challenges of meeting growing global demand for food. The report comes...

The Government’s intention to introduce recreational fishing parks is an attempt to mask the fact it has left New Zealand huge Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to be plundered by oil and gas and seabed mining interests, the Green Party said today. “The Government thinks it can buy off recreational fishers with these two parks, which still allowing commercial fishing for scallop, crayfish and paua,” said Green Party environment spokesperson Eugenie Sage. “The proposed new Marine Protected Areas law, outlined in...