Forest & Bird is pledging to oppose environmentally damaging projects that are put through the fast-track environmental override voted on in Parliament this afternoon. Government MPs today cast their final vote in favour of the Fast-track Approvals Bill, meaning it will now become law.
“The passing of this law is a dark day for Aotearoa New Zealand – it slashes environmental protections, silences local voices, and is an affront to good law-making,” says Richard Capie, Group Manager Conservation Advocacy and Policy. “New Zealanders care about nature, rely on nature and are proud of nature, but this law puts mining, energy and irrigation projects ahead of the environmental bottom lines we all rely on as a country.
"This is some of the worst law-making Forest & Bird has seen in our 100-year history. MPs now need to commit to reviewing and, if necessary, cancelling permits granted under this fast-tracked war on nature, and scrapping the law as soon as possible," Mr Capie says.
“Any environmentally damaging projects approved by this law will be opposed vociferously by Forest & Bird.”
Major failures in the process of getting this bill passed have included:
- Failure to keep the public and MPs informed by meeting the Government’s legal requirements under the Official Information Act. Just today Forest & Bird received information about the bill that was sought months ago.
- Failure to follow the advice of the Clerk and the ruling of the Assistant Speaker to exclude the list of 149 projects from the bill because of the private benefit conferred on those applications
- Failure of the panel considering projects to even look at the environmental risk assessments provided by applicants
- Failure to provide the public and MPs with information about the environmental impacts of projects until after MPs had voted on the list of projects
- Failure to provide Parliament’s environment committee with the list of projects or information on likely environmental impacts
“This bill has been in the unenviable situation of being criticised by nearly every state watchdog. The Ombudsman, Auditor General, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Legislation Design and Advisory Committee and even the Chief Archivist have either criticised the legislation or the way the Government has gone about creating it,” Richard Capie says.
“The government already has a fast-track process that was passed into law in 2020. Since then, 101 projects have been approved, ten declined and five are in progress. Four have been withdrawn. The only reason for this new law is to allow projects that are too environmentally damaging to get approval any other way.”