Latest news with #ChooseCleanWater
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
'Don't Be Fooled': Govt's Freshwater Reforms Means More Pollution In Your Water & Commercial Control Of Public Resources
Press Release – Choose Clean Water Choose Clean Water says its important for the public to make submissions on the changes (these can be made until 27 July 2025) but its just as important for the public to contact MPs and Ministers directly to voice their opposition. 29 May 2025 Freshwater campaigners are saying 'don't be fooled' by the Coalition Government's rhetoric in today's freshwater policy announcement. What it really means for New Zealanders is more pollution in rivers, lakes, and drinking water sources and the handing over of more power to commercial interests to control a fundamental public resource. The Coalition Government made its long-awaited announcement on freshwater policy reform today and Choose Clean Water's spokesperson Tom Kay says it confirms what has been feared. 'Ministers are using comforting words like 'balance' but the details of this policy demonstrate that this is not about balance or protecting the public. The Government is proposing to remove existing bottom lines and change the long overdue prioritisation of the health of people and waterways provided by Te Mana o Te Wai.' 'Don't be fooled, this is a massive blow for the health of our water and the health of our communities.' Te Mana o te Wai is a vastly improved decision-making framework in the existing National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. It requires regional councils to provide for the protection of the health of waterways and the health needs of people (i.e. access to safe, good quality drinking water) before commercial uses can be considered. It was strengthened following the failure of previous National Policy Statements in 2011, 2014, and 2017 to improve the health of freshwater in New Zealand, and widespread public support for the Government to act. 'What Te Mana o te Wai finally provided, in the 2020 version of our national freshwater policy, was sufficient weight to the public interest and need for healthy water. Before this, people's drinking water and waterways were regularly losing out to commercial pressures, which we saw result in sick rivers and lakes, the drying up of rivers and groundwater, and undrinkable water sources around the country.' 'In the 2020 national policy statement, it was finally recognised that communities couldn't continue like that—it was unstable, unsustainable, and unhealthy.' The group says Minister Hoggard's ACT party has consistently misrepresented Te Mana o Te Wai and used race-baiting to generate misguided anger towards a policy that protects all New Zealanders. Leader of the ACT Party, David Seymour, has stated that Te Mana o te Wai is 'the same as waving crystals over the water to drive out evil spirits, and it's truly bonkers.' 'This is not only nasty and insulting but it's also plain wrong,' says Kay. 'Te Mana o te Wai is simply a framework that says we have to ensure our water is healthy enough to support itself and our people before it can support commercial interests. It doesn't rule out business—it just says that business can't occur at the cost of our communities' health.' Previous consultation on changes to freshwater policy under the Resource Management Act demonstrated most regional councils support Te Mana o te Wai. 'Not only that, groups from Water NZ to Seafood NZ to Forest & Bird to public health advocates support Te Mana o te Wai because it makes priorities clearer for decision makers and provides better protection for the health of waterways and people.' Minister Hoggard and Minister McClay's announcement is consistent with the Coalition Government's approach to handing over more power to extractive commercial interests and removing basic protections for New Zealanders. 'Polluting industries have massively influenced this freshwater policy. The Government is following the requests of groups like DairyNZ who have asked the Government to remove bottom lines and for industry control of instruments like farm plans. This Coalition Government is captured by big industries, we saw it with tobacco and now we're seeing it with agribusiness.' Choose Clean Water says it's important for the public to make submissions on the changes (these can be made until 27 July 2025) but it's just as important for the public to contact MPs and Ministers directly to voice their opposition. 'We have a good existing national policy statement for freshwater. It puts us all on the path to restoration and health over time and still allows for productive land use to support communities. The Coalition Government is making changes New Zealand simply doesn't need and that will take us backwards.'
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
'Don't Be Fooled': Govt's Freshwater Reforms Means More Pollution In Your Water & Commercial Control Of Public Resources
29 May 2025 Freshwater campaigners are saying 'don't be fooled' by the Coalition Government's rhetoric in today's freshwater policy announcement. What it really means for New Zealanders is more pollution in rivers, lakes, and drinking water sources and the handing over of more power to commercial interests to control a fundamental public resource. The Coalition Government made its long-awaited announcement on freshwater policy reform today and Choose Clean Water's spokesperson Tom Kay says it confirms what has been feared. 'Ministers are using comforting words like 'balance' but the details of this policy demonstrate that this is not about balance or protecting the public. The Government is proposing to remove existing bottom lines and change the long overdue prioritisation of the health of people and waterways provided by Te Mana o Te Wai.' 'Don't be fooled, this is a massive blow for the health of our water and the health of our communities.' Te Mana o te Wai is a vastly improved decision-making framework in the existing National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. It requires regional councils to provide for the protection of the health of waterways and the health needs of people (i.e. access to safe, good quality drinking water) before commercial uses can be considered. It was strengthened following the failure of previous National Policy Statements in 2011, 2014, and 2017 to improve the health of freshwater in New Zealand, and widespread public support for the Government to act. 'What Te Mana o te Wai finally provided, in the 2020 version of our national freshwater policy, was sufficient weight to the public interest and need for healthy water. Before this, people's drinking water and waterways were regularly losing out to commercial pressures, which we saw result in sick rivers and lakes, the drying up of rivers and groundwater, and undrinkable water sources around the country.' 'In the 2020 national policy statement, it was finally recognised that communities couldn't continue like that—it was unstable, unsustainable, and unhealthy.' The group says Minister Hoggard's ACT party has consistently misrepresented Te Mana o Te Wai and used race-baiting to generate misguided anger towards a policy that protects all New Zealanders. Leader of the ACT Party, David Seymour, has stated that Te Mana o te Wai is 'the same as waving crystals over the water to drive out evil spirits, and it's truly bonkers.' 'This is not only nasty and insulting but it's also plain wrong,' says Kay. 'Te Mana o te Wai is simply a framework that says we have to ensure our water is healthy enough to support itself and our people before it can support commercial interests. It doesn't rule out business—it just says that business can't occur at the cost of our communities' health.' Previous consultation on changes to freshwater policy under the Resource Management Act demonstrated most regional councils support Te Mana o te Wai. 'Not only that, groups from Water NZ to Seafood NZ to Forest & Bird to public health advocates support Te Mana o te Wai because it makes priorities clearer for decision makers and provides better protection for the health of waterways and people.' Minister Hoggard and Minister McClay's announcement is consistent with the Coalition Government's approach to handing over more power to extractive commercial interests and removing basic protections for New Zealanders. 'Polluting industries have massively influenced this freshwater policy. The Government is following the requests of groups like DairyNZ who have asked the Government to remove bottom lines and for industry control of instruments like farm plans. This Coalition Government is captured by big industries, we saw it with tobacco and now we're seeing it with agribusiness.' Choose Clean Water says it's important for the public to make submissions on the changes (these can be made until 27 July 2025) but it's just as important for the public to contact MPs and Ministers directly to voice their opposition. 'We have a good existing national policy statement for freshwater. It puts us all on the path to restoration and health over time and still allows for productive land use to support communities. The Coalition Government is making changes New Zealand simply doesn't need and that will take us backwards.'
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
National Direction Changes Expected To Advance Dangerous ACT Ideology At Expense Of The Health Of NZers And Environment
Press Release – Choose Clean Water Choose Clean Water says the cabinet papers prioritising of the enjoyment of private property rights in public policy is straight out of an extreme libertarian ideology and becomes incoherent and dangerous when applied to communities needs … Government changes to national direction relating to the country's resource management, expected to be announced this week, will advance ACT Party extreme ideologies at the expense of the health of the public and our environment, say freshwater campaigners. Campaign group Choose Clean Water says a close reading of the Coalition Government's cabinet paper on resource management reform provides a strong indication of what will be in the Government's national direction announcement, and shows the National-led Government is adopting the extreme and incoherent views of ACT in their approach to environmental policy. 'The changes to national direction signalled in the cabinet paper cover more than freshwater policy but what's proposed for freshwater is indicative of what's coming across the board. 'The Coalition Government is making sure commercial interests can trump the public's interests, and that supposed private property rights can trump the rights of everyone else in our communities to a safe, healthy environment to live in,' says spokesperson for the group, Tom Kay. Choose Clean Water says the cabinet paper's prioritising of 'the enjoyment of private property rights' in public policy is straight out of an extreme libertarian ideology and becomes incoherent and dangerous when applied to communities' needs and the natural environment. As the cabinet paper emphasises, the Coalition Government intends to ' replace the RMA with resource management laws premised on the enjoyment of property rights as a guiding principle '. It goes on to say, 'land use effects that are borne solely by the party undertaking the activity would not be controlled'. 'The cabinet paper ignores reality. Prioritising ownership as it exists right now ignores the fact that property changes hands over time—so one landowner's actions will affect a future property owner or community. 'The reality is that most land use activities will have an impact on the rest of the community and wider society, even those that may be confined within a property boundary. 'That's why we have rules about what people can and can't do, so that the needs of everyone—including future generations—can be managed and communities aren't harmed by one person's poor decision making.' Additionally, Choose Clean Water says any national direction announcement that highlights 'environmental limits' should be met with skepticism. It appears as though the Government has already agreed to take away existing essential environmental limits for freshwater. The cabinet paper states, ' Limits to protect human health would be set nationally, whereas limits to protect the natural environment would be set by regional councils, who may incorporate sub-regional perspectives (such as catchment groups) '. 'We have existing protections for rivers and lakes in the form of national bottom lines (environmental limits). The National Party introduced these in 2014 and they've been refined since. 'But the cabinet paper proposes to remove these existing bottom lines and throw this decision-making back to regional councils again. This means communities will be vulnerable to more pollution of their rivers, lakes and drinking water, such as from another predicted 'dairy boom' in Canterbury.' 'It's dangerous to disconnect human and environmental health, and unrealistic to imagine you can protect people's health without protecting the waterways they swim in, fish and collect food from, and rely on for their drinking water.' Kay also says the group can also see the influence of commercial interests over public policy, such as allowing catchment groups to set limits as another way of weakening or removing limits. 'It just opens them up to industry capture, where agribusiness exerts massive influence to set weak standards that work for them. Catchment groups are currently largely dominated by these interests and aren't set up to allow for what downstream communities might want or need to protect their health and livelihoods.' 'This is only a small example of what's in the cabinet paper and there is more to be alarmed about in the Coalition Government's proposals for our environmental policies. ACT's dangerous ideology should not be the basis of our resource management system, and National Party leaders must push back on them.'
