Latest news with #NewZealandBillofRightsAct
Scoop
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Leading Environmental Organisations Call On The PM To Reject The Regulatory Standards Bill
Press Release – Greenpeace The open letter, signed by the executive directors of Forest & Bird, Greenpeace Aotearoa, EDS, and WWF-NZ, describes the Regulatory Standards Bill as 'an unprecedented threat' to environmental protection, climate action, and the countrys democratic and constitutional … Four of Aotearoa New Zealand's leading environmental organisations have today issued a joint open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, urging him to reject the Regulatory Standards Bill in full. The Regulatory Standards Bill is being discussed in Cabinet on Monday, 19 May 2025. The open letter, signed by the executive directors of Forest & Bird, Greenpeace Aotearoa, the Environmental Defence Society (EDS), and WWF-New Zealand, describes the Regulatory Standards Bill as 'an unprecedented threat' to environmental protection, climate action, and the country's democratic and constitutional foundations. The organisations warn the Bill would create a dangerous new precedent where governments are expected to compensate companies if new environmental protections interfere with their property, effectively turning the polluters pay principle on its head. — Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Aotearoa New Zealand, the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon Re: The Regulatory Standards Bill Dear Prime Minister, As leading environmental organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are writing to express our deep concern regarding the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. We strongly urge your Government to reject this bill in its entirety. The Regulatory Standards Bill poses a significant and unprecedented threat to New Zealand's ability to respond to pressing environmental challenges, uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and maintain a functioning and responsive democracy. If enacted, this legislation would: Impose financial penalties on environmental action, making it a new and unprecedented expectation that the Crown would compensate corporations when laws to protect nature or the climate affect the use or value of their property; Undermine environmental protections by prioritising individual freedoms and private property rights over the health of nature and the public interest; Establish an unelected Regulatory Standards Board, appointed by the Minister for Regulation, with the power to hear and amplify complaints from companies and pressure the Government over any policy inconsistent with a rigid set of principles. The bill also explicitly excludes Te Tiriti o Waitangi from its set of 'good' law making principles. This risks undermining decades of progress towards incorporating Treaty principles into environmental governance and will likely result in legal confusion and uncertainty. The Ministry of Justice has already advised that the Bill fails to reflect the constitutional significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is not aligned with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. The principles that all future governments would be required to consider under the Regulatory Standards Bill omit critical aspects of environmental stewardship, and elevate individual freedoms and private property rights above all other considerations. This ideology has no place in our legal system here in Aotearoa, where we have long valued fairness and collective responsibility rather than individual entitlement to harm nature or others under the guise of freedom. At a time of escalating climate change and declining biodiversity, this Bill would make it harder – not easier – for governments to act in the national interest. The Regulatory Standards Bill has been rejected three times before. We believe it should be rejected again. There is no public mandate for this proposal, and it is being advanced through a coalition agreement, not by popular demand or broad consensus. We therefore respectfully call on you to: – Reject the Regulatory Standards Bill in its entirety; – Commit to strengthening, not weakening, the Government's capacity to address environmental challenges for the benefit of all people in Aotearoa and future generations; and – Reaffirm the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in lawmaking and regulatory design.
Scoop
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Leading Environmental Organisations Call On The PM To Reject The Regulatory Standards Bill
Four of Aotearoa New Zealand's leading environmental organisations have today issued a joint open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, urging him to reject the Regulatory Standards Bill in full. The Regulatory Standards Bill is being discussed in Cabinet on Monday, 19 May 2025. The open letter, signed by the executive directors of Forest & Bird, Greenpeace Aotearoa, the Environmental Defence Society (EDS), and WWF-New Zealand, describes the Regulatory Standards Bill as "an unprecedented threat" to environmental protection, climate action, and the country's democratic and constitutional foundations. The organisations warn the Bill would create a dangerous new precedent where governments are expected to compensate companies if new environmental protections interfere with their property, effectively turning the polluters pay principle on its head. --- Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Aotearoa New Zealand, the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon Re: The Regulatory Standards Bill Dear Prime Minister, As leading environmental organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are writing to express our deep concern regarding the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. We strongly urge your Government to reject this bill in its entirety. The Regulatory Standards Bill poses a significant and unprecedented threat to New Zealand's ability to respond to pressing environmental challenges, uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and maintain a functioning and responsive democracy. If enacted, this legislation would: Impose financial penalties on environmental action, making it a new and unprecedented expectation that the Crown would compensate corporations when laws to protect nature or the climate affect the use or value of their property; Undermine environmental protections by prioritising individual freedoms and private property rights over the health of nature and the public interest; Establish an unelected Regulatory Standards Board, appointed by the Minister for Regulation, with the power to hear and amplify complaints from companies and pressure the Government over any policy inconsistent with a rigid set of principles. The bill also explicitly excludes Te Tiriti o Waitangi from its set of "good" law making principles. This risks undermining decades of progress towards incorporating Treaty principles into environmental governance and will likely result in legal confusion and uncertainty. The Ministry of Justice has already advised that the Bill fails to reflect the constitutional significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is not aligned with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. The principles that all future governments would be required to consider under the Regulatory Standards Bill omit critical aspects of environmental stewardship, and elevate individual freedoms and private property rights above all other considerations. This ideology has no place in our legal system here in Aotearoa, where we have long valued fairness and collective responsibility rather than individual entitlement to harm nature or others under the guise of freedom. At a time of escalating climate change and declining biodiversity, this Bill would make it harder - not easier - for governments to act in the national interest. The Regulatory Standards Bill has been rejected three times before. We believe it should be rejected again. There is no public mandate for this proposal, and it is being advanced through a coalition agreement, not by popular demand or broad consensus. We therefore respectfully call on you to: - Reject the Regulatory Standards Bill in its entirety; - Commit to strengthening, not weakening, the Government's capacity to address environmental challenges for the benefit of all people in Aotearoa and future generations; and - Reaffirm the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in lawmaking and regulatory design.
Otago Daily Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Ex-councillor refusing to pay gorse bill share
A former Invercargill city councillor says she has not cleared her bill with the council after they removed gorse from her land more than two years ago. Karen Arnold has been embroiled in a battle with the Invercargill City Council since 2022, when her section at Theodore St, Bluff, began failing inspections due to overgrowth. A report prepared for a March hearing showed it had drawn three "request for service" complaints and failed eight of 10 inspections. But Ms Arnold disputes the issue, saying compliance notices from the council were unlawful and breached the New Zealand Bill of Rights. Ms Arnold said she would not pay her share of a $5320 bill for council contractors clearing the section following an October 2022 bylaw notice, despite receiving monthly reminders. "They keep sending it out. I've ignored it." Council group manager consenting and environment Jonathan Shaw said a decision was made to split the cost 50:50 with Ms Arnold when she met the council in January last year. The section was also the subject of a council hearing in March where Ms Arnold unsuccessfully appealed a bylaw notice from December last year. Although the panel accepted it was unhelpful gorse existed on co-owned council land at the boundary of the property, removal still rested with the owner. "They say that it's got to be cleared again, and I'm not going to do it and so it's going to be the same thing," Ms Arnold said. "They'll go and clear it and then they'll charge me." The section backs on to Bluff Hill/Motupōhue, which is co-owned by the council and Department of Conservation. Ms Arnold claims the council conceded it had failed on a range of issues at a January 2024 meeting where the council's chief executive and lawyer were present. That included that two compliance notices in 2022 and one from 2023 were unlawful and breached the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, that the council did not manage its gorse under the regional pest management plan until prompted and that it had a conflict of interest in dealing with her concerns. In response to questions, Mr Shaw said the council did not accept gorse was not being managed on its land at Bluff Hill prior to Ms Arnold's complaint. The cancellation of a December 2023 notice for procedural reasons did not mean the compliance problems raised in the original notice were invalid, Mr Shaw said. Two councillors on the hearing panel declared conflicts of interest but felt it did not warrant them stepping aside, he added. "The council staff involved in the decision considered the issues raised by Ms Arnold on each occasion in a fair and balanced manner. "This included preparing for and attending the hearing, which Arnold chose to leave partway through." Ms Arnold was elected to the council in 2013 and 2016, but stood down near the end of her second term. She was declared bankrupt in 2018 after losing a defamation suit against Stuff and then-mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt, RNZ reported. • LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Bluff Gorse Stoush: Ex-Councillor Hasn't Paid Council Bill
Article – Matthew Rosenberg – Local Democracy Reporter Karen Arnold has been embroiled in a battle with the organisation since 2022 when her section at Theodore St, Bluff, began failing inspections due to overgrowth. A former Invercargill councillor says she has not cleared her bill with the council after they removed gorse from her land more than two years ago. Karen Arnold has been embroiled in a battle with the organisation since 2022 when her section at Theodore St, Bluff, began failing inspections due to overgrowth. A report prepared for a March hearing showed it had drawn three 'request for service' complaints and failed eight of 10 inspections. But Arnold disputes the issue, saying compliance notices from council were unlawful and breached the New Zealand Bill of Rights. Arnold said she won't pay her share of a $5320 bill for council contractors clearing the section following an October 2022 bylaw notice, despite receiving monthly reminders. 'They keep sending it out, I've ignored it.' Invercargill City Council group manager consenting and environment Jonathan Shaw said a decision was made to split the cost 50/50 with Arnold when she met with council in January 2024. The section was also the subject of a council hearing in March where Arnold unsuccessfully appealed a bylaw notice from December 2024. Although the panel accepted it was unhelpful that gorse existed on co-owned council land at the boundary of the property, removal still rested with the owner. 'They say that it's got to be cleared again, and I'm not going to do it and so it's going to be the same thing,' Arnold said. 'They'll go and clear it and then they'll charge me.' The section backs onto Bluff Hill/Motupōhue, which is co-owned by the council and Department of Conservation. Arnold claims the council conceded it had failed on a range of issues at a January 2024 meeting where the council's chief executive and lawyer were present. That included that two compliance notices in 2022 and one from 2023 were unlawful and breached the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, that the council did not manage its gorse under the regional pest management plan until prompted, and that they had a conflict of interest in dealing with her concerns. In response to questions, Shaw said the council did not accept that gorse wasn't being managed on its land at Bluff Hill prior to Arnold's complaint. The cancellation of a December 2023 notice for procedural reasons did not mean the compliance problems raised in the original notice were invalid, Shaw said. Two councillors on the hearing panel declared conflicts of interest but felt it did not warrant them stepping aside, he added. 'The council staff involved in the decision considered the issues raised by Ms Arnold on each occasion in a fair and balanced manner. 'This included preparing for and attending the hearing, which Arnold chose to leave partway through.' Arnold was elected to council in 2013 and 2016, but stood down near the end of her second term. She was declared bankrupt in 2018 after losing a defamation suit against Stuff and then-mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt, RNZ reported.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Bluff Gorse Stoush: Ex-Councillor Hasn't Paid Council Bill
A former Invercargill councillor says she has not cleared her bill with the council after they removed gorse from her land more than two years ago. Karen Arnold has been embroiled in a battle with the organisation since 2022 when her section at Theodore St, Bluff, began failing inspections due to overgrowth. A report prepared for a March hearing showed it had drawn three 'request for service' complaints and failed eight of 10 inspections. But Arnold disputes the issue, saying compliance notices from council were unlawful and breached the New Zealand Bill of Rights. Arnold said she won't pay her share of a $5320 bill for council contractors clearing the section following an October 2022 bylaw notice, despite receiving monthly reminders. 'They keep sending it out, I've ignored it.' Invercargill City Council group manager consenting and environment Jonathan Shaw said a decision was made to split the cost 50/50 with Arnold when she met with council in January 2024. The section was also the subject of a council hearing in March where Arnold unsuccessfully appealed a bylaw notice from December 2024. Although the panel accepted it was unhelpful that gorse existed on co-owned council land at the boundary of the property, removal still rested with the owner. 'They say that it's got to be cleared again, and I'm not going to do it and so it's going to be the same thing,' Arnold said. 'They'll go and clear it and then they'll charge me.' The section backs onto Bluff Hill/Motupōhue, which is co-owned by the council and Department of Conservation. Arnold claims the council conceded it had failed on a range of issues at a January 2024 meeting where the council's chief executive and lawyer were present. That included that two compliance notices in 2022 and one from 2023 were unlawful and breached the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, that the council did not manage its gorse under the regional pest management plan until prompted, and that they had a conflict of interest in dealing with her concerns. In response to questions, Shaw said the council did not accept that gorse wasn't being managed on its land at Bluff Hill prior to Arnold's complaint. The cancellation of a December 2023 notice for procedural reasons did not mean the compliance problems raised in the original notice were invalid, Shaw said. Two councillors on the hearing panel declared conflicts of interest but felt it did not warrant them stepping aside, he added. "The council staff involved in the decision considered the issues raised by Ms Arnold on each occasion in a fair and balanced manner. "This included preparing for and attending the hearing, which Arnold chose to leave partway through." Arnold was elected to council in 2013 and 2016, but stood down near the end of her second term. She was declared bankrupt in 2018 after losing a defamation suit against Stuff and then-mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt, RNZ reported.
