The ultimate Earth Day present

Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei couldn’t be happier that her Member’s Bill giving permanent protection to New Zealand’s wild places was pulled from the ballot on Earth Day, at a time when these places are under assault from mining.

The Crown Minerals (Protection of Public Conservation Land Listed in the Fourth Schedule) Amendment Bill will retain the existing provisions of Schedule 4 protection in the Crown Minerals Act, but would require an Act of Parliament to remove something from Schedule 4, once it has been gazetted.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better Earth Day present,” Mrs Turei said.

“The National Government that created Schedule 4 declared these special places ‘no-go areas for mining’, but now the National Party wants to renege on their promise.

“I challenge them to restore their credibility and back my Bill.

“Once these places are spoiled, they are lost forever. We’re not talking about the whole conservation estate, just those places of high conservation or aesthetic value within it.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of the thousands of Kiwis speaking out in opposition to John Key’s plan to desecrate these amazing places.

“To vote against my Bill is to declare that nothing in New Zealand is sacred, that everything is up for sale.

“The Green Party will continue to stand up for what belongs to all of us, and to future generations of New Zealanders,” Mrs Turei said.

A copy of this straightforward Bill can be found here:
http://www.greens.org.nz/bills/crown-minerals-protection-public-conservation-land-listed-fourth-schedule-amendment-bill