David Parker

Conservation Spokesperson

22 March 2010 Media Statement

Coromandel now open for mining as Minister of Conservation loses control of her portfolio
Buried in today’s announcement is a decision to strip the Minister of Conservation of control of her portfolio and hand it to the Minister of Energy Gerry Brownlee, Labour Conservation spokesperson David Parker says.

“Today’s ‘discussion document’ says the government intends to remove the Minister of Conservation’s power of veto on mining applications in conservation areas by adding in the Minister of Energy and Resources. Given the seniority of Gerry Brownlee, few will doubt that this is a serious erosion of protection of conservation areas,” David Parker said.

“The Minister of Conservation is guardian of these conservation areas on behalf of the public and ought to have (and not cede to others) political accountability for decisions that affect them.

“While some additional land has been added to Schedule 4, this should not distract from the primary issue - whether it is appropriate to mine in National Parks and areas like the Coromandel.

“The reality is parts of the conservation estate in the Coromandel will now be open for mining. With over a quarter of New Zealand's population, but no National Parks, Aucklanders rightly view the 40% of the Coromandel in the conservation estate as important.

“The discussion document proposes an initial 2,500 ha to be made available for mining, with more likely to follow.

“The document leaves many questions unanswered, but the trend is clear. The power of the Minister of Conservation to stop mining in the DOC estate is being severely curtailed, and more mining is coming to the Coromandel.

"The Government cannot claim that the changes are going to cause a ‘step change’ in the New Zealand economy and at the same time claim the effects will be minor. One of those propositions must be wrong,” David Parker said.

ENDS

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