20 May 2010

Mining extension backfires on Brownlee

The more Kiwis learn about the Government’s mining plans, the less they like them, according to a ShapeNZ poll released today.

“Kiwis clearly understand the immense conservation value of Schedule 4, and the more they learn about it, the less they like the idea of desecrating these wild spaces,” Metiria Turei, Green Party Co-leader said today.

The ShapeNZ poll, commissioned by the Business Council for Sustainable Development, (BCSD), reveals that a majority of New Zealanders are opposed to the idea of mining our highest-value conservation land, currently protected under Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act. This majority grows whenever specific areas are mentioned.

“The Minister for Energy and Resources, Gerry Brownlee, thought an extra few weeks would allow mining interests to woo the public into submission. His plan has clearly backfired,” Mrs Turei said.

“His attack on the BCSD as a ‘left wing think tank’, whose membership includes the BNZ and HSBC banks, is a classic last gasp of the desperate.

“People choose a secure future for their children over short-term economic benefits for the few.

“The Government’s weak economic argument doesn’t wash with Kiwis.

“There is no way to ‘balance’ permanently destroying our last remaining wild places against a short term, one-off gain for foreign mining companies.

“It is time that John Key’s Government swallowed the dead rat that is Schedule 4 mining, and re-affirms the cross-party consensus that created Schedule 4 in the first place,” Mrs Turei said.

For more information:
The ShapeNZ mining issues report Part 1:
http://www.nzbcsd.org.nz/_attachments/ShapeNZ%5Fmining%5Fsurvey%5FMay%5F2010%5FSchedule%5F4%5Freport%2Edoc

ENDS

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