Environmental protection the winner on the day

The Green Party is celebrating a victory for the environment, as John Key admits lack of support from other political parties has halted plans to gut the principles of the Resource Management Act.

John Key resolutely said today he lacked enough support from Parliament to pass radical changes to sections 6 and 7 of the RMA, which require local government to protect the environment when considering new building and development, and to consult with communities.

Green Party environment spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said this admission clears the way for a cross-party approach on how to fix some of the costly processes of the RMA while making sure environmental protection remains at the heart of the legislation.

“John Key’s back-down today vindicates the hard work the Green Party and others have been putting in campaigning against the changes that would have threatened our most precious landscapes and ecosystems.

“We know the RMA has problems, but changing sections 6 and 7 would have rendered the whole Act a farce,” said Ms Genter.

“Most of the inconveniences that people complain about, such as needing a resource consent to build a deck or install solar panels, have nothing to do with the RMA but are issues at a local government level.

“It is essential that the law be improved without sacrificing the core value of environmental protection. No environment, no economy,” Ms Genter said.

ENDS

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