05 February 2015

Government must to listen to Auckland Council and protect Maui’s dolphins

The Government must listen to the Auckland Council who today voted to call on the Government to protect the habitat of our critically endangered Maui’s dolphin from oil and gas exploration, the Green Party said today.

Auckland Council today passed a vote on a submission to the Government on its 2015 Block Offer asking that the Government amend its offshore exploration permit to remove any overlap with the North Island West Coast Marine Mammal Sanctuary.

“Deep sea oil drilling and Maui’s dolphins don’t mix. New Zealanders care about our Maui’s dolphins. The Government needs to listen to calls to protect our unique marine life,” said Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes.

“It’s not only the permit area in the marine mammal sanctuary which poses a risk to our Maui’s dolphins and other precious marine life. An oil spill would have a devastating effect on the entire region’s environment and our economy.”

The Council was also tied 9-9 on a vote to support an amendment to its submission which would have opposed deep sea oil drilling, which only failed due to the Chair using his vote as a tiebreaker.

Christchurch City Council also spoke out in opposition of deep sea oil drilling last week, saying that the risks to our coastal environment were too great.

“We don't need to risk our Maui’s dolphins, shores and climate for the sake of a quick buck that will mostly benefit overseas oil companies.

“We can create a smart, green economy by moving away from risky extractive activities like deep sea oil drilling,” said Mr Hughes.

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