GE Free Zone Issue A Financial Risk For Auckland City

Chris Diack, Citizens & Ratepayers Now Council candidate for Hobson and current Deputy Chair of the Hobson Community Board has said that the City Vision proposal to get Auckland City involved in the GE issue is a financial risk to ratepayers.

“I seldom that I agree with Hon Marion Hobbs, Minister for the Evironment but in this case I do. Councils should stay out of the GE issue. The Government has legislation dealing with the issue and new legislation on the way. The taxpayer has spent millions on a Royal Commission. Central Government has set up ERMA (The Environmental Risk Management Authority) and funds it to the tune of 6 million a year.

“Why on earth would we want ratepayers being put a financial risk by getting involved in trying to regulate genetically modified organisms?" said Mr Diack.

“Auckland’s political left need to explain how much this will cost and how much rates will have to rise to pay for it."

“How much will it cost to attempt to replicate all the functions of central government agencies - and what expertise does a city council have to do it anyway? The local left are utterly silent on this,” said Mr Diack.

“Making promises to ban GE from Auckland City just plays on people’s fears about the unknown. Auckland City has beaches where citizens can’t swim on some days. That’s a risk we actually know about. We can do something about – lets focus on actually improving water quality. That’s why I support real steps to improve our environment.

“I hope Marion Hobbs will spend more time in Auckland. Hopefully she might talk some sense into the local left.

ENDS

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