MEDIA ADVISORY

Goff’s new Auckland Council takes first vote on oil drilling

Thursday, November 10: A recent change in the balance of power at the Auckland Council could see a vote against the Government’s offshore oil plans succeed today, where it has previously narrowly failed.

Greenpeace New Zealand campaigner, Steve Abel, will be presenting to the council at 9:30am.

“We are calling on the council to seize the nettle and say no to drilling that risks both catastrophic oil spills and climate change if oil is found,” he says.

“Previous votes have been farcical, such as Auckland’s submission on the Block Offer last year, where an amendment was nearly passed that would have clearly indicated Auckland’s opposition to the drilling. Only Chair George Wood’scasting vote defeated the anti-drilling amendment, after a candidate apparently went to the loo and missed the vote”.

Later in the year, then-Mayor Len Brown’s vote narrowly defeated a similar amendment.

“It is unclear which way the new Mayor Phil Goff will vote, but we think it’s a great opportunity for his new council to clearly signal their intention to take climate change seriously and say no to the fossil fuels we can’t burn if we are going to avoid catastrophic climate change,” Abel says.

During the 2015 Block Offer consultation, Christchurch Council unanimously passed a submission to the Government stating that the risks of deep sea drilling are too great. They reaffirmed this position for the 2016 Block Offer, and have in the last week again opposed the Block Offer for 2017 in a strong submission that was passed with only one dissenting vote.

ENDS

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