Child rights organisation Save the Children is calling for political leaders to withdraw the Fast-Track Approvals Bill, saying it fails to uphold children’s rights and the potential negative impact on children now and in the future is too great a risk.

As part of its Environment Select Committee oral submission today, Save the Children New Zealand’s Advocacy and Research Director Jacqui Southey says the organisation "strongly opposes" the Bill and asks that it is withdrawn and does not progress past Select Committee stage.

"As an organisation wholly committed to upholding the rights and wellbeing of children now and for future generations, we oppose the Bill on the grounds that it lacks adequate protections to ensure decisions made via the Fast-Track will not result in harmful consequences to the people and environment of Aotearoa New Zealand.

"Research by Save the Children, Born into the Climate Crisis, reveals that children of today are significantly more impacted by the climate crisis than previous generations. They are already experiencing more severe weather events, such as droughts, heatwaves and floods, and will face higher rates climate induced illness and food insecurity.

"If we fail to make decisions now to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis, and to protect our natural and built environments, we will be failing in our duty to guarantee a secure future for our children."

Save the Children strongly opposes the Bill as it:

- Fails to uphold the rights of children by actively stopping them from sharing their views on big decisions that will impact their lives now and their futures; there is no requirement to make decisions in their best interests; and decisions made are likely to have harmful impacts on the environment breaching their rights to live in a healthy environment that will assure their survival, health and development.

- Has the potential to undermine or damage our international reputation through failing to uphold high standards of environmental and climate change protection.

- Has the potential to undermine public confidence in political decision makers and longstanding democratic processes.

- Undermines the important decision-making processes whereby communities can take leadership at a local level and undermines the authority and decision-making of Local Government authorities.

- Attempts to silence public discourse on important issues that will have significant impacts on New Zealand now and into the future, including silencing the voices of children and young people.

- Fails to adequately protect public health, the natural and built resources of Aotearoa New Zealand and has real potential to undermine the wellbeing and prosperity of our nation.

- Has the potential to embed a serious power imbalance that will see large companies with access to significant financial and legal resources wield power over the New Zealand public.

Ms Southey says despite New Zealand’s enduring commitment for more than 30 years to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the current Bill fails to acknowledge or include children and is actively creating a pathway to expedite decision-making that will likely breach their rights. It also makes no reference to the rights of Tamariki Māori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

"Under the Convention, New Zealand is obligated to adequately protect children from the worsening impacts of climate change. Approving mining projects and large-scale infrastructure or transport projects that threaten our already diminishing biodiversity and prioritise roads over public transport infrastructure will contribute to the worsening impacts of climate change threatening children’s rights to life, survival and development."

The Environment Committee received submissions from nearly 27,000 individuals and organisations.

© Scoop Media