How useless, gutless and spineless is ECan and the Environmental Protection Agency?

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How useless, gutless and spineless is ECan and the Environmental Protection Agency?

How wrong did the EPA get it when they allowed Trans Tasman Resources to mine the seabed in the South Taranaki Bight?

Seabed mining decision quashed in High Court
New Zealand’s only known population of blue whale has been granted a reprieve from the imminent threat of experimental seabed mining, and conservationists are celebrating.

The High Court has quashed the Environmental Protection Authority’s green light for Trans-Tasman Resources’ (TTR) experimental seabed mining operation off the coast of Pātea, in Taranaki.

TTR was granted consent in October last year by the EPA to mine iron sand from the deep seafloor between South Taranaki and Golden Bay. The proposed activity covered 65 km² of seabed and would continue for up to 35 years.

…and how toothless was ECan’s response to a Chinese company stealing water?

Bottler caught illegally taking water likely to avoid serious punishment
A water bottling operation caught illegally taking water from an aquifer beneath Christchurch is likely to escape serious punishment.

Cloud Ocean Water says it is in the process of commissioning its plant and it is working with the authorities to resolve “teething issues as they arise”.

It has permission to extract about 1.5 billion litres of water a year at a plant it is building in Belfast. It intends bottling the water to sell overseas.

A resource consent condition required the China-based firm to notify Environment Canterbury (ECan) of when it would begin pumping water from a 33m bore on its site at the old Kaputone wool scour.

But ECan served an abatement notice on the company on Friday after it emerged it had been taking water without informing authorities.

The firm is unlikely to face serious sanction because the notice only requires it to stop taking the water and meet the conditions of its resource consent.

It does not allow for a fine or tougher punishment, and more serious enforcement action will only happen if Cloud Ocean Water continues to pump water illegally – meaning it may escape serious punishment.

Enforcement is dictated by the Resource Management Act (RMA). It was Cloud Ocean Water’s first consent breach.

…it’s almost as if the very agencies supposed to protect our environment are merely tools for those who wish to damage it to get away with it. These agencies are as pathetic as the MPI…

Is there anything MPI can’t fuck up?

In the wake of terrible footage showing intense cruelty to farm animals, what’s MPI’s response?

MPI says it can’t legally secretly film for farm abuse

Who is MPI there for? The protection of the environment and animals that produce all this wealth or the industry players who refuse point blank to be regulated?

50 fishing boats refuse MPI observers in 18 months, data shows

High Court partially upholds kiwifruit PSA claim

Mycoplasma bovis culprit likely to remain a mystery, says MPI

…since when did a country that prides itself on being clean and green allow the very agencies that are supposed to protect the environment help those who want to exploit it damage it without any consequences?

If the Greens aren’t too busy reclaiming the C word and handing their questions over to National, could they, you know, protect the environment?

7 COMMENTS

  1. Meanwhile those of us who live in Christchurch are having to drink shitty water that has had chlorine added to it. The taste is dreadful.

    • We expect better from this new Labour lead Government;- as they are not very good at fixing anything that is now adversely affecting our environment now are they Martyn?

      Labour need to clean house now, as they are making many errors including doing nothing much about lowering the monster trucks causing road gridlock!!!!!

      While our Kiwirail public owned rail still withers sadly!!!!!

      So labour wake up!!!!!!!

      ‘Lets do this’, – and kick Phil Twyfords ass while you are at it and wake him up.!!!!!

      Tywfords office will not allow Twyford to meet community groups since November last year and he seems to be busy helping road upgrades and trucks.

      While twyford was in my town (Napier) on friday his Weliington office said he was to busy to meet with our committee in Napier!!!!!

      Bad feelings here for you twyford.
      See this.

      He wanted to just take some glory in the local press for himself while turning his back on the community.

      Another less than perfect politician again we see sadly.

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=12113074

      • Totally agree with you there Martyn, – but here in HB we are having big trouble with labour minister Phil Twyford since November 2017.

        Whynasre they scared to meet with NGO’s and public groups it is so puzzling now and disturbing.

        No meeting can be made with him; as we have been seeking a meeting with him, – but he is hidiong behind his staff who are saying he is ‘to busy’.

        But we got a shock when last friday he quietly arrived in Napier and no one was alerted to has arrival withiout contacting us to meet him,as he knew we have been loking for him to meet with us for 10 months, so after that shock I rung wellington today and asked his office today for a meeting with him and they said he was to busy yet again.

        Why am I getting the sinking feeling he is avoidiing our long standing community group that has formerly met every other Minister of Transport during the last 18 yrs except for him then?????

        Why is he hiding from us?

        Our final effort today was to request that our own MP in Napier Stuart Nash to request Phil twyford come back here to meet with our community group about the truck gridlock and noise vibrations and air pollution impacting on our 12000 residents who live alongisde the truck route to the Port of Napier called the ‘HB Expressway’ and it has over 2400 truck trips every day in every 24hrs.

        https://www.pce.parliament.nz/media/pdfs/Hawkes-Bay-Expressway-Noise-and-air-quality-issues-June-2005.pdf

        Are we to much trouble for him????

        So yes we want to have our consultation with this labour lead government alright.

        So far we have meet with Shane Jones and Winston Peters, but no labour MP’s will front here yet in Napier other than Stuart Nash; so far?

        Poor effort labour you get a D minus for your lack of effort.

        • re “While our Kiwirail public owned rail still withers sadly!!!!!

          …Tywfords office will not allow Twyford to meet community groups since November last year and he seems to be busy helping road upgrades and trucks”

          …”So far we have meet with Shane Jones and Winston Peters, but no labour MP’s will front here yet in Napier other than Stuart Nash; so far?

          +100 …good points CLEANGREEN

  2. unfortunately those with long memory’s will recognize the writing on Labors wall,they have a long history of abuse of power and this new one looks a lot like the old one.
    The old labor partys pre 1970,s where a workers party, empowered by the Unions since then they seem to be taken over bye the liberal elite.
    Hand in glove with employers to the detriment of employees and oppressors of the unemployed. Dont forget that it was them that broke the welfare system, Natz just made it worse.
    Dont look like we will see any improvements in our collective misery till we grow the nutz to reform our political, justice systems totally, the old one was just like the new one.

  3. “…and how toothless was ECan’s response to a Chinese company stealing water?”

    ( that says it all really!)

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