Fast Track without the Fast or the Track
Fast-track Approvals Bill: Government backs down on giving ministers final decision-making power
The Government has backed down on giving three ministers sign-off powers under the Fast-track Approvals Bill and will instead leave it to a panel of experts.
Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop announced the change today. It will mean anindependent panel of experts will get final approval instead of Government ministers.
The bill, which aims to give swift approval to major projects considered to be of national interest, has proved controversial because of the powers it gave to ministers and critics’ claims it did not give enough weight to environmental considerations.
It would have given three ministers – Bishop, Energy Minister Simeon Brown and Resources Minister Shane Jones – the authority to approve or reject projects, even if that was against the advice of an independent panel assessing the projects.
Under the changes, projects will be referred to an expert panel by the Minister for Infrastructure, who will be required to consult the Minister for the Environment and other relevant ministers as part of the referral process.
Sad day for NZF donors with Shane Jones stripped of Fast Track Powers and Chris Bishop left with some steering powers but not much else.
The shift storm NZF was causing the wider agenda of the Government for trans national mining interests in a d deal that would see us getting a pittance in moralities never made any sense to anyone other than the jining company and anyone who was a consultant to the mining industry begiore they became a politician.
To date the Right have managed to buy lobbyists and then get those lobbyists elected into political parties to enable lobbyist talking points as legislation, we see this from Big Tobacco to the Gun Lobby and so far they have got everything they wanted, the Mining industry however will be very disappointed that their investment in Shane Jones has delivered so little.
Shane Jones is infamously known as the laziest politician in Christendom, so much so that even those who buy him can’t get him to work for them!
By rolling over here, NZF has blinked first and National have managed to regain some of the lost agenda. Expect Shane to suddenly champion attacking the Gentailers with the same gusto as he did attacking Freddy the Frog but with even less follow through.
It’s a quick lesson that this Government can be shamed into doing the right thing.
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One crack in the waste containment of a mine then flow on into the Waitawheta River, was a huge public visible reminder of the real folly of ” Fast Track”. ” Lake Fanta” from farm runoff into the dead Lake Waikare is another.
BC and Argentina’s and Chile’s intensive fish farms killing off entire environments leading to bans on fishfarming but Porkie Jones is still pursuing these.
However , ” Fast Track NATZIs styles ” is not dead. The announcement is a whitewash. It cunningly has exclusions still providing loopholes for all. Anything goes.
The new version still grants bypasses
• Resource consents, notices of requirement, certificates of compliance under the Resource Management Act 1991.
• The need for Department of Conservation concessions under the Conservation Act 1987, and concessions and permissions under the Reserves Act 1977.
• Anything otherwise prohibited under the Wildlife Act 1953.
• The archaeological provisions of the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.
• Marine consents under the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012.
• Land access under the Crown Minerals Act 1991.
• Approval for aquaculture activity under the Fisheries Act 1996.
I’d still say RUN Reeftonites, run ! Antimony in your cuppa on the way.
I guess that is all depends on who ends up on the expert panels then. I don’t think that they can be trusted although it would be nice to be wrong.
I’ve never seen such a naive troika of politicians in charge of something so important that none of them know anything about.
If Bishop’s a lawyer, then it just makes an absolute mockery of the profession and demonstrates that any old ‘Jack Harry’ can get a law degree…same with Penk and his ridiculous house insulation reduction reckons … for fuck’s sake …because some builder in Tauranga told him that this is the way to go…..
And as for, yet another god-botherering anti abortionist, with a B.com- law,(they hand them out in the Weet-Bix packet), Simeon Brown….He knows nothing about anything….he’s still a child… clearly he thinks that divine intervention will save us all if necessary….he’s going to need it with his stupidity around increasing speed limits around schools, upping speed limits around the country, and changing all the dual language signs around the country. Cost already… $1million…just for a report on the costings…duh!!
Bishop has stated aggressively that a crappy apartment is better than living in a car …no context is given.
Is he saying that people who live in cars will now be able to afford to live in tiny weeny crappy apartments without a fresh air Juliet balcony???
How much will the tiny weeny crappy apartments without a Juliet balcony cost…how much will the annual rip- off Body Corporate fee cost… which range between $2,500 to $8,500 a year in Auckland.
And his naivety doesn’t stop there….he has stated that if no one wants tiny weeny crappy apartments, without a Juliet balcony, then the developers will simply stop building them …oh really??…so developers are going to take the risk and go to the expense of building apartment ghettos that nobody wants, or can afford, and when it fails and they go bust…then what…he will bail them out ???
All of them demonstrate a complete lack of critical thinking… even at the most basic level…yet there they are … all clipping the ticket for between $250,000 and $300,000 a year of the hardworking taxpayers of N.Z….we deserve better…much much better.
I smell yet more cowardice from National.
Our elected representatives should always make the final decision, whilst of course seeking the input from experts.
I normally agree with you but I do not see this as cowards but just reading the room.Labour failed to do this and paid the price.I rather National give away on this than see them lose in 26.
We need some concensus between parties rather than have expensive changes of direction every 3 years
An improvement but the battle is still not won.
As Russell Norman points out the panel of experts are still restricted as regards environmental considerations.
My fear is many will hail this as complete victory and quietly go to sleep again.
With the revelations about Goldsmith’s meeting with the fishing industry representatives and Jones ahead of proposed changes to the Marine and Coastal Area Act, perhaps they can also be shamed into abandoning that policy.
NZF wants to be a more ‘natural’ fit for National, they want to see Act getting pushed out of the tent.
There is no NZ “Gun Lobby”, it’s just a collection of law-abiding LFOs trying to hold on to their sport, recreation & livelihoods.
You’d be better off spending time doing something constructive for the less fortunate and the elderly than piss arsing around with guns…what a childish waste of time and money!
Apparently that is what the Left does. I only have one job.
Another flip from the government .Next the two fantastic ferries will be back in favour as at the end of the day 3 billion for world class ships and ports is not that much compared to the 10 billion tunnel that will never be delivered because the tunnel works have left the country
tE TREATY, THE TREATY, the Wai, the Rivers, yes you can have control, the Waitai, the see yes the see our Waitai, within our Queens, distance two hundred miles not leagues.
wHY them so like the rivers the sea, brought those before you, with lesser shipping.
I see an example of urban green feild building in west Auckland where 341 houses have been built with no sewage connection .Clearly the developer just assumed the council would by the farm next door and build the pipes for him .The council should never have let him proceed because there is no sewage connection in the area .This is an example of what will happen under nationals fast track program .A major Winton subdivision is in line to be fast tracked under this government even though it is in a flood prone area .The last government refused consent due to the flooding .These developers are just creating low quality subdivisions at high prices then will scarper and the next government or council will be stuck spending billions on the fix .If storm water and sewage are not already in place not one section should be sold or built on .