Greenpeace’s reaction to PM’s conservation law change

“Every New Zealander needs to know that Bill English and the National Government is planning to steal our conservation land to be exploited for private profit.” says Greenpeace campaigner Genevieve Toop.

After today’s court ruling that the Government cannot revoke protected status of conservation land, Prime Minister Bill English has said his Government will change the law to make it possible.

“This indication by the Prime Minister smacks of desperation to prop up big irrigation and intensive dairying,” she says.

“This Government is not only willing to destroy our rivers for big irrigation and more intensive dairying, but now they’re going after our conservation land too. It seems they learned nothing from the level of public outrage over the proposal to mine Schedule 4 conservation land. New Zealanders will not allow this new change to go unchallenged. ”

“Now is the time for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council to pull their funding out of the Ruataniwha Dam for good. The new council was elected with a mandate to pull the plug and this court ruling is all they need to make the final decision.”