350 Aotearoa is condemning the Government’s latest
Fast-Track Approvals amendments as a dangerous “Henry
VIII-style power grab that shreds democracy and hands royal
privileges to mining companies.”
“These amendments
look like they’ve been written by Henry the Eighth himself
– it appears that Luxon’s government has discovered the
Tudors tab on Wikipedia,” said 350 Aotearoa campaigner
Adam Currie. “The amendments strip the public of appeal
rights — off with their minds! — while Ministers
coronate themselves the ability to rewrite legislation
without even going through Parliament.”
“In a move
that could only be described as Henry VIII-core, Ministers
are now giving themselves the power to rewrite laws without
Parliament’s involvement. Just a quick flick of an
‘Order in Council’, and boom: legislation
changed. No debate. No committee. No pesky check-and-balance
opposition MPs ruining the vibe. This is straight out of the
medieval playbook,” said Currie. “Henry VIII would be
proud.”
“And if you thought independent
environmental oversight could save us, think again. The EPA
Chief Executive – along with his attempts to ensure
environmental oversight over fast-track projects – has been
ceremonially yeeted from the castle walls. Shane Jones
literally celebrated his “burst of sunlight” departure
like he’d finally slain a dragon! Celebrating, Jones
insists the EPA shouldn’t act like a “some kind of
supernatural guardian of the natural world”, which is a
weird thing to say because guarding the natural world is
literally their job! If anyone has supernatural powers here,
it’s the Ministers who now get to conjure laws into
existence,” says Currie
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“Not content with crowning
themselves, Ministers are now extending lord-like powers to
fast-track applicants. Mining companies will be allowed to
object to independent EPA panel members that might dare to
consider placing checks and balances on fast-track
applications. All this, while communities, environmental
groups and citizens are further sidelined and stripped of
appeal rights.
The legislation is expected to pass at
the end of the year – with the use of urgency looking
likely. 350 Aotearoa will be engaging in the Select
Committee process, and is urging the government to halt
these ‘tudor-style’ tactics, and allow the Select
Committee to complete a full, deliberative process
considering these amendments.
“Communities who speak
up for clean water, healthy forests and a safe climate
aren’t obstacles — they’re kaitiaki,” said Currie.
“But this Government wants to silence them and crown
pollution as king.” “This is Aotearoa, not Tudor
England,” said Currie. “Our future shouldn’t be
decided by a handful of Ministers playing monarch on behalf
of fossil fuel barons.”
Cindy Baxter, chair of Kiwis
Against Seabed Mining, said the changes were “a
fundamental undermining of democracy”.
“On behalf
of tens of thousands of Kiwis, we have opposed destructive
seabed mining for 20 years,” said Baxter. “The idea that
we are ‘stalling progress’ simply because we may appeal
is absurd. The Government wants to lock the public out
entirely.”
