The 149 Fast Track projects announced today will be rubber stamped in record time with the risks being carried by tangata whenua, communities and the environment.
With reckless extremism this Government has provided a pathway for developments free from in depth scrutiny or public participation. Any projects that have any potential environmental or social benefits have been tainted by being on this list with a complete absence of fair process or careful consideration. .
The 11 mining projects are just the frontrunners in an irresponsible race to environmental damage. The first gold mine announced under Fast Track in our area (Oceana Gold’s mine in DOC land in the Southern Coromandel Range) should never be on this list as they applied for a consent two years ago. Any delays to the process have been due to their failure to supply local authorities with the information needed to assess their huge project at Wharekirauponga. Projects already in the consent process are not supposed to be Fast Tracked but Oceana and the Government are giving up on the legal process and opting for a free ride to the company making huge profits at our expense.
A number of other foreign gold companies are lining up to follow Oceana in our region once the Fast Track is law and we are totally excluded from having a voice.. The toxic waste from mining will be a cost to our communities while they extract the profits for and then move on.
Watchdog is calling on the Labour Party, Greens and Te Pāti Māori to clearly reaffirm that consents issued under the Fast Track can be withdrawn when the Government changes.
Investors need to be aware that bad decision making can and should be reversed, and we are calling on opposition Parties to ensure that there is no doubt for these Investors that participating in this undemocratic process, getting one of these ‘Fasttracked’ consents, will not come with any degree of certainty – quite the opposite. We need to be clear now – Fasttrack consents will be reviewed, and may be revoked.
The entire CWoH team sends our support to the other communities across Aotearoa who have projects on the list and no chance to be heard on any of them – especially those who have been fighting for years, including in the Courts. We abhor the inclusion of the so called ‘zombie projects’ in the Fasttrack – as if the rest wasn’t bad enough, to override our judicial system like this is a deeply concerning and should have all kiwis worried – regardless!
The companies get the wealth, and future generations inherit the damage of this reckless regime, so we must continue this fight.