Business writes own rules

2 August 2005 - Wellington

Contact: Kevin Hackwell, Conservation Manager, 04 801 2215(w), 04 389 4815(h), 021 227 8420
or Barry Weeber, Senior Researcher, 04 801 2212, 021 627 369

The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society today challenged Environment Minister, Marian Hobbs, to include community, environment and health interests in the development of national infrastructure standards and policies.

"These national standards and policy statements are too important to be written by officials and the vested interests which they are meant to regulate," Forest and Bird's Conservation Manager Kevin Hackwell said today.

"If the Resource Management and Electricity Amendment Bill is passed these standards and policies will rewrite district and regional plans without the robust public processes and Environment Court oversight that exist for those plans."

"The public process suggested by the Minister for the Environment for involving the community is totally inadequate."