On Tue, 14 May 2024 21:00:25 GMT,
wn@nosuch.com (Willy Nilly) wrote:
Thanks for the publicity, Willy, there are indeed serious concerns,
mainly relating to compliance with the NZ-UK FTA, which arise in turn
from the indications that decisions will impact on New Zealand's
commitments to environmental standards and the Paris agreement.
Of particular concern must be the prospect of seabed mining. As the
article finishes:
"For now, the fast-track bill is moving steadily through the machine
of government. It has been facing select committee scrutiny since last
week and, as RNZ reported, early submissions were largely in
opposition to the bill. Submissions resume at 9am today. At the end of
this process, it will return to parliament for potential updates. Te
Pati Maori has questioned this process, however, pointing in a press
release to the 550 slots available for those wishing to speak to the
select committee despite 2,350 individual submitters – something
co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer called a “lucky dip”. Meanwhile,
Labour’s Arena Williams, writing for the Herald last week, went so far
as to draw links between growing disillusionment with politicians and
the fast-track bill. There’s also the question of what projects could
eventuate if the law passes, with particular attention paid to Trans
Tasman’s Taranaki seabed mining project after the company pulled out
of its Environmental Projections Authority hearing last month. While
the trio of ministers will have the power to make the call, other
projects are expected to be listed directly in the legislation when it
passes – that part of the bill remains empty. RNZ’s Farah Hancock
wrote last month about the secrecy that has surrounded the bill
throughout this lengthy and ongoing debate."
Essentially the actions of government, and one company pulling out of
an environmental Projections Authority hearing do appear to indicate
that Shane Jones has given the nod to a number of projects that may
get in the way of trade . . .
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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