Special Report
“Campaign Against Foreign control of Aotearoa” common known as CAFCA, has termed the government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill as Backward Facing Policy.
Writing in the latest issue of CAFCA’s “Watchdog bulletin, Murray Horton said the bill was disreputable.
“It removes vital checks and balances from Government decision-making, including counters to corrupt practice and should not be tolerated. Previous generations of New Zealanders fought for democracy; we should do the same. Otherwise, we may find, as Aesop warned, that ‘we hang petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office’. Once this kind of corruption takes hold, democracies falter and fail,” he said.
The Fast Track Approvals bill will open the floodgates to “developers” who are keen to “get things done”. The developers will be big business and the biggest of them are the transnational corporations (TNCs).
“This is a Government that does things by threes – it is headed by the Gleesome Threesome of Luxon, Peters and Seymour. Now it has given three other Ministers – Chris Bishop, Shane Jones and Simeon Brown – the power to decide all projects that fall under the ambit of the new fast track approval legislation.”
The bill covers a sweeping range of projects, from roads to aquaculture, housing to energy plants and mines, basically, plunging far back into the past to the old days when “development” was bulldozed through, ignoring any other considerations.
Muldoon’s Cackle
“I swear I can hear the posthumous cackle of delight from Piggy Muldoon at his Think Big philosophy being resurrected nearly 50 years later. There’s even the same use of two-word slogans. Piggy had Think Big; this crowd has Fast Track,” said Murray Horton.
Fast track is part of a bigger picture, but a very important part.
“And some of the details of the china shop don’t get noticed while all the attention is focussed on the bull. One that is of great interest to CAFCA is the foreign investment approval and “oversight” regime. Act got this in its Coalition Agreement with Nationa to amend the Overseas Investment Act 2005 to limit ministerial decision making to national security concerns and make such decision making more-timely, in other words, remove the need for Ministerial approval of foreign takeover in all except a tiny minority of cases.”
No Mandate
While the sponsors of the Fast Track bill persistently claim a democratic mandate for its provisions, that is not correct said Murray Horton.
“In their 2023 manifesto Blueprint for a Better Environment the National Party told the electorate:- ‘National is passionate about safeguarding New Zealand’s unique natural environment, abundant native biodiversity, pristine waters and spectacular landscapes for future generations. These are the cornerstones of our Kiwi way of life'”.
The Fast-track Bill, overrides more than 40 years of environmental legislation, has been condemned by many authorities including the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, a former National Cabinet Minister, as a radical breach of these commitments he said.
Since National is by far the majority party in the coalition Government, with 38% of the votes, while the party sponsoring this bill won just 6%, it is squarely on the shoulders of the Prime Minister and National Party MPs to deliver on their promises to the electorate. To do otherwise is yet another assault on the democratic process in New Zealand”.
Footnote: CAFCA’s full Charter is at http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/Charter2008.pdf
In many respects, you can understand the driving force behind fast-track legislation, when humungous and bloated bureaucracy gets so out of hand.
Added to that, things such as Taniwha which mysteriously seems to disappear as soon as sufficient “koha” (ie cash) has changed hands – Mt Damper springs to mind
Trouble is, this is just a big ever-reaction and swings far too far the other way!
The effrontery of blowhards Shane Jones and Chris Jones is unbelievable. Murray Horton (CAFCA) deserves plaudits for standing up and speaking so boldly.
To erase the select committee process as the Fast Track Bill does, is insulting to the voters and NZ’s democracy.
We must strengthen New Zealand’s democracy by passing tougher anti-corruption and lobbying laws. Our conflict of interest laws are among the weakest in the OECD, and the current government is conducting a nonstop assault on our rivers, drinking water, public health and democracy. Their Fast Track bill is the evil spawn of Muldoon’s Think Big and Key’s firing of Canterbury’s democracy to ram through half a billion dollars in taxpayer funded irrigation projects that depleted aquifers, ruined rivers, and raised bowel cancer and blue-baby syndrome rates. It’s the same government that removed smoke-free legislation and wants to loosen gun regulation while it cuts the healthcare and disabilities government. They deserve to be a one-term government.
Democracy is precious and vital to a sane, uncorrupted society. The bill ignores the select committee process, the only time the public can make their views known.
It’s time Shane Jones, Simeon Brown and Chris Bishop realised they’re public servants, employed and paid by the voting public, entrusted to serve the public interest.
I realise delays by some sluggish bureaucratic local councils are chronic. However sort out the bureaucrats and their torpor, don’t meddle with democracy. The Fast Track Approval Bill is bad law, it prevents Tom, Dick and Harry and Joanna, Agatha and Michelle making a submission.
There’s every reason in history to think politicians don’t know better than people.
Ignorant people make bad law. Something we suffer far too much of in New Zealand.
Total agree that this fast tracking has gone from one extreme to the other, the consent system needed a lot of improvement, New Zealand’s economy needed it, BUT, this fast tracking Bill is suicide and corruption waiting to happen, I congratulate Murray Horton for have the tenacity to voice his knowledge.
It was pleasing to hear on the news tonight that the government has backed down on 3 ministers approving projects in the Fast Track Bill. The expert panel is now responsible for that, not ideal but is far better than the original proposal. We will be keeping an eye on proceedings.
I’m shocked that the current government ever came up with that set up, now they have paid the price.