May 05, 2020
Mangroves versus jobs no contest for Jones
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Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones says iwi leaders should get behind the reform of the Resource Management Act.
The Government has introduced a Bill setting out a new freshwater planning process and other changes as the start of what was intended to be a comprehensive overhaul of the 30-year-old law, and it will also rush through a measure to fast track consents for shovel-ready projects that can help drive the recovery from COVID-19.
That has some iwi and the Māori Party warning against processes that could compromise Māori whenua and wāhi tapu.
Mr Jones says he has heard the Māori concerns and believes iwi need to consider the needs of their people.
"I personally would cut down 100 hectares of mangroves if it gave 100 young Māori jobs. Get your priorities right. The unemployment spectre is frightening for the lives and the future leaders in our Maori communities and we've got to stop over-playing our hand and catastrophising things in terms of the potential downside for the environment," he says.
Shane Jones says the Resource Management Act has become congealed around bureaucracy and purgative action is required.
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