The Green Party is pushing back against the Department of Conservation’s controversial use of the Wildlife Act to greenlight major construction projects. This comes as fast-track approvals are being processed at an alarming rate.
In 2021, the New Zealand Transport Agency was granted a permit that allowed for the killing of protected species, including the iconic kiwi, during road construction. However, a subsequent ruling by the High Court deemed this permit unlawful, raising serious concerns about wildlife protection.
Greens co-leader Marama Davidson says, stating that 85 similar permits issued over the past year could pose a dangerous threat to endangered wildlife and set a troubling precedent.
“This is all about protecting a world that our mokopuna deserve, Dale. What are we going to leave them if we are just ramrodding over our native species and habitats?” says Davidson.
In a show of public dissent, hundreds of boaters took to the water over the weekend, staging a 17-kilometer flotilla protest against the fast-track sand mining project being undertaken by McCallum Brothers off Te Ākau Bream Bay.
