Tēnā koe Prime Minister,

Re: Anti-environment fast-track approval legislation 

Your Government’s blatant disregard for environmental protection has no place in Aotearoa. 

Your Ministers are giving themselves extraordinary powers to approve environmentally destructive projects without public participation. It is anti-democratic. 

We cannot leave the future of our natural world at the mercy of party donors and powerful industry lobbyists. 

Your plan means environmental laws will be ignored and public input sidelined. 

Trashing nature in the midst of a climate and biodiversity crisis is irresponsible and frankly, dangerous. We want your Government to prioritise the health of our planet over profit. 

We urge you to commit to put in place safeguards to protect nature and the climate - and to ensure the decision-making is not beholden to corporate interests tied to any of your coalition partners. 

Without this, your legacy could end up as leader of the single-most anti-environment government New Zealand has seen in living memory. 

You also need to be aware that for any companies thinking of taking advantage of this fast track process, there is a risk that approved projects may be exposed to proper scrutiny next time there is a change of government, which could include loss of the consent, possibly without compensation.

We urge you to direct your Ministers to make changes to the legislation that address these concerns. This would reduce risk to our natural world and to the projects themselves.

Ngā mihi nui, 

James Shaw, Green Party Co-leader