Grey mayor 'disgusted' with James Shaw over comments about 'Pākehā farmers'
Wednesday, 30 June 2021
Associate Environment Minister James Shaw has tried to allay fears the West Coast will be “locked up” when councils are required to identify significant natural areas (SNAs) on private land.
The Government began work in 2018 on its National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity, which requires councils to map natural areas that should be protected.
It had previously been up to each council to decide how to do this, but the Government said the proposed policy would standardise the criteria.
None of the West Coast district councils had mapped out their SNAs before the responsibility moved to the Te Tai o Poutini Plan Committee, which is creating one district plan for the whole region.
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The committee voted to reject a report on the issue at its meeting on Tuesday.
Grey mayor Tania Gibson said the report included a map of proposed SNAs, which covered the vast majority of the private land in the region. Only scattered pockets in each district were deemed to have no SNA present, she said.
She wrote a letter to all rural and provincial mayors asking for their support in the battle against SNAs, which she said was “theft by regulation”.
She wanted to “to protect landowners from having their land locked up” by the Government.
She was “angered and disgusted” by Shaw’s comments on Ngāti Hine FM that “a group of Pākehā farmers from down south” were spreading misinformation about the proposals and pushing back against any regulation to protect environmental conditions on their land.
Gibson said the West Coast’s three district mayors, regional council chair and two local rūnanga chairmen wrote to Shaw opposing the SNA process, and received only a “generic response letter” back.
She said Shaw had showed a lack of respect to not only the leaders and their constituents, but also to the primary sector.
“Our primary industries and rural communities helped build New Zealand, they kept the country running throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
“They are feeling undervalued and are facing new legislation that is making industry and small businesses harder to function, and I know my community is feeling angry and frustrated,” she said.
Shaw said he was “a little surprised” by some of Gibson’s comments, particularly concerning the Government’s intention.
Existing activities would be able to continue on SNAs providing they happened in partnership with nature. Some new activities could be possible with a resource consent, he said.
“To claim that land is being ‘locked up’ or the [policy] amounts to ‘theft’ is utterly absurd and will cause uncertainty and unnecessary distress for farmers,” he said.
“I accept that I could been clearer when referring to farmers in the south, but some groups have been sharing misinformation … which has not helped with people’s understanding of the policy and how it will empower landowners, councils and local communities to work together to protect indigenous biodiversity.”
Gibson said West Coasters wanted landowners to be compensated if they were unable to develop or use their land productively.
Shaw said he was aware West Coasters had been calling for compensation but the policy would “not stop people from using their land”.
Some changes to the policy had been made following more than 7000 submissions. The next draft would be released for targeted consultation soon, he said.
Te Tai o Poutini Plan Committee chairman Rex Williams said the committee voted to hold off further work on SNAs until there was more certainty from the Government.
It was also seeking legal opinion on the options.