There has been an astonishing lead story by TV3 tonight July 19.
They advise that tomorrow, the Minister of Energy is to announce that there has been a total U turn by the Government in their announced intention to mine totally protected Schedule 4 Conservation lands and National Parks. He is to confirm that all the areas targetted for mining are to remain totally protected from mining.
The key issue should also be that he annnounces that the Minister of Conservation will retain her veto over mining on conservation land. There had been suggestions that this veto might be removed from the Minister or that she would have to have a joint right of veto with the Minister of Energy which would have been disastrous.
This is an amazing backdown by the Government. It reflects huge credit on the amazing efforts of Forest and Bird, Greenpeace, the Green Party, Labour and the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who protested, wrote submissions, letters, articles, signed petitions and used every possible influence to stop this stupid initiative by the Minister of Energy and officials of the Ministry of Economic Development.
Although it has caused us a huge amount of angst and work, I think it is also appropriate to thank those Ministers and MPs within the Government who listened and changed their position.