Climate Justice Taranaki hopes Pacific veer away from NZ's 'horrific' Fast-track bill

Climate Justice Taranaki hopes the Pacific will not follow in New Zealand's footsteps of setting up a fast-track approval process that speeds up the consenting of climate-impacting infrastructure projects.

The Fast-track Approvals Bill, which is expected to pass by the end of the year, will allow developers to apply to the joint Ministers, where their application would then be referred to an expert panel to assess and make a recommendation to said joint Ministers, who then approve or decline it.

So far 149 projects had been selected, including 19 mining and quarrying, seven agriculture projects, 22 renewable energy including hydro, 43 infrastructure including roads and irrigation, and 58 housing and land developments.

Speaking to William Terite on Pacific Mornings, ecologist and researcher for Climate Justice Taranaki, Catherine Cheung, called the bill "horrific" and hoped that this would not set a precedent for the Pacific to follow.

Recently in the Cook Islands, protests arose in the Avarua Harbour's waters following the 52nd Underwater Minerals Conference held in the South Pacific Nation where discussions on potential sea-bed mining circulated.

Cheung said projects that increase climate disasters, like sea-bed mining, are dangerous considering how many in the Pacific rely on the ocean for their livelihood.

"[Also] irrigation projects into Canterbury would drive further agricultural intensification," she said.

"What comes with it is methane emissions which are extremely potent and bad for climate change and could lead to more sea level rise for island nations.

"It's extremely unethical and irresponsible for New Zealand to be doing these things."

She said the solution is increasing renewable energy projects as New Zealand only has a population of over 5 million alongside good hydro power.

Watch the full interview via 531pi's FB below:

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told RNZ that Cabinet went above and beyond to manage conflicts of interest when selecting fast-track projects, in line with advice from the Cabinet Office and done "incredibly tidily".

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop also told RNZ that the bill will help rebuild the economy, fix the housing crisis, improve energy insecurity, and address the country's infrastructure deficit.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop. Photo /National Party.

Cheung said although we must resolve New Zealand's housing crisis through renewable energy, that moving towards that goal with mining projects is "a step backwards".

"There is the sea-bed mining project on the South Coast of Taranaki, which was put forward more than 10 years ago," Cheung said.

She said their opposition to sea-bed mining is in its potential to upset fisheries and continually destroy the ocean which provides food.

She also said the ocean is already stressed as it had been "carrying the brunt of the climate global heating".

"You would have heard of extreme heat waves, marine heat waves here in the Southern Oceans, the oceans have been doing us a favour.

"[If] we start to destroy it or destroy it further then we're in real trouble.

"We're concerned that the sea-bed mining project would set a really dangerous precedent. It doesn't exist anywhere really and to that scale."