95bFM New poll highlights discrepancies between voter beliefs and amendments to freshwater mandates
15 July, 2024
Interview by Caeden Tipler, adapted by Ashley-Rose Redstone
Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says that environmental regulation does not have to come at the expense of infrastructure development.
A recent poll by Horizon Research reported that 82% of National Party voters believe protecting lakes, rivers, and drinking water is important.
However, the poll results contrast recent coalition policies, such as removing environmental regulations in the Resource Management Act 1991 and implementing the Fast-Track Approvals Bill to accelerate consents for new infrastructure.
Will Appelbe, spokesperson for Greenpeace Aotearoa, told 95bFM’s The Wire that removing fresh water protections for infrastructure development sends the message that environmental regulation comes at the expense of economic growth.
“It's important to remember that the current protections don’t mean that development can't occur, it just means that the water has to be protected and prioritised before development can be approved.”
“These freshwater protections were put in place because of the horrific state of freshwater across the country that significantly degraded and needs to be improved, so it's pretty alarming that this government wants to repeal them.”
Appelbe explained that due to intensive dairy farming and land use the risk of nitrate contamination in Aotearoa’s drinking water has grown continuously over the past few decades.
The long-term impacts of nitrate contamination include the increased likelihood of bowel cancer and birth defects, threatening the health of present and future generations.
Appelbe said that deregulating Aotearoa’s freshwater protections could further degrade our environment at a time when the country is already threatened by the ongoing climate crisis.
“The current protections aren't perfect, but with the current framework, the health of freshwater ecosystems, communities, and drinking water have been prioritised.”
“There's no mandate to repeal these freshwater protections, so it begs the question: who is it for? Are they doing this for voters, or are they doing this for polluting industries? I think it's the latter.”
