The Grassroots Action Group (GAG) is disappointed that the Government has not listened to the people of Auckland’s views and has pushed through Rodney Hide’s version of the Super City Bill virtually unchanged.
Despite almost 24 hours of non-stop debating in Parliament the Super City Bill passed into law today, with all the amendments proposed by Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party defeated.
The only last minute concession made in the face of strong public opposition this week was to keep the whole of Rodney District within the Super City and not split it in half. Unfortunately for Franklin they remain split.
The passing of the bill virtually unchanged means that Rodney Hide’s plan to concentrate all the power into the hands of a select few, most notably the Super Mayor, has succeeded.
National’s claim to have listened to the people of Auckland is nothing but a lie. The 1000s of public submissions calling for Maori seats, for a fairer voting system, for real power at the grassroots level and to retain the structures that actually work for communities, have been ignored.
The only changes made to the bill were to ditch the idea of councillors being elected at large and to promise some – as yet unspecified – functions and powers to the local boards.
The reality is that all the decisions on funding and priorities for local communities will be made by 21 people, who will need to be extremely well funded even to consider campaigning for a seat at the table. With wards likely to serve 100,000 people each (twice that of an MP) the chance of communicating effectively with constituents is nil.
A Super City for the super rich. How super for the rest of us remains to be seen, but we will all be paying the super rates bills to fund the changes all too soon.
The next Bill to flesh out the details and transitions is due in October. GAG will be informing people of the issues and enabling them to have their say, although the record is not good for being listened to.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Super Shitty
Super City – Super Shitty
That John Key, now who is he?
Rodney Hide – yeah he’s the guy
Knows the answers, oh yeah right
What do you think? Don’t be shy
Make a stand, lets hear your cry
Select Committee – they’re here to listen
Have your say, write a submission
But all so formal & off-putting
Only the brave will be there pitching
I sat & listened for several days
To all those people rant & rave
Give their ideas, experience & views
So much wisdom from the heart, so true
The messages I heard were clear
Consistent themes learned over years
Talk to the people, not at them, eh?
In Waitakere we like to have our say
Not only that, it works you see
Decisions made by you and me
We’re happy when we feel involved
In our community, not told
What’s best for us by some “big man”
Who throws his toys out of his pram
If he doesn’t get his way
Is that democracy I say?
The marginalised & poor shut out
They’ll just complain, will scream & shout
Protest & march, but what’s the use?
When 1% man rules the roost
So what’s the answer? How to change
The minds of those who want their way?
Don’t pay your rates, now that might work
Cos after all, this is our turf
Can’t do too much without the cash
Build more white elephants, make a splash
Down on the waterfront, that’s where
All our rates will be spent – is that fair?
And sell our stuff, you know that’s next
Our precious assets, Auckland’s best
Libraries & parks, stadiums & pools
And then our water oh so cool
Its worth a bomb to the highest bidder
But when it is gone will Auckland be fitter?
Not when we have to buy it back
Just like the trains & of course the track
So don’t be GAGGED about your place
It’s not too late to win this race
Just vote Len Brown for Mayor you see
So much better than John Banksy
And get someone who cares in charge
With politics born from the heart.
Mels Barton
GAG
That John Key, now who is he?
Rodney Hide – yeah he’s the guy
Knows the answers, oh yeah right
What do you think? Don’t be shy
Make a stand, lets hear your cry
Select Committee – they’re here to listen
Have your say, write a submission
But all so formal & off-putting
Only the brave will be there pitching
I sat & listened for several days
To all those people rant & rave
Give their ideas, experience & views
So much wisdom from the heart, so true
The messages I heard were clear
Consistent themes learned over years
Talk to the people, not at them, eh?
In Waitakere we like to have our say
Not only that, it works you see
Decisions made by you and me
We’re happy when we feel involved
In our community, not told
What’s best for us by some “big man”
Who throws his toys out of his pram
If he doesn’t get his way
Is that democracy I say?
The marginalised & poor shut out
They’ll just complain, will scream & shout
Protest & march, but what’s the use?
When 1% man rules the roost
So what’s the answer? How to change
The minds of those who want their way?
Don’t pay your rates, now that might work
Cos after all, this is our turf
Can’t do too much without the cash
Build more white elephants, make a splash
Down on the waterfront, that’s where
All our rates will be spent – is that fair?
And sell our stuff, you know that’s next
Our precious assets, Auckland’s best
Libraries & parks, stadiums & pools
And then our water oh so cool
Its worth a bomb to the highest bidder
But when it is gone will Auckland be fitter?
Not when we have to buy it back
Just like the trains & of course the track
So don’t be GAGGED about your place
It’s not too late to win this race
Just vote Len Brown for Mayor you see
So much better than John Banksy
And get someone who cares in charge
With politics born from the heart.
Mels Barton
GAG
Super City Bill flawed, undemocratic and without a mandate
The Bill setting up the super city remains undemocratic and still delivers our largest city a flawed governance model, says Labour Leader Phil Goff.
“This is deeply disappointing. Labour has consistently advocated for the reform of Auckland’s governance structures and set up the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance in order to ensure Auckland’s future as an internationally competitive, dynamic, socially inclusive city and region.
“But much-needed progress has sadly been compromised by bad decisions, poor process - including a sham consultation process - and a lack of vision.
“The result is an unbalanced model which centralises power in the hands of a privileged few. It is highly unlikely to achieve the Royal Commission’s goal of increasing community engagement in Auckland’s local governance,” Phil Goff says.
“Submitters forced the Government to give local boards more significant decision-making roles. But its determination to stick to its plan to establish 20-30 boards means they will be too small to have real influence and that communities of interest such as Manukau and Waitakere will be split up and disempowered,” Labour’s Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford says.
“Significant opposition to at large councillors also forced the Government into a back down, but by encouraging large multi-member wards it has effectively re-introduced at large councillors via the backdoor. Large wards will favour those with deep pockets.
“The Government has done nothing to create a more balanced relationship between the new mayor and councillors, despite widespread concern by submitters that the mayor will have too much power,” Phil Twyford says.
“Labour is also concerned that too few councillors are proposed - which will undermine their accessibility and accountability to the public. There should be 25 councillors and there should be provision for Maori seats.
“The reform amounts to fundamental constitutional change for one third of New Zealand’s population and requires the consent of those directly affected,” Phil Goff says.
“Yet National used urgency to rush legislation through and took from Aucklanders the right to vote on the proposals in a referendum provided for under the Local Government Act (LGA). This leaves the changes without any mandate from those who will live under and pay for the new structure.
“This determination to ram through major change without proper public consultation has been further highlighted by its pre-empting of the select committee report-back over the past two weeks. Cabinet decisions have already been taken over the region’s boundaries without regard to local concerns and it has turned its back on submitters’ support of the Maori seats,” Phil Goff says.
“The Government's plan to carve off parts of Rodney and Franklin is a terrible mistake and will place the Hunua dams and some of Auckland's most precious parks outside the city limits,” Phil Twyford says.
“There is no protection against the privatisation of about $28 billion in assets which will transfer to the new Auckland Council.
“This isn’t a pie in the sky prospect. Local Government Minister Rodney Hide openly advocates privatising council assets and services and is due to present a paper to Cabinet proposing significant reform of the LGA by the end of the year.
“He wants councils reined back to the delivery of core services only. This second tier of reforms will fundamentally influence how the new Auckland council operates,” Phil Twyford says.
“Prime Minister John Key has backed Mr Hide’s mismanaged handling of the Auckland reform process, raising questions about his own leadership. Public concern will only deepen if Mr Key lets Mr Hide run riot with the LGA.”
Contact: Kris Faafoi (for Phil Goff) 021 648 859 or Phil Twyford 0274 449 161
“This is deeply disappointing. Labour has consistently advocated for the reform of Auckland’s governance structures and set up the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance in order to ensure Auckland’s future as an internationally competitive, dynamic, socially inclusive city and region.
“But much-needed progress has sadly been compromised by bad decisions, poor process - including a sham consultation process - and a lack of vision.
“The result is an unbalanced model which centralises power in the hands of a privileged few. It is highly unlikely to achieve the Royal Commission’s goal of increasing community engagement in Auckland’s local governance,” Phil Goff says.
“Submitters forced the Government to give local boards more significant decision-making roles. But its determination to stick to its plan to establish 20-30 boards means they will be too small to have real influence and that communities of interest such as Manukau and Waitakere will be split up and disempowered,” Labour’s Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford says.
“Significant opposition to at large councillors also forced the Government into a back down, but by encouraging large multi-member wards it has effectively re-introduced at large councillors via the backdoor. Large wards will favour those with deep pockets.
“The Government has done nothing to create a more balanced relationship between the new mayor and councillors, despite widespread concern by submitters that the mayor will have too much power,” Phil Twyford says.
“Labour is also concerned that too few councillors are proposed - which will undermine their accessibility and accountability to the public. There should be 25 councillors and there should be provision for Maori seats.
“The reform amounts to fundamental constitutional change for one third of New Zealand’s population and requires the consent of those directly affected,” Phil Goff says.
“Yet National used urgency to rush legislation through and took from Aucklanders the right to vote on the proposals in a referendum provided for under the Local Government Act (LGA). This leaves the changes without any mandate from those who will live under and pay for the new structure.
“This determination to ram through major change without proper public consultation has been further highlighted by its pre-empting of the select committee report-back over the past two weeks. Cabinet decisions have already been taken over the region’s boundaries without regard to local concerns and it has turned its back on submitters’ support of the Maori seats,” Phil Goff says.
“The Government's plan to carve off parts of Rodney and Franklin is a terrible mistake and will place the Hunua dams and some of Auckland's most precious parks outside the city limits,” Phil Twyford says.
“There is no protection against the privatisation of about $28 billion in assets which will transfer to the new Auckland Council.
“This isn’t a pie in the sky prospect. Local Government Minister Rodney Hide openly advocates privatising council assets and services and is due to present a paper to Cabinet proposing significant reform of the LGA by the end of the year.
“He wants councils reined back to the delivery of core services only. This second tier of reforms will fundamentally influence how the new Auckland council operates,” Phil Twyford says.
“Prime Minister John Key has backed Mr Hide’s mismanaged handling of the Auckland reform process, raising questions about his own leadership. Public concern will only deepen if Mr Key lets Mr Hide run riot with the LGA.”
Contact: Kris Faafoi (for Phil Goff) 021 648 859 or Phil Twyford 0274 449 161
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
SAVE THE TREES - ALL OF THEM!
Yesterday I attended a packed public meeting to hear about the Government's plans to lift the blanket protection currently in place to prevent the clear felling of trees on urban sections as part of their reform of the RMA.
Despite getting 100s of submissions on this issue the select committee has ignored them & the Government plans to push ahead with this law change next week. This could be law as soon as 8 Sept. The chainsaws will be revving as I type...
The only way to change the Government's view on this issue is to show them the strength of public feeling & we don't have much time. MPs will only start to take notice if they receive over 1000 emails or letters on an issue - so this is my challenge - can we bombard the National & ACT MPs with over 1000 emails in the next few days & get them to save our trees?
If we don't I fear we will push pohutakawa & kauri to the brink of extinction and threaten all of our homes with flooding & landslips, not to mention losing the very thing that makes our place so special. Make no mistake this law change will mean that there is no longer any protection for any tree, native or otherwise, & anyone can cut down anything they want without having to get permission. It will be devastating for our suburbs & once its done there is no going back.
So I'm pleading with you to help me save our trees. PLEASE take a few minutes to email these MPs and give them your views. I have attached below the email that I am sending them. You are welcome to use or adapt it for yourself.
I have also included below the email addresses for all the MPs who need to be influenced on this issue. Labour & the Greens have committed to opposing the change & will be tabling amendments to try & prevent this happening.
If you don't have time to do them all then just target those MPs with narrow majorities - I have highlighted them in bold in the list below, plus John Key & Nick Smith the Environment Minister.
Please forward this message to everyone you know who cares about living in a healthy environment with trees, rather than a sterile concrete jungle. We only get one chance to save the trees & this is it.
Yours in hope that common sense will prevail :)
Mels Barton
GAG
Subject: Clause 52, RMA Amendment bill
Dear [MP's name],
I am writing to you to register my concern about the impact that Clause 52 of the proposed Resource Management (Simplifying & Streamlining) Amendment Bill 2009 will have on the urban tree population of New Zealand.
I request that you delete Clause 52 from the proposed Resource Management (Simplifying & Streamlining) Amendment Bill 2009 altogether, retain the existing tree protection provisions and seek to meaningfully engage with local communities in respect to any modifications of existing tree protection rules.
This proposal has the potential to decimate the trees that make our city the special place that it is. Pohutakawa, kauri and all the other beautiful icons that live only in New Zealand are already under threat. Changing the law so that anyone with a chainsaw can chop them down with impunity is insane and totally irresponsible.
I'm not sure whether you are aware that under the current rules it costs nothing to obtain a consent to fell a tree - there is NO CHARGE from the Councils & advice from Council arborists is also free. In addition over 85% of all current applications for tree felling are granted. So it is a complete myth that the current rules are both costly and restrictive to private property owners. Everyone agrees that the tree rules need to be reviewed, but removing the blanket protection is not the answer & will cause far more problems & cost than it saves.
The reality of what is being proposed will have a massive impact on property owners because their neighbours will be able to fell trees with impunity. In Titirangi where I live this WILL cause more landslips, which WILL damage property & roads. We already suffer greatly from instability due to the steep clay slopes, removal of trees will have an incalculable cost to us all. There will be many houses that will simply collapse if the trees protecting the banks that they stand on are removed. I have seen so many landslips just in the streets around my home in the last 10 years it is frightening. How will it be with no trees to keep the slopes intact? We will have no say in what our neighbours want to do with their trees if you pass this law. I am happy to drive you around Titirangi and show you exactly where slips have occurred and why if you'd like to see for yourself. In every case the removal of trees is the major cause of instability.
I'm sure I don't need to describe to you the great benefits that trees provide for us all, but one thing that is usually overlooked is the role they play in attenuating stormwater. The whole of Auckland has problems with managing stormwater, such is the nature of covering the land in concrete & roofs that increase runoff. Each tree attenuates 17 cubic metres of water per year. Can you imagine the extra flooding that will be generated by the wholesale removal of trees in our suburbs? Who will have to pay for the damage caused by that flooding & the upgrading of the infrastructure that will be required to deal with that water? The poor ratepayers of Auckland of course. With climate change affecting our weather & the real possibility that northern NZ may become wetter I suggest we should be planting more trees, not making it easier for people to cut them down.
The impact of removing the tree protection rules will be that massive tree loss will occur. Not only will people cut down more trees, but when development occurs there will be no requirement to undertake mitigation planting, as is currently the case. So not only will we lose currently mature trees but we will not be replacing them either. The economic cost to society of losing trees has not been taken into account in considering this law change and it needs to be.
I live in the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area. Local people campaigned for 35 years to get this special law to protect this special place in perpetuity from inappropriate development & land clearance. This law change effectively castrates the Heritage Area Act & makes protection of the very values that are its purpose impossible. Titirangi is special and people come here because of the trees. It is ludicrous to suggest that the Council could even begin to schedule the hundreds of thousands of trees in Titirangi to protect them - they wouldn't even be able to get at many of them, let alone have the resources to perform the task. If you allow people to chop them down you will destroy Titirangi overnight.
Personally I believe no one should have the right to destroy trees that are 100s of years old just because they don't want to clear their gutters out or they'd like to have a better view. We are all just passing through our properties & if individuals don't have the personal responsibility to recognise their role as guardians of the land then that needs to be legislated for. Unfortunately we all know that this is the case with so many people who only have a short term view of the world. If you pass this law the chainsaws will be out the very next day and we will all suffer the consequences for generations to come. Our birds and insects will disappear, our cool and shade will be gone. We will have nothing to remove our pollution and CO2, or treat our stormwater and hold our soil together.
Please have the courage and wisdom to see the stupidity of this law change and to protect the trees for generations to come. No one is saying the tree rules don't need to be reviewed - everyone knows that - but please don't throw the baby out with the bathwater & destroy our urban forest by removing the basic protection. When its gone it will be forever, this is one mistake we can't put right.
I'm begging you to remove Clause 52 entirely or at least vote for one of the amendments and save our trees. I look forward to your favourable response.
Kind regards,
Dr Mels Barton
All ACT, National, Progressive, United Future & Maori Party MPs:
john.boscawen@parliament.govt.nz
roger.douglas@parliament.govt.nz
david.garrett@parliament.govt.nz
rodney.hide@parliament.govt.nz
heather.roy@parliament.govt.nz
amy.adams@parliament.govt.nz
shane.ardern@parliament.govt.nz
chris.auchinvole@parliament.govt.nz
kanwaljit.bakshi@parliament.govt.nz
david.bennett@parliament.govt.nz
paula.bennett@parliament.govt.nz
jackie.blue@parliament.govt.nz
chester.borrows@parliament.govt.nz
simon.bridges@parliament.govt.nz
gerry.brownlee@parliament.govt.nz
cam.calder@parliament.govt.nz
david.carter@parliament.govt.nz
jonathon.coleman@parliament.govt.nz
judith.collins@parliament.govt.nz
jacqui.dean@parliament.govt.nz
bill.english@parliament.govt.nz
christopher.finlayson@parliament.govt.nz
craig.foss@parliament.govt.nz
aaron.gilmore@parliament.govt.nz
jo.goodhew@parliament.govt.nz
sandra.goudie@parliament.govt.nz
tim.groser@parliament.govt.nz
guy.nathan@parliament.govt.nz
john.hayes@parliament.govt.nz
phil.heatley@parliament.govt.nz
tau.henare@parliament.govt.nz
paul.hutchison@parliament.govt.nz
stephen.joyce@parliament.govt.nz
nikki.kaye@parliament.govt.nz
john.key@parliament.govt.nz
colin.king@parliament.govt.nz
melissa.lee@parliament.govt.nz
sam.lotu-iiga@national.org.nz
tim.macindoe@parliament.govt.nz
wayne.mapp@parliament.govt.nz
todd.mcclay@parliament.govt.nz
murray.mccully@parliament.govt.nz
hekita.parata@parliament.govt.nz
allan.peachey@parliament.govt.nz
simon.power@parliament.govt.nz
paul.quinn@parliament.govt.nz
eric.roy@parliament.govt.nz
tony.ryall@parliament.govt.nz
katrina.shanks@parliament.govt.nz
lockwood.smith@parliament.govt.nz
nick.smith@parliament.govt.nz
georgina-teheuheu@parliament.govt.nz
lindsay.tisch@parliament.govt.nz
anne.tolley@parliament.govt.nz
chris.tremain@parliament.govt.nz
louise.upston@parliament.govt.nz
nicky.wagner@parliament.govt.nz
kate.wilkinson@parliament.govt.nz
maurice.williamson@parliament.govt.nz
pansy.wong@parliament.govt.nz
michael.woodhouse@parliament.govt.nz
jonathon.young@parliament.govt.nz
jim.anderton@parliament.govt.nz
peter.dunne@parliament.govt.nz
teururoa.flavell@parliament.govt.nz
hone.harawira@parliament.govt.nz
rahui.katene@parliament.govt.nz
pita.sharples@parliament.govt.nz
tariana.turia@parliament.govt.nz
Despite getting 100s of submissions on this issue the select committee has ignored them & the Government plans to push ahead with this law change next week. This could be law as soon as 8 Sept. The chainsaws will be revving as I type...
The only way to change the Government's view on this issue is to show them the strength of public feeling & we don't have much time. MPs will only start to take notice if they receive over 1000 emails or letters on an issue - so this is my challenge - can we bombard the National & ACT MPs with over 1000 emails in the next few days & get them to save our trees?
If we don't I fear we will push pohutakawa & kauri to the brink of extinction and threaten all of our homes with flooding & landslips, not to mention losing the very thing that makes our place so special. Make no mistake this law change will mean that there is no longer any protection for any tree, native or otherwise, & anyone can cut down anything they want without having to get permission. It will be devastating for our suburbs & once its done there is no going back.
So I'm pleading with you to help me save our trees. PLEASE take a few minutes to email these MPs and give them your views. I have attached below the email that I am sending them. You are welcome to use or adapt it for yourself.
I have also included below the email addresses for all the MPs who need to be influenced on this issue. Labour & the Greens have committed to opposing the change & will be tabling amendments to try & prevent this happening.
If you don't have time to do them all then just target those MPs with narrow majorities - I have highlighted them in bold in the list below, plus John Key & Nick Smith the Environment Minister.
Please forward this message to everyone you know who cares about living in a healthy environment with trees, rather than a sterile concrete jungle. We only get one chance to save the trees & this is it.
Yours in hope that common sense will prevail :)
Mels Barton
GAG
Subject: Clause 52, RMA Amendment bill
Dear [MP's name],
I am writing to you to register my concern about the impact that Clause 52 of the proposed Resource Management (Simplifying & Streamlining) Amendment Bill 2009 will have on the urban tree population of New Zealand.
I request that you delete Clause 52 from the proposed Resource Management (Simplifying & Streamlining) Amendment Bill 2009 altogether, retain the existing tree protection provisions and seek to meaningfully engage with local communities in respect to any modifications of existing tree protection rules.
This proposal has the potential to decimate the trees that make our city the special place that it is. Pohutakawa, kauri and all the other beautiful icons that live only in New Zealand are already under threat. Changing the law so that anyone with a chainsaw can chop them down with impunity is insane and totally irresponsible.
I'm not sure whether you are aware that under the current rules it costs nothing to obtain a consent to fell a tree - there is NO CHARGE from the Councils & advice from Council arborists is also free. In addition over 85% of all current applications for tree felling are granted. So it is a complete myth that the current rules are both costly and restrictive to private property owners. Everyone agrees that the tree rules need to be reviewed, but removing the blanket protection is not the answer & will cause far more problems & cost than it saves.
The reality of what is being proposed will have a massive impact on property owners because their neighbours will be able to fell trees with impunity. In Titirangi where I live this WILL cause more landslips, which WILL damage property & roads. We already suffer greatly from instability due to the steep clay slopes, removal of trees will have an incalculable cost to us all. There will be many houses that will simply collapse if the trees protecting the banks that they stand on are removed. I have seen so many landslips just in the streets around my home in the last 10 years it is frightening. How will it be with no trees to keep the slopes intact? We will have no say in what our neighbours want to do with their trees if you pass this law. I am happy to drive you around Titirangi and show you exactly where slips have occurred and why if you'd like to see for yourself. In every case the removal of trees is the major cause of instability.
I'm sure I don't need to describe to you the great benefits that trees provide for us all, but one thing that is usually overlooked is the role they play in attenuating stormwater. The whole of Auckland has problems with managing stormwater, such is the nature of covering the land in concrete & roofs that increase runoff. Each tree attenuates 17 cubic metres of water per year. Can you imagine the extra flooding that will be generated by the wholesale removal of trees in our suburbs? Who will have to pay for the damage caused by that flooding & the upgrading of the infrastructure that will be required to deal with that water? The poor ratepayers of Auckland of course. With climate change affecting our weather & the real possibility that northern NZ may become wetter I suggest we should be planting more trees, not making it easier for people to cut them down.
The impact of removing the tree protection rules will be that massive tree loss will occur. Not only will people cut down more trees, but when development occurs there will be no requirement to undertake mitigation planting, as is currently the case. So not only will we lose currently mature trees but we will not be replacing them either. The economic cost to society of losing trees has not been taken into account in considering this law change and it needs to be.
I live in the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area. Local people campaigned for 35 years to get this special law to protect this special place in perpetuity from inappropriate development & land clearance. This law change effectively castrates the Heritage Area Act & makes protection of the very values that are its purpose impossible. Titirangi is special and people come here because of the trees. It is ludicrous to suggest that the Council could even begin to schedule the hundreds of thousands of trees in Titirangi to protect them - they wouldn't even be able to get at many of them, let alone have the resources to perform the task. If you allow people to chop them down you will destroy Titirangi overnight.
Personally I believe no one should have the right to destroy trees that are 100s of years old just because they don't want to clear their gutters out or they'd like to have a better view. We are all just passing through our properties & if individuals don't have the personal responsibility to recognise their role as guardians of the land then that needs to be legislated for. Unfortunately we all know that this is the case with so many people who only have a short term view of the world. If you pass this law the chainsaws will be out the very next day and we will all suffer the consequences for generations to come. Our birds and insects will disappear, our cool and shade will be gone. We will have nothing to remove our pollution and CO2, or treat our stormwater and hold our soil together.
Please have the courage and wisdom to see the stupidity of this law change and to protect the trees for generations to come. No one is saying the tree rules don't need to be reviewed - everyone knows that - but please don't throw the baby out with the bathwater & destroy our urban forest by removing the basic protection. When its gone it will be forever, this is one mistake we can't put right.
I'm begging you to remove Clause 52 entirely or at least vote for one of the amendments and save our trees. I look forward to your favourable response.
Kind regards,
Dr Mels Barton
All ACT, National, Progressive, United Future & Maori Party MPs:
john.boscawen@parliament.govt.nz
roger.douglas@parliament.govt.nz
david.garrett@parliament.govt.nz
rodney.hide@parliament.govt.nz
heather.roy@parliament.govt.nz
amy.adams@parliament.govt.nz
shane.ardern@parliament.govt.nz
chris.auchinvole@parliament.govt.nz
kanwaljit.bakshi@parliament.govt.nz
david.bennett@parliament.govt.nz
paula.bennett@parliament.govt.nz
jackie.blue@parliament.govt.nz
chester.borrows@parliament.govt.nz
simon.bridges@parliament.govt.nz
gerry.brownlee@parliament.govt.nz
cam.calder@parliament.govt.nz
david.carter@parliament.govt.nz
jonathon.coleman@parliament.govt.nz
judith.collins@parliament.govt.nz
jacqui.dean@parliament.govt.nz
bill.english@parliament.govt.nz
christopher.finlayson@parliament.govt.nz
craig.foss@parliament.govt.nz
aaron.gilmore@parliament.govt.nz
jo.goodhew@parliament.govt.nz
sandra.goudie@parliament.govt.nz
tim.groser@parliament.govt.nz
guy.nathan@parliament.govt.nz
john.hayes@parliament.govt.nz
phil.heatley@parliament.govt.nz
tau.henare@parliament.govt.nz
paul.hutchison@parliament.govt.nz
stephen.joyce@parliament.govt.nz
nikki.kaye@parliament.govt.nz
john.key@parliament.govt.nz
colin.king@parliament.govt.nz
melissa.lee@parliament.govt.nz
sam.lotu-iiga@national.org.nz
tim.macindoe@parliament.govt.nz
wayne.mapp@parliament.govt.nz
todd.mcclay@parliament.govt.nz
murray.mccully@parliament.govt.nz
hekita.parata@parliament.govt.nz
allan.peachey@parliament.govt.nz
simon.power@parliament.govt.nz
paul.quinn@parliament.govt.nz
eric.roy@parliament.govt.nz
tony.ryall@parliament.govt.nz
katrina.shanks@parliament.govt.nz
lockwood.smith@parliament.govt.nz
nick.smith@parliament.govt.nz
georgina-teheuheu@parliament.govt.nz
lindsay.tisch@parliament.govt.nz
anne.tolley@parliament.govt.nz
chris.tremain@parliament.govt.nz
louise.upston@parliament.govt.nz
nicky.wagner@parliament.govt.nz
kate.wilkinson@parliament.govt.nz
maurice.williamson@parliament.govt.nz
pansy.wong@parliament.govt.nz
michael.woodhouse@parliament.govt.nz
jonathon.young@parliament.govt.nz
jim.anderton@parliament.govt.nz
peter.dunne@parliament.govt.nz
teururoa.flavell@parliament.govt.nz
hone.harawira@parliament.govt.nz
rahui.katene@parliament.govt.nz
pita.sharples@parliament.govt.nz
tariana.turia@parliament.govt.nz
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