Have your Say: Northland Regional Council "New Regional Policy Statement Discussion Document 2010"

 

 

 

Northland Regional Council "New Regional Policy Statement Discussion Document 2010"

(part of the NRC "Regional Policy Statement" Review) 25 November 2010

The Northland Regional Council is developing a new Regional Policy Statement (RPS), which happens once every ten years. The NRC has just released its "New RPS Discussion Document 2010" (you can obtain a hard copy by ringing or emailing the council and have your say to help shape Northland’s future).

The NRC says it wants to "improve the management of Northland’s natural and physical resources (land, water, air, soil, minerals, energy, all plants and animals, and all built structures)" but, if we want to ensure we get sound environmental provisions in our RPS, that means we have to engage and participate right now in order to influence the outcome.

This is especially necessary as we have already identified inaccurate and misleading content in the "Biodiversity/Ecosystems" section of the "New RPS Discussion Document 2010", specifically about GE/GMOs and the important liability issue.

GE Free Northland has done a detailed analysis of this and put together some key points on the GE issue to make it easy for submittors to give their feedback to the NRC regarding Genetically Modified Organisms, supporting a strong prohibitive provision in the RPS. This is a great opportunity to put forward a good case for sound environmental, economic and biosecurity outcomes in the Regional Policy Statement, which then the Northland territorial authorities will have to give effect to through their District plans.

GENETIC ENGINEERING/GMOs

In addition to any other environmental issues you would like to raise, if you would like to see a Regional Exclusion Zone for Genetically Modified Organisms in Northland (or even just a strong precautionary GE policy, due to your concerns about adverse environmental and economic effects of GMOs), please help GE FREE NORTHLAND, local farmers and conservationists protect our valuable GE free status by sending your feedback now to the NRC.

Local communities and tangata whenua have worked hard to get all Northland councils to adopt strong precautionary GE policies in our 10 Year Community Plans- now is the time to get "policies with teeth" (provisions) in the NRC RPS.

By law the RPS itself can’t set out rules but can require these to be included in District plans (Kaipara, Whangarei and Far North).

The recent Colmar Brunton GE poll (commissioned by all 9 member councils of the Inter Council Working Party on GMO Risk Evaluation and Options, except the NRC) showed high levels of opposition to GMO land use and strong support for some type of local regulation of GMOs. This could include outright prohibition.

GE free Northland is requesting that the NRC, consistent with its past resolutions, change its policy position on the outdoor use of GMOs through the Regional Policy Statement review process, specifically the use of controls under the RMA in addition to present inadequate controls under the HSNO (Hazardous Substances and New Organisms) Act.

The original item was put to the August 2008 NRC full Council meeting and the resolution was unanimously agreed upon.

However, the current NRC RPS Discussion Document 2010 only discusses possibly adopting a precautionary provision in the new RPS. There is no discussion of the other options available when considering the potential use of controls of GMOs under the RMA due to the gaps and flaws in the HSNO Act. This is just not good enough!

How can you help?

There is an urgent need for Northland community groups, ratepayers and residents to send their feedback to the NRC between now and l7 December 2010, strongly supporting (despite the misleading content on p. 49 of the new NRC RPS Discussion Document 2010) the placement of not only a strong precautionary provision in the NRC RPS, but specific wording to ensure prohibition of all GE experiments and releases until such time as a truly strict liability regime is put in place (either thru national legislation or by territorial authorities in the region) and the risks to our environment and economy are adequately identified and addressed.

It is untrue (as NRC staff imply in the final paragraph on p. 49) that if local authorities place provisions or rules in local plans that the council may "assume some of the liability for future problems" caused by GMOs.

The 9 council strong Working Party on GMOs is specifically looking at the optimal wording of precautionary and prohibitive rules and provisions for local plans, in order to protect Auckland/Northland peninsula from the risks of GMOs and make local authorities and ratepayers less liable. This innovative work has been necessitated by central governments ongoing failure (after 7 years of lobbying by local authorities, Local Government NZ and groups like Rural Women NZ) to properly amend the flawed Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act.

GE FREE NORTHLAND would like to see all GMO land use and all GMO aquaculture prohibited in local plans to prevent such risks to our environment, primary producers and economy. As the NRC should be aware, central government has now acknowledged (in a 5 August 2010 letter to the 9 council strong "Inter Council Working Party on GMO Risk Evaluation & Options") that local authorities have jurisdiction regarding all land uses including GMO land use.

The paragraphs on GE (p. 49 of the new NRC RPS Discussion Document 2010) fail to mention the significance of this recent letter from the Minister, which clearly states that while central government will not amend the HSNO Act it indicates that local authorities can regulate or prevent GMO land use under the RMA.

Specifically, Minister Nick Smith states:

"However, this does not preclude a council from restricting or preventing the use of GMOs in their region, provided that this action meets the relevant requirements of the Resource Management Act (RMA) 1991".

In other words, local authorities are entitled to put in place even outright prohibition of GMOs (as Auckland City Council has already done in its Hauraki Gulf & Islands District Plan).

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to participate (between now and l7 December 2010), in order to ensure sound environmental and economic outcomes.

Email the NRC at: mailroom@nrc.govt.nz Fax (09) 438 0012

Postal:

Northland Regional Council RPS Review

Private Bag 9021 Whangarei 0148

Please write to the NRC as soon as possible about your key environmental issues and don’t forget the GE issue. Thanks!

How you can help GE FREE NORTHLAND:

-express your concerns to the NRC about the risks of GMO land use and GMO aquaculture to our biosecurity, environment and economy

Answer the question on p. 49 of the NRC "New RPS Review Discussion Document 2010" by stating that you

(a) support GE/GMOs inclusion in the list of "Issues of Regional Significance" for Northland

(b) support a provision placed in the NRC RPS adopting both a strong precautionary GE policy AND a provision classing all GE experiments and releases as a prohibited activity until such time as a truly strict liability regime is put in place (either thru national legislation or by territorial authorities in the region) and the risks to our environment and economy are adequately identified and addressed.

c) emphasize that you are extremely concerned that there is a lack of strict liability for GMOs under the existing HSNO (Hazardous Substances and New Organisms) legislation, hence you want to see local "rules with teeth" or provisions put in place in the NRC RPS to set an necessary additional local tier of protection for ratepayers and the environment

d) ask the NRC to honour its commitment to a key resolution made unanimously by full council (NRC) on the 20th of August 2008.

"that, consistent with its past resolutions, the Council reconsider its policy position on the outdoor use of GMOs through the pending Regional Policy Statement review process, specifically the potential use of controls under the Resource Management Act in addition to present controls under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act".

-express your disappointment at the inappropriate changes (weakening) of the community’s strong precautionary GE policy in our 10 Year Community Plan...during last years "review" of the NRC Long Term Council Community Plan.

More information:

see 2nd Generation RPS for Northland- Issues Think Piece" by Glenn Mortimer p. 35

 

www.nrc.govt.nz/upload/7851/Second%20Generation%20RPS%20for%20Northland%20-%20Issues%20Thinkpiece%20-%20March%202010.pdf

NRC full council meeting 20 August 2008

GE report and agenda item #20 (by Glenn Mortimer) (5 August 2008)

file no. 900.14.1 (see recommendation 2)

title: Joint Working Party on GMO Risk Evaluation & Options Management Update

 

 

www.nrc.govt.nz/upload/5144/NRC%20Council%20Meeting%20Agenda%20-%20%20August%2008.pdf

and….GE FREE NORTHLAND

 

 

http://web.gefreenorthland.org.nz

Tel. 09 432 2155 (Whangarei) 09 407 8650 (Kerikeri)

email: zlg@xnet.co.nz

CULTURAL & ETHICAL ISSUES – SECTION B(g)

Submission by Northland Conservation Board to the Royal Commission into Genetic Modification 2001

Hally Toia submitted that it was abhorrent to Maori that the whakapapa of a frog or a pig should be introduced into their whakapapa. It was observed that according to Maori spiritual beliefs everything that springs from the earth and is born upon it has its own mauri (life force) blessed by IO as it is.

Where species barriers are crossed Maori experience wehi (fear) as the tapu of the mauri of both species is being interfered with, and that the work of IO is being transgressed. Hally Toa submitted that man creates new forms of life at his own peril as IO withheld that knowledge knowing that man could not be trusted. The following were then called for:

-Maori to be active in their opposition of GM technology

-A ban on bio-prospecting for commercial gain;

-The recognition that transgenic biotechnology is an affront to Maori.

ENDS

Next:

Excerpt from report by Dr. Kerry Grundy, Chairman/Coordinator of the 9 council strong "Inter Council Working Party on GMO Risk Evaluation & Options"

Socio/Cultural Risks of GMOs

-Effects on Maori cultural beliefs, eg. Mauri, whakapapa, tikanga and kaitiaka tanga

-Effects on religious beliefs, ie. concerns of Northlanders about scientists "playing God"

-Ethical concerns over mixing genes from different species, including human genes

-Effects on human health from GE food, pharmaceutical crops, industrial crops, etc

-Animal welfare issues

-Loss of food autonomy, pure seed, nutritious, quality kai/ Hua Parakore