20 March 2024 Government's fast-tracking of large infrastructure project approvals is bad news for NZ's biodiversity

In an article published on The Conversation, Lincoln University's Associate Professor of Ecology, Tim Curran, warns that in its latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to be of national or regional significance.

The Fast-track Approvals Bill, introduced under urgency on March 7, would take precedence over several current environmental laws and give Ministers the power to skirt existing approval processes.

Leaders of ten scientific societies that conduct biodiversity research in Aotearoa New Zealand, representing thousands of members have called on the government to slow down the pace of reform.

They warn that decision-making criteria are weighted towards development, not environmental protection or sustainable resource use, and undermine New Zealand’s obligations to protect the country’s unique and threatened biodiversity.

Read the full article published in The Conversation by Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology … HERE