Shane Jones talks up $50m-$100m koi carp policy amid Treaty stoush over Waikato rivers
The New Zealand government is facing criticism from Waikato-Tainui for pausing environmental protections in the Waikato region to favor farming interests. Minister Shane Jones is promoting a koi carp eradication policy while the government overhauls the Resource Management Act.
Why it matters
This reflects a tension between indigenous treaty rights, environmental conservation, and economic deregulation in New Zealand.
The government is undermining a Treaty settlement and the health of Waikato and Waipā rivers by prioritising its political interests, Waikato-Tainui says.
The major iwi said it was "unacceptable" to pause Plan Change 1 provisions until 2032, that doing so overrides judicial decisions in favour of the government's donors, and would subject the catchment to "another six years of degradation".
But the Resources Minister Shane Jones argues the new planning system would achieve much the same outcomes, and was promising to campaign on spending $50 million to help eradicate koi carp in the area.
Federated Farmers was also hailing the pause, saying it gave farmers "much needed breathing room" while the resource management system was overhauled.
Ministers on Wednesday announced changes to the Natural Environment Bill replacing the Resource Management Act they said would make the system more practical for food and fibre production.
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