Post by Kiwi Frontline on Aug 11, 2016 15:22:52 GMT 12
COUNCIL CONFIRM REMOVAL OF MANA WHENUA OVERLAY
Wednesday, 10 August 2016, 5:32 pm
Press Release:
After 18 months of hard work by hundreds of members and supporters, Democracy Action is celebrating Auckland Council’s decision to accept the recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel to remove all of the Mana Whenua provisions from Auckland’s Unitary Plan.
Democracy Action’s Chairman, Lee Short, who was at today’s Council meeting, says, “The Council has rejected the recommendation from officials to keep the Mana Whenua overlay. That means sites of cultural significance will need to be properly verified before they are included in future overlays.”
“Democracy Action’s volunteers have spent thousands of hours working for this result – including visiting hundreds of the sites the Council had claimed were significant. The Council never bothered to check the sites, and we exposed that the Mana Whenua overlay was protecting sites including an old rubbish dump, an industrial storage site and even a subdivision.”
Earlier this afternoon the Council accepted the recommendation to remove the controversial “Cultural Impact Assessment” requirements, which officials agreed with the Hearings Panel should be removed from the Unitary Plan.
“Common sense has prevailed,” says Mr Short.
www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1608/S00353/council-confirm-removal-of-mana-whenua-overlay.htm
www.democracyaction.org.nz/
DEMOCRATIC DECISION-MAKING WELCOMED
Wednesday, 10 August 2016, 5:32 pm
Press Release:
Democracy Action is welcoming this morning’s decision by Auckland Council to send the Unitary Plan straight to the Governing Body for consideration, avoiding unelected Independent Maori Statutory Board (IMSB) members from voting on Unitary Plan decisions.
Democracy Action’s Chairman, Lee Short, says, “With the Unitary Plan the most important document this City has ever seen, every person around the table should be accountable to voters. We welcome the decision."
“Because the IMSB had made submissions to the Independent Panel, legal advice we received said that the IMSB members were ineligible to participate. Nevertheless, up until this morning, it was not clear whether the Council would let the IMSB vote anyway.
"Today's decision avoids creating a legal risk to the Auckland Council’s decision-making process on the Unitary Plan," says Mr Short.
www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1608/S00335/democratic-decision-making-welcomed.htm
www.democracyaction.org.nz/
Wednesday, 10 August 2016, 5:32 pm
Press Release:
After 18 months of hard work by hundreds of members and supporters, Democracy Action is celebrating Auckland Council’s decision to accept the recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel to remove all of the Mana Whenua provisions from Auckland’s Unitary Plan.
Democracy Action’s Chairman, Lee Short, who was at today’s Council meeting, says, “The Council has rejected the recommendation from officials to keep the Mana Whenua overlay. That means sites of cultural significance will need to be properly verified before they are included in future overlays.”
“Democracy Action’s volunteers have spent thousands of hours working for this result – including visiting hundreds of the sites the Council had claimed were significant. The Council never bothered to check the sites, and we exposed that the Mana Whenua overlay was protecting sites including an old rubbish dump, an industrial storage site and even a subdivision.”
Earlier this afternoon the Council accepted the recommendation to remove the controversial “Cultural Impact Assessment” requirements, which officials agreed with the Hearings Panel should be removed from the Unitary Plan.
“Common sense has prevailed,” says Mr Short.
www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1608/S00353/council-confirm-removal-of-mana-whenua-overlay.htm
www.democracyaction.org.nz/
DEMOCRATIC DECISION-MAKING WELCOMED
Wednesday, 10 August 2016, 5:32 pm
Press Release:
Democracy Action is welcoming this morning’s decision by Auckland Council to send the Unitary Plan straight to the Governing Body for consideration, avoiding unelected Independent Maori Statutory Board (IMSB) members from voting on Unitary Plan decisions.
Democracy Action’s Chairman, Lee Short, says, “With the Unitary Plan the most important document this City has ever seen, every person around the table should be accountable to voters. We welcome the decision."
“Because the IMSB had made submissions to the Independent Panel, legal advice we received said that the IMSB members were ineligible to participate. Nevertheless, up until this morning, it was not clear whether the Council would let the IMSB vote anyway.
"Today's decision avoids creating a legal risk to the Auckland Council’s decision-making process on the Unitary Plan," says Mr Short.
www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1608/S00335/democratic-decision-making-welcomed.htm
www.democracyaction.org.nz/