Click here to read the original submission made by Lee Short on behalf of Democracy Action on the PAUP. It reads:

The purpose of the Resource Management Act (RMA), which the Auckland Unitary Plan is prepared under, is ‘to promote the sustainable management of natural and physical resources’. However, there are passages within the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan which go far beyond what is the required to meet the terms of the RMA. We believe the Auckland Unitary Plan is being used as a vehicle to promote a political programme, which would result in significant constitutional change.

This is most certainly neither the intent nor the purpose of the RMA.

The plan speaks of partnership arrangements, the transfer of powers and/or establishment of joint management agreements with Mana Whenua. The management of Auckland’s natural and physical resources would be transferred, in part or even in some cases wholly, to one group of citizens, not answerable in any way to the general public or with any obligations to the public welfare. Accepting such provisions into the plan would have a serious impact, not only on the democratic rights of citizens who are not members of local iwi, but also on the council’s ability to act in the best interests of all Auckland citizens.

Therefore, Democracy Action opposes all provisions in the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) calling for partnership arrangements and agreements, the transfer of powers and/or establishment of joint management agreements.