Democracy Action has today launched a campaign to overturn the anti-democratic Mana Whenua provisions that have been enshrined in the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP). We've issued a press release that states:
A group of New Zealanders have launched a campaign to maximise the impact of objections to anti-democratic privileges built into Auckland Council’s Unitary Plan (“PAUP”).
Democracy Action has organised a meeting on 18 October for objectors to pool information and get better prepared to submit to the Hearing Panel. Democracy Action is a grass-roots association formed to stem the erosion of Aotearoa’s democratic inheritance.
The meeting scheduled for the 18th has already attracted media interest, with Sir Bob Jones and constitutional lawyer, Stephen Franks, announced as speakers.
Sir Bob recently wrote about his experiences with the PAUP, where Mana Whenua sought to charge him for a “Cultural Impact Assessment” in order to grant him permission to alter a window. The fee for this service was quoted at a rate of $90 per hour for six to eight hours of work, plus travel expenses.
It sees the PAUP provisions, and the process under which they are in effect already, when many if not most Councillors do not even know how far they go, or what they mean, as the most pressing example of a loss of understanding of the principles of democracy and equality of citizenship in New Zealand.
Prior to leaving the Labour Party, then-Maori Affairs spokesman, Shane Jones, denounced the PAUP provisions as costly and dangerous when they emerged. Since then there has been silence form all parties on this issue.
This public meeting responds to the Auckland Council’s Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP). The PAUP ‘Mana Whenua’ provisions may require, for example, ‘cultural impact assessments’ for certain resource consents within 50 meters of what is currently thought to be around 3,600 sites in Auckland.
The provisions also allow Mana Whenua access to private land, charge for Cultural Impact Assessments without control and gives them priority in water resource allocation.
Despite being called a ‘proposed’ plan, the PAUP came into force the day it was notified. It’s disgraceful in a democracy by decree buy pretend that it’s only a proposal.
We invite all interested members of the public to attend.
MEETING DETAILS:
When: October 18, 2014 at 1pm-4pm
Where: Aotea Centre, 50 Mayoral Drive, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
The public are encouraged to RSVP here: http://www.democracyaction.org.nz/paup_meeting