SORRY ABOUT THAT
I am embarrassed for my fellow Environment Southland councillors.
At our Wednesday meeting I tried to get support from them to give all Southlanders a voice around the release of genetically-engineered trees in Southland.
But they rejected my proposal and voted instead to hand that power over to the National Government.
While they were giving up our right to choose, thousands of New Zealanders around the country, 16,000 of them, made submissions to the Government, urging them to leave the decision to accept or reject GMOs, genetically-engineered organisms, to the people of New Zealand.
Here in Southland, we failed to represent our people.
I'm sorry about that.
Robert Guyton
Riverton
5 comments:
I guess gathering today against the TPPA will be one way of sending a strong message to the Government that we don't like anti-democratic process.
Perhaps we need to do a repeat for GE, National seem to have a short memory:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0310/S00095/photo-essay-1-35000-march-against-ge-in-auckland.htm
The pathway for the introduction of GMO into New Zealand has been well prepared, Dave. The Federated Farmers have been smoothing the grass for a while now, and the National Government, through the MPI have made the final push with this quiet addition to the NES for Plantation Forestry. Over-riding council's RMA capability is a cynical move but what can you do once it's done? I expect there will be those who will be driven to direct action following this "corralling" by the pro-GE authorities.
You did all you could do.
Common enough around the council tables in this day and age. A lot of elected people seem to be more interested in rubber stamping whatever is put in front of them than any sort of critical thinking. The council machine is a big cumbersome machine and a lot of staff time is put into having people think their role is to just keep it ticking along
It's not 'game over yet' (the plump lass hasn't warbled)
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