Inside the March for Nature

Green Burgers. That’s what protesters are, according to Shane Jones, NZ First MP, minister of many things, and master of the condescending quip.

More than 20,000 green burgers poured into Aotearoa Square Saturday afternoon, June 8, ready for the March for Nature down Queen Street. I was proud to be one of them.

We were there to protest the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill, legislation designed to speed up and make easier the consenting of “new nationally and regionally significant projects”.

Decision-making would be in the hands of three ministers – Jones, plus National’s Chris Bishop and Simeon Brown. It would reduce red tape, but also, Bishop has noted, cut through the “green tape holding us back”. (One protester’s sign: “Stop3Wankers”.)  

The Environmental Defence Society (EDS), ever professional, has had a few things to say about it. Like, it’s not a fast-track bill but rather an environmental destruction bill, the biggest assault on our natural world in over 40 years.

EDS has noted that expert panels would serve in an advisory capacity only. Public submissions would not be sought, and there would be no requirement to conduct hearings. Recommendations of the experts could be overridden by the three ministers when making decisions, ministers who may have little or no understanding of the technical or environmental issues involved. (Protest sign: “Fast-track to Autocracy”.) 

So there we were – the idealists, the informed, the passionate – hoping for a change of heart by the Government. (When common sense, reason and understanding are missing and short-term thinking prevails, protest is necessary.)

As the march progressed, protesters filled Queen Street curb to curb from Aotearoa Square to near the waterfront. It was slow going, with time to observe and ponder … 

Signs of the times

Protest signs showed both the mood of the crowd and its spirit and creativity. The obligatory ‘Luxon’s Coalition of Vandals’, ‘F**k Fast Track’ and ‘Worst Government Ever’ were in evidence. But so, too, were ‘Get woke and walk’, ‘I care so much I made this sign’, and ‘Cows against Fonterra’.

Frog works

Endangered species were well represented. Signs warned of extinction. One read: ‘I’m here for Blind Frogs, etc.’ All this was brought on by Shane Jones declaring that no frog is going to stand in the way of his bulldozer.

One voice for all

Robyn Malcolm, spotted in the crowd by the media and asked for her thoughts, said, “We didn’t vote for this.”

Everyone represented

There were toddlers on parents’ shoulders. Their older siblings walked alongside, carrying signs. When they are adults, let’s hope they are our leaders. If so, protests like this will be unnecessary. Beyond the marchers, countless others were there with us in spirit.  

Occupy Queen Street

At one point, an organiser, calling out on his megaphone, encouraged marchers to pause for a bit and sit down. I lay on my back and looked at the sky. 

For the whanau

I’m an oldie. I was there for my grandson, Raf. With his parents’ permission, I had Raf along as a poster child. He and I were there for his cousins, too, as were his grandies on the other side. 

Agriculture and tourism at risk

EDS says the Fast-track Bill may be a breach of New Zealand’s fair-trade agreements, including with the UK and Europe. This means potential harm to our export markets via restricted access and reputational damage. If so, it won’t just be Fonterra’s cows in revolt.

It’s even possible that development activity could occur on land within a World Heritage Site. It’ll be duck and cover for Tourism New Zealand if that happens. 

Other policies of the Coalition Government will disadvantage these two crucial sectors of our economy, which are already challenged in a world where our competitors and customers have embraced sustainability and are more forward-thinking.

Conflicts of interest

One quarrying business, losing in court attempts to have private QEII-protected land opened up for its use and expansion, relishes opportunities under the Fast-track Bill. The company donated $11,000 to Shane Jones, not in the lead-up to the last election but after it when the coalition was formed. A sign of things to come? The Office of the Auditor General says that potential ministerial conflict of interest is not properly addressed in the bill. 

It was no small feat for Greenpeace, Forest & Bird and other March for Nature organisers to plan and deliver an event for 20,000 people. The Herald called it a “raucous but peaceful demonstration”. 

With the Fast-track Bill, the Government had high hopes of full speed ahead for the likes of seabed mining and resource extraction on conservation land. Coal and gold mining. More oil and gas exploration. And roads, roads and more roads.

“Don’t count on it,” says Greenpeace. This protest march was just a warm-up. My signs are safely stowed in the garage, ready for the next one.  

Postscript

The good work of Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, EDS and other groups opposing the Bill, the thousands of submissions against it, and general public dissent may have had an effect. The Government is apparently working on changes to the Bill. We’ll have to wait and see how significant these changes will be. 

Gord Stewart is a sustainability consultant with a background in environmental management and economics.