Logie Jan: Environment Canterbury (Transitional Governance Arrangements) Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLogie Jan: Environment Canterbury (Transitional Governance Arrangements) Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 05 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:10869. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JAN LOGIE (Green): Tēnā koe Mr Assistant Speaker. I take no pleasure in this grim exercise: standing to speak on behalf of our democracy and environment knowing the Government has no regard for these fundamentals. The Government of course says we are wrong to assert such a thing. The Government cares about democracy. Government members were elected themselves after all—they are honourable all of them. They care about democracy and they are returning partial democracy to Canterbury. Yet the New Zealand Law Society condemned what they are doing here saying: “Representative democracy is a fundamental principle that gives legitimacy to government and the exercise of state power.” The proposed further suspension of full democracy is inconsistent with one of New Zealand’s core constitutional values—namely a free and democratic society.Government members care for democracy. They tell us Environment Canterbury was sacked because it was incompetent yet an independent evaluation of Environment Canterbury established no such thing. Government members are honourable. They care for democracy yet they do not believe that the people know what is best for them in Canterbury. These very same people who voted for them are not competent to choose a full council in Canterbury. Government members do care for democracy. They are returning it at least in part in this bill yet the people of Canterbury strongly disagree with this bill. Of the 1169 submissions on this piece of legislation only 15 supported this bill.On a matter of democracy the Government will not listen to the people and will not return full democracy. Is partial democracy really full democracy? The people of Canterbury and the Law Society say it is not. Yet Government members are honourable. They know the importance of having an independent judiciary and yet this legislation continues to disallow appeals on regional plans to the Environment Court and allows appeals to the High Court only on points of law.Government members are honourable. They know the importance of having an independent judiciary and yet the Minister for the Environment stood in this House and said he would appoint a judge to Environment Canterbury. Being appointed by a Minister who can remove you if he does not like what you are doing is surely not judicial independence. Decision making at a council level is surely not the same as decision making in a court context.Government members are honourable. They are Bluegreens. They care about the environment yet this removal of a right of appeal will help silence those who seek to speak to give voice to their environment. Government members are honourable. They care for the environment yet the landscape in Canterbury is covered by spawning spraying irrigators draining the water from some of our most precious and beautiful waterways. Government members care for the environment. They put in place commissioners to care for the environment and they tell us they have done a wonderful job yet an area that will experience increasing climate change and drought and that has some of the worst water quality in New Zealand has under their watch become the irrigation capital of New Zealand.Government members care for the environment. The elected council did a terrible job yet the frameworks that that same council developed the Government now touts as proof of the commissioners’ success.Government members care for the environment. They put in place commissioners to care for the waterways yet irrigation has increased and water quality has declined. Our precious waterways are sick and our land and climate are being sacrificed on their altar for dairying greed.Government members care for the environment. They are honourable and yet they take the people’s rights and watch the rivers die and they stand here with pride. The Green Party deeply opposes this bill.