On Dec 1, 2024, WWW sent Fast-Track Minister Christopher Bishop an open letter document (see below). The document detailing SIRRL’s waste-to-poisons plant and the current governments ‘she’ll be right attitude’ despite Environment Ministry concerns, was accompanied by the following email and sent to all ministers and spokespersons.
Dear Ministers, Spokespersons and other.
The 149 projects short-listed for the fast-track approval process includes a proposal to build a massive rubbish-burning incinerator in the Waimate District.
These plants pose significant risks to the local environment and human health. The harm to the Waimate District and the South Island has been overlooked in favour of ill-conceived development and risky design.
The undemocratic act of removing the proposal from the Environment Court process, where it would have been subjected to the necessary scrutiny to determine its full effects, is dangerous to NZ agricultural exports, our communities, and the environment we treasure.
It was announced last week that the proposal for an incinerator at Te Awamutu is being taken to a Board of Enquiry. This is a smaller(!) project than the Waimate proposal. It raises the obvious question of transparency: what criteria are applied to add projects to the fast-track list to ensure consistency, and how can proposals of more significant impact be subject to lower levels of scrutiny?
The attached document underscores the disturbing fact that several government ministers have chosen to disregard the Ministry for the Environment’s advice, which has consistently shown this proposal to be flawed. This advice has also raised serious concerns about the proposal’s proponents, particularly its history and credibility.
These same Ministers have disregarded the overwhelming and strong community opposition to this plant, removed the community’s input from the process, and continue to ignore calls from the local Government and community to remove this proposal from the fast-track list.
The Government should heed the advice of its officials, remove this proposal from fast-tracking and allow the Environment Court to fulfil its crucial role in scrutinising such proposals without ministerial interference or the artificial and rushed deadlines of the intended Fast-Track process.
For the sake of transparency, this email is also being sent to numerous media outlets.
Regards
Why Waste Waimate Inc.