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To: The New Zealand Labour Party

Repeal Fast-Track laws and protect people’s rights to hold polluters accountable in court.

People of Aotearoa need a flourishing environment for future generations to thrive. 

The current fast-track legislation seeks to enable destructive, short-term projects to bypass environmental safeguards, ignore community input and Te Tiriti obligations. These short-term projects would not only cause long-term, irreversible harm to our forests, waterways and oceans, but they would also increase emissions and accelerate global warming, increasing the frequency of climate-related disasters like cyclones & floods [1]. 

We call on the New Zealand Labour Party to:
  • Commit to repealing the Fast-Track Legislation and Revoke All Fast-Track Mining Consents granted under the fast-track process. 
  • Commit to protecting people’s rights to hold polluters accountable in court. 

Why is this important?

The Fast-Track is a War on Nature
Many of the proposed fast-track projects threaten conservation land - ecologically essential landscapes which have been placed under protection for future generations. Fast-track legislation would hand over this irreplaceable public land to private corporations with a known track record of environmental destruction. 
For example, if allowed to proceed, Bathurst’s proposal [2] under the fast-track approvals process would devastate the 40-million-year-old landscape on the Denniston Plateau. Open-cast mining destroys everything in its way including the habitat of flora and fauna that don’t exist anywhere else in the world! All future generations will be deprived from enjoying this unique geographical treasure so that an overseas owned coal company can make a quick buck. 

The Fast-Track Undermines Democracy
A recent amendment [3] would also block New Zealanders from holding these companies accountable for the destruction that they cause. For example it would stop Mike Smith’s case [4] against major polluters from being heard in court even though the Supreme Court ruled that it should go to trial! This is an example of government over-reach that would undermine the rule of law and the power of the courts to hold corporations accountable for their harmful actions. 

Fast-Track Undermines Te Tiriti o Waitangi 
It breaches Te Tiriti principles by bypassing the need for consultation and undermining the tino rangatiratanga of iwi in making decisions about Māori whenua. Even in the English translation of the treaty, the crown said it would guarantee Māori “the full exclusive and undisturbed possession of their lands, forests & fisheries”. That promise was long-since broken by the confiscation of land, the fast-track now threatens to destroy those very forests and fisheries.  

The Fast-Track  Prioritises Corporate Profits over Community Health
Fast-track cuts local communities out of the decision-making processes and then blocks their legal avenue for redress. Taking away these legal pathways protects polluters at the expense of communities, the environment and future generations. This process and the current government prioritise profit over life. Extractive (mining) industries provide short-term profits for the companies and leave communities to manage long-term environmental devastation. For example, in 2024 the taxpayer spent $3.67 million on acid mine drainage remediation alone, whilst only $3.7 million was collected in mining royalties [5]. 

There is a Better Path

We believe in Kaitiakitanga — our shared responsibility to protect and care for the whenua for those who come after us. We believe in democracy, where every community has a voice and the power to influence decisions that impact them. We believe that Te Tiriti o Waitangi must be honoured and that local knowledge and expert advice must guide decision-making. 

We believe in a future where people and nature can thrive together.

That is why we call on the New Zealand Labour Party to commit to;

  • Repeal the fast-track legislation in full,
  • Revoke all mining consents granted under the fast-track process,
  • Oppose any legislation that would block climate accountability cases (like Mike Smith’s) from being heard by the courts, and commit to revoking this legislation if you get into government. 

Now is the time to act — to protect the people and land of Aotearoa from a fast-track to devastation. Sign the petition today!


For more ways to participate, check out the Climate Liberation Aotearoa website: HOME - Climate Liberation Aotearoa
University of Auckland




New Zealand

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Updates

2026-05-26 22:00:12 +1200

50 signatures reached

2026-05-26 14:38:15 +1200

25 signatures reached

2026-05-25 21:06:48 +1200

10 signatures reached