Amy Ridout12:19, Jul 02 2021
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Former MP Nick Smith, Wendy Hamer and Sarah Preece
An advocate has spoken of her disappointment after a bill improving rights for victims of insane offenders stalled in parliament. This week, Parliament voted to send the Rights for Victims of Insane Offenders Bill back to the Justice Committee after Chief Justice Helen Winkelmann raised concerns about the proposed wording of the insanity verdict. The Select Committee had already reported back in favour of the bill, which proposed changing the formal finding of the court from “not guilty on account of insanity” to “proven but insane”.
In a statement, Greenpeace oceans campaigner Jessica Desmond said a legislative ban is needed to ensure the long term health of the ocean. “TTR has been vying to access the South Taranaki seabed for years, where they want to suck up a 66 square kilometre area for thirty years.” “Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui, the trustees of Te Kaahui Rauru, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, Greenpeace and other concerned groups have been holding them off so far, but we need legislation to keep the door shut on them, and others like them who will come knocking.”
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Protestors from Ngāti Ruanui during a protest in Parliament grounds, in 2016. The iwi has led a fight for six years against plans to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki coast (file photo).
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“Having helped to lead the campaign against seabed mining with my iwi, both in the courts and on the streets, I’ve always said that this would be one of my top priorities as a Te Paati Māori MP,” she said in a post on Tuesday morning. “Deep sea mining is a risky, new mining practice. Mining up to 50 million tonnes of ironsand every year for 35 years would be an absolute environmental disaster. It would destroy entire ecosystems and damage our coastlines for generations to come. “There is a growing global movement to end seabed mining – this would be a win-win opportunity for the Government to support our people and protect our moana for future generations.”