It was to be one of the big changes by which New Zealand could catch up with Australia.
In February, (Prime Minister) John Key announced it at the opening of Parliament, and (Economic Development Minister) Gerry Brownlee said it would be worth billions of dollars to the New Zealand economy.
But now they have backed down in one of the most embarrassing ‘U’ turns for this Government.
A Cabinet paper that proposed digging up 467,000 hectares of National Parks and then a much smaller-scale version that focused on big mines in Coromandel and Great Barrier Island are now dead.
Mining is fine but not in our protected areas.
It was a stupid idea to remove protection from National Parks and our most important recreation areas.
New Zealanders know we need to protect our natural heritage for future generations.
Tourism, worth $21 billion a year and employing 185,000 Kiwis, is much more important and more sustainable than mining heritage areas.
Mining benefits principally the overseas companies, which repatriate their profits.
But perhaps most importantly, what the collapse of National’s mining policy has exposed is a lack of any real plan to create growth in jobs and incomes.
This follows the failure of the much-hyped Job Summit last year.
National needs to stop chasing fantasies and focus on the core things we need as a country to grow.
We need policies to promote savings so that we can invest in and own our own future.
Instead, they cut the ‘Cullen Superannuation Fund’ and ‘KiwiSaver.’
We need investment in a skills strategy so that Kiwis are highly skilled.
Instead, apprenticeships have been cut back and thousands of young New Zealanders are being locked out of universities.
We need more research and development in order that we have a smart economy, but National ditched the 15% ‘R& D Tax Credit’ and the $700 million ‘Fast Forward Fund.’
It is time National focused on the basics rather than floating half-baked ideas and letting New Zealand slip further and further behind Australia.
Phil Goff is Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand Parliament. The above article is exclusive to Indian Newslink.
