Arohamai, this a long, but important, message. We need your support again. 

Nearly ten thousand people like you have signed the petition calling for an independent inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti (we only need 500 more people to get to 10,000, please keep sharing it!). 

While the petition has animated politicians and industry representatives alike, it appears there are efforts to undermine the integrity of processes the petition calls for. 

Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti, the group of residents responsible for organising the petition, along with dozens of supporters, packed the Gisborne District Council chambers last week to present the petition and hear from councillors. Presenters of the petition made it clear at the Council meeting that an independent Public Inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2013 is the type of investigation the petition expects. 

What we’d seen prior to the Council meeting was a subtle, but critical, twisting of the petition demands with Eastland Wood Council talking about a 'review of regional resilience'.

Councillors made many speeches in response and unanimously endorsed a set of staff recommendations supporting the petition requests and have sent the petition along with the supporting Council resolutions to the Ministry for the Environment who advise David Parker as Minister for the Environment. 

This week a meeting was organised in Tairāwhiti with four Government ministers (Stuart Nash, Damien O’Connor, Kiritapu Allan and Meka Whaitiri) along with the forestry companies and their industry organisations (Eastland Wood Council and the NZ Forest Owners Association), Trust Tairāwhiti (owner of Eastland Port), Gisborne District Council (regional regulator and also owner of significant farms and forestry holdings in the region), Federated Farmers (farm owners), iwi organisations (some of which have significant forestry and farming interests in the region) and a bunch of other government agencies. 

The petition organisers weren’t invited and were initially denied an opportunity to say anything until East Coast MP Kiritapu Allan intervened. We reiterated to the meeting that a Public Inquiry under the Inquiries Act was what the petition organisers expected and a locally-led review would not be an acceptable response to the petition. 

Minister of Forestry, Stuart Nash, responded directly saying: “I am supportive of an independent inquiry into land use practices on highly erodible soils in Tairāwhiti... Minister Parker and I have received briefings from our respective ministries on what that would look like and so we’re progressing it.”

A media release issued after the meeting suggested however that those entities responsible for the current mess should set the terms of reference for a review of the situation. Of course there’s no way any of the organisations connected to the ongoing catastrophe should be setting the Terms of Reference for a “review” of how they have let this happen. 

So, we need your help again sorry. 

A message needs to be sent urgently to Cabinet ministers and Tairāwhiti MPs that the local industry and regulator just reviewing themselves is unacceptable. Of course the companies and Council can do whatever they want, but petitioners expect a fully independent Public Inquiry (signed off by the Governor General) that will have a robust process, integrity and transparency. 

If you can spare two minutes, please email the following ministers and MPs: 

• David Parker (d.parker@ministers.govt.nz), or better still phone his office and leave a message: 04 817 8710.  
• Stuart Nash (s.nash@ministers.govt.nz) and/or phone his office: 04 817 8712
• Kiritapu Allan (k.allan@ministers.govt.nz) and/or phone her office: 04 817 8732
• Meka Whaitiri (m.whaitiri@ministers.govt.nz) and/or phone her office: 04 817 8734

Your message might be something like: 

A Public Inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2013 is what we need to properly investigate the ongoing issues with unsustainable land use in Tairāwhiti. We need Cabinet to urgently establish the inquiry rather than leaving it to those responsible for the problems to set the terms for investigating the problems. If we don’t get a proper inquiry then this Government will be held fully accountable.

Feel free to CC us in your email (mahi@manataiao.org) and Mayor Rehette Stoltz (mayor@gdc.govt.nz).

Thank you for caring, sharing and daring to hold those with the power to make positive change accountable to the communities they claim to represent!

PS. The Gisborne Herald is running an online poll this week that you can also vote on (righthand side of the home page): "Do you think an independent inquiry into land use in Tairawhiti would be better than a review?"