NRT: More lies from Smith

Written By: - Date published: 1:19 pm, September 20th, 2013 - 11 comments
Categories: Conservation, Environment, greens - Tags: ,

no right turnWas going to write about this. But No Right Turn already did it

Yesterday in Question Time Nick Smith continued to pretend that he had not forced DoC to shitcan its submission on the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme. He even went so far as to claim that he had no idea that the submission even existed until this week. But it was just more lies:

Another leaked document shows Conservation Minister Nick Smith is playing fast and loose with the facts, the Green Party said today.

The document leaked today is the briefing note from the 29th of July meeting when Dr Smith was briefed by Deputy Director-General Doris Johnston on the department’s submission. It clearly shows:

  • The Minister was briefed that the Department of Conservation (DOC) was going to make a submission;
  • The Minister was told that the submission would focus around water quality and nutrient limits and targets; and
  • The Minister was told that the submission was going to be “in the name of the Director-General”, not Nick Smith.

The full briefing note is here. So, Smith is briefed, he then tells the Director-General that he is “concerned” about the submission, and within 48 hours it is pulled and replaced with an empty submission which takes no position on whether the project should go ahead. And DoC made this decision itself, in accordance with its “standard processes”? Yeah, right. The evidence is clear: Smith interfered with his department to prevent it from carrying out one of its statutory functions. He should be sacked.

 

And all that could be added is “again!”

11 comments on “NRT: More lies from Smith ”

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  1. Clement Pinto 1
    20 September 2013 at 1:28 pm

    Nick Smith is just a personification of this stupid National/ACT government full of spin, BS and lies.

    • aerobubble 1.1
      20 September 2013 at 3:06 pm

      Key is hardly going to sack him now he’s given Smith a second chance. I mean it would look like Key was a leader.

      • Tim 1.1.1
        20 September 2013 at 6:44 pm

        …. which, of course he isn’t – and never has been.
        The smiling assassin always used to get others to do his dirty work.
        I’m surprised (well no I’m not given the status of our MSM), that no one has bothered to dig out some of his old work colleagues.
        A coward on a magic carpet. The man that did it tough FFS – son of the solo-mum who’s dad was supposedly a cnut.
        Walked 5 miles every day to school with cardboard in his shoes, and five miles home again – bog in the backyard, state house, pulled himself up by his bootstraps ALL BY HIMSELF!
        God life was tuff!
        What’s even more sickening is is little dalliance with David Cameron (“Dave” to his mates) and using ANZAC sacrifices to stroke his ego.
        Even Madge seems to have swallowed the bullshit!
        What’s amusing is all those little arse-likker junior natty bois and gal MPs worshipping the sef made man and weathering the flak. Nik Smith, Amy-gal, Tauranga boi, Nafe, Hek-yea, Pulla Bent …. Roll on 2014 – and if not then (because Labour having done the usual shooting itself in the foot, then2017 – if there’s anything left by then).
        Wouldn’t wanna be in THEIR shows aye!

  2. ghostwhowalksnz 2
    20 September 2013 at 2:03 pm

    A waste of breath in trying to catch Smith out in his lies.

    The media are still more interested in who lives in Herne Bay and if there is a butcher shop nearby ( as if…)

    Putting the government to the blow torch…?

    Dont make me laugh.

    They are only doing feel good news this week … what is it the corgis eat again ?

  3. Sable 3
    20 September 2013 at 2:33 pm

    National=lies, its hardly a secret.

  4. ianmac 4
    20 September 2013 at 3:32 pm

    Nick Smith said on National Radio on Monday that DOC had 30,000 consents to consider each year. If so, they claim that the current application is well down the priority list and not significant enough to warrant their attention.
    30,000 = 82 per day! Really????

    And since the 34 page document does represent the research of at least 3 research DOC officers then why not submit it anyway? (Especially as the Hawke Bay plan is to be a blueprint for future schemes.)

    And having the Regional Council being the planners and and the decision makers, seems liable to bias.

    Why would Dr Smith want to block or divert dissenting opinions? Can’t think of any reasons. Huh!

  5. Tracey 5
    20 September 2013 at 3:39 pm

    apparently no submission on water quality was made by doc cos it was an environment issue and the environment bods didnt had the budget for it. or at least that was my recollection of how someone put if on national radio.

  6. Tracey 6
    20 September 2013 at 3:57 pm

    bryce edwards wrote

    ” The power of Nick Smith and government departments

    Constitutionally, one of the countervailing powers to the Government of the day is the existence of a public service that speaks truth to power, providing free and frank advice in specialist areas. But the latest saga over the Department of Conservation’s role in the approval of the Ruataniwha Dam suggests that the balance of power is shifting. The best critical coverage of the issue comes from Gordon Campbell, who argued yesterday that the dam issue was important for understanding the health of the government bureaucracy: ‘The neutrality of public servants – and their ability to fulfill their statutory obligations – are coming under increasing attack from Ministers and their staff. Senior managers see which way the wind is blowing from the Beehive, and jump to comply, or else. DOC has been bullied, and told that water quality is none of its core business’ – see: On Nick Smith’s latest steps to undermine river quality. And today, he reiterates this based on the latest news: ‘In all its grisly detail, the extent to which DOC has abandoned its statutory duties could be heard in last night’s Checkpoint interview between Johnson and RNZ presenter Mary Wilson – in which Johnson introduced a new wrinkle to the story. In effect, Johnson wrote off the main river affected as being of such little consequence as to not merit a submission from DOC on its likely fate if the dam should proceed. It is an incredible interview. So there we have it. Minister leans on department. Department caves in. Fate of river gets written off by our conservation guardian as being of little consequence. Minister tells Parliament he knew nothing, NOTHING. Move on, nothing to see here’ – see: On the Nick Smith saga, and the America’s Cup. “

    • mickysavage 6.1
      20 September 2013 at 7:57 pm

      Yep. It seems to be that Smith has cowered DOC into only doing what he would approve and National is starving it of funds so that even the threat of a regionally important river dying is considered to be inconsequential.

      And it seems that the Government wants to have plausible deniability, so that the public service do not fulfill the functions that the law says they have and it feels like the Minister is directing things but his fingerprints cannot be found on the steering wheel.

      And if DOC is not going to be worried about freshwater habitats then I do not know who will.

  7. tracey 7
    21 September 2013 at 8:03 am

    yes ms it seems that the strategy is to starve of funds so certain depts cant afford submissions and so smith can say they made no submission…. pretending it means they dont object

  8. Brian 8
    21 September 2013 at 9:54 am

    And the list grows by one more.