NRT: More lies from Smith

• notices and features
• 11 years ago
• Categories: Conservation, Environment, greens
• Tags: nick smith, no right turn

Was 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!”