It was a familiar scene outside Parliament today as the latest petition against the Government arrived with its entourage.
Greenpeace and a number of environmental groups carried around 30 boxes holding more than 140,000 signatures which, when stacked, spelt out why they were there and what they wanted.
The petition asks the Government to halt the expansion of coal mining and deep sea drilling, planned for a number of sites around the country.
Greenpeace’s Simon Boxer says fossil fuel extraction should play no significant part in the future of the economy and the Government needs to change its tack.
“At the moment they believe having a fossil fuel agenda is the answer to our economic problem when in fact it will do more harm than good,” he says.
Green Party MP Gareth Hughes was also on site and says the petition indicates to the Government that a clean energy economy is what New Zealanders want.
“This is a sizeable petition, one of the largest we’ve seen in recent years at Parliament so one can only hope the Government listens.”
Mr Boxer says the Government is already taking note.
“I believe the Government is listening, they may not want to say it publically but we know behind the scenes, they really have been caught out. I would say that across the board, there is so much pressure that change is inevitable,” he says.
But when questioned in the House by Mr Hughes, Energy Minister Phil Heatley showed no signs there would be a change.
“Will he listen to the more than 140,000 New Zealanders who signed Greenpeace’s petition calling on him to prohibit deep sea oil drilling and the experts around the world saying a relief rig is the only way to stop a deep sea blow out?,” Mr Hughes asked.
“Speaker, I disagree with what the member is implying,” Mr Heatley replied, adding it was the last Labour Government, with the Greens in tow, who approved one of the deep-sea drilling sites.
“We thank Labour and the Greens for their foresight,” he says.
Outside the debating chamber, he again brushed off the significance of the petition.
“Greenpeace run these petitions from time to time about all sorts of issues, they don't hold particular weight with me but I do have some understanding of what New Zealand's concerns (could) be,” Mr Heatley told New Zealand Newswire.
Watch the video for a montage of the petition arriving at Parliament.
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