{"id":844,"date":"2017-09-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/new-zealand\/press-release\/labour-and-greens-confirm-commitment-to-restoring-democracy-in-christchurch-following-mass-occupation\/"},"modified":"2024-07-12T09:03:54","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T21:03:54","slug":"labour-and-greens-confirm-commitment-to-restoring-democracy-in-christchurch-following-mass-occupation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/press-release\/labour-and-greens-confirm-commitment-to-restoring-democracy-in-christchurch-following-mass-occupation\/","title":{"rendered":"Labour and Greens confirm commitment to restoring democracy in Christchurch following mass occupation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Labour MP Megan Woods is promising to return Canterbury\u2019s regional council, ECan, to a democratically elected council. <\/p>\n

It follows a mass day-long occupation of the ECan building by local water activists calling for the restoration of democracy and urgent action to save rivers. <\/p>\n

In 2010, the Government sacked ECan councilors and instead installed their own commissioners to run the Regional Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government took away democracy from the people of Canterbury and in return gave us more big irrigation schemes, more cows, and more polluted rivers,\u201d says Gen Toop from Greenpeace. <\/p>\n

At least a hundred protestors crowded inside the foyer to voice their concerns about ECan\u2019s role in dairy intensification in the region.<\/p>\n

During the occupation, MP Megan Woods tweeted<\/a> that Labour\u2019s policy is full restoration of democracy. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNew constituencies are needed that are fair and give equal weight across the region,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Green MP Eugenie Sage visited the occupation and also confirmed the Green\u2019s commitment to restore democracy to Canterbury.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s protest included farmers, doctors, scientists, and families.<\/p>\n

Bryan Clearwater, a dairy farmer from South Canterbury, joined the occupation and spoke to the crowd about better ways of farming.<\/p>\n

Local activist, Shane Herdman, said he just wants his nephews to be able to swim in clean rivers like he did when he was a kid.<\/p>\n

The activists set up \u201cThe People\u2019s Ecan\u201d inside the lobby.<\/p>\n

They presented ECan acting chairperson, Steve Lowndes, a list of action points for the council to implement in order to clean up rivers in the region. <\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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