Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has been accused of having a conflict of interest after lobbying a council to speed up water consents for a small group of Manawatū farms – including the family farm of National MP Suze Redmayne.
On September 1, Simmonds wrote to the Horizons Regional Council saying she had recently met with farmers from the Santoft area and heard their concerns about delays in obtaining replacement groundwater extraction and irrigation consents.
“I am now seeking to understand from Horizons Regional Council why there have been delays, and what needs to be done to achieve a timely solution for the affected farmers, particularly given the Government’s commitment to helping the primary sector grow New Zealand’s economy,” it read.
The Minister sought a written response within days and held a meeting with Horizons Regional Council the following week.
Environment Minister accused of helping fellow National MP with consents – Watch on TVNZ+
The Green Party’s environment spokesperson Lan Pham said it raised serious conflict of interest questions for Simmonds.
“She’s using her time and political influence as Minister for the Environment to go into bat for a select group of farmers and her colleague in a catchment that we know is under severe pressure,” Pham said.
“I think it raises really big questions for Christopher Luxon and his Government.
“I think Kiwis would be horrified to hear that their Minister for the Environment, in an area that is under quite serious environmental pressure, was actually going in to bat and putting political pressure on regional councils whose job it is to protect the commons for everyone, not just those who are in the Minister’s ear, or her colleague.”
Simmonds says actions ‘wholly appropriate’
Penny Simmonds waded into a water consents process for a group of farmers in Manawatū – including MP Suze Redmayne. (Source: 1News)
In a statement, the MP for Rangitīkei Suze Redmayne told 1News she has kept her distance from the process due to a conflict of interest.
“I have not attended meetings with the Ministers or advocated for the group of farmers beyond recommending they contact relevant Ministers with their concerns when I was asked,” she said.
“Ordinarily, if a constituent approached me on an issue like this, I could advocate directly on their behalf but in this case, I noted my conflict of interest and left them to approach the Ministers themselves.”
Redmayne confirmed her husband was among the farmers who met with Ministers at Parliament recently.
She also said she didn’t believe the farmers gained access to the Ministers because of her role as a National Party MP.
Asked if this was a case of Ministers getting involved in matters relating to her personal farm, she said “no, I think that’s just by the by, to be honest”.
Simmonds wouldn’t be interviewed today but, in a statement, said her actions were “wholly appropriate”.
“I asked to meet with Horizons Regional Council to discuss delayed consents after meeting with representatives from several different farms, who were concerned about the impact these delays were having on their businesses,” she said.
“As the Minister for the Environment, it’s wholly appropriate for me to meet with stakeholders from the primary sector and to engage with local authorities to discuss their performance in relation to the Resource Management Act.”
However, Horizons Regional Councillor Sam Ferguson told 1News he thought it completely inappropriate for Simmonds to get involved.
“When she chooses to spend her time in an area like this, advocating for the degradation of the environment – I don’t believe that should be her priority.”
Ferguson said he appreciated farmers in the Santoft area were frustrated with the slow consent process, but more scientific work needed to be carried out due to concerns the groundwater there was getting too low.
“If the water is over-extracted then we know that saltwater will start coming in, and that leads to significant environmental issues…. when we over-extract it, we create significant issues for future generations.”
Asked if it amounted to a conflict of interest for Simmonds, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said there was “no information to suggest Cabinet Manual guidance has not been followed in this instance”.