Government ministers have been given sweeping powers to suspend laws in 22 acts which could hold up reconstruction in Canterbury.The emergency bill was passed unanimously in Parliament last night, going through all its stages in one day as MPs acknowledge
Government ministers have been given sweeping powers to suspend laws in 22 acts which could hold up reconstruction in Canterbury.
The emergency bill was passed unanimously in Parliament last night, going through all its stages in one day as MPs acknowledged the need to be able to quickly clear away red tape and get on with the job of rebuilding homes, business premises and infrastructure damaged by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake.
"It's going to take a long time and we're going to need the rest of New Zealand to lend a hand," cabinet minister Gerry Brownlee told Parliament.
"Business as usual won't work -- we need to be able to adapt, we need to be able to remove bureaucracy."
The bill also sets up the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Commission, whose members include the mayors of the three affected districts, three government appointees and an independent chairman.
It will advise ministers on the orders they need to make and will be a contact point between central and local government.
Recommendations made by ministers can't be challenged, reviewed, quashed or called into question by any court.
The Greens backed the bill but only after voicing serious concerns about the extent of its provisions.
"These are tough times and this is a tough bill," said MP Kennedy Graham.
"These are extraordinarily far-reaching powers ... the basic attitude of the Greens is that it is excessive for its purpose."
Dr Graham said the most worrying aspects of the bill were legal immunity and its lack of limitation -- although it lists 22 acts which are under its scope, it also says ministerial powers are not limited to those acts.
"We haven't done justice to the depth of some of these issues," the Green Party MP said.
"We are saddened for the health of democracy."
The bill will stay in force until April 2012, which the Greens said was too long. They tried to change that to March next year but their amendment was defeated.
Labour fully supported the bill, although its MPs also questioned some of its provisions and party leader Phil Goff said the situation would be carefully watched to ensure homeowners weren't exploited by "cowboy builders" during reconstruction.
