Earlier this week Forest & Bird quit the government's sham "Land and Water Forum". Now another environmental group has bailed as well:
Another group that promotes improving water quality has resigned from the government's Land and Water Forum.
The Federated Mountain Clubs, which has 20,000 members, has written to the Environment Minister Nick Smith saying it is pulling out.
Forest and Bird quit the forum this week and Fish and Game left in 2015, along with Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa New Zealand (ECO).
Forest & Bird said it was leaving the forum after its recommendations had been largely ignored by government, and Fish and Game said it was being muzzled and stopped from speaking out on environmental issues.
So who does that leave? Whitewater NZ and the Environmental Defence Society, apparently. And their days are probably numbered too.
Far from being a collaborative body, the Land And Water Forum is a PR scam aimed at enhancing the legitimacy of the government's pollution plans while suborning and silencing critics. Environmental groups should refuse to legitimise such a body by their participation.
