A video campaign featuring Whangarei Mayor Sheryl Mai and Far North Deputy Mayor Tania McInnes hopes to persuade the Maori Party not to support a Government move to remove powers from local bodies to declare themselves free of genetically modified organisms.
The Whangarei and Far North district councils are among a group of local authorities in the upper North Island who have declared themselves GM-free and introduced rules to protect the GM-free status of their areas.
Now Environment Minister, Nick Smith wants to introduce changes to the Resource Management Act that will take away the rights of councils to make their own decisions on GMOs.
Under Clause 360D in the RMA Bill the Government can stop regions from making their own decisions on key issues, such as whether their territories remain GM-free. GM-free growing regions are Far North, Whangarei, Hastings and Auckland.
But the regions are fighting back and have launched a social media campaign calling on the Maori Party to help them stand up for local democracy and protect their right to be GM-free, which covers what is grown and farmed on the land.
They want the Maori Party to stop the Government from removing local powers that protect their GM-free growing status. The Maori Party is a coalition partner in the Government.
In a video just released, community leaders, iwi, mayors, growers, exporters, farmers, and people from across those regions are speaking out to protect their democratic right to be GM free.
The video is fronted by Ngati Kahunaungu chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana and also includes Ms Mai and Ms McInnes, former All Black captain Taine Randell, Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule, Auckland councillor and former Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, Hawke's Bay Regional Council chairman Rex Graham and farmers and growers.
Before Christmas, the Maori Party told Mr Smith in a letter that it did not support new regulatory powers if he could use them to prevent regions from creating GM-free zones.
Ngati Kahunaungu chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana said he hoped the Government and the Maori Party would listen to the voice of the regions.
"We have a duty for our people to provide the best food from the best land on the planet - free of genetic modification. We will work face to face and shoulder to shoulder with all
our communities and we won't allow anyone to take these rights from us."