This is truly a people-powered win. The plan to drill a tunnel through the centre of the pristine Fiordland National Park in New Zealand looked all but guaranteed to go ahead. Then a local resident Patricia Ko started her change.org petition.
More than 31,000 people signed it, getting support from stars like Sam Neill and Peter Jackson, igniting a media storm that ranged from the NZ Herald to the UK’s Daily Mail. And today the Conservation Minister stepped in to reject the proposal.
Read on below for more about Patricia Ko’s petition to stop the Fiordland tunnel proposal and her big win today. And remember, if there’s an issue that you care about — big or small — you can quickly get a petition started on change.org by clicking here.
Karen and the Change.org team.
—- a message from petition starter Patricia Ko —-
We just won! The Conservation Minister has just rejected the plan to put a tunnel through Fiordland National Park.
We’ve just heard Nick Smith announce that the Fiordland tunnel would “permanently damage the natural and landscape values” and will be declined approval.
The decision today is the result of countless hours of campaigning and hard work. And importantly, the support of you and 31,000 others who signed my petition on change.org. Thank you.
The tunnel would have been hugely damaging to not only our communities but also to one of the most beautiful, pristine national parks in the world — there’s literally nothing else like it anywhere.
When I started the petition I had no idea what to expect. The odds were stacked against us — we were only a small community trying to face down multi-million dollar developers. But as we signed and shared the petition, and our community rallied together, we put the issue in the national spotlight.
The Minister was forced to respond to hundreds of media stories — in New Zealand Herald, Campbell Live, international media like the UK’s Daily Mail and so many more. Mayors, business owners, celebrities like Peter Jackson, Sam Neil and Jane Campion all added their support. And the government was forced to listen.
Today we’ve been a part of what is probably one of the biggest environmental wins in this country for decades. And it means so much to all of us locals in Glenorchy and the Fiordland region that you stood with us. Thanks so much.
Patricia
P.S. Come celebrate and share the news we’ve just posted up here on our Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/10Zpqiw — and find the full statement from Nick Smith to all petition signers here.
