Luxton’s burner view called ‘personal’
The Labour Party will not overrule Environment Canterbury’s woodburner rule — and Rangitata candidate Jo Luxton’s suggestion it would was a ‘‘personal view’’, a party spokesman says.
The party would not, as Luxton said, review the council’s Regional Clean Air Plan — it would be ‘‘unusual for governments to overrule a regional plan like this and we do not have any plans to do so’’, the spokesman said.
Asked to respond, Luxton released a statement which said her party’s position had been clarified and she had no further comment to make about woodburners at this stage.
Luxton last week said her party ‘‘has stepped into the South Canterbury log burner debate with a promise that, under a Labour-led government, no-one would be prohibited from using an efficient log burner to keep warm in winter, regardless of age’’.
It would be ‘‘unthinkable’’ to have vulnerable people living in cold houses during winter simply because ‘‘common sense amendments’’ could not be made to a regional plan. ‘‘If the air plan requires all log burners regardless of age to meet emission standards, the 15-year blanket ban seems a little pointless. We would review the air plan to ensure no-one had to live in a cold home,’’ she said last week.
National Party Rangitata candidate Andrew Falloon last week expressed surprise at Luxton’s statement, which he said seemed at odds with her own party. Yesterday, he said it was ‘‘no sur- prise Labour has back-tracked on their candidate’s pledge — it was them in 2002 who put the [air quality] policy in place’’. ‘‘It does make you question what else their candidate says if she doesn’t have the backing of her party.’’
It was his view that stronger consultation was needed: ‘‘If the Labour Party aren’t interested in doing that, I still am.’’ The air plan says burners 15 years or older cannot be used in parts of South Canterbury. Retrofitting has been ruled out and affected Timaru householders need to get a building consent by October 31 if they want to replace old burners with low-emission ones.