Protestors have disrupted an Auckland media standup and taken over microphones from Government ministers on Wednesday afternoon.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Resource Management Act (RMA) Reform Minister Chris Bishop announced extensions for ports' permits at a press conference in Parnell's Rose Gardens.
The Government confirmed a decision to extend the permits for an extended 20 years, with the current permits set to expire in 2026.
Brown said the permits were about "providing certainty for our port sector so we can grow our economy".
The Government plans to have the extension included in its RMA Amendment Bill, to be introduced later in 2024. The Government's aim for the bill is to make it easier to build infrastructure and other projects that will help grow the economy in New Zealand.
Bishop said the RMA in its current form meant it had "just become too hard to do things in this country".
However, there are concerns the law will allow major infrastructure projects to bypass lengthy resource consenting processes.
During the standup, the protesters set off a loud siren and yelled at the ministers, calling for a stop to the Government's Fast-track Approvals Bill.
"These are the faces of the climate apocalypse," protestors yelled out, while others held a banner that read "fossil fuels".
After the minister's thanks the media and walked away, the protestors then took over the microphones.
"We're just a bunch of young people who really give a crap about our future," one woman yelled.
"We want to see a Government give us a vision of the future we believe in. We think this Fast-track Bill is silencing community voices in a space where we need it most.
"All I've seen them do is create a vision where there is a lot of money in the works but I'm not seeing any way this gets down to the future generations."
She added: "You can best believe we will not be letting them take the mic."
"We're going to take control and fight for a future we believe in, whether they stand for it or not, we will."
Another woman then took to the mic adding: "We do not want to fast-track our futures. We want to put people before profits."
"We're just people who care," she added.
The group then thanked the media for listening.
