APIAPE: Agents of Private Interest, Architects of Public Erosion

Chris Bishop: Minister of Loopholes, Broker of Capture

From Climate Retreat to Infrastructure Fast-Tracks – The Deal Maker for Private Power

Minister for Market Openings · Minister of Shortcut Law · Defender of Polluter Privilege

Current Roles

Parliamentary Role

Portfolio

Select Committee

Parliamentary Service Commission

Chris Bishop presents himself as a reformer, but his record reads as a broker of loopholes. From emissions credits that never expire, to fast-track approvals that sideline communities, to punitive criminal law returns, his legislation consistently bends public frameworks to private convenience.

In barely a year, Bishop has fronted bills that:

• Loosen climate standards by extending and multiplying carbon credits (Clean Vehicle Standard Amendment Bill No 2).
• Centralise Ministerial control over planning and environmental approvals (RMA Fast-Track Approvals Bill).
• Restore outdated punitive law with no evidence base (Three Strikes Reinstatement Bill).
• Strip local democracy from councils on Māori wards and representation (Local Government Amendment Bill).

These are not disconnected moves. They are a pattern of erosion: weakening climate action, hollowing environmental checks, tightening criminal law, and shrinking democracy. Each serves corporate capture and political control — not the public interest.

Chris Bishop’s Legislative Pattern of Erosion

Chris Bishop’s record shows a consistent thread: bills that weaken climate action, expand punitive policing, centralise executive discretion, and shrink democratic participation. Each carries the same signature — erosion of accountability and capture of public law for private or political ends.

• Clean Vehicle Standard Amendment Bill (No 2) — Creates climate loopholes by extending credits, borrowing against the future, and letting one credit equal two, delaying genuine emissions cuts.
• Antisocial Road Use Legislation Amendment Bill — Expands punitive powers with mandatory forfeiture, pre-conviction seizures, police closure powers, and owner-liability compulsion that erodes rights.
• RMA Fast-Track Approvals Bill — Centralises Ministerial power to fast-track corporate projects, stripping local voices and environmental safeguards.
• Three Strikes Reinstatement Bill — Revives disproven punitive sentencing, removing judicial discretion and inflating prison populations without proven benefit.
• Local Government Amendment Bill — Forces referenda on Māori wards, undermining Treaty partnership and weakening representation.

“From climate to roads to democracy, Bishop’s bills follow one script: empower Ministers, weaken accountability, and let private or political interests win over the public good.”

1. Clean Vehicle Standard Amendment Bill (No 2) — Climate Loopholes Disguised as Flexibility

Government Bill 195–1 (Chris Bishop)
Formal Opposition Submitted By: Ukes Baha | Read the full opposition

Marketed as minor technical adjustments, the Bill in fact rolls back the Clean Vehicle Standard. It extends credit lifespans, removes barriers between used and new import credits, allows polluters to borrow against the future, and grants Ministers regulatory discretion to weaken standards. It even manipulates credits so one credit can equal two, or half, depending on transfer.

• Carbon credits extended beyond accountability — hiding true emissions
• One-way flexibilities benefiting high-emission importers
• Ministerial discretion to soften standards by regulation, not debate
• “Trading tricks” that double-count credits while delaying decarbonisation

“A true standard drives real change. A loophole only changes the numbers.”
— Ukes Baha

2. RMA Fast-Track Approvals Bill — Development Without Democracy

Bishop’s fast-track legislation claims to “cut red tape” but in reality cuts the public out. It creates Ministerial panels to approve projects with limited consultation, truncated timeframes, and no effective appeal rights.

• Environmental checks reduced to “streamlined” tick-boxes
• Councils sidelined, iwi consultation reduced to symbolic notification
• No robust appeal process, just judicial review with high thresholds
• Corporate projects prioritised over ecological and community concerns

“Fast-tracks for corporations are slow deaths for communities and ecosystems.”
— APIAPE

3. Three Strikes Reinstatement Bill — Punishment Over Proof

Bishop reintroduced the Three Strikes law, repealed for being unjust and ineffective. He calls it deterrence; evidence calls it disproven. It removes judicial discretion, imposes disproportionate sentences, and risks miscarriages of justice.

• Mandatory maximums even when disproportionate
• No regard for context, intent, or rehabilitation
• Increased prison populations without proven safety gain

“Three Strikes is not justice — it’s politics dressed as punishment.”

4. Local Government Amendment Bill — Democracy Diminished

Bishop also pushed legislation forcing councils to hold binding referendums on Māori wards, reversing prior protections for representation.

• Single out Māori wards for special veto not applied to general wards
• Disproportionately undermines Treaty partnership in local governance
• Weakens local self-determination in favour of central imposition

“Representation is not a referendum prize — it is a right.”

5. Antisocial Road Use Legislation Amendment Bill — Punishment Disguised as Safety

Government Bill 189–1 (Chris Bishop)
Formal Opposition Submitted By: Ukes Baha | Read the full opposition

Marketed as a crackdown on “antisocial road use,” the Bill instead embeds punitive and rights-eroding powers. It mandates vehicle forfeiture and destruction (even on first offences), expands pre-conviction seizure, compels owners to disclose identifying information under threat of forfeiture, and grants Police wide closure powers. These provisions extend far beyond dangerous driving — chilling assembly, eroding rights, and disproportionately impacting Māori, Pasifika, youth, and low-income communities.

• Mandatory forfeiture and destruction — removes judicial discretion, punishing even first-time offenders
• Owner compulsion — forces disclosure under penalty of forfeiture, risking false attribution and privacy intrusion
• Closure powers — allow Police to shut down public spaces, fining residents and bystanders
• Disproportionate impact — risks cultural convoys (e.g., tangihanga, weddings) and hits marginalised communities hardest

“A law that punishes beyond its target ceases to protect — it erodes trust.”
— Ukes Baha

Why Chris Bishop Fits the Pattern

Like Goldsmith, Bishop’s bills share a core design: fewer checks, more discretion, and greater capture. Whether on climate, planning, justice, or democracy, he champions shortcuts that entrench power in Ministerial hands while narrowing public rights. The erosion is consistent. The pattern is deliberate.

Read more / take action:

• Clean Vehicle Standard Amendment Bill No 2 Opposition
• Fast-Track Approvals Bill Opposition
• Three Strikes Reinstatement Bill Opposition
• Local Government Amendment Bill Opposition

Every bill leaves a trace. Together, they form the record of erosion. 🔙 Back to APIAPE Index