Nick Smith - 3 March,
2012 - The Prime Minister's announcement
of nearly $8 million in funding for cleaning
up polluted water bodies underscores the
Government’s progress in collaborative freshwater
management, Environment Minister Nick Smith
said today.
“New Zealand generally has clean rivers
and lakes, but poor management over many
years in a number of lowland catchments
needs to be addressed. The Manawatu is New
Zealand’s most polluted river, and the Wairarapa
lakes, Waituna and Wainono Lagoons are among
our most contaminated from excessive nutrients.
These are nationally-significant water bodies
where the resources to clean them up are
beyond the capacity of local councils.”
“Government is prepared to help where rules
have been put in place to prevent ongoing
pollution and where there is the local commitment
and co-operation to restore the river, lake
or lagoon. The Government contribution of
nearly $8 million represents 21 percent
of the total $38 million being invested
in cleaning up these four water bodies.”
“These clean-ups are part of the Government’s
broader Fresh Start for Fresh Water programme
of work to improve New Zealand’s freshwater
management, involving the Land and Water
Forum and the Iwi Leaders Group. Other work
includes a new National Policy Statement
under the Resource Management Act on freshwater
that requires councils to set limits on
pollution and water extraction and a fund
to support sustainable irrigation projects.”
“The Fresh Start for Fresh Water fund is
enabling a nationwide increased investment
in cleaning up rivers and lakes. Programmes
preceding these four new clean-ups include
Lake Taupo, the Rotorua Lakes, the Waikato
River and Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora.”
“The commitments from this Government for
our first four years on these clean-ups
total $101.3 million and compares to $17.7
million in the preceding four years. This
is a more than fivefold increase and indicates
the importance the Government puts on improving
fresh water. The Government’s approach of
cross sector collaboration, greater involvement
of iwi, clearer rules and increased funding
is delivering real gains in improving New
Zealand’s freshwater management,” Dr Smith
says.
+ More
Building a Bluegreen
Future launched at Forum
Nick Smith - 3 March,
2012 - National today launched Building
a Bluegreen Future, an environment policy
paper reporting on the progress of the National-led
Government over the past three years and
setting out the next steps to be taken in
this term.
“This plan is about bringing together policies
that support a strong growing economy with
sound stewardship of our natural environment.
It has been put together by National’s 18-strong
Bluegreens Caucus and covers our work on
climate change, energy, transport, biosecurity,
freshwater, biodiversity, oceans, recycling,
contaminated sites, air quality, and outdoor
recreation,” Minister for the Environment
Nick Smith said at the launch of the paper
at the Bluegreens’ 13th Annual Forum at
Lake Pupuke on the North Shore.
”We are proud of our record in Government.
New Zealand is planting more trees, building
more renewable power stations, insulating
more houses, cleaning up more lakes and
rivers, converting more homes to clean heating
and recycling more waste.”
“We have an ambitious legislative plan for
improving the environment: We will pass
by 1 July 2012 new laws to protect New Zealand’s
huge ocean area known as the Exclusive Economic
Zone. We will be making improvements to
the Emissions Trading Scheme by 1 January
2013 to ensure New Zealand continues to
do its fair share on the global problem
of climate change. We will also pass new
laws on environmental reporting and marine
reserves.”
“We also have an exciting programme of initiatives
to advance this term covering the clean-up
and better management of lakes and rivers,
electrification of rail, extending incentives
for electric cars, improving biosecurity
and biodiversity, recycling TVs as part
of the digital switchover, managing contaminated
sites, and implementing tighter rules to
improve air quality.”
“The policy paper updates a similar document
A Bluegreen Vision for New Zealand produced
by National in opposition in 2006, which
formed the blueprint for our environment
programme during our first term in Government.”
“These practical environment policies are
right for the times. New Zealanders want
balanced policies that will create jobs
and improve living standards while ensuring
we protect our clean green brand and great
Kiwi lifestyle,” says Dr Smith.
National’s environmental policy paper, Building
a Bluegreen Future, is available online
here:
http://www.national.org.nz/bluegreens/Bluegreen_Future.pdf
