Government Minister Dr Nick Smith has paid tribute to the New Zealand servicemen who fought in the Battle of Passchendaele a century ago at commemorations today in Belgium.

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith has today paid tribute to the service given by David Bedford as a commissioner, appointed councillor and chair of Environment Canterbury during the past seven years.

The roll-out of a soft plastics recycling scheme in Nelson today means New World, Countdown and Pak’nSave supermarkets in the South Island will offer the service, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith is hailing today’s pest control operation in the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary as a win for the survival of New Zealand’s native birds.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council has applied to use a Streamlined Planning Process (SPP) introduced under Resource Management Act reforms in order to meet the region’s growing demand for new housing, Minister for th

It is time the Brook Valley Community Group accepted the multiple court rulings in favour of the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary and stopped its disruption to this critical Nelson environment project following today’s Court

Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith and Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick have today signed a Housing Accord aimed at substantially boosting Rotorua’s housing supply over the next four years.

The Rotorua Lakes district has been added to Schedule 1 of the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas (HASHAA) Act 2013, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

A new pledge by farming leaders to improve the swimmability of New Zealand’s rivers has been welcomed by Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith.

Housing supply in the Nelson-Tasman region has received a major boost with the establishment of 20 new Special Housing Areas (SHAs) with capacity for 1700 homes, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith announ

The Government is seeking public feedback on how to best manage space rocket activity and its environmental impacts in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS), Environment Minister D

KiwiSaver HomeStart is playing an increasing role in helping home buyers purchase their first property, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

The Government’s work on unmanned exploration of the inner section of the Pike River Mine drift is progressing and will only be slowed by setting up a new agency, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

The Government’s new National Policy Statement (NPS) on Freshwater Management will deliver cleaner lakes and rivers with ambitious new targets for improving their recreational and ecological health, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Freshwater improvement projects covering over 100 rivers and lakes across New Zealand are to receive grants of $44 million from the Government, Environment Minister Nick Smith announced today.

“The Government has an ambitious plan to improve water quality in our rivers and lakes that involves stronger direction to councils, tighter regulation and funding to support projects. Today we are announcing grants of $44m for 33 projects which, with Council and other contributions, will see $142m invested in over 100 lakes and rivers.”

A new nationwide set of environmental rules for managing New Zealand’s 1.7 million hectares of plantation forestry will better protect the environment and deliver significant savings in compliance costs, Minister for the Environment Dr Nick Smith and Associate Minister for Primary Industries Louise Upston say.

A $94,700 Government grant from the Earthquake Upgrade Incentive Programme, Heritage EQUIP, will strengthen the historic building which is home to Nelson’s iconic Lambretta’s Café, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith and Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry announced today.

Residential, commercial and infrastructure building activity is forecast to continue to boom for the next three years to a record $42 billion in 2020, according to the independent National Construction Pipeline Report for 2017 released today by Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith.

A decision by the High Court today confirming the legality of national pest control regulations is a significant win for the survival of New Zealand’s native birds, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“The science is clear that the only way birds like kiwi, kokako, kea and kaka will survive is to effectively control pests like stoats, rats and possums that have decimated their populations. We need to appreciate that 25 million native birds are killed each year by these predators, and get serious about controlling them,” Dr Smith says.

A plastics processing facility in Lower Hutt now has the capacity to turn over 200 million plastic drink bottles a year into high grade food-safe packaging, thanks to a $4 million Government grant.

The facility was today opened by Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Associate Minister Scott Simpson.

Labour’s Bill purporting to make homes healthier would delay the Government’s requirements for landlords to insulate their rental homes by three years, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith and Hurunui District Mayor Winton Dalley have officially opened the Waiau temporary accommodation village for Hurunui residents whose homes were damaged in the Kaikōura Earthquake.

“The Hurunui District was hard hit by the Kaikōura Earthquake in November 2016, with more than half the dwellings damaged. This has led to families leaving the district while awaiting repairs and rebuilds as there were no alternative accommodation options,” Dr Smith says.

Construction is set to start by the end of this month on the new Great Walk in Paparoa National Park in memory of the 29 men who died in the 2010 Pike River Mine disaster, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

“A West Coast company and one from Nelson will work with the Department of Conservation (DOC) on construction of the Paparoa and Pike29 Memorial tracks,” Dr Smith says.