Government delivers on environmental priorities

The Government is increasing funding for its environmental priorities in 2009/10, Environment Minister Nick Smith says. 

“Feel good programmes that cost much and achieved little have been shelved. The Government has refocused the Ministry for the Environment to ensure it delivers tangible results in our priority areas of climate change, freshwater management, biodiversity, waste management and air quality.

"The Government also wants to ensure there are the necessary resources for our reform of the Resource Management Act and redesign and implementation of an Emissions Trading Scheme.”

Budget announcements include the following funding over the next four years:

• An increase of funding for the reform of the Resource Management Act of $9 million.
• Increasing funding for developing the Emissions Trading Scheme, including international linkages, by $6.9 million.
• Increasing funding for the freshwater policy work programme by $2.1 million.
• Additional funding of $17.3 million for activities that would have been discontinued as a result of funding reductions in 2009/10. These activities relate to waste minimisation, Waikato River Settlement, and other policy advice.

“The money has been freed up by reallocations within the Ministry for the Environment’s budget, including the decision in March to end or scale back five work programmes that were not government priorities,” Dr Smith says. “The Government is committed to investing in real and pragmatic solutions that benefit New Zealand’s environment.”