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The release of a proposed new spatial plan for the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park has been welcomed by Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry.

The Sea Change/Tai Timu Tai Pari marine spatial plan, designed to secure a healthy, productive and sustainable future for the Hauraki Gulf, is the result of three years’ work by the Sea Change group, representing mana whenua, councils, local conservationists, businesses, recreational fishers and the Government.

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith leaves today for Sydney to attend the annual meeting of Australasian Environment Ministers, with Ministers from each State, Territory and New Zealand.

“This is the first opportunity to engage with new Australia Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg since the July Federal election. The New Zealand and Australian economies are so integrated that we need to maximise the alignment of our environmental regulation,” Dr Smith says.

Changes to the National Environmental Standard (NES) for Telecommunications Facilities will make it quicker and easier for New Zealanders to get connected to new and better communications technologies.

Communications Minister Amy Adams and Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith today announced the new NES for Telecommunications Facilities, under the Resource Management Act (RMA).

Sharp Corporation’s efforts to responsibly manage the environmental effects of its products have been recognised with accreditation to the Product Stewardship Scheme, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“Sharp aims to be recycling 100 per cent of all packaging materials, electrical and electronic products and equipment, and obsolete and used parts by April 2018,” Dr Smith says.

The families of the Pike River victims and Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith met in Greymouth tonight to discuss work on decommissioning the mine and progressing the memorial track through Paparoa National Park.

“This is an emotional time for families, given Saturday’s sixth anniversary of the tragedy which claimed the lives of 29 men. That’s why Solid Energy agreed to defer work on decommissioning the mine this week,” Dr Smith says.

Work on decommissioning the Pike River Mine will be deferred this week in the run up to the sixth anniversary of the disaster, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith said today.

An agreement on policy issues in the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill has been reached between National and the Māori Party, which will enable the Bill to pass its second and third readings, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

A creek that feeds into the Waimea Estuary is to be cleaned up thanks to a Government grant, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

The $67,000 Community Environment Fund grant will be used to restore the water quality of Neimann Creek in Appleby, which runs adjacent to the Waimea River.

It is one of two small, spring-fed creeks which enter the estuary either side of the Waimea River and is home to native wildlife and fish, including high populations of inanga and eels. The quality is affected by high nitrate levels and sedimentation.  

People using fireworks this Guy Fawkes’ weekend need to take care, follow instructions and keep them a safe distance from pets and livestock, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“I encourage people to enjoy fireworks but also to take care. The golden rules are follow the instructions on the packaging, keep them a safe distance from pets and livestock, and avoid areas of fire risk,” says Dr Smith, who is the Minister responsible for fireworks regulation under the hazardous substances law.

The Government has signed off on a National Policy to ensure councils in rapidly growing urban areas provide enough land for new housing and business development, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith has welcomed a report released today on the challenges facing our marine environment, jointly published by the Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand.

An iwi-led programme to improve the Manawatū River is the latest waterways project to receive funding through the Government’s Te Mana o Te Wai Fund, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox announced today.

“The Government is committed to improving the quality of New Zealand’s freshwater bodies, including through grants such as this $534,000 towards Rangitāne o Tamaki Nui a Rua’s $814,000 Tū te Manawa project,” Dr Smith says.

Labour MP Megan Woods is behind the eight-ball with her Bill which would send Cantabrians to the polls for a second time in less than a year, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

The Government today launched in Wellington a scheme to recycle soft plastics such as shopping bags as part of a national partnership with the retail sector and packaging industry.

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Associate Minister of Local Government Louise Upston today announced the appointment of six members to Environment Canterbury, to complement the seven members elected in the recent local authority elections.

The appointed members are: David Bedford, Hon David Caygill CNZM, Iaean Cranwell, Elizabeth Cunningham JP, Thomas Lambie ONZM and Professor Peter Skelton CNZM.

An amendment to the Montreal Protocol which phases down the use of harmful greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning is being welcomed by Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith.

“New Zealand advocated for an ambitious change to the Montreal Protocol at the meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, this week. The resulting amendment will have significant environmental benefits by phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),” Dr Smith says.

HFCs can have a global warming effect up to 15,000 times greater than carbon dioxide.

New Zealand is part of a global push to reduce the use of synthetic industrial gases that contribute to global warming, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith said today in returning from chairing the OECD Environment Ministers’ meeting in Paris.

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith leaves today for Paris, where he will this week be chairing the fourth yearly OECD meeting of Environment Ministers.

“Environmental issues transcend national borders and require strong international cooperation. The major issues for discussion include water, climate change, biodiversity, air pollution, waste and resource use efficiency. Specific international issues will be the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The Government is disappointed it has been unable to reach agreement with Maori fisheries trust Te Ohu Kaimoana (TOKM) on the Kermadec/Rangitahua Ocean Sanctuary, despite lengthy negotiations, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

The Government is consulting on changes to the National Environmental Standard on Contaminated Soils (NESCS) to make it more workable and to remove unnecessary costs for land development, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“We do need a system for identifying sites that have had previous uses that may pose a health risk but we also need to ensure we are not adding disproportionate costs and delays on new developments, such as housing.”

The Rangitīkei Awa is the latest waterway to get a funding boost from the Government to improve its water quality, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Māori Party Co-leaders Te Ururoa Flavell and Marama Fox announced today.

“This $700,000 grant will go towards an $800,000 project which includes restoration of the Rangitīkei Awa and catchment by improving water quality, fish habitat and riparian health at sites which are important to the Ngā Pae o Rangitīkei collective,” Dr Smith says.

The Government intends to review the appropriateness of councils being involved in regulating Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), prompted by advice over a liver cancer treatment trial in Auckland, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“A trial for liver cancer vaccine Pexa-Vec is being conducted at Auckland Hospital which involves a GMO. The new Auckland Unitary Plan prohibits the release of any GMO and would not allow any such future medical treatments,” Dr Smith says.

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Māori Party Co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell have today announced funding of $320,000 for the restoration of two Far North dune lakes and a wetland.

“Lake Wahakari, the Waiparera Wetland and the Rotoroa/Split lakes are all of ecological significance and are currently at risk from various land use activities,” Dr Smith says.

Thank you for the privilege of giving this 2016 Lincoln Environment lecture. I’d like to acknowledge Lincoln University Chancellor Tony Hall distinguished guests, fellow MPs, and the Centre for Nature Conservation staff who are hosting us tonight.