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Following announcements made in April, Environment Minister Amy Adams has today released a supplementary order paper (SOP) to the Marine Legislation Bill to introduce a new non-notified discretionary classification for the marine consent regime under the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf Act.

The Marine Legislation Bill transfers the regulation of dumping and certain discharges related to EEZ activities from Maritime NZ to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

Environment Minister Amy Adams has today announced the Government is investing a further $542,000 to continue the environmental recovery programme, following the Rena grounding.

Today’s announcement brings the total Government funding for the programme to $2.42 million.

The programme identifies the environmental issues for the beaches, seabed, water fisheries, wildlife and management of waste, and sets out the responsibility for the recovery and monitoring of each aspect.

A Bill that will provide a six-month time limit on the council processing of medium-sized consents and a streamlined process for Auckland’s first Unitary Plan has passed its third reading in Parliament tonight.

Environment Minister Amy Adams says the Resource Management Reform Bill 2012 is part of a resource management reform package that will see further reforms introduced later this year.

The key features of the 2012 Bill are:A six-month time limit on the council processing of medium-sized consents

I move, that the Resource Management Amendment Bill, the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill (No 2), and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Amendment Bill be now read a third time.

This Bill makes a number of changes to the Resource Management Act which are designed to improve efficiency, enable growth, provide good environmental outcomes and ensure decisions about resource management are reached in a timely and cost-effective way.

Environment Minister Amy Adams says a programme to encourage the recycling of unwanted televisions and raise investment in New Zealand’s electronic recycling capacity has today been launched in more than 20 North Island towns and cities.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has marked the 100,000th television to be collected for recycling under the Government’s TV Takeback programme by taking her own worn-out television to a recycling facility.

The TV TakeBack programme aims to divert televisions from going to landfill in an initiative that involves the Government partnering with a range of councils, recyclers and retailers to provide a nationwide network of subsidised options.

Ms Adams says recycling 100,000 televisions is good news for the environment.

President Peter, Prime Minister, Board members, colleagues and most importantly, delegates. Good morning.

There is no doubt that the Resource Management Act is a critical piece of legislation.

It must protect our natural environment and the qualities we hold dear as New Zealanders, while encouraging a successful economy and enabling a vibrant built environment.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has today unveiled the next phase of the Government’s plan to revamp the resource management system.

Fundamentally, the reforms are about providing greater certainty for communities to plan for, and meet, their area’s needs in a way that reduces the unacceptable costs and delays that have become the norm.

“It must be remembered that the RMA is not just about environmental protection, it is also our planning law.

Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here to talk to you on the second day of the EDS conference.

I would like to acknowledge Dr Jan Wright, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, who has just spoken to you about her perspectives on environmental reporting.

I would also like to acknowledge the many other distinguished speakers and environmental thought leaders that are among us today.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has today announced that the Government will legislate for independent environmental reporting that will enhance New Zealanders’ understanding about the state of our environment.

The Government will this year introduce an Environmental Reporting Bill that mandates the provision of comprehensive environmental information for New Zealanders in a way that is easy to understand, independent and relevant.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has today announced that an application for the Basin Bridge proposal will be decided by an independent Board of Inquiry.

The application by the New Zealand Transport Agency relates to a two-lane, one-way bridge on the northern side of the Basin Reserve that includes a segregated walking and cycling pathway. The proposal is part of the Wellington Northern Corridor Road of National Significance.

Environment Minister Amy Adams says the release of two environmental water reports paint an encouraging picture of our waterways but also underline the need for the Government’s freshwater reforms.

The Ministry for the Environment has today released indicator reports on river conditions and swimming suitability.

The river condition indicator is based on data that was collected across more than 300 regional council and NIWA-monitored sites over a ten year period (2000-2010), out of the tens of thousands of waterways across New Zealand.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has today announced a new appointment and two reappointments to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Board.

“I am pleased to announce that Andrew von Dadelszen has been appointed to the EPA Board. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be extremely beneficial,” Ms Adams says.

“Mr von Dadelszen has held diverse governance and leadership roles in the private and public sector, and has more than 30 years’ business experience.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith have today announced the members of an independent Board of Inquiry to consider the Tukituki Catchment Proposal.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith today confirmed the Government’s commitment to clean-up an old gold mining site polluted with arsenic at Waiuta on the West Coast.

“Testing at this old mine site in the Victoria Forest Park has identified very high levels of arsenic in the soil and water that poses a risk to people and the environment. The site has been fully fenced but we need to get on and clean-up the contamination to protect the wider environment,” Dr Smith says.

Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the second day of the Valuing Nature conference.

Yesterday you heard about the economics of nature and valuing nature at a local level.  Today the focus is on natural capital in a national context and in business.

This is particularly pertinent to me in the environment portfolio, where I am leading work to take a good, hard look at the way we manage our natural resources.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy have today announced that the Government has finalised the first stage of an action plan to improve water quality and the way freshwater is managed.

The Government released a discussion document in March based on the recommendations of the Land and Water Forum and which gave effect to their core recommendations.

The document outlined a clear path of reform ahead that will be addressed through a comprehensive and measured approach, starting this year.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has today announced that a new law to enable the comprehensive environmental management of activities in New Zealand’s vast exclusive economic zone is now in effect.

The Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act fills an important gap in the environmental management regime.

A Bill that will help deliver a system that supports better planning decisions and creates a streamlined process for the first Auckland Unitary Plan has passed its second reading in Parliament tonight.

Environment Minister Amy Adams says the Resource Management Reform Bill 2012 is part of a resource management reform package that will see further reforms introduced later this year.

The key features of the 2012 Bill are:

I move that the Resource Management Reform Bill 2012 now be read a second time.

I would first like to thank the chair and members of the Local Government and Environment Select Committee for their work on this Bill.

I would also like to thank everyone who took the time to make a submission to the Committee. The Committee received 234 submissions to the Bill, and heard 147 oral submissions in hearings in both Wellington and Auckland.

Environment Minister Amy Adams says she is pleased with the strong demand for a new multimedia toolbox to help businesses understand and manage the risks posed by hazardous substances.

Two weeks since Ms Adams launched the resource, more than 1500 orders have been made for the toolbox.

The toolbox is designed to help businesses, particularly small businesses, understand and manage the risks posed by hazardous substances.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith have today announced that the Tukituki Catchment Proposal will be directed to an independent Board of Inquiry.

The proposal by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Investment Company is made up of two components.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council requested that both components should be referred to a Board of Inquiry for a decision.

Environment Minister and Associate Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Amy Adams has today announced a further $500,000 of funding to safely dispose of hazardous household waste from residential red zone houses.

Today’s announcement takes total government funding for the programme to more than $1 million.

Ms Adams says the first stage of the project collected more hazardous waste than originally expected, so the Government has stepped up and increased funding for the initiative.

A Government-funded clean-up of the Kopeopeo Canal in the Bay of Plenty means the community will eventually be able to swim and fish in the waterway for the first time in decades.

Environment Minister Amy Adams today announced the Government has committed an extra $880,000 to clean up the canal. This funding is in addition to the $1.5 million invested by the Government in 2011.