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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.

Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson has congratulated Countdown and New World supermarkets for taking an industry-led response to combat the usage of single-use plastic bags.

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.

A business initiative that safely disposes of hazardous unwanted refrigerants has had its accreditation as a ‘product stewardship scheme’ extended by the Government, Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson announced today.

A nationwide programme to recycle agricultural plastics and dispose of agrichemicals has had its status as a ‘product stewardship scheme’ extended by the Government, Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson announced today

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 the Environment Dr Nick Smith says.

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 of Appeal decision, Environment Min

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.

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.

The sale and manufacture of wash-off products containing plastic microbeads will be banned in New Zealand earlier than previously expected, Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson announced today.

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 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.

Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson today announced a Waste Minimisation Fund grant of nearly $55,000 to Tauranga-based Beyond the Bin to help turn its event waste reduction workshop into a free online e-course consisting of a series of 10 shor

Thank you for the opportunity to again address the EDS annual conference, particularly in this pivotal election year.

EDS continues to play an important independent leadership role in New Zealand’s environmental challenges, whether it be the issues of biodiversity, water quality, climate change, marine issues or the RMA. The very announcements I am making today on water quality can be traced back to the initiatives of EDS in 2008 to launch the Land and Water Forum as a stakeholder lead process to advance improved freshwater management.

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 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.

Collecting and using waste oil as an alternative fuel source to diesel, light fuel oil and gas in Fulton Hogan’s asphalt production plants throughout New Zealand is a tremendous achievement, Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson says.

The Government’s Waste Minimisation fund has granted $1.25 million to support the upgrade and recommissioning of EnviroNZ’s plastic extrusion plant in Christchurch, Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson announced today.

The plant will be able to recycle over 1,000 tonnes of woven polypropylene bulk fertiliser bags into high quality pellets each year. These polypropylene pellets will then be used by New Zealand companies to make locally manufactured products such as irrigation tubing and rope.

Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson visited Agpac Ltd’s Plasback, congratulated them on the scheme’s successful recycling of agricultural plastic, and announced Plasback’s reaccreditation as a Product Stewardship Scheme.

“Plasback collects plastic, such as silage wrap, irrigation pipes and fertiliser bags, from the agriculture and horticulture sectors and processes it into new products, such as Tuffboard, an innovative plywood replacement used on farms,” Mr Simpson says.