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Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith today announced funding of $800,000 for the Old Ghost Road cycle trail.

“The trail offers a journey back in time to the gold rush days of the 1860s and the long-forgotten settlements of Zalatown, Gibbstown, and remote farms that were abandoned after the 1929 magnitude 7.8 Murchison earthquake reshaped the land and limited access to the area,” Dr Smith says.

90 community groups are to receive $3.6 million in Government funding to support conservation projects throughout the country, Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

“These 90 Biofunds grants are about DOC partnering with communities to protect the birds, plants, landscapes and habitats that make New Zealand special,” Dr Smith says.

Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith today called for nominations for the new Game Animal Council, which is designed to give hunters a voice in the management of their recreation.

“We are looking for between nine and 11 members with knowledge and expertise covering all aspects associated with managing game animals. This includes recreational and commercial hunting, farming, forestry, Māori hunting interests, and nature conservation,” Dr Smith says.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith have today announced the members of an independent Board of Inquiry to consider a proposal for a new section of highway between Pūhoi and Warkworth.

The proposal was directed to a Board of Inquiry last month by Ms Adams and Dr Smith.

The application by the New Zealand Transport Agency relates to the construction, operation and maintenance of the Pūhoi to Warkworth section of the Ara Tūhono-Pūhoi to Wellsford Road of National Significance.

The Department of Conservation has commissioned an independent financial viability report into the Fiordland monorail proposal being promoted by Riverstone Holdings Limited at the request of Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith.

“This is the most significant concession ever sought on public conservation land and the longest monorail in the world. I want to ensure my decision is based on the best quality advice,” Dr Smith says.

Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith today announced that the new marine reserve at Akaroa Harbour will come into effect on World Oceans Day on 8 June next year.

“Akaroa is an iconic harbour and hugely popular for its recreation and scenery. This new reserve will ensure better conservation of its marine life and add value to Akaroa as a tourism destination,” Dr Smith says.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today announced that Project Management Company MWH (New Zealand) had been awarded the contract to manage the minor repairs programme for 3600 earthquake damaged Christchurch state houses with less than $40,000 worth of damage.

“The awarding of this contract is an important step towards the goal of having all 5000 earthquake damaged Housing New Zealand homes fixed and another 700 built by the end of 2015,” Dr Smith says.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Auckland Mayor Len Brown today announced the second batch of 11 Special Housing Areas (SHA) that will progressively bring to market more than 9,500 homes across Auckland.

Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith today welcomed the arrival of four new Tasmanian Devils as part of the official opening of a new Devils exhibit at Wellington Zoo.

“Tasmanian Devils are renowned for their big mouths, bad behaviour and noisiness, so they will fit in well with the nation’s politicians in the capital,” Dr Smith says.

“This new exhibit helps the conservation of the Devils, is good for trans-Tasman relations and adds to the attractions at New Zealand’s oldest zoo.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith have today announced the appointment of eight board members to the Auckland Unitary Plan hearings panel.

The Auckland Unitary Plan will be the first combined resource management plan for Auckland and will replace the regional policy statement, and the regional and district plans that Auckland Council inherited from the eight former councils of the Auckland region.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today officially opened 32 new two-bedroom Housing New Zealand homes in Johnsonville, Wellington.

“The opening of this new housing complex is great news for the 32 families just prior to Christmas. This project illustrates the Government’s commitment to providing good quality, warm, dry and safe homes for families with high housing needs,” Dr Smith says.

The Government’s work with councils to improve housing affordability has been expanded beyond Auckland with Christchurch City, Wellington City, Hutt City, Upper Hutt City, Porirua, Kapiti, Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty being added to the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act.

“New Zealand’s housing supply and affordability challenges extend beyond Auckland. The Auckland Housing Accord is proving to be a successful tool and we are keen to explore how we can assist other councils to get more houses built more efficiently,” Dr Smith says.

A new Conservation Park on Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf is being formally notified for nationwide submissions.

“The Department of Conservation has reported to me on this new park proposal put forward by Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye. This discussion document provides DOC’s analysis on the proposal and is an opportunity for the public to have a say,” Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today welcomed the release of the Land Use Recovery Plan by Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee.

“Christchurch faces a unique set of housing challenges from the damage of tens of thousands of homes in the earthquakes, the demand for temporary accommodation while homes are fixed, and the influx of rebuild workers needing accommodation. These factors have put significant pressure on both Canterbury’s rental and home ownership markets,” Dr Smith says.

The Government has provided an additional $31 million of capital to the Hobsonville Land Company, a subsidiary of Housing New Zealand, to enable faster progress on a 3000 house development at Hobsonville Point in Auckland.

“Hobsonville Point is proving to be a very successful and popular housing development. This Government capital is to enable the company to purchase the remaining 16.5 hectares of land two years ahead of schedule and bring 500 houses to the market earlier,” Dr Smith says.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today welcomed Parliament’s first reading of a bill which narrows the range of infrastructure costs councils can charge housing developers and introduces an independent appeals process.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today welcomed Parliament’s first reading of a bill which narrows the range of infrastructure costs councils can charge housing developers and introduces an independent appeals process.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith joined with Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel and a consortium of community social housing providers today to officially unveil plans for a new 44 unit mixed social housing development in Hornby.

The Government has today announced its final Threat Management Plan for dolphins which confirms additional protections for the Maui’s dolphin in Taranaki and releases new promising population estimates for the Hector’s dolphin.

“Our greatest concern is for the critically-endangered Maui’s dolphin. It is the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin with an estimated population of just 55 adults,” Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

A bill clarifying and simplifying parts of the law around unit title owners and bodies corporate passed its third reading in Parliament today.

“The Unit Titles Amendment Bill makes a number of amendments to the Act that will benefit prospective buyers, unit owners and bodies corporate. While it affects about 100,000 people today, the growth of apartment living and other higher density housing and mixed housing developments means it is likely to cover half a million people within 50 years,” Dr Smith says.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today turned the sod to mark the beginning of construction for Housing New Zealand’s new 26 inner city apartments and opened a further six community social housing units in Saint Albans.

“There’s no simple solution to solving Christchurch’s complex housing challenges. It requires we take action on a range of fronts to counter the loss of so many homes to the earthquakes and the increased demand for social housing,” Dr Smith says.

Hunters of deer, tahr, chamois and wild pigs will now have a say in their recreation with today’s passage by Parliament of the Game Animal Council Act 69 votes to 51.

“The establishment of the Game Animal Council Act is great news for tens of thousands of New Zealanders who hunt. It enables them to join mountaineers, trampers, game bird hunters, and trout and salmon fishers in having a statutory voice into the management of their recreation on public conservation land,” Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today welcomed Parliament’s passage of the Government’s Social Housing Reform Bill through its third reading without a party vote being called.

“The fundamental change in this bill is shifting from state housing to social housing. Governments for 75 years have believed that only the state can meet the housing needs of disadvantaged families. These reforms will encourage the growth of a more diverse range of new social housing providers,” Dr Smith says.

The proposed new Game Animal Council will have a new responsibility of developing and applying a code of practice for aerially-assisted trophy hunting, Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

“Hunters and other backcountry users are concerned that certain aerially- assisted trophy hunting methods undermine their recreation through un-sportsman-like hunting. They have lobbied to prevent the practices of shooting from the helicopter, or using the helicopter to herd animals towards the hunter or exhaust them through the practice of hazing,” Dr Smith says.