Barry MaggieHon MAGGIE BARRY (Minister of Conservation): Moving aside now from the hysterical shrill nonsense peddled by Winston First" and his motley crew we need to address some of the substance that occurs across this Government. Budget 2017 has already delivered the Department of Conservation (DOC) its biggest pay day in its 30-year history. This has been a remarkable year for the Department of Conservation. More conservation work is being done in this country now than at any other time in our history and DOC is spending more than ever before on natural history and on recreational work. Predator Free 2050 is gathering momentum. It is about to announce its new chief executive. There is going to be at least one if not three landscape-scale predator announcements that will be a game-changer for regional New Zealand within the next few months. These are very important—immeasurably important actually—gains for New Zealand's threatened and vulnerable species.In the past 2 weeks I have announced a $76 million package that will not only allow DOC to provide a much better experience for visitors but also return much more revenue to DOC which will be reinvested in species protection and biodiversity. One of the initiatives that we will be spending some of that money on is a new computer system which means that DOC will be able to differentially charge. This means that international visitors to New Zealand will be paying more for staying on our Great Walks and a number of other facilities that the Department of Conservation has control over and that will return excellent revenue to the department. New Zealanders who pay their rates and their taxes have already made a considerable investment in the Department of Conservation so they will be given a discounted rate. These are all mechanisms that we have put in place to enable predator control and threatened species management to continue at a great level.Big business and philanthropists and other partners have also joined forces with DOC to the tune of $100 million in the past 6 years. If we listened to Labour and the Greens—which of course we never do; but if we did if we were foolish enough to do that—then we would be spurning that $100 million because it would somehow be portrayed as being tainted. That is a very very flawed approach to conservation. So we have coming up two more Great Walks and a new network of day walks and short walks.I have also announced a $21 million funding increase to launch Battle for our Birds which will be the biggest predator control operation in our history. When you kill the rats and the stoats and the possums and the other mammals that predate on our vulnerable species you protect their habitats you protect our biodiversity and it is entirely significant that all of the landscape control that we have done really addresses that balance of the invaders that kill some 25 million native birds each year. So that $21 million will be well spent. We will continue to use intensive trapping programmes and aerial 1080 operations.We have also unveiled in the last 2 weeks New Zealand's Threatened Species Strategy. This is the first time in New Zealand's history that we have ever pulled together all of our threatened species in one document. It is a discussion document and I would urge all interested parties to contribute to that by the cut-off date of 31 July. This is an effort to ensure that all of the predator control that is going on in New Zealand should be focused on the species and on the habitats that really need the assistance so this strategy has been very welcome and has landed well. Two weeks ago I announced a $2.8 million injection into the sea lion threat management so we are concentrating on our taonga species.A lot has been happening in other parts of my portfolios as well. Two weeks ago along with the Hon Simon Bridges we made a very significant announcement that is going to continue to increase the capacity of our film sector to do a terrific job to attract revenue to New Zealand to attract big films to be made here and to make sure that our domestic film-making environment the people who work on the craft end—the film the camera and so forth—will have a true profession. So the $306 million to support the New Zealand screen industry both globally and domestically will make a huge difference. The $65.94 million remains available to ensure the domestic component of the grant continues. So since 2014 when the grant came in it has supported around 50 international productions and has also supported 23 New Zealand productions like Pork Pie Chasing Great and so forth.In terms of the pre-Budget announcements it would be remiss of me as the Minister for Seniors not to mention the $2 billion pay equity settlement. That is a game-changer for our rest home and community carers and is evidence about how much this Government can and will make long-lasting and noticeable improvements for all New Zealanders including our vulnerable seniors. Thank you."