Duynhoven Harry: Resource Management (Energy and Climate Change) Amendment Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Duynhoven Harry: Resource Management (Energy and Climate Change) Amendment Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:615;Page:11327] 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN (Associate Minister of Energy) 
: 
 Not only is he alive he is also very well. I assure Mr Ardern whom I saw on Sunday evening that I already had a broken bone in my hand at that time as he will recall so it has little to do with the events of this week. 
The key objectives of this bill—and I want specifically to address Mr Jim Peters’ point—are to give greater weight to the value of renewable energy and to clarify the fact that energy efficiency should be a consideration regardless of the energy source. These are prime factors in this bill. 
One reason the Labour Party will oppose the amendment put forward by Mr Peters is our belief that to meet the provision he proposes would add extra compliance costs for both applicants and local authorities. The test in clause 7 already incorporates an assessment equivalent so the amendment would then be a duplication add further complexity without any real benefit and result I am sure in later court cases around those issues. 
Ms Fitzsimons put forward a motion during the debate on Part 1 to do with the timing of two clauses in Part 2. The motion referred to new sections 70A and 104E. Because councils are choosing not to apply controls on greenhouse gas emissions now to delay the introduction of new sections 70A and 104E would result in little change. Such a delay would also result in ongoing uncertainty for councils with regard to consent applications and associated litigation costs and would potentially result in duplication of controls when the carbon charge is implemented. The introduction of these new sections will provide certainty about the role of councils. There is no policy gap in the interim and more climate change policy mechanisms are being implemented than just the carbon charge. 
I come now to one of the prime criticisms of the legislation which is that Russia has not signed the Kyoto Protocol. What happens internationally if the Kyoto Protocol falls over? New Zealand was not one of the first to sign the protocol as is often claimed. On Monday of this week I was with Genesis Power in the Wairarapa where we looked at the extension project to the wind farm it has there. It was really interesting. One thing discussed during that visit was that Meridian Energy had recently been engaged in negotiations with an entity from the Netherlands with regard to carbon credits. The Dutch—and I can speak with some authority on this issue—are not renown for putting up money ahead of time if they do not see a benefit. Regardless of whether the Kyoto Protocol comes into force Europe is already progressing on that issue. Meridian Energy has been able to negotiate with and will be in the position of being able to sell carbon credits to the Netherlands. 
New Zealand is in the position of being able to say: “Hang on a minute. Why would countries do that?” They are doing it because they see that regardless of the cause of climate change there is climate change and a need to do something about it. That is the situation of the world we live in. We cannot prove today—at least I cannot—that climate change is a result of whatever events have occurred over the last century but we do know that climate change is definitely occurring. 
Therefore we have an obligation—and this Government recognises it—to do what we can to be part of worldwide action to ameliorate and do what we can to reduce the effects of climate change. The Dutch have recognised that and are putting their money upfront. New Zealand companies can do business with them. I am pleased to say that I sat alongside the Dutch Minister at the last International Energy Agency conference and we discussed just these matters then. The Netherlands is very serious as is Europe about this issue and I believe that the Russians will sign the protocol—but let us wait and see. In the meantime this Government is getting on with it.