Katene Rahui: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Katene Rahui: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:667;Page:14543] 
1. 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
 to the  
Minister for Climate Change Issues 
: What advice has he received from iwi over the Government’s proposed new approach for assessing carbon stored in registered post-1989 forests and what is the Government doing to action that advice? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for Climate Change Issues) 
: 
 A key concern for iwi and the Maori Party has been the inherent bias in the carbon storage recognition under the emissions trading scheme for exotic over indigenous species. This arose because of the very conservative approach taken to the lookup tables for carbon storage in indigenous forests and deficiencies in the data. I am pleased to advise that Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Ministry for the Environment officials have made very good progress on addressing this concern and that the new lookup tables for indigenous carbon sinks provide 2½ times the amount of carbon sequestration from that previously recognised. This addresses this concern maintains the integrity of the scheme and also provides the inherent biodiversity benefits of having additional areas of native forest. 
Rahui Katene 
: Does he believe that the Climate Change Iwi Leadership Group has been engaged with properly; if so what will he do in response to claims from Willie Te Aho that the Climate Change Iwi Leadership Group has been reduced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to just another stakeholder? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: Yes the engagement has been very constructive and progress is being made on what are quite complex issues. I remain in close contact with the chair of the Iwi Leadership Group Api Mahuika. The latest issue we are consulting on is the field measurement approach on which submissions are currently being reviewed. 
Rahui Katene 
: What has been the practical impact of the Treaty clause in the Climate Change Response Act which specifies how the Crown must act in order to recognise and respect the Crown’s responsibility to give effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The practical impact of that clause which was advocated for very strongly by the Maori Party has been that in any of the regulations we have developed for the emissions trading scheme we have had to make extra efforts to consult iwi and to ensure that their views are reflected in the decisions that the Government makes about making the scheme work as effectively as possible for New Zealand. 
Nicky Wagner 
: Has the Minister received any reports on how the emissions trading scheme is impacting on confidence within the forestry sector? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The reports have been very positive. After a record period of deforestation between 2004 and 2008 New Zealand is now planting significantly more trees than we are harvesting. Following the deforestation of over 30000 hectares up to 2008 we moved to the point of having a small credit last year of 500 hectares. This year we are expecting net growth of 4700 hectares next year a net growth of over 5700 hectares and in the year following a net growth of 7700 hectares. Those figures show that the Government’s modified emissions trading scheme is having the desired result of improving confidence in the important forestry sector.