Upston Louise: Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Forestry Sector) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Upston Louise: Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Forestry Sector) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:655;Page:4749] 
LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupo) 
: 
 I rise to speak in the Committee stage of the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Forestry Sector) Amendment Bill and I firstly acknowledge the work done by the members of the Emissions Trading Scheme Review Committee. I was not involved directly but I am aware of the hours that have been put in by the members of that select committee so I start by acknowledging the hard work done by that committee. 
In speaking to this bill I reiterate the importance of forestry to the Taupo electorate. Over 1000 people are employed in forestry in my electorate and one of the concerns they have been speaking to me about for many months is the ongoing uncertainty around the emissions trading scheme and in particular around the date in the legislation. I know that foresters are very pleased that the Minister has taken a pragmatic approach and that the select committee has been working hard to ensure a workable solution for them because that date has been causing them a lot of angst. 
One of the impacts of that which I will spend a moment talking about is the fact that there is wonderful fertile land in my electorate but it is doing nothing right now because forestry owners have been unsure about what would happen and have not known whether to plant on it or put it into dairying. So it is sitting there doing nothing. As we are in a country that is in the grips of a recession we cannot afford to have wonderful fertile land sitting doing nothing. So that is why I am really pleased that there has been a great deal of cooperation across the House on this particular bill to make sure we provide some certainty for the forestry sector in making this technical change—of changing the dates on which requirements are made of the sector—so that it is able to get some certainty without things being rushed or without having ongoing concerns about the future. We have been able to change what the current requirement is in terms of reporting deforestation so small-block owners will get an extension. It is not a case of today being D-Day and I know the sector will be extremely relieved about that. 
What is really important in terms of looking at this legislation is having a pragmatic approach to something that is achievable. I know that I want to be part of a New Zealand that has ambitious environmental goals but at the same time I do not want to set up my children and grandchildren to fail. I think that it is really important on an issue like climate change that we collectively as a Parliament come up with something that is achievable—not just for our generation but for our children and grandchildren. I sure as hell do not want to leave them with a debt in terms of the environment that they will not be proud of. What I think has to be at the heart of this debate is making sure that the changes we make in this legislation are enduring. We do not want to have a situation where we throw these changes out all of a sudden and put the industry into turmoil again because there is a change of Government. That is why it is really important that the work that has been done in the select committee has some consistency about it. 
I know that the forestry companies in my electorate that I have been dealing with—and that the Minister and I have met with—want certainty. They want something that is workable; they want something that is achievable. They have great aspirations in terms of what they see they are able to do in forestry. I was excited this morning to meet with members of the Central North Island Iwi Collective who of course have their agreement coming into effect tomorrow 1 July. There are fantastic possibilities for forestry in that particular area and we want to make sure there is certainty for those members in going forward so that in terms of their setting big goals they can get out there and achieve them. I do not see that as a Government we want to be getting in the way of organisations that see great potential in forestry and that have great ambitions in terms of nurturing the environment so that it is there for generations to come. When we talk to iwi we find that that is what they say time and time again. They want to protect their assets they want to make sure they are there for their children and mokopuna and that is what members on this side of the Chamber are interested in as well. So it is really important that we provide that certainty. 
Parts 1 and 2 and clauses 1 to 3 agreed to. 
Bill reported without amendment. 
Report adopted.