Dyson Ruth: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Dyson Ruth: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 14 August 2012. Volume:682;Page:4374. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) 
: 
 I am delighted to join in this debate on the Appropriation (2012/13 Estimates) Bill for Vote Conservation. My colleague from the Green Party Eugenie Sage talked about the huge damage that is being done to our conservation estate as a result of the significant funding cuts. It is interesting now that the National Government is talking about the funding over 6 years—6 years. It has suddenly extended its time. It will make it look better unless people remember what year National was elected and do the real maths which I think most New Zealanders will do. 
 Eugenie Sage was referring to the funding cuts and to what a dramatic decrease will mean for areas like possum control where we will no longer be able to have the possum control that we need. Not long ago the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment talked about our forests becoming silent as a result of a lack of investment in possum control. This is the very future that we are facing as a result of the lack of attention lack of focus and lack of investment shown by the National Government. We know too in developing access to our recreational facilities our conservation estate and our public land that unless there is that investment they will just fall into disrepair. We have seen that with our huts we have seen that with tracks and we have seen that with information brochures. We know the impact that it has not just on our tourism industry but also on New Zealanders who still—and I support this—expect that access to our public lands is a right that New Zealanders can enjoy. It is good for us we love it and we should be able to continue it. 
The other part of this portfolio vote that I find very disappointing is the fact that when you look at all the portfolios conservation is really one of the leaders in terms of the challenges and the opportunities as well as the responsibility that it presents to the Minister and on all three of those takes the Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson has just really shrugged her shoulders and said it is all too hard. She has walked away from any responsibility she has as the leader of the protection and management of our conservation estate. The National Party has a constant mantra that conservation and the economy are a balance—that we have to balance our conservation values against our economic outcomes. It does the same on the environment. Well my view of that is that when it comes to conservation and the environment this Government—the National Government—knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. It says that there is this balance between the economy and conservation. Well it is a false dichotomy. There is no economy in New Zealand without our conservation estate. We know that National’s approach is narrow-minded and it is short term and it will mean that more New Zealanders will lose their jobs in the longer term. 
National’s view that the environment and the economy are in this locked battle to the death is a view from the last century. It is not a view for the current times or a vision for the future. And that last century is the same century that gave us the failed asset sales programme—exactly the same programme that this current Government is going through. That is not the view that Labour holds. We view conservation as a strength of our economy as a critical part of the overall health and well-being of New Zealanders. It is not an asset to be flogged off at the earliest convenience. 
As a result of Kate Wilkinson the Minister walking away from her responsibility we have now seen subspecies like the Maui’s dolphin with only 55 of that species left. That is not just in our waters and not just in Australasia but on the planet. You cannot get much closer to extinction than having only 55 animals left yet when the Minister along with her colleague the Minister for Primary Industries had an opportunity to do something positive about this critically endangered species they did as little as they possibly could. Not only does that put Maui’s dolphins at an immediate and distinct risk of extinction but also what has happened is that internationally countries are looking at us and saying: “How is New Zealand so backward that it doesn’t have sustainable fishing practices?” and now our fishing industry is at risk as well.