Abel SteveSTEVE ABEL (Green): Kia ora thank you Mr Speaker and I acknowledge your ascension to that noble seat if we can call it that. I submitted on this bill myself. I gave three whole submissions on it numerous written submissions as a part of Mana Rākau the tree protection organisation. What strikes me is the number of conscientious New Zealanders who participated in the legislative process—which was extensive—and gave their feedback on our pre-eminent environmental protection legislation and all of the nuanced efforts that were made by people within this House to get this legislation right to take us on an important step that improves from where we were in the Resource Management Act 1991 to where we are now in the Natural and Built Environment Act 2023. All those months and years and thousands of submitters and participants and this Government throws it out in one day. For me it makes a mockery of the legislative process. My friends in Mana Rākau who won back general tree protection that was put out by the John Key Government in 2009—they feel like they are back to the drawing board again. Because general tree protection again is being thrown out with this legislation this repeal.In the struggle to protect our biodiversity and our climate it is a rare day that we see a lucid piece of legislative framework that actually places the priorities right and one of those is Te Mana o te Wai the coming into force of which this legislation is delaying. Now that means years more—I think until 2027—delay in taking action in protecting our precious water. It was extraordinary today to hear the answer from the environment Minister that she did not support the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management in 2020. Let's be clear what that is: putting first the health and wellbeing of water bodies and freshwater ecosystems.James Meager: Over everything else.STEVE ABEL: That is—over everything else. My friend when you realise that everything we've been doing for the last 20 30 50 100 years has led to the biodiversity crisis we face now we need a sea change in the way that we approach the protection of the environment. That's exactly putting protection of water bodies first. I would also say that that same Minister said that she did not support putting the health and needs of people—such as drinking water—she did not agree with looking after that as well. The most important thing is that we take a step towards treating the intrinsic value of nature recognise the intrinsic value of nature. This legislation took us on this step. This repeal takes us back the other way. I should say Mr Speaker that it is absolutely consistent with how this Government has indicated it wants to proceed in its time. It is a Government for destruction of the environment. It is a Government that has already laid out that its legacy will be a degradation and a destruction of the environment. It loves the fast-track component of the legislation because that allows it to fast track mining on conservation land. It allows it to fast track the drilling of our oceans. It allows it to fast track the bulldozing of roads through wetlands and through ancient rainforests. In a time when we know the scale of the challenge the planet faces with climate change and biodiversity loss it is a shame on the history of this House that we have a Government that is so retrograde and so hell-bent on destruction of our environment. We oppose this repeal.