Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 07 February 2012. Volume:677;Page:87. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
6. 
GRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Leader—Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for the Environment 
: What is the estimated total cost for the clean up after the grounding of the Rena? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment) 
: 
 There is still significant uncertainty about the total costs and will remain so until the salvage and clean-up operation is complete. A crude estimate of the total costs has been provided to me by officials of $130 million of which the bulk is for the salvage of fuel cargo and the ship itself. Though the bulk of those costs are being met directly by the ship’s owner $28 million has been spent by Government agencies to date. It is our intention to fully recover those costs from the ship’s owner and its insurers. 
Grant Robertson 
: Will the Government be charging the ship’s owner Costamare Inc. under the Resource Management Act? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The question about prosecution of individuals under the Resource Management Act is very clearly not made under that statute by the Minister. It is one for the regulatory authorities. In this case the Bay of Plenty Regional Council would be the decision maker as to a prosecution against Costamare the owners of the  
Rena 
. 
Grant Robertson 
: Does the Minister believe that the Bay of Plenty Regional Council should take such a prosecution? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: Just as it would be inappropriate for the Minister of Police to indicate whether a person should be prosecuted or not the statute sets down very clearly that I as Minister for the Environment should not be encouraging or discouraging a proper independent decision by Environment Bay of Plenty as to whether they should or should not take a prosecution. 
Grant Robertson 
: In light of that answer does he stand by his statement: “The Government is of a view we need to throw the full force of the law at those responsible not only for the deaths of over 1400 birds but also pollution to tens of kilometres of beaches”; if so how does he reconcile that statement with his answer? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: It is the Government’s view that there should be the full force of the law to hold those responsible. The member will be aware that the captain and the navigation officer of the  
Rena 
 are before the courts as a consequence of the decision of Maritime New Zealand to prosecute them and that is a matter that is appropriately before the courts.  
Grant Robertson 
: How does he reconcile those statements with his statements to the  
New Zealand Herald  
on 2 November 2011: “In fact it would be remiss given that it is New Zealand’s worst maritime environmental disaster if there was not a prosecution under the RMA.”; how does he reconcile that statement with what he has just told the House? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: It is a decision for Environment Bay of Plenty whether they wish to prosecute under that Act. The Government has made plain that we hold the owners of the  
Rena 
 responsible for the environmental damage that has occurred with the worst environmental disaster in New Zealand’s history. That is why the Government both through the negotiations over the issue of pollution costs the Resource Management Act and the maritime transport laws does intend to use the full force of the law to hold those responsible for that disaster.