Tremain Chris: Environmental Protection Authority Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Tremain Chris: Environmental Protection Authority Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 07 April 2011. Volume:671;Page:17875. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
CHRIS TREMAIN (National—Napier) 
: 
 The Environmental Protection Authority Bill takes another step in delivering on a National Party promise to the New Zealand electorate and it takes another step forward to protect the environment. I want to take a few minutes at the end of this session tonight to reflect on Charles Chauvel’s criticism of National and its environmental record and to compare that with the record of our Labour friends across the House working together with the Greens. 
Let us start with greenhouse gas emissions. Labour came into office in 1999 criticising the Kyoto target as being too modest. It said a 20 percent reduction in emissions was required by 2005. Helen Clark upped the ante further in 2007 when she said New Zealand would be the first carbon-neutral country in the world. Despite the rhetoric UN figures showed an increase in emissions from 69 million tonnes in 1999 to 77 million tonnes in 2005 alone. That was a 12 percent increase compared with Labour’s promise of a 20 percent reduction yet Mr Nash was saying “We care about the environment.” That is absolutely laughable. What is more despite the rhetoric it took Labour 8 years to get any climate change legislation through the House. Can members believe that! On the other hand National immediately put its climate change legislation through the House and it was passed within National’s first year in Government. Now here we are with this Environmental Protection Authority delivering another promise from National within our first term. 
Let us look at the planting of trees because this is really interesting in terms of protecting the environment. The Labour-Green record on forestry planting can be described only as a chainsaw massacre. New Zealand lost 30000 hectares of trees in Labour’s last 4 years in office—more than in any other period since records began in the 1930s—yet Labour members say they care about the environment. It is a joke. National has implemented clear definitive policy to turn that round. In 2009 the deforestation stopped and there was a small gain in forest area of 500 hectares. I accept that that is not a lot but it is certainly going in a much better direction than that where the Labour Government left this country. Foresters indicate there will be increased plantings of 4700 hectares this year and of a further 5000-odd hectares next year. That is an upward trend. Again the Environmental Protection Authority is another step. 
Let us look at renewable energy because that one is a real classic. Despite all the hype about wind power and renewables New Zealand went consistently backwards with renewable energy for 9 years under a Labour Government in proportion to electricity generated from renewable sources. In 2007 New Zealand produced less electricity from renewable resources than in any year in our history. It is laughable for members opposite to step up at this time of the night and say they care about the environment. The record is obvious and here we are implementing another policy as we promised our electorate to protect the environment. Thank you.