12. Question No. 12—ConservationHon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour) to the Minister of ConservationQuestion No. 12—Conservation12. Hon PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour) to the Minister of Conservation: Does he stand by all his statements made at the Estimates hearing of the Environment Committee on 18 June?Hon CHRIS PENK (National—Kaipara ki Mahurangi) on behalf of the Minister of Conservation: Yes in the context that they were given.Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan: What work if any has he done to determine the cost of avoiding species extinction given his statement we have to be very careful before we say every single species is going to be saved. We have to be very mindful that that comes at a cost which up until this point in time no one has figured out."Hon CHRIS PENK: On behalf of the Minister of Conservations I note first of all that the Department of Conservation has a world-renowned threat classification system. Obviously considerations need to be taken into account such as the number of different locations within New Zealand that endangered species exist and where extinction is threatened. Obviously some are in greater need in terms of the sheer numbers involved such as the number of breeding pairs of endangered birds for example. I do note however that there have been considerable successes over the time of successive Governments such as the dial being turned so to speak in relation to takahē and kākāpō. These are positive steps and we're focused on maximising the resources that we have to protect the conservation estate.Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan: So how can he say that saving every at-risk species without a costing is " very myopic and short-sighted" when he has also said at the same hearing that there was no costing?Hon CHRIS PENK: It's impossible to quantify exactly the cost of saving all species. I would encourage all members of this House including the member asking the question to take a long-term view of the problem and to be quite clear-headed about the need to prioritise resources that will achieve the best possible effect in terms of protecting New Zealand's conservation. I don't think there's anything controversial about that.Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan: Does he agree with Nicola Toki chief executive of Forest & Bird "It's incredibly concerning to hear the conservation minister say that avoiding species extinction is 'very aspirational' and that we need to somehow put a price on saving species that are only found here in Aotearoa New Zealand"; if not why not?Hon CHRIS PENK: Obviously I do not share Ms Toki's view in that regard but I welcome her and every other New Zealander who has a view in the matter to express it. I think however as Minister I've been quite right to emphasise the importance of prioritising species that exist only in New Zealand and I make no apology for doing so.Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan: Why should New Zealanders have confidence in him as conservation Minister when he has so little ambition for protecting our biodiversity and has allowed over $100 million in cuts to the Department of Conservation?Hon CHRIS PENK: Obviously I reject the premise of the question. Clearly I am focused as are my fellow Government Ministers on maximising the outcomes—and I emphasise outcomes as opposed to merely funding in the hope of achieving outcomes—and for that reason I am very clearly focused on ensuring we understand exactly what is required and to deliver exactly that."