Perry Edwin: Estimates Debate — In Committee Procedure 
Perry Edwin: Estimates Debate — In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:618;Page:14437] 
EDWIN PERRY (NZ First) 
: 
 I begin by congratulating the Minister of Conservation on his achievement at the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission. The commission endorsed the Minister’s resolution requiring commercial whalers to reduce the suffering of whales they kill. Every step in that direction is a victory and the Minister deserves our acknowledgment of the work he did there. 
But I would like to discuss conservation closer to home. The Department of Conservation aims to create a network of parks and reserves in the high country and it is holding tenure review negotiations with more than half the country’s 304 pastoral lessees. In the latest Budget around $79 million was set aside to fund the process. This included $18 million over 4 years for the administration of the new conservation lands. The Government clearly envisages the high country as a tussock theme park. 
However I would like to raise a few questions that the taxpayers will eventually want answered by the Minister. For example once the initial administration fund has been spent how will the Department of Conservation maintain these huge areas of land? One matter that I want to bring to his attention is weed control. For the small acreage that we farm in the Wairarapa the cost of controlling weeds is astronomical over a year. When we look at the large blocks of land that will come under the Minister’s administration I have some concerns with regard to that area. 
For anyone with a vision of flocks of sheep being replaced by flocks of tourists I have a word to the wise. Tourists can be like overseas students—here this year and gone the next. They are not a 100 percent reliable source of long-term funds. The loss of income from the loss of the huge blocks of land that the Government has purchased is $33 million with regard to the wool cheque for merino flocks which equates to approximately 750000 merinos. That is a loss not only to the farmer but to the community for the rest of people’s lives. 
In February this year the Department of Conservation admitted that it controlled stoats on little more than 2 percent of the land within national parks and possums on as little as 12 percent. That is not exactly confidence-inspiring when we consider that the department wants to control another 1.3 million hectares. There are also the department’s existing responsibilities—for example preservation of our national bird. At this point I thank the Minister for letting me visit the kiwi-breeding programme up north. With kiwis dying at the rate of 10 a day kakapo in intensive care and kea now described as being under threat by predators there is plenty of work to be done in this area and the money needs to be made available. 
There are sanctuaries that the Department of Conservation should be assisting such as the excellent Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington which is working hard to preserve wildlife without any financial input. I know that the Minister has spent some money on the Mount Bruce sanctuary but it is now having to go out and publicly fund-raise to keep the programmes going. I would like the Minister to have a look at that because I do not think it will work long-term for the breeding programmes that he has already established at Mount Bruce. There is even a rumour that any financial help from the Government will be made contestable which I have just touched on. As well as doing the department’s job the sanctuary will now have to bid for whatever assistance is available. 
Then there is additional expenditure. The Department of Conservation will become liable in the future should the Marine Reserves Bill become law. Policing that law will be the department’s responsibility but again we have no indication of likely costs. I say to Maoridom that it should be more concerned about that bill under which 20 percent of the coast will be locked up. This year there were warm fuzzy pre-Budget announcements from the department about the establishment of two island sanctuaries at a cost of $7 million. That initiative makes better sense than having a Government department become a landowner and a tourism promoter on a very big scale. 
I say to the Minister that it is time that the taxpayers were given figures for the public fund. The department will need to maintain its extra responsibilities. Anything less than full disclosure is grossly irresponsible.