Smith NickHon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment): I welcome the opportunity to engage in this Estimates debate on Vote Environment. I want to acknowledge the contributions made by both my colleague and the chairman of the Local Government and Environment Committee Scott Simpson as well as David Parker. The first point I want to focus on is the areas where there is agreement. It is the Government's view that the three most important environmental issues for our country are firstly the issue of climate change—something that the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recently highlighted in the review of the Government's new environment reporting system. The second most important priority is in respect of fresh water quality. I also agree with Mr Parker: the issue there is the one of the non - point-source discharge. We agree that that is a really important area where we need to increase our game. I would add a very important third and that is the issue of biodiversity protection. When I am privileged to represent New Zealand in international fora around the environment I am incredibly proud of New Zealand's clean green" brand in so many areas in which we rank very well. The area that every New Zealander should be concerned about is the fact that we have more endangered species than any other country and that we have got a real duty to lift our game in that area—the work that Maggie Barry is doing as Minister of Conservation whether it is the Battle for our Birds whether it is the War on Weeds or whether it is the new partnerships with conservation groups. Just to mention one I celebrate the record number of 34 kākāpō chicks. I note when I was Minister I got all excited when there were three. This year there were 34 and that is a real tribute to the work of the Department of Conservation. Can I go back to the issue of climate change? The biggest amount in Vote Environment is for climate change. That is the Government saying this is the most important issue. I have a challenge for critics—Hon David Parker: That's paying for emission subsidies. That's the vote for emission subsidies.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: No no no—if you take the net of the amount that the Government is taking. Here is a challenge for the Labour and Opposition members: tell me a country that has a more comprehensive emissions trading scheme (ETS) or a country that has a higher carbon price than the $17 that polluters are having to pay today. Because the truth is in Europe they exempt the whole transport sector—actually every person in the transport sector every time you get on a plane and every time you are in a car you are paying a price for carbon. Equally so here are the numbers and I do challenge the Parliament: in the period from 1990 to 1999 emissions in New Zealand grew by 12 percent; in the period of the last Labour Government from 1999 to 2008 they grew by 18 percent—18 percent; in the term of this Government those numbers have dropped significantly to 3 percent. That is a tribute to the progress that we have made in an area like electricity where emissions were going up under the last Government; but are coming down under this Government. I make no apologies for the fact that this Government has made a record investment—a record investment—in the issue of greenhouse gas emissions from the farming sector. I point out to Mr Parker that actually over those 26 years since 1990 the sector that has the smallest increase in emissions is actually the agricultural sector. There is no point in adding agriculture into the ETS unless we have practical technologies that will enable farmers to reduce their emissions and the truth is that those technologies are not yet available. I want to come to the issue of fresh water. This Budget provides for a $100 million further investment in clean-ups around the country. That is on top of the $250 million over the next 10 years that is already committed—Hon David Parker: No it doesn't. It doesn't.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Yes it does Mr Parker. It is an extra on top of the $100 million and again I would challenge the numbers. Here is the story. Over the entire period from 2000 to 2008 Mr Parker's Government spent $15 million on clean-ups around the country—$15 million $1-5 million. We have already spent $115 million we have committed a further $250 million to this Government's programme of work around fresh water. Let me give another example. We did not even measure how much water was being taken. When we came to Government the total proportion of water that was metered across our country was 15 percent. That number is now over 80 percent heading for 96 percent. It is true that as a consequence of metering those takes in areas like Canterbury we are identifying people who have breached their consent and I know parties like the Greens are calling "foul". What I would say to them though is that we only know now. Actually when Labour and the Greens were in Government they did not know whether anybody was breaching their consents because they bothered to measure only 13 percent of them. That shows the progress that we are making around a freshwater programme. The further point I would make is that Labour members can talk all they like about national policy statements. This Government has done more national policy statements—The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): Order! I am going to interrupt the member now and remind him of the scope of the debate. Hon Annette King: What was their Estimates?Dr Megan Woods: That's right.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): I will have two members stand and withdraw.Hon Annette King: I withdraw.Dr Megan Woods: I withdraw.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): The Estimates debate should be relevant to the Government's current spending plans as contained in the Estimates of Appropriations. We are going to be tighter on that as well as tighter on the chairs.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: These Estimates provide for a very active programme around the delivery of both national policy statements and national environment standards to continue our work of strengthening the Resource Management Act framework. For instance the next national environment standard that we will be completing is the one around telecommunications and the amendments to enable us to make progress there. There is the very important one in respect of pest control which is out for consultation currently and which is going to make it far more efficient to deal with those predator pests that pose such a risk to our native animals. There is the national policy statement that we are currently consulting on in respect of urban development. There is the new national policy statement around natural hazards that we think will improve the framework around how we deal with those issues. This is a comprehensive programme where priorities are being set around climate change around the issues of biodiversity and around the issues of fresh water. I am very proud of the progress that we are making and which these Estimates will enable us to continue to make."