Calder Cam: Environmental Protection Authority Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Calder Cam: Environmental Protection Authority Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 07 April 2011. Volume:671;Page:17872. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Dr CAM CALDER (National) 
: 
 It gives me great pleasure to rise and speak on the second reading of the Environmental Protection Authority Bill. The bill establishes the Environmental Protection Authority as a stand-alone Crown agent to perform environmental regulatory functions. The bill is an omnibus bill. It amends the Climate Change Response Act Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act and Resource Management Act. 
We have heard some concerns from members on the other side of the House which I can say having served on the Local Government and Environment Committee were not reflected in a lot of the submissions we received. In fact it is remarkable that of the 38 submissions a total of 25 were in broad support of the intent of the bill. Twenty-five submissions were in broad support of the bill. Some of them made suggestions for amendments which we have taken on board. 
What are we aiming to do with the bill? The Environmental Protection Authority will be a strong independent regulatory authority that will ensure the protection of our environment at a national level. The authority will bring together a wide range of regulatory functions and provide a strong national direction to the environmental roles of regional and district councils. Immediately we are giving an element of certainty. 
Once again the Government believes in keeping its promises and the bill is a reflection of our efforts to lift our economy and cut the red tape that grew like a noxious weed through the regulatory framework of New Zealand under the last administration. The stand-alone Environmental Protection Authority will strengthen New Zealand’s environment management. It will be a one-stop shop for environmental regulatory functions. 
We have heard some concerns about the authority’s independence. Let me just try to put some of those concerns to rest and to allay some of the concerns expressed. The majority of the authority’s decision-making powers will be under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act. Currently the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act restricts the power of the Minister for the Environment to direct the Environmental Risk Management Authority to give effect to Government policy when making decisions under the Act. The bill maintains that restriction. Therefore the autonomy of decision making under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act is preserved. 
With regard to the Resource Management Act decisions on proposals of national significance will continue to be made by boards of inquiry and the Environment Court which are both independent bodies. The authority’s only decision-making power under the Resource Management Act will be for certificates of compliance related to proposals of national significance. As with decision making under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act the bill prohibits the Minister from directing the authority to give effect to Government policy when making decisions on certificates of compliance. That is an important point to stress. 
There will be more effective efficient and transparent management of regulation around New Zealand’s environment and natural physical resources. As I say the bill brings together under one roof the regulatory functions that are currently administered by the Ministry for the Environment. We heard from a previous speaker the very able chairman of the Local Government and Environment Committee Mr Chris Auchinvole that the raison ďêtre—the mission statement—of the Ministry for the Environment is “environmental stewardship for a prosperous New Zealand”. The bill will also bring in functions that are currently administered by the Ministry of Economic Development and the Environmental Risk Management Authority. I commend the bill to the House.