7. Question No. 7—EnvironmentLEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE (Labour) to the Minister for the EnvironmentQuestion No. 7—Environment7. LEMAUGA LYDIA SOSENE (Labour) to the Minister for the Environment: What actions is he taking in response to Cyclone Gabrielle?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for the Environment): Today the Prime Minister announced that a ministerial inquiry will be held forthwith into land use causing forestry slash and sediment-related damage in the Gisborne Tai Rāwhiti and Wairoa districts. The inquiry will report by the end of April. It will investigate past and current land-use practices and the significant impacts on people livestock buildings and the environment. It would also describe the economic drivers of current practice and economic constraints on alternatives. The inquiry will be chaired by former Government Minister and Gisborne resident the Hon Hekia Parata. She'll be joined by former regional council chief executive Bill Bayfield and forestry expert Matthew McCloy. People in the affected communities and wider public are invited to provide submissions to the inquiry panel.Lemauga Lydia Sosene: What are some of the current problems in the region?Hon DAVID PARKER: Homes and roads have been destroyed. Massive quantities of sediment logs and slash have choked rivers and estuaries and caused serious harm to people coastal waters and productive land and this has occurred now on many occasions. Some mistakes were made post - Cyclone Bola with the best of intentions. Pine trees were planted on very steep country and across creeks without buffers. The collection of slash and its use is less economic when distant from processing facilities which makes problems more difficult. Plantation and permanent forests exotic and indigenous raise different but important considerations. All these issues can be considered by the inquiry.Lemauga Lydia Sosene: What recommendations does he expect from the inquiry?Hon DAVID PARKER: I'm expecting the panel to make recommendations to improve outcomes including possible changes needed to land use and its regulation at central and local government levels. This can include consideration of production and permanent forest practices resource management plans and national direction—for example the national environmental standard for forestry and the Tai Rāwhiti and Wairoa district resource management plans.Lemauga Lydia Sosene: What actions have central and local government already taken to improve enforcement and increase penalties for environmental offences?Hon DAVID PARKER: Although decisions for prosecutions are a matter for local councils under the Resource Management Act following events a couple of years ago adjacent regional councils and the Ministry for the Environment helped the Gisborne District Council at their request and in 2018 that council showed it was prepared to take action successfully prosecuting five forestry companies for poor forest harvesting and management. The court imposed fines ranging from $124000 to $379000. The resource management reforms currently before the Environment Committee include new tools to assist enforcement including a new civil enforcement regime which I haven't got time to detail as well as the increases in the maximum fines from $300000 to a million dollars for people and $600000 to $10 million for companies. It's also proposed to ban insurance against fines as I said earlier.