Adams Amy: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeAdams Amy: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 02 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19179. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon AMY ADAMS (Minister for the Environment):It is a great privilege to take a call on Vote Environment in the estimates debate for this year. I think that the National Government can stand here incredibly proud of what we have done in the environment space in the last year. I am happy to go toe to toe with anyone in this Parliament on our actual record. Leaving aside all the hand-wringing rhetoric and the tired old clichés and the thinly veiled hatred of farmers that those members hide under their rhetoric in actual action on the ground this is a Government that has delivered in every single component that makes up the environment portfolio.We have heard a lot about fresh water but what I can tell you is this. This is the Government that put in place a National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management. This is the Government that is going to introduce for the first time nationally required bottom lines. This is the Government that required regional councils to make sure that water quality is always maintained or improved. This is the Government that spent five times what the previous Government spent on water clean-ups. This is the Government that required for the first time metering of large irrigation consents. This is the Government that is putting this country on a path to cleaner better more sustainable fresh water.But here is the difference. This is also a Government that recognises that New Zealanders want jobs they want a high standard of living and they want all the things that the taxes from our productive sector pay for. So we are not going to do it in a way that kills the golden goose. We are not going to slam the door on business. We are not going to demonise anyone who commits the unforgiveable sin of actually running a business being profitable and creating a job. We are going to say: “Let’s do it in a way that achieves both.”Unlike the Labour speaker Moana Mackey who said that you absolutely could not have clean water and increase agriculture we do not accept that. We believe that you can. In fact we know you can. We have seen it happening. New Zealand farmers New Zealand business people and New Zealanders as a whole are the most innovative the most clever and the most creative people in the world and they are already adapting and they are already showing that you can absolutely farm in a way that is more profitable that is more successful and that significantly reduces their environmental impact. That is what we back and that is absolutely what we are going to see happen. [Interruption]The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson): Order! Sorry to interrupt the Minister. It is happening again. Members who do not have the floor and who interject on each other because they have a disagreement—that is not permitted in the people’s House. If you want to interject then you can interject on the speaker on my right but not on each other.Hon AMY ADAMS: That same approach of talking one game and then not following through is seen throughout Labour’s approach. So let us look at the Resource Management Act. Again we heard Moana Mackey railing against this but here is what I would say. If the Labour Party wants to go to the electorate on a platform that there is nothing wrong with the Resource Management Act bring it on. Bring it on because I can tell you that every single public satisfaction survey that is done on how the public find our services across national and local government consistently rates the Resource Management Act not only as a fail but as having the lowest rating of every single service. So if Labour wants to campaign against us on the basis that the Resource Management Act is working really well and we are happy with it I welcome it.Again here is the difference. We understand that our planning laws absolutely have to protect our environment. They absolutely have to care about the water the soil and the air that we all enjoy and need in order to live. But also we recognise that people care about jobs houses and infrastructure. Labour suggests that our planning laws are not even allowed to make reference to the importance of land for housing or the importance of creating new economic growth opportunities and it then has the audacity to come to this Committee and say: “Where are the jobs and what are you doing about housing?” when it has blocked every single opportunity in this House to back us on sensible reform that would put things like housing infrastructure and natural hazard management—that is all we want to put in it—right at the heart of the Resource Management Act. But according to the Opposition you are allowed to ask only whether there will be any negative impact. That is all you are allowed to ask. Never mind that people actually need houses to live in. They need houses to live in and this Government recognises it.Let us have a look at the exclusive economic zone. Here is another great example right? The exclusive economic zone. What happened under Labour and the Greens? They drilled as many holes as they wanted out there and do you know what the process was? Their energy Minister signed it off. That is it. That was the entire economic and environmental assessment—one energy Minister signed it in his office. Under the National-led Government we have for the first time a strong environmental impact assessment before anything can happen in our exclusive economic zone. And for all the people on the Opposition benches who screamed that this was some sham rubber-stamp process how is that looking now? We have a strong independent very detailed oversight of anyone who wants to operate in our exclusive economic zone. Yes we do want to see development but only if they can meet that very high threshold. It is a high bar—