Simpson ScottHon SCOTT SIMPSON (Minister of Statistics): For the last couple of years it has been my very great pleasure to chair the Local Government and Environment Committee. Over that period of time I have had an opportunity to see firsthand and close-up the terrific work that this Government has been doing in terms of environment conservation and protection of our natural environment.This year the committee considered annual reviews from the Department of Conservation. We had the director-general Mr Lou Sanson appear before the committee. We reviewed the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority the Environmental Protection Authority and the Ministry for the Environment. I commend to members of the House and members of the public the reports that the committee has prepared following those annual reviews because they encompass very clearly the broad policy issues and initiatives being taken by this Government in a very important area to all New Zealanders.We see from the Department of Conservation for instance an excellent initiative about predator-free New Zealand: predator-free New Zealand by 2050. A few years ago if people had been mentioning the concept or the visionary aspirational goal of a predator-free New Zealand many people would have said that that simply was not possible—that it was a task too far and something that no Government and no New Zealander could realistically seek to achieve. The Government's initiative in this area has been I think incredibly empowering and so we have set out an agenda a plan like our Apollo mission" if you want to put it that way that means we are going to give this our best shot. In electorates like mine the Coromandel predators are wreaking enormous havoc every hour every day every week every month of the year.I have had an opportunity to visit on a number of occasions some of the predator-free islands some of the predator-free sanctuaries around the country. In fact not too long ago I had an opportunity to visit with the Minister the Hon Maggie Barry the Subantarctic Islands. What a wonderful privilege that was—to go to a part of New Zealand that very few New Zealanders get to visit and to have a firsthand close-up experience of what a predator-free mainland might look like.Members might be interested to know that the navy do a terrific job. They take people down there a couple of times every year. There is no permanent human habitation there. You get into these Zodiac boats; it is very James Bond-ish. You land on the islands. We were on Enderby Island. The first thing that happens when you land on that island and they turn off the engines of the Zodiac craft is you hear predator-free before you see it. The birdsong is immediately obvious and apparent. It is a wonderful experience. For me the vision and aspirational hope that New Zealand could be predator-free by 2050 is an enormously worthy goal.I want to spend just a second talking about climate change. Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett is I think doing a terrific job in this area. I have been privileged also to be an executive member of the Globe organisation. We as a group of cross-party politicians members of Parliament from this legislature I think have been doing some good collaborative work in this area. So I was delighted to hear just this very afternoon that the Minister in conjunction with the Hon Steven Joyce has announced that the Productivity Commission will be instructed to conduct an inquiry into pathways that can help us as a nation to achieve our Paris commitments ahead of time preferably and certainly in a way that is not going to wreak havoc on our economy. Those two objectives are not binary. It is not either/or. We can achieve our Paris commitments and we can do it without detrimentally affecting our economy.The Local Government and Environment Committee is a great committee. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as chair of that committee. Subject to an election this Thursday I hope that my friend and colleague the member of Parliament for Hunua Andrew Bayly will assume that role. I know that he too will enjoy the job and should he be elected he will find it as invigorating and as interesting as I have. He will match the good work that this Government is doing in terms of the environment conservation and the protection of our natural heritage."