Turia Tariana: Urgent Debates — Emissions Trading Scheme—Government Announcement 
Turia Tariana: Urgent Debates — Emissions Trading Scheme—Government Announcement 
[Volume:642;Page:12099] 
TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Madam Assistant Speaker tena koe. Tena tatou katoa. The Maori Party has often spoken out in Parliament about the urgent need to take comprehensive action on climate change. We are very concerned that New Zealand is the fourth-highest nation amongst developed nations in the emission of greenhouse gases and that New Zealand’s emissions are growing significantly faster than those of Australia. We have raised the alarm at the reality of carbon emission increases outstripping population growth and GDP and in effect this means that it leaves us in the dubious position of having emission levels more than twice the world average and well above the OECD average. All of us have a responsibility to do what we can to ensure that we here in Aotearoa are not putting more carbon into the atmosphere than we are able to offset by other means. 
Indigenous peoples across the globe understand their role and responsibility as being unique in conserving mother Earth but it is not the exclusive duty we hold. The Maori Party believes that if we are to reverse or halt any of the catastrophic climate change impacts currently threatening Papatuanuku then urgent and specific attention must be accorded this issue by all peoples of this land. So with the announcements today that everyone can have sustainability we have absolutely no argument. Having suffered major flooding myself at home in Whanganui and the Rangitikei and knowing also the impact of flooding in the Bay of Plenty and Gisborne and of droughts in the Hawke’s Bay Otago Marlborough and Tasman the impact of human activity upon Ranginui and Papatuanuku is something I am acutely aware of. 
We know that the Government has been challenged to look at the impact of climate change policy on the indigenous flora and fauna claim currently before the Waitangi Tribunal—Wai 262. We also know that the tribunal has been looking into the issue of carbon credit allocation when Crown-owned forests are growing on Maori land. These are hot issues on our party policy agenda and we are delighted that the contribution of the New Zealand forestry industry and the Federation of Maori Authorities has helped the Government to see the light of day. 
The New Zealand forestry industry’s six-point plan which the Maori Party endorsed earlier this year called for landowners with Kyoto-qualifying forests and those replanting non-Kyoto forests after harvest to benefit financially from the value of the carbon their forests remove from the atmosphere. Although we are disappointed that it took the Government 6 months to agree with this stance it is still very positive news that it has reversed its decision on the allocation of carbon credits for forests. Tangata whenua have been vocal in their criticism of the Crown in claiming ownership of the carbon credits of Maori-owned forests on Maori land and of Crown-owned forests on Maori land. In particular we commend the initiative of the Federation of Maori Authorities which has taken a case to the Waitangi Tribunal to challenge the Government’s carbon credit confiscation. 
I endorse what the co-leader of the Greens raised earlier—that the hard decisions have conveniently been left until after the elections. We are also cautious in light of advice from Greenpeace that major polluters the big energy users stand to benefit from windfall profits under the scheme with free subsidies. Climate change is too urgent too critical for the big industry polluters to make money from business as usual. We really need to start seeing our economy as part of our environment and not continue to see the environment as part of our economy. The obsession with growing the economy as an indicator of human success while at the same time destroying our environment is insane. Everyone needs to contribute and everyone needs targets in place immediately to achieve a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. We need progress in offsetting emissions and reducing emissions and it is a call that all of us must respond to. 
I was pleased to see earlier this afternoon that Charlie Pederson on behalf of Federated Farmers has welcomed the view that agriculture has been given more time to find ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions before joining an emissions trading scheme. Clearly there have been economic pressures impacting on the Government which would no doubt imagine that less production for agriculture as the largest industry and export earner means less income for rural communities provinces and city people and less in taxes for the Government. 
Well the Maori Party does not believe that economic imperatives should be any excuse for failure to make genuine progress in improving the efficiency of the whole natural environment. New Zealand must invest in alternative solutions that can help farmers to reduce their on-farm methane and nitrous oxide emissions. I have been very interested in learning about programmes in which biological principles are applied to balance the chemistry and enhance the biology in the soil. Through such schemes fertilisers are more efficient less is lost through runoff and leaching soils are less vulnerable to compacting and the nutrient-holding capacity is increased. Applying biological agriculture perspectives and methods results in higher mineral and antioxidant levels in produce; increased soil fertility yields and storability; reduced erosion fertiliser use and input migration; and fewer insect weed and disease pressures. 
Through the impact of biological and sustainable farming we have seen that we can increase both the soil humus and carbon levels along with improving the nutrient density in foods. Such initiatives can lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions more carbon sequestering and better profits. It is a win-win all around. 
The Maori Party is pleased that Labour has responded to the call issued in September 2005 to take a collaborative united approach towards the most critical issue facing our future sustainability and we thank the Minister for coming and advising the Maori Party on where the Government was going on these issues. We welcome the announcement from the Minister of Maori Affairs that he will be establishing a Maori reference group to provide leadership on all of these proposals. We would hope given that we occupy four out of seven of the Maori seats that we will be invited to provide names of people who might join that team. 
The Maori Party is also committed to assisting whanau hapu and iwi as tangata tiaki to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the well-being and future health of the environment. Our environmental policy begins with the challenge: “Ki te pai te manaaki ka manaakitia.”; if we care nurture and respect we too will be cared for nurtured and respected. These are sound words for all of us—industrialists users consumers polluters farmers whanau hapu and iwi—and we can all sign up in the transition to a sustainable Aotearoa.