Wagner Nicky: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Wagner Nicky: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:648;Page:17655] 
NICKY WAGNER (National) 
: 
 New Zealanders identify very closely with the natural environment. They want to live in a country that is truly clean and green and they look to the Government to deliver on the big environmental issues of the day. But this Government has failed and it has failed in many ways. Yes the Government talks of sustainability and yes it pays lip-service to looking after the environment but it simply does not deliver. The Ministry for the Environment struggled to deliver last year. For months it was distracted from its core business and it showed. As Dr Nick Smith has already commented the Minister himself acknowledged that the ministry did not deliver on its key objectives. The Minister blamed the small size of the ministry but it would seem to me and most New Zealanders that a ministry of 262 employees with a budget of $64 million—going up to $84 million in 2008-09—should be able to make some progress on our pressing environmental issues. These environmental issues are important and pressing such as the management of fresh water environmental sustainability and climate change. 
The Local Government and Environment Committee at estimates time was particularly concerned about the delays in the management of fresh water. We are still very impatiently awaiting a national environment standard for the measurement of water takes and a national environment standard on ecological flows and water levels. They are well overdue. However the long-awaited national policy statement for fresh water management was released last week and that was a real disappointment. The draft national policy statement was quite rightly slated by several non-governmental organisations including Fish and Game New Zealand the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society and the Water Rights Trust from Canterbury. The final statement was no better. It is vague it is wishy-washy and any improvements to water quality will be a long way away and extremely expensive. In fact believe this or not at estimates time the Minister confessed that improvements in water quality may not be seen for up to 50 years—50 years! Worse than that in some areas it is likely to get worse before it gets better. That is not what the people of New Zealand expect from this Government. 
Time and time again constituents tell me that water quality is the most important and pressing environmental issue for them. I come from Canterbury and the region has real issues with water quality and water quantity. It has been identified that the “first in first served” method of water allocation under the Resource Management Act has proved an insurmountable barrier to better water management. Therefore looking for alternatives to the “first in first served” method is important and extremely urgent. So it is a real disaster that the Cabinet paper concerning the water plan of action due in March 2007—I shall say that again: due in March 2007—is still missing in action. It is no wonder that the Minister does not expect any improvement in water quality for up to 50 years. 
Again in Canterbury but also throughout the country the public is concerned about the effect of intensive farming particularly dairying on water quality. One would expect the ministry to be very focused on this important issue but no the baseline report on the environmental outcomes of dairying and the Clean Stream Accord which was due to be completed in 2007—I shall say that again: it was due to be completed in 2007—is still not available. 
It is no wonder that the Minister does not expect any improvements in water quality for up to 50 years. We had hoped that in 2003 when the Sustainable Development Programme of Action was launched with much fanfare we would get some real action and some subsequent improvements in the environment.