Goldsmith Paul: Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Goldsmith Paul: Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 14 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6643. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) 
: 
 It was interesting to have the reference from the previous speaker Andrew Williams about the National members not turning up. I certainly read about that in the 
 Dominion Post 
 this morning. It was saying that the National members had not responded to the invitation to be given something on the Maui’s dolphin. I went and dug around and I found the letter and there was no such invitation to me—that is for sure. There was a letter saying something was happening but there was certainly no invitation. So you sometimes wonder with some of the messages coming from Greenpeace whether they are quite accurate or not. 
But I just wanted to commend my colleague Jacqui Dean for this bill the Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill her second bill this evening—a very hard-working and implacably hard-working member of Parliament is Jacqui Dean. It is a timely bill because we all know New Zealand is unique in the world as the last significant uninhabited land mass in the world to be discovered by humans only a few hundred years ago. I have seen trees growing today that were around before humans arrived in these islands. I have seen trees on which moas have grazed which are still living now that were around before humans reached these islands. As a result of that we were a wonderful wonderful place in the world with all sorts of species that were unique and had evolved over a long period of time when New Zealand was splendidly isolated from the rest of the world and from humanity. All that changed a few hundred years ago when Maori arrived first and there was a wave of extinctions and that has continued in recent years—and that is only a split second of course in geological time. We are in a time of rapid change so it is important that we preserve what is precious. 
This bill which raises some of the maximum penalties in this area around precious species is very useful. I have never met a spotted or jewelled gecko. I do not understand the logic of people who would seek to put these down their underpants but from what I can understand this thing goes on. This bill if it helps nip it in the bud I think will be very useful not just in New Zealand but to the global effort against smuggling of geckos and those sorts of things. 
New Zealand makes a massive effort in conservation. It is often forgotten that about 33 percent of the land mass of New Zealand is in the conservation estate. That is not a mistake—33 percent. One third of the land mass of New Zealand is in the conservation estate. We spend colossal sums on conservation—$445 million in Vote Conservation this year—and I am astounded to hear from the other side of the House tales of great woe and calamity that somehow not enough resources have been put into this area. I mean let us just cast our minds back only 10 years ago when it was only $226 million that was being spent on conservation. So we have doubled the amount spent in the last 10 years and that of course is not enough. 
It is quite right things have had to be pulled back a little bit in the last few years but if you take the longer stretch there is a very substantial and increased investment in conservation. It all just goes to show when you hear the likes of Mr Chauvel talking about the fact that we need to just keep pouring the money in how this country got itself into such a pretty pass as we had in 2008 when this Government inherited a nation pregnant with years of financial deficits coming down the line because the previous Government just did not have control over its spending. I get frustrated when hearing this great moral high ground taken from the other side of the House as if those members care more about the environment than we do. 
What we are saying here is that every Government has to make that balance between giving New Zealanders the benefit of a well-run economy that can produce the living standards that all families want and aspire to and also the very substantial contribution that continues to be made in conservation. I am very proud of this Government’s record and I commend Jacqui Bill for this conservation bill which will— 
Hon Members 
: Jacqui Bill? 
PAUL GOLDSMITH 
: Jacqui Dean I believe. I commend Jacqui Dean for her great effort with this bill. Thank you.