Marcroft JennyJENNY MARCROFT (NZ First): Tēnā koe. Thank you Madam Chair. It's an honour to rise and speak on behalf of New Zealand First on this Appropriation (2018/19 Estimates) Bill. It's a significant increase in funding that we've seen in Vote Conservation and that is something to be very excited about. In fact we heard that from this side of the Chamber earlier in this debate process that it was exciting—no it wasn't exciting; it was very very very exciting. I'd like to just reiterate how exciting it is to have $181 million over the next four years—Hon Member: Real money.JENNY MARCROFT: —that's real money—into conservation to support the Department of Conservation (DOC) for a programme to restore capacity in the department; capacity that was lost under the previous regime. So I'd just like to acknowledge the Minister of Conservation the Minister of Good News Stories" for this increase in the Budget.National's big initiative in the previous regime on the environment was in fact a bit of a Trumpian-style diversion tactic. As the whole country was waking up to the realisation that we have serious water-quality problems with our rivers what did they do—what did they do?CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): Order! the debate is actually about the Estimates—the Estimates—not what a previous Government did but what this Government's Estimates are.JENNY MARCROFT: They launched the Predator Free 2050 programme—yes Madam Chair. OK.So we all know that the Predator Free 2050 programme is being extended by this Government because we do understand that to take care and eliminate predators there's no point paying lip-service to it; in fact we must throw real money at it and seriously combat these predators. In fact we have super-sized the efforts that were made previously because this will make a real difference. And the Taranaki Mounga project will not only target pest eradication through Vote Conservation but in fact restore lost species back to the maunga.We note that protecting our natural resources will ensure a future for not only our grandchildren but our grandchildren's grandchildren—our mokopuna's mokopuna. Conservation is about dealing with the issues that are unfolding now to ensure that we have a future—a healthy flourishing future—for all of the future generations to enjoy.There is no Planet B and New Zealanders we understand that—we understand and we have a deep fascination with nature. It's part of our national psyche. It's embedded in our DNA. We enter our nature's stores from Te Rerenga Wairua—Cape Reinga—in the North to Bluff in the South and all the regions ngā hau e whā. We pride ourselves on our unique physical connection—in fact our spiritual connection—with Papatūānuku our world-renowned conservation estate.We are very excited that for me in the Rodney region we have the Parry Kauri Park—this is a very small native forest of kauri trees—and we have our Kauri and Native Bushmen's Association. For the last 30 years they have been protecting our patch of native kauri forest. They have done such great work that we have no kauri dieback there. They have resourced this themselves. We understand that kauri dieback is a microscopic fungus-like pathogen that infects the roots of the kauri and kills the tree. This Vote Conservation will see $5.486 million in annual operating budget to be added back into DOC's baseline. That'll help manage the kauri dieback through into the future. Thankfully now we have a new Government we actually might still have time to save the kauri.So let me reassure the committee that this Government understands the extent of the problem. We are very serious about committing all the resources that are required and just like Mycoplasma bovis this Government has been left to deal with a problem that should never have grown to the extent that it has. But we do get it. We do understand that strong conservation and environmental values are the keystone to the New Zealand way of life and we are prepared to protect that. We are putting our money where our mouth is. Now if we tarnish our environment and our conservation image you know what? We will never get it back. So without strong conservation values we will have no business no livelihood and no future. But we have good news. We have $181 million added into Vote Conservation and that is something to celebrate."