Muller Todd: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMuller Todd: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 28 July 2015. Volume:707;Page:5375. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TODD MULLER (National—Bay of Plenty): E Te Heamana e mihi atu ana ki a koe.[I acknowledge you Mr Chairman.]I would like to spend just a few moments talking about the conservation partnerships but if I can just acknowledge the Minister in the chair Nick Smith. He spoke to the key messages that he actually spoke to at the select committee. He spoke about our reform agenda over the last few years and how effective that has been. We have the National Policy Statement for Freshwater the National Objectives Framework the Environmental Protection Authority—there is a huge list of reforms and of course there are funding initiatives to support that. But in particular I would like to spend a few moments just reflecting on the conservation partnerships that we now have in place have had in place for a number of years and intend to continue to invest heavily in over the next 2 or 3 years.When these conservation partnerships were introduced a few years ago under Nick Smith and under Al Morrison’s leadership as the chief executive there was a typical reaction from the Labour Party and the Green Party in particular. They were very anti them—a typically ideological reaction from those who think that conservation and business cannot work together and are in fact in their view very incompatible bedfellows. But these partnerships have proven that wrong. The philosophy that we were privatising the Department of Conservation that private-public partnerships are evil and that conservation is simply the preserve of the Government reflects a tired and captured ideology that in my view is holding them back.These conservation partnerships which Minister Barry and Lou Sanson stepped us through in the Local Government and Environment Committee are successful and are working. The reason they are successful and working is that they are partnering with people who are on the ground. They have the expertise of the Department of Conservation which is in the particular region understands the ecosystem pressures and can identify what the appropriate interventions are to give the best outcome. You have local communities be they iwi or be they local non-government partnerships that are energised and are passionate for their particular area and they can be partnered with business in a way that delivers real benefit. It is not a failed ideology of privatisation which gets barked at us from the other side. It is yet again an example of a pragmatic framework that is working and is delivering and I am very pleased to able to be part of a Government that supports that and to hear from Minister Barry in terms of the various partnerships and how they are progressing.Some of this is pretty personal to me because of the Fonterra Living Waters programme which was launched 2 years ago in partnership with the Department of Conservation. I was part of that; I saw it being introduced. Five areas across the country that are under pressure are having an immediate turn-round with the community Fonterra and the Department of Conservation working together to get a better ecosystem outcome. It is the same with Air New Zealand. There is a list of them and it is worth just reflecting on these conservation partnerships and how they are impacting across the country from Air New Zealand’s conservation partnership—which was initially focused on supporting the kiwi and has now been broadened tosupporting Great Walks marine reserves and other coastal gems—to Dulux New Zealand. Obviously I have touched on Fonterra’s partnership. There is Genesis Energy and its support in terms of the Whio Forever Project. Minister Barry of course at the select committee spoke on the Kiwis for Kiwi programme and the significant investment that we are putting in for that programme and the Mitre 10 Takahē Rescue programme is also an example of that.What is coming to be very clear to those who are involved in these partnerships is that once you actually get around the table likeminded people—people who are concerned about ensuring a better ecosystem outcome—and businesses that are prepared to put their money and support and energy behind that over time as they work together on that particular programme other opportunities come from that. As the relationships become deeper and as the community the Department of Conservation and the business have an established track record of being able to work together for effect the community is presented with more opportunities to take up.I want to reinforce that that is an example of a public policy that is working. It is working today and it deserves ongoing support and credit not the blind opposition based on ideology that we are hearing from the other side.Earlier on we had Eugenie Sage talking about the fact there was no new money in this Budget for conservation. That is wrong. There is $11.2 million of extra funding.