Carter David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeCarter David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 11 October 2007. Volume:642;Page:12304. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]10.Hon DAVID CARTER (National) to theMinister of Agriculture: Is he satisfied with the progress of the Sustainable Water Programme of Action?Hon JIM ANDERTON (Minister of Agriculture): No I am not fully satisfied. The Sustainable Water Programme of Action is a comprehensive attempt to improve the way that New Zealand manages its fresh water. This is not a trivial exercise. It involves deep and complex issues that go to the heart of our economy and our consciousness as New Zealanders. Issues such as the supply quality and accessibility of water are intergenerational matters. They do not arise suddenly and they are not fixed quickly when they do.Hon David Carter: Is the Minister aware that his second-most senior Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry official Paul Reynolds the Assistant Director-General said at a public meeting last month in Rotorua that the programme should be known as the “Water Programme of Inaction” and why would such a senior official make such a statement?Hon JIM ANDERTON: I think even the most talented and valuable public servants are entitled to a bad day at the office.Dr Ashraf Choudhary: What other Government activity contributes to advancing the objectives of the Sustainable Water Programme of Action?Hon JIM ANDERTON: The Government has a proud record of investing in projects and programmes that contribute to improving water management towards New Zealand’s future generations. Currently $22 million a year is invested in freshwater research through the Foundation for Research Science and Technology. Since its inception the Sustainable Farming Fund has provided over $22 million to 30 project teams working on projects to improve water-quality management in the primary sectors $36.7 million has been provided as the Government’s share of the LakeTaupō water-quality protection programme $4 million has been committed to theŌhau channel diversion project to improve LakeRotoiti’s water quality and $2 million has been provided for the development of the Waitaki catchment plan. In addition to these initiatives the recently announced sustainable land management and climate change plan of action will provide impetus to reducing sediment and nitrogen discharges to water.Hon David Carter: Acknowledging the programme is going badly why did the Minister then say in May 2006 that “we need this action to get moving” and what has he actually done with this flagship Government initiative other than just talk about it?Hon JIM ANDERTON: If the member was listening he heard what was going on about water quality and I have to say that in the 9 years between 1990 and 1999 that the National Party was in Government it did nothing whatever about the supply access or quality of water in New Zealand.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Can the Minister explain the advice given today to the Local Government and Environment Committee from the Auditor-General on the $200 million sustainable development programme of action launched in 2003 that the announced special Cabinet committee of Ministers never met and that their programme states according to the Auditor-General: “Governance for the programme of action was less clear because of a lack of ministerial meetings.”; and how does he reconcile the Prime Minister mentioning the word “sustainability” 38 times with the fact that the ministerial group set to do it never met?Hon JIM ANDERTON: Far be it from me to make any criticism about the qualities of the Auditor-General in the areas of competence and expertise that he has. But I can tell the House and the Auditor-General if he asks me that I have personally been to innumerable meetings with other Ministers about the sustainable water-quality project and I never saw the Auditor-General at any one of them. If he had actually asked me I would have told him many there had been.Hon David Carter: Is the Minister also aware of the further statement from Assistant Director-General Paul Reynolds that the Sustainable Water Programme of Action is “stalled at this juncture because our engagement withMāori has not run smoothly” and does the Minister agree with Mr Reynolds?Hon JIM ANDERTON: No I have not heard of that but I am sure that I will hear comment from Mr Reynolds at the pre-Cabinet meeting on Monday.Te Ururoa Flavell:Tēnā koe Madam Speaker. Kia oratātou. In progressing the Sustainable Water Programme of Action what legal grounds does the Government rely on to assert that it owns water?Hon JIM ANDERTON: The Government does not say that it owns water. Water is in the Government’s view a public resource and is dealt with on that basis.Hon Dr Nick Smith: I seek leave of the House to table the report of the Controller and Auditor-General on the Government’s sustainable development programme of action.Madam SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes there is objection.Te Ururoa Flavell: What is the Government’s position regarding customary ownership of resources such as water as set out in Article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi?Madam SPEAKER: I am seeking the ministerial responsibility but yes—the Hon Jim Anderton.Hon JIM ANDERTON: The Government’s view is of course that there are many areas of common interest particularly in terms of customary issues withMāori aspirations for fresh water and the Government’s goals of the water programme. An example of that is the need to halt over time the despoliation of water and the decline in water quality in our lowland rivers and lakes. We believe that fruitful and important discussions and consultations have to go on withMāoridom and those are in progress as we speak.