Smith Nick: Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSmith Nick: Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 15 March 2016. Volume:712;Page:9662. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment): I move That the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Local Government and Environment Committee to consider the bill and I intend to move that the bill be reported to the House by 2 August so that we can put the sanctuary in place by November. This bill delivers on the proposal announced by Prime Minister John Key at the United Nations last September to create a fully protected marine area around New Zealand’s most northern territory the Kermadec Islands.The bill is anchored in the philosophical view that humankind does need to put some limits on its development and have the wisdom to set aside areas for nature. New Zealand was a global pioneer in this thinking when Tūwharetoa chief Te Heuheu in 1887 with the support of our parliamentary forebears created the Tongariro National Park. It was the fourth such park in the world and since then Governments have progressively protected over 30 percent of our land in public parks in reserves and in sanctuaries.The new frontier for protection is the marine environment. It makes up 71 percent of the globe and is facing the stresses of overfishing of pollution of increased pressure for resources and of climate change yet less than 1 percent nationally and internationally is protected.This bill is part of this Government’s ambition to be a world leader in the management and protection of our ocean environment. We started in 2009 by addressing the obvious anomaly of having no environmental regulatory system in our huge exclusive economic zone and we set up the Environmental Protection Authority to undertake that role. We have got on with protecting specific areas creating 11 new marine reserves in our territorial sea. We have a discussion paper out on comprehensive reform of our system of marine protected areas. Our Government has been pulling out all stops diplomatically with the US in trying to secure support for a huge marine protected area in Antarctica’s Ross Sea. At the UN last year we also successfully sponsored a resolution on strengthening ocean protection in the high seas which are beyond national jurisdictions.The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary is the most significant of these initiatives. The 620000 square kilometre area is twice the land area of New Zealand or about the size of France. This amounts to 15 percent of New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone and New Zealand is one of the few countries overreaching the global 10 percent target for marine protection. This area is 35 times the area of the total of all the existing 44 marine reserves and 50 times the size of our largest national park in Fiordland.It is not just the size that makes this initiative significant but the outstanding geological and biological diversity of the Kermadecs. The Kermadec area contains the longest arc of underwater volcanoes anywhere in the world and it descends to a depth of 10 kilometres deeper than Mt Everest is tall. The depths of the ocean combined with the underwater volcanic activity makes an extreme environment of pressure of temperature and of mineral content where unique forms of life exist that are almost as fascinating as studying life on another planet. The marine life includes over 6 million seabirds of 39 different species 35 different species of whales and dolphins three species of sea turtle—all of which are endangered—and over 150 species of fish.The Kermadecs also have a rich history. They were a crucial stopover point for the migratory waka that made the long and treacherous journey between the Pacific and New Zealand. They were the only part of New Zealand that got caught up in the horrific global slave trade of the 19th century with the atrocious deaths of 160 Pacific slaves destined for South America on Raoul Island in 1863. The recognition of the area for natural values gained momentum in the 1930s with a nature reserve gazetted in 1939 and the territorial sea was protected in 1990.The details of this bill prohibit all fishing all mining any disturbance of the seabed dumping and any harmful vibrations from the likes of seismic surveys. The intent is to protect the area to the fullest extent possible while being consistent with our legal obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Pew Charitable Trusts has noted that New Zealand is setting the gold standard internationally for marine protected areas with this bill. The bill provides for scientific research as such areas are invaluable in benchmarking the broad estate of the oceans. The Environmental Protection Authority will be responsible for regulating such work while the Department of Conservation will be responsible for its day-to-day management with the support of key partners like the navy.The bill provides for a new conservation board to be responsible for developing a conservation management strategy for the total area—i.e. the new sanctuary in the exclusive economic zone the existing marine reserve in the territorial sea and the nature reserve on land. The board is proposed to include a representative from Ngāti Kurī and Te Aupōuri the two iwi with a statutory acknowledgment as well as a third member to be appointed by the Minister for Māori Development noting that other iwi also have an interest and connection with these islands. Four members are to be appointed for their skills their knowledge and their experience to support the work of protecting the Kermadecs.Let me address the three criticisms that have been made of these sanctuary proposals. The Greens have asserted that it is contradictory of the Government to be promoting the sanctuary while also supporting development of our fishing our aquaculture and our oil gas and mineral resources at sea. This misunderstands our blue-green approach of providing for areas of economic development as well as protection both at sea and on land. It is about balance and ensuring New Zealand is both economically and environmentally successful.The other criticism from the opposite end of the political spectrum in New Zealand—from ACT—is that somehow this protection is meaningless because 20-odd tonne of fish caught each year may well be caught in other areas of our exclusive economic zone. On this basis you would not protect any geographical areas. I challenge ACT to visit the long-established Leigh Marine Reserve and others and observe the stunning size of crayfish snapper and other marine life because they are living proof that marine protected areas work.I want to conclude by generously acknowledging those who have long advocated for this protection: Ngāti Kurī and Te Aupōuri the Kermadec initiative partners the Pew Charitable Trusts and its tireless advocate Bronwen Golder World Wide Fund for Nature New Zealand and the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society. I also want to acknowledge those hardy workers and volunteers from the former Wildlife Service and the Department of Conservation including those who have died doing this work for their contributions to this special part of New Zealand.This sanctuary initiative is about New Zealand raising the bar on ocean protection globally and working with our partners in the Pacific like the forum countries—the US the UK and Chile—on building a network of marine protected areas in our region. This bill is about securing a better future for our oceans and I commend it to the House.