Guy Nathan: Climate Change Response Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Guy Nathan: Climate Change Response Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:635;Page:6227] 
NATHAN GUY (National) 
: 
 It is good to take a call on the Climate Change Response Amendment Bill we have in front of us this afternoon. I think the important thing to realise is that the Government had signalled in the past that it would steal credits from landowners and now this bill puts that right. 
New Part 3B “Mechanism allowing landowners to access value created by Kyoto Protocol of carbon sequestration on land through establishment of forest sink covenants” is really important. I think the real crux of this issue is to encourage enough plantings to happen in New Zealand. When one looks at what has happened with our forestry plantings over the last year we see that we were planting 8000 hectares of  
Pinus radiata 
 but that that has dropped now to about 1000 hectares. The forestry industry is up in arms. It does not know from the signals this Government has been sending over the last couple of years exactly where the Kyoto Protocol is heading around the trading of these credits. I believe this bill addresses that—thankfully—and that is a good thing. 
The other day when I launched  
A Bluegreen Vision for New Zealand 
 on our family farm north of Levin it was interesting to see the number of people who turned up in support of that document. In the debate this afternoon I heard someone call this document a brochure. Actually it is 30 pages of an extremely comprehensive— 
Hon Member 
: That was “Mr Otaki”. 
NATHAN GUY 
: Was it? It was the member from Otaki who has the slimmest majority in the whole of New Zealand. It will be interesting for him that the publicity— 
Darren Hughes 
: There were 20 people at your stupid meeting! 
NATHAN GUY 
: There were actually 40 who turned up. This is the front page of the local paper which the member from Otaki struggles to get on now because we have neutralised it. This is the sort of publicity we get up in Horowhenua-Kapiti. People turned up because they wanted to engage in our blue-green vision for New Zealand and not be turned off by the failed policies of this Government over the last few years. 
In particular let us talk about the “fart tax”. I rallied with my rural neighbours when Mr Hodgson would not listen to what the rural community was saying. It was saying that under research and development the rural community is already paying a commodity levy. People did not want to be taxed twice. Then this Government decided it would move on—not with a carrot but by hitting people around with a big stick—with the carbon tax. Fortunately some of the minority parties who decided to jump into bed with this Government managed to make them see reason common sense prevailed and that was dropped. 
What is fundamentally important is that this legislation will signal to members of the rural community—particularly on areas of hill country prone to erosion—that if they plant a tree they will own the carbon credits. The landowner will own the carbon credits instead of the Government stealing them. So I think that is fundamentally a good thing. Some of the nursery growers who turned up on our property the other day were concerned about the signal that this Government is sending. They are unsure whether to grow seedlings of Pinus radiata move into more poplar poles or get into more natives. 
Darren Hughes 
: How many of the 20 said that? Four of the 20 or three of the 20? 
NATHAN GUY 
: The fundamental thing is that the member for Otaki has the slimmest majority in the whole of New Zealand. That is what he needs to learn. So although the Government side of the House can spout on the climate has changed in Otaki and the growing emissions under this Government’s watch has gone up four times faster than in the United States. 
We have heard the Stern report that the Minister has just talked about and the findings coming out of Nairobi at the moment. But in essence people want to have less stick and more carrot. People need to be led with these changes and the changes need to be long term. People do not want Governments to say: “You shall do this you need to do that.”; people need encouragement. That is why National’s  
A Bluegreen Vision for New Zealand 
 signals pretty boldly—with $1 billion over a 10 year time frame—how it will sort out the environmental practices where this Government I believe has been negligent. 
The question was put that the amendments set out on Supplementary Order Paper 67 in the name of the Hon David Parker to Part 1 be agreed to. 
Amendments agreed to. 
Part 1 as amended agreed to.