Hughes GarethGARETH HUGHES (Green): Kia ora Mr Chair. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. Kia ora. I want to start by asking a question. This is a real question relating to this bill. Imagine if someone went up to a Resource Management Act (RMA) commissioner and said I want to build a power station running on gas which comes from fracking which is going to release 425000 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year."—to put that in context that is the same as all the cars in Palmerston North driving for a year—and the commissioner had to say: "Well I can't look at climate change because the law prohibits me from doing it."This problem is not a theoretical scenario; it is a real one that we have seen last year with the Nova Energy power station. It is a real issue that relates to this bill because the major environmental law that cannot consider climate change you cannot call a major environmental law. Look it is like playing soccer without a football. It is like telling the fire brigade it has got to ignore certain types of fires because that is the way the law has been written. I say this because my colleague Eugenie Sage has Supplementary Order Paper 283 in front of this Committee to deal with this exact problem. It is absolutely ridiculous and it is ludicrous that our major environmental law cannot consider climate change.We saw it with Nova Energy's application for a 360 - megawatt power station in Ōtorohanga. We have seen it before. It is absolutely ridiculous. It is incredible that in 2017 when 190 countries gather from around the world to sign a binding commitment in Paris to reduce our emissions our major environmental law cannot consider it. It is not a foresight or an accident; it is because of deliberate decisions made and this Parliament has an opportunity to fix it. This Parliament has an opportunity to amend section 70 as Eugenie Sage's amendment does to fix this problem.This is my challenge to all parties in Parliament. We have an opportunity to fix this problem of the greatest environmental crisis that is facing us.I want to challenge the National Party members on this because up until now they have shown their credentials when it comes to the environment. They have shown they are a pro-pollution party. They have shown that they will act like environmental vandals risking some of our most special pristine places. Just this weekend I was at Lake Te Ānau where the Government—Judith Collins—has opened up an oil block right to the shores of Lake Te Ānau. This is a place featured on the "100% Pure New Zealand" website yet National is allowing oil rigs seismic surveys—all the pollution and stuff that comes with it. It is an absolute scandal. It is an outrage and it shows once again the links National will go to trash our environment.Those members have an opportunity to show that they are going to do something—the right thing—on the greatest environmental challenge facing us. Our resource management law must include climate change. We have a party that has stood up on the side of polluters but luckily the people of New Zealand know that there is a party that is standing up on the side of protecting the environment and protecting our climate for our kids. That is why I am proud to stand next to Eugenie Sage who has put forward this amendment. The Green Party with our values of protecting the environment and of making sure we are not leaving a mess for future generations has provided the solutions to this Parliament to vote on. We have shown throughout our detailed technical studies that major emission reductions are possible but it will not happen if companies like Nova Energy get away with getting consents for massive polluting power stations and if climate change just cannot even be considered. My challenges to parties are that if you are serious about climate change make sure you support this amendment so our major environmental law can actually finally consider climate change."