Auchinvole Chris: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeAuchinvole Chris: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 26 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18948. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]5.CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National)to the Minister of Conservation: What reports has he received on the extent of the damage to West Coast forests from Cyclone Ita and what estimates are there of the area affected and the volume of wood felled?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister of Conservation):I am advised that this extraordinary event has caused the worst wind-blown damage in the Buller area in generations with 20000 hectares severely damaged. There are a further 200000 hectares across the coast where there is significant tree-fell. The volume of wood felled amounts to millions of cubic metres but it is my expectation that only a small proportion of this will be economically recoverable with the tight safety and environmental standards that the Department of Conservation will have in place.Chris Auchinvole: What are the time constraints for the different types of wind-blown timber felled and how does this impact on the timing of the legislation?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The major species affected are beech and rimu but with smaller amounts of mataī miro and tōtara. Beech is very susceptible to sap stain and borer and will quickly deteriorate in spring. That is why urgency is required in the legislation to get the expressions of interest process under way and ensure time is available to develop good safety and environmental control systems. I am advised that the rimu can be quite recoverable for up to 5 years and this is the time limit set in the legislation. I am advised that spreading the recovery of the rimu over 5 years would be less disruptive to the indigenous timber market would smooth the economic and employment opportunities and would have negligible effect on the time for these forests to regrow and to recover.Chris Auchinvole: Will the Government limit access to the wood to West Coast companies as has been suggested; if not why not?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: There are four good reasons why such an approach would be unworkable. The first is that the bulk of the benefits will accrue to the West Coast regardless of who owns the company. It is like saying that the West Coast does not want Australian companies like Bathurst Resources because it is Australian-owned which I think is the Labour Party’s position. The second is that there is more than enough wood for existing West Coast sawmills as well as new entrants. There are millions of cubic metres of wood. The third reason is that it would compromise safety. The recovery of this wood is not a job for amateurs and with the recent decline in radiata log prices there are skilled logging crews that need to relocate to the West Coast to do this work and it would not be sensible to prevent that. The final and fourth reason is that it is an economic nonsense. We do not require that Canterbury lamb is processed in Canterbury that Taranaki gas has to be used in Taranaki or that Nelson apples have to be used in Nelson. It is the sort of economic lunacy that would cost jobs and that members opposite now seem to be promoting.Hon Damien O’Connor: Will the Minister support my amendments to ensure that West Coast businesses and West Coast workers get access to the wind-blown timber and a requirement that any timber produced is managed appropriately on to the very small market for indigenous timber in this country; if not why not?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I would welcome that member explaining to his constituents in Tasman—Hon Members: Answer the question.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: —I am answering the question—where there is the Moutere mill which would love to have access to this timber but the member is effectively saying to those constituents in Tasman that they do not get some jobs because of some Stalinist idea that the wood has to stay on the West Coast.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It has become very difficult to follow this Minister. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order!Rt Hon Winston Peters: Well I am trying to raise a point of order here.Mr SPEAKER: The member will do it correctly otherwise the member will be leaving this Chamber.Rt Hon Winston Peters: My point of order is that it was very difficult to follow the Minister because I have no idea what a timber called “romu” is or where “Moo-terry” is as a location.Mr SPEAKER: The member will resume his seat and stop wasting the time of the House.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: It makes as much sense to limit access to the wood to the West Coast as it would be for us to pass a law that says that Nelson’s apples have to stay in Nelson or that gas in Taranaki has to stay in Taranaki. It is protectionism gone mad and no wonder the members opposite are not able to provide a job growth formula for New Zealand.Grant Robertson: I seek leave of the House to table a report that shows that the Department of Conservation spent $6344 on Nick Smith’s photo opportunity to announce this policy.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Before I decide whether to put the leave it is a Department of Conservation document?Grant Robertson: It is a media report.Mr SPEAKER: It is a media report. We will not be tabling that.