Baldock Larry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Urgent Questions Questions to Members 
Baldock Larry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Urgent Questions Questions to Members 
[Volume:620;Page:16015] 
12.  
LARRY BALDOCK (United Future) 
 to the  
Minister of Conservation 
: Does he agree that large game animals such as thar have been in New Zealand long enough to be considered indigenous and should therefore be treated as an indigenous resource by the Department of Conservation and not as an exotic pest for eradication; if not why not? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Conservation) 
: 
 Thar are not being eradicated but are subject to a 1991 policy and control plan agreed by the then Minister of Conservation the Hon Denis Marshall. Thar are no more an indigenous species than possums or pigs both of which have been in New Zealand for a far longer period of time. 
Larry Baldock 
: Does the Minister agree with his colleague from Wainuiomata who declared himself indigenous because he has lived here many years; if so why cannot the same standard be applied to thar which have been here 100 years and deer which have been here for 150 years and to trout and introduced game birds or does ideology get in the way of common sense? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I am pleased to say that I am not responsible for all the statements made by my colleague the member from Wainuiomata. 
Dr Ashraf Choudhary 
: Does the current plan make provision for recreational hunting? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Yes. Hunters are given every opportunity to hunt thar on conservation land. I recently read an article by a thar hunter who described his trip into the central Southern Alps as being the best he had ever experienced. He said that the trip was “real trophy hunting”. 
Simon Power 
: Why is it that the Department of Conservation in output class “Management of Natural Heritage” which includes pest control failed to meet 21 out of 35 performance targets in the year ended 30 June 2004 and what will this Minister do about it? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: The Department of Conservation faces a Herculean task in defending our native biodiversity. I am absolutely proud of the work that the Department of Conservation does. Yes we could do more and with more resources we would manage to. 
Rod Donald 
: Has the Minister received any proposals that possums stoats and any other invasive species be protected by the Department of Conservation for the benefit of game hunters? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: No. 
Gerrard Eckhoff 
: What is the Minister’s view of the presence of salmon and trout in New Zealand rivers and their impact on indigenous fauna? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Those exotic species do not have quite the impact that say possums have. In allocating resources to deal with pests I would certainly concentrate on those that are doing the most damage—that is possums and stoats. 
Larry Baldock 
: Would the Minister agree that although the indigenous member from Wainuiomata can be a pest sometimes the Prime Minister prefers the policy of management— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member knows that he should refer to the member either as the member for Wainuiomata or as the Minister if there is any ministerial responsibility. 
Larry Baldock 
: Does the Minister therefore support the use of deer repellent with 1080 for use in pest eradication so that valuable game animals can be spared wasteful destruction; if so when can we expect an announcement from the Department of Conservation confirming this? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: My department is still exploring what the implications of such a policy would be. 
Hon Peter Dunne 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I think you may have been a little unduly harsh on my colleague. I think that if you were to check the transcript you would find that he did not refer to the member “for” Wainuiomata because there is no such member but that he referred to him as the member “from” Wainuiomata. Mr Mallard on many occasions has quite properly said that that is where he comes from. So on reflection Mr Speaker I think you may have been a little harsh in bringing the member to order on that point. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Occasionally I can be a little harsh. I apologise.