Parker David: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Parker David: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:627;Page:21974] 
DAVID PARKER (Labour—Otago) 
: 
 I am pleased to rise in support of this estimate. I concur with a lot of what the last speaker said in relation to the importance of one of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s reports last year called  
Growing for Good: Intensive farming sustainability and New Zealand’s environment 
 which highlighted the degradation of waterways caused by the increasing rate of application of fertilisers and in particular by phosphates and nitrates finding their way into our waterways. I think there has been something like a six or sevenfold increase in the rate of application of nitrates in New Zealand over the last 20 years and that is having adverse effects on waterways. It is quite notable in parts of my own electorate in Otago. It is not just associated with dairy farming; it is also associated with the increasing intensification of land use generally. 
One of the things that has happened as a consequence of increasing the profitability of farms is that land prices have more than doubled in rural areas. It then becomes more economic for a farmer to increase production by way of increasing the intensity of production from existing farm units rather than by purchasing a bit more land to expand production in that way. The more intensive land use requires irrigation high-energy usage to make that irrigation work and higher labour utilisation as well. Those higher cost structures in turn demand a higher return per hectare for the farmer in order for that farm to be economic. That entails having more livestock per hectare and in order to feed them more grass is needed per hectare and therefore more fertiliser. So in the end that has created an enormous pressure on our rivers because we are seeing that astronomical increase in the rate of nitrate application in particular on sheep farms on deer farms and most noticeably on dairy farms. 
That meant that the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment became concerned about the issue and wrote his very good report noting how fertiliser use was not just affecting fresh water on the surface but it was also becoming problematic in ground-water. I think the Parliamentary Commissioner quite rightly pointed out to the Local Government and Environment Committee and this Parliament that although we do not need very many things to live on this planet we do need clean water food and shelter. Clean water is a most necessary part of that and if we in a country like New Zealand which is blessed by quite substantial water resources cannot get it right and produce clean water by the time it flows into our oceans what chance is there for the rest of the world to keep our oceans relatively clean and free from pollution? So the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is an office that is showing its value and I am very supportive of the provisions in this appropriation for the office to continue with that good work. 
I note some of the remedies that are required to address this issue but I do not think it is a case of the end of farming as we know it. I disagree with the Green member to that extent. I think that with better management of riparian margins fencing of waterways and greater care with the use of fertiliser we will see a return to some health in our waterways. But we will also see an economic advantage to farmers because at present they lose much of the nitrate they apply in the form of urea through that being washed off their farms and lost from their farm production into waterways. 
I am pleased that we are supporting the work of this office and I recommend the appropriation to the Committee. 
Vote agreed to.