Russell DeborahEnvironment SectorDr DEBORAH RUSSELL (Chairperson of the Environment Committee): As I rise to begin the debate on the reports from the environment sector I do so in the shadow of a very recent report from the UN that tells us that a million species are facing extinction but over 4000 of those species are in New Zealand including our beloved kererū our kiwi our fish so many of our birds and that the key drivers of this extinction that is facing our taonga is land-use change exploitation and overfishing climate change pollution and invasive species crowding out native species. All these issues are covered by the agencies within the environment sector. Our committee reviewed the work of the Department of Conservation the Ministry for the Environment the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority the Environmental Protection Authority the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and Predator Free 2050 and all of these entities are critical to saving our taonga and to saving our world and to addressing some of the issues that we face.The Ministry for the Environment is deeply involved in work on climate change. In particular it is focusing on water quality: water quality in the agricultural sector water quality in the urban environment and trying to ensure that when we use water we use it responsibly that the water that we use is not polluted and that we do not pollute our waterways. Currently 71 percent of our lakes and rivers are swimmable; we want to get that up to 80 percent and that is some of the work that the Ministry for the Environment is doing. The Ministry for the Environment is also working on waste minimisation and resource efficiency and there is a significant move in New Zealand to move away from plastics and from single-use products. That is all to the good and it is work that the Ministry for the Environment is engaged in as well.The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority is also involved in work on climate change. Their previous focus had been on energy efficiency but their focus is now changing to work on promoting decarbonisation to ensuring that we actually have methods and ways of reducing our carbon footprint. It's critical for us and they've chosen to go down that route because it will have a greater impact on our environment.Turning to the Department of Conservation which of course is working so hard to preserve our taonga—they are deeply engaged in a battle to save our birds. That is particularly so this year when we are facing a mega mast—not just a mast year but a mega mast—when our native trees will have so much fruit that it will not only support birds but support predators as well. So they are working on ways to ensure that our native birds survive and 1080 is a critical part of that fight. They're also working on something dear to my heart: kauri dieback ensuring that we protect our beautiful trees.It is in the context of our fight to save our birds that Predator Free 2050 becomes very very important. It is said that conservation in New Zealand mostly involves the hunting and killing of small furry animals. Predator Free 2050 is deeply engaged in that task. They have an objective of developing a science solution that will enable one small mammalian predator to be eliminated from the mainland by 2025. It's a difficult task and they may not get there but they are engaged on working with partners in developing the science to ensure that we can do that. Again this is particularly dear to me because one of the areas which is a focus for the predator-free work is Taranaki maunga the mountain of my heart. So that is important work that is being done by Predator Free 2050.I end with a call from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment our independent expert who wants to advise us on what we can do to promote a better environment. When he came to talk to us he invited MPs to make contact with him that members of Parliament make use of his expertise and call on him for advice and information. Through this report I invite members of this House to take up that invitation.