Pham LanLAN PHAM (Green): Thank you Mr Speaker. Let's not sugar-coat it. These few first months in Parliament have been bleak for all citizens of Aotearoa and our precious te taiao—environment—and I'm particularly disappointed by this because nature matters. When we feel the fury and experience the devastation of when nature is out of control we know nature matters. When we understand the true immense value of protecting and restoring the very thing that sustains us as human beings on this planet and our responsibility to not screw that up for our kids our grandkids and for future generations we know nature matters. But some serious disconnect happens between what we know to be true be that through an evidence base mātauranga or what some might simply call common sense—a disconnect between that and the decisions of this Government when it comes to nature.Their actions and decisions to date in repealing and dismantling the pretty meagre environmental protections that we did have have been totally disjointed and ignorant to the reality of our climate and ecological crisis a response to which could either secure or threaten our own existence within nature. They're decisions that span the full gambit of the environmental sphere that have constituted a blatant attack on nature Te Tiriti democracy and the future of our planet. From the repeal of the Natural and Built Environment Act the Spatial Planning Act the abolishing of freshwater improvements through the Water Services Act and the delay in freshwater regional planning processes to the opening up of our precious environment and whenua to development this Government has been breathtakingly reckless in prioritising short-term profits over the long-term health and wellbeing of our environment and communities.Now with the Government's proposed fast-track legislation they're going to the next level—or as resources Minister Shane Jones so accurately describes it turbocharging environmental destruction. It overrides key environmental laws including the Resource Management Act the Conservation Act Wildlife Act Reserves Act among others. It means almost any project could be approved. From infrastructure to coal to dams to seabed mining it can be fast-tracked regardless of its environmental impact.And it's not just environmental laws that are being overridden; it's also threatening our democratic principles. By fast-tracking projects and bypassing established legal processes the Government is undermining the very foundations of our democracy. Equally they're overlooking the vital importance of te ao Māori the rights of iwi Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the foundation of effective environmental governance and management. The Government act as if they're blind to the fact that the tino rangatiratanga of iwi Māori hapū and whānau must be respected and upheld not sidelined and overridden at the whim of Ministers.In the biodiversity space we had Associate Minister for the Environment Andrew Hoggard claiming that his Government will protect biodiversity on private land by simply encouraging the behaviour that has already been happening." Quite astounding when his own ministry reports that over just a six-year period our country's area of indigenous vegetation cover decreased by over 12000 hectares and we currently have the highest proportion of threatened species per capita in the world. The whole point is that we can't keep doing what we're doing.This Government often trots out the vastly outdated rationale that they're balancing the environment with the economy. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment points out that only 2 percent of Government expenditure goes toward nature. If only there was balance because today balance would look like wholesale environmental protection and restoration. If the Government bulldozes on with this short-sighted reckless approach to nature we will ultimately face dire consequences and Aotearoa deserves much better. Thank you Mr Speaker."