Upston Louise: Environmental Protection Authority Bill — In Committee 
Upston Louise: Environmental Protection Authority Bill — In Committee 
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LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupo) 
: 
 We have heard some comments from the Opposition about the Environmental Protection Authority Bill not being for the protection of the environment. I want to challenge the Opposition members. In 9 years in Government they did absolutely nothing structural with the Ministry for the Environment. There was absolutely no progress in 9 years. 
All of a sudden we have a Government actually willing to do something and willing to make some changes to optimise the protection of our environment by having a very clear and integrated system in relation to the environment. It has divided responsibility so that the Ministry for the Environment will have clear responsibility for policy the Environmental Protection Authority will have responsibility for regulatory functions and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment will be the auditor. Members on this side of the Chamber see that change as a nice flow with the three different organisations having clear responsibilities. Unfortunately in the 9 years that those guys on the other side of the Chamber were in power they did not make any changes at all. 
Speaking as the member of Parliament for Taupo I say the environment is absolutely critical to the economic growth of my electorate. I am sick to death of Opposition members talking about members on this side of the Chamber having only an economic growth agenda. Hello? We cannot separate the environment from our economic agenda. I will give members some examples. If we look at forestry if we look at farming and if we look at tourism we see that they are fundamental to economic growth in my electorate. I will give another example: geothermal. We are leading the world in renewable energy. Where is a lot of that generation centred? It is in the Taupo electorate. 
What does this legislation enable? It enables the creation of the Environmental Protection Authority which enables consenting processes to be far more efficient than they ever were under the reign of members on that side of the Chamber. 
Brendon Burns 
: Fast tracking. 
LOUISE UPSTON 
: Does that member know what fast tracking means in this environment? It means jobs. If members on that side of the Chamber are so interested in creating jobs I would have thought they would be interested in projects that create jobs: create jobs in their construction create jobs on an ongoing basis and create wealth for the iwi that have joint ventures in the geothermal projects. It sounds like a bit of a win to me in terms of economic growth. But no members on that side do not want to have something nice and simple so that we have clear responsibilities. 
Let us go back for a bit of a reminder. There are clear responsibilities. The Ministry for the Environment looks after policy the Environmental Protection Authority looks after regulation and provides some nice national direction for regional and district councils and finally the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment a very important role provides the audit function. It fits together very nicely and fits perfectly with the Bluegreens’ vision for New Zealand of growing the economy and protecting the environment. For my electorate I am very clear that those two visions go hand in hand. I am stunned when the members on that side of the Chamber talk about this being a piecemeal approach. It is very integrated it is very logical it fits together and we have national direction. 
What about issues like national policy statements which did not come out in 9 years of those members in Government? All of a sudden we finally have an authority able to provide some guidance and regional councils will actually have some direction—after how long? Nine years. 
I am very proud of this legislation. It is a very strong step forward. It is the second phase of the resource management reforms that have been so critical for jobs in my electorate. That is why I am proud of this legislation and that is why it is so important. If we can get a few more new jobs up and running not just in the construction phases of some of these critical projects but on an ongoing basis then that is good for Taupo. That is why I am proud of the legislation.