Unkovich TanyaTANYA UNKOVICH (NZ First): I feel honoured to stand on behalf of New Zealand First to do this call on the Hon Shane Jones—beg your pardon beg your pardon! How did I get that mixed up? On the Hon James Shaw—Chlöe Swarbrick: Now vote for it!TANYA UNKOVICH: What was that?Chlöe Swarbrick: Vote for it!TANYA UNKOVICH: Yay!Hon Member: Brothers from another mother.TANYA UNKOVICH: Brother from another mother that's right. But look I firstly wanted to acknowledge you and your contributions and to wish you all of the best on behalf of our party for your future.Hon James Shaw: Kia ora.TANYA UNKOVICH: Thank you. So the New Zealand Bill of Rights (Right to Sustainable Environment) Amendment Bill—now this aims to introduce a new section section 18A into the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Now this section would ensure the right to a sustainable environment into law affirming that every individual has the right to live in a clean healthy and sustainable environment. Now New Zealand First recognises the importance of environmental stewardship and believes in achieving a balance between environmental protection and the responsible use of natural resources. The party advocates for evidence-based approaches to environmental issues and supports cooperation between Government and industry to achieve better environmental outcomes. New Zealand First also emphasises the importance of conservation productive policies and engagement with local communities to protect New Zealand and of course our unique ecosystem for our future generations. We have a fundamental principle and that is that all environmental policies are to be proactive with a view to creating employment and sustainable wealth whilst improving one of our few competitive advantages. So New Zealand First will not support this bill. Now while we acknowledge the importance of environmental sustainability the party is cautious about enshrining specific rights in legislation without considering the broader implications. New Zealand First believes that any right must be balanced with corresponding responsibilities and that the proposed amendment may not adequately address the complexities of environmental policy and decision making. Now another reason that we do not support this bill is because of its potential impact on economic development. We prioritise sound economic policy alongside environmental stewardship. The party is concerned that the inclusion of a right to a sustainable environment in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act may inadvertently restrict economic development—any opportunities—or even create a legal uncertainty that could deter investment and growth. Also New Zealand First is somewhat concerned with a lack of clarity on implementation and while the bill aims to recognise and protect the right to a sustainable environment New Zealand First seeks clarity on how this might be done and how it can be implemented in practice. The party is concerned about potential conflicts with existing legislation and the practical implications for policy development and the decision-making processes in the future.So in summary while New Zealand First shares the goal of environmental sustainability the party does believe that the New Zealand Bill of Rights (Right to Sustainable Environment) Amendment Bill may not be the most effective or appropriate way to achieve this objective. Hence as mentioned New Zealand First will not be supporting this bill any further.