Browning Steffan: Crown Pastoral Land (Rent for Pastoral Leases) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Browning Steffan: Crown Pastoral Land (Rent for Pastoral Leases) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 02 May 2012. Volume:679;Page:1911. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
STEFFAN BROWNING (Green) 
: 
 I heard from the Government side a concern that the Greens might have been overstating the need for ecological assessments and a suggestion that all farmers are probably doing an ecological assessment each day. That level of ecological assessment unfortunately is too often too shallow.  
I think there is some fantastic stuff that has happened in the high country in terms of high country farmers—family farmers—but there is a need to ensure that the best practices happen or that biodiversity protection is happening all the time. That 2 percent of unimproved land value for something like 50 years—decades—was super cheap cheap cheap and there is no real justification for that. There is no justification for keeping it unreasonably low. However we believe that these farms should be kept for New Zealand farming families or for biodiversity and environmental protection.  
Income-related rents have merit when strong environmental protections are assured and biodiversity gains are measurable when stocking and pest intensity does not degrade further than natural erosion that has been exacerbated by early clearance and overgrazing. There were some shocking practices in the high country in years gone by. Income-related rentals can be appropriate if they are not turned into cheapo privatisation that later becomes a goldmine for property developers—a windfall not protection nor production by the family farmers we want to respect. Protection for biodiversity ecological features landscape and family farming can be achieved by this bill but there are weaknesses that should have been amended. My regular experiences in the Marlborough high country reinforced my desire that the high country is given more respect than this bill may allow in the hands of the National Government.  
I recall another pleasant experience in the high country near where I was born in Central Otago—Jacqui Dean is not the only one who has roots or a connection down there. It was when Prince Charles visited New Zealand last. I met him at the luncheon provided near Alexandra where he was touring over a property to see sustainability improvements. I was a little ashamed of what he was being shown at the time to be honest but that is what he was being shown and toured over. I believe that property had a way to go. I was there privileged in my previous role with the Soil and Health Association to gift to Prince Charles an organic Bio-Gro certified merino shawl directly ahead of his forthcoming nuptials with Camilla Parker Bowles.  
Certified organic production is one way to ensure a higher level of environmental stewardship than sometimes occurs with less progressive operators. This Government has dropped the ball on organics in New Zealand treating it like some sector that has no real vision about genuine sustainability in the sectors that do not have that vision genuinely. National expects that organics which is contributing plenty through good practice in most cases should also fund the next tranche of conversions to sustainable development. National does not actually understand that the pioneers in organics are the ones who have done a whole lot of work and should have no real personal reason why they should be funding the next tranche.  
 One thing that Prince Charles also said to me at that luncheon was that New Zealand would be absolutely nuts to be going down the genetic engineering path. Yet National again is going down that path and putting money into pasture grass that is genetically engineered and may end up in the high country. That must stop and as we say with this bill there is some real possibility that if the science behind the ecological assessment is valid the bill may go some way to ensuring the high country has a good future. Thank you.