Smith Nick: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSmith Nick: General Debate[Sitting date: 21 October 2015. Volume:709;Page:7419. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment): A fortnight ago in New York the Prime Minister announced the establishment by this country of a new sanctuary in the Kermadec Islands that is the size of France which was welcomed from London to New York from one end of New Zealand to the other and illustrates the commitment that this Government has to a balanced programme of not just ensuring that the New Zealand economy grows and creates jobs but that we are also responsible custodians of the environment.Today we released Environment Aotearoa 2015. This is the very first independent comprehensive report on the state of the New Zealand environment made possible through the passing by this Government of the Environmental Reporting Act. In response to Mr Hague’s question I note that next month we will be introducing a bill to the House that will see 500000 homes in New Zealand retrofitted with insulation during the term of this Government. Let me give you the comparison—15000 homes insulated under the 9 years of the last Government; 500000 homes insulated under this Government. And the member on the Opposition benches has got the gall to refer to 500000 as somehow being token!But it goes far further than that. Look at the programme of work that my colleague Maggie Barry is pursuing through the Budget with the saving of the kiwis and reversing their decline; the programme that she has initiated around the war on the weeds things like wilding pines that are dramatically changing—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am not certain whether you heard that phrase but my colleagues believe they did hear it and we think it is unparliamentary in the extreme and that the Minister should not be allowed to proceed on that basis.Mr SPEAKER: I never heard any comment that I would consider unparliamentary in the extreme. If I missed something I am sorry.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Well do you want me to elaborate?Mr SPEAKER: Well I think I—Rt Hon Winston Peters: He asked whether somebody had the “so and so”. Frankly that is not acceptable.Mr SPEAKER: No I do not think that is what was stated at all. Would the Hon Nick Smith continue.Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Is it a fresh point of order? If it is not we will be moving on but if it is a fresh point of order I am happy to hear it.Ron Mark: It is a fresh point of order. Not too long ago one of my colleagues got only two words out and he used the word “crap” in a question. He got sat down—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will leave the Chamber.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Later this year my colleague Simon Bridges—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I apologise. I am just waiting for this member to leave the Chamber.Ron Markwithdrew from the Chamber.Hon Dr NICK SMITH: My colleague Simon Bridges the Minister of Transport will later this year be announcing initiatives by this Government in respect of electric cars. We could talk about the initiative of the Prime Minister in the national network of cycleways and the new urban cycleways that are now part of that programme. There is the fivefold increase that this Government is committed to in terms of cleaning up New Zealand’s lakes and waterways with initiatives all over the country. My point is that this Government has a very practical and substantive programme around the blue-green issues that we campaigned on. The reason that we maintained the confidence of New Zealanders is that we say what we mean and we do what we say.I particularly want to highlight Environment Aotearoa 2015 which was published today. Most New Zealanders would see it as an anomaly that New Zealand a country that depends so much on its natural resources for its wealth-creating industries is the only OECD country not to have produced reports like the one we published today. It is part of our Government’s programme of strengthening the institutions and the systems around the New Zealand environment.We are proud of our record. We created the Environmental Protection Authority and its role in making sure that we manage that environment wisely. We are proud that we passed the legislation that enables that huge area of exclusive economic zone to be properly managed and again I emphasise the progress that we have made with marine protected areas last year in gazetting a record 10 new marine reserves in areas like the Subantarctic Islands the five new marine reserves on the West Coast new marine reserves at Akaroa and at Kaikōura as well as of course that massive reserve in the Kermadec Islands which I mentioned in my opening. To give you some idea of scale it is 35 times larger than all of the 44 marine reserves that have ever been created by this Parliament and this Government. It is a global commitment to improved management of our oceans. This is a blue-green Government—a Government that is able to marry together good economic management with responsible management of the environment and that is one of the reasons why this John Key Government continues to retain the confidence of New Zealanders.