Doocey Matt: Environmental Protection Authority (Protection of Environment) Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDoocey Matt: Environmental Protection Authority (Protection of Environment) Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 22 July 2015. Volume:707;Page:5218. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri): I am rising to speak to the Environmental Protection Authority (Protection of Environment) Amendment Bill in its first reading. I will not be supporting this bill but I would like to acknowledge Meka Whaitiri for her member’s bill being selected from the ballot. I know that for myself having had a bill selected recently it is a great excitement and you look forward to it going through the legislative process. I must say how unlike New Zealand First I just discuss my member’s bill in my caucus. I do not need to raise it as a question in question time.The purpose of this bill is to amend the Environmental Protection Authority Act 2011 to add an additional objective around protecting maintaining and enhancing New Zealand’s environment. So as I have said I am not supporting this bill but I must say in support of protecting maintaining and enhancing New Zealand’s environment that I think that objective is intrinsic to being a New Zealander and it is intrinsic to being a Kiwi. We must through legislation policy and just how we work on the ground always look to protect our environment. Some in the Green Party will say it is only they who protect the environment but in fact it is intrinsic to every New Zealander. Looking to protect our environment is part of being a New Zealander. At the end of the day our environment is something that is very valuable to us.There are two reasons for that and they are especially very relevant to my electorate in Waimakariri. So it was disappointing when I read in this bill about protecting maintaining and enhancing New Zealand’s environment. I wanted to support it but when I looked at the actual bill and at inserting those three words into the purpose of the Environmental Protection Authority Act I did not believe that that would actually achieve the outcome. It is important because in my electorate if I use that as an example the environment is important for tourism. We have great ecotourism and adventure-based tourism based on the mighty “Waimak” river where many tourists come out from the cruise ships in Lyttelton and get taken through some breathtaking wilderness as they fly down the “Waimak” river on the Waimak Alpine Jet. We also use the environment for tourism on the “Waimak” for the great Waipara region of fantastic North Canterbury wines.Also there is a very big industry on the “Waimak” around primary industries and farming and you will not find a person who knows that tension of protecting the environment and promoting the economy and productivity of their land better than a farmer. That is something that we struggle with on a daily weekly and yearly basis on the “Waimak” around issues such as water management and nitrate leaching but I must say that where that work gets done is on the ground between the stakeholders involved such as in the zone committees that feed into Environment Canterbury. It is not in the legislation such as this. So I do not believe that by adding the words “protects maintains and enhances New Zealand’s environment.” the bill will do the job it says it does. It is in legislation like the Environmental Reporting Bill which this Government recently discussed and passed in legislation ensuring that we meet OECD standards around reporting about our environment and that includes a range of domains. One domain I am specifically interested in as an asthmatic is around the domain of air. We must ensure that we have clean air and work through for clean energy to support clean air and reduce the asthma rates in New Zealand which are very high.In summing up I would like to congratulate Meka Whaitiri on her bill. I believe in the aspiration of protecting maintaining and enhancing New Zealand’s environment but I do not believe that this bill in its current form will do what it is expected to do so I do not support this bill. Thank you.