12. Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Conservation
Does she stand by her recommendation in her Cabinet paper of 10 February 2010 that 467,517 hectares of national park land and protected conservation land be considered for opening up to exploration and mining?
Hon KATE WILKINSON (Minister of Conservation) Link to this
No. I stand by the subsequent Cabinet decision of 22 March 2010 that proposes to add 5,000 net hectares of land to schedule 4.
Does the Minister of Conservation accept that it is her role in Cabinet to advocate for the conservation of public conservation lands? Is it not that her failure to properly do her job is the reason why the Government’s handling of this issue has been panned by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
It is absolutely my job to advocate for conservation of behalf of all New Zealanders. I am quite prepared to allow the public to have their say on what activities can take place on that land.
Does the Minister understand that of the 2 million hectares of land in national parks in the North and South Islands, zero hectares are in Northland, zero hectares are in the Auckland region, and zero hectares are in the Waikato, and that is why it is all the more important to protect the schedule 4 areas in the Coromandel?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
I understand that the Broken Hills mine, which actually was approved under a Labour Government, is on schedule 4 land.
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
It is. The Pike River coalfield, which was approved by Labour, is on schedule 4 land—
Mr SPEAKERI listened to the Hon David Parker’s question, and he asked whether the Minister understood that there were zero—I recollect—hectares of conservation land in Northland, zero hectares in the Auckland region, and zero hectares in the Waikato region, from memory. In answer to that, the Minister is going on to talk about decisions of the previous Government to approve mining on schedule 4 land, which is not what the member asked about.
Hon Gerry BrownleeI see some members are disputing what I heard. To clarify the matter, I invite the Hon David Parker to repeat his question.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I apologise, but the point I would like to make to you—and I think you acknowledged it in your ruling; your ruling might have even changed part-way through, as a result—is about an interjection from the Leader of the House while you were making your ruling. I reflect on what happened to one or two members on this side of the House when they did a similar thing; you treated them a bit more roughly than you treated Mr Brownlee then.
I note the member’s point. I certainly have not ruled in any way against the Opposition. I have invited the Hon David Parker to repeat his question, without penalty.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The other point to be made is, of course, it would have been illegal for any Government to authorise—
Now the member is litigating issues by way of point of order. That is not acceptable. I have allowed him to repeat his question; he should not abuse that privilege.
Does the Minister understand that of the 2 million hectares of land in national parks in the North and South Islands, there are zero hectares in the Northland region, zero hectares in the Auckland region, and zero hectares in the Waikato region, making the protection of the Coromandel schedule 4 lands all the more important?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
I am very aware of the importance of protecting our conservation land, whether it is in the North Island, in the South Island, or on Stewart Island.
Will the Minister accept the advice of the 40,000 protesters in Auckland, the thousands of submitters, and the tourism industry and head off her Government’s ridiculous plans to mine in national parks and other schedule 4 areas?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
Well, I say to that member, and I thought he was an intelligent member, that—
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
—this is a discussion document, not a decision document. The land is public land, and the public have a right to say what activities can take place on it, which is the whole point of having a discussion document.