8. CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National—West Coast - Tasman) Link to this
to the Minister for the Environment
What progress is the Government making in improving New Zealand’s freshwater management?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment) Link to this
Yesterday at a function in Golden Bay I announced a doubling in the funding for the New Zealand Landcare Trust so as to support further community initiatives to improve water quality. The Landcare Trust—a partnership between Federated Farmers, Fish and Game New Zealand, and the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society—was founded in 1996. The then National Government provided baseline funding of $400,000 per year but it has not been touched since. The strength of the Landcare Trust approach is empowering communities to take ownership of their local water quality problems. The success in Golden Bay, I note in answer to the member’s question, is that whereas 5 years ago 70 percent of the time people could not harvest shellfish in Golden Bay because of water pollution problems, that figure has been reduced to just 20 percent.
What other commitments has the Government made, in addition to doubling the funding for the Landcare Trust, that reinforce the importance of New Zealand doing better in managing water quality?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
This Government has also hugely ramped up expenditure on water-quality initiatives in areas like Lake Taupō, the Rotorua lakes, and the Waikato River, with the investment over the years from 2009 to 2014 of $94 million. This is five times the amount of money spent over the previous 5 years, and it indicates the level of commitment this Government has to improving water-quality management in New Zealand.
Brendon BurnsGiven that safe drinking-water is the most important use of fresh water, will the Minister now ask his bench mate to stop blaming the Christchurch earthquake and end the 14-month freeze on the $80 million of Government funding provided by Labour to help those one in five New Zealanders who still do not have water they can know to be safe?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
The problem for my colleague the Minister of Health, like so many of my colleagues, is that the previous Government promised all sorts of millions of dollars to all sorts of people in its last year or two in Government when the money did not exist. One of the realities that this Government has had to deal with in a very tight fiscal environment is that it has been able to significantly increase the funding for improving freshwater quality.
What feedback has the Government had to the collaborative governance approach taken to freshwater management with the Land and Water Forum since it was raised last month?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
I have been hugely encouraged by the public response to the report from the Land and Water Forum that shows that New Zealanders do want to see a fresh way forward on managing fresh water. The first public forum on the report was held last Wednesday at the top of the South Island. It was attended by over 120 stakeholders, and there was very strong support for the 50-plus recommendations. I encourage as many New Zealanders as possible to engage with the Land and Water Forum in its 17 workshops around New Zealand over the next 3 months so that we can find a constructive way forward in which we can better manage those challenging freshwater issues.