7. AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn) Link to this
to the Minister for the Environment
What steps has the Government taken to facilitate resource consents for work required at the Lyttelton Port to ensure it is able to recover quickly from earthquake damage?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment) Link to this
Recovery of the port is critical to the economies of Lyttelton, Christchurch, and Canterbury, so the Government has streamlined the process for 10 resource consents, to enable rubble to be used for a new, 10-hectare reclamation—enabling some of the 8 million tonnes of earthquake waste to be put to good use. This decision was influenced by the advice I received last month in Kobe, Japan, on their recovery efforts after the 1995 quake. They noted that the Kobe port had been the eighth-busiest port in Japan prior to their quake, then dropped to 30th, and has not recovered since. Their strong advice for us in terms of our Christchurch recovery effort was to make a priority of economic infrastructure.
What consultation was there on the consents, what conditions are there to ensure that the reclamation does not cause environmental problems for the country, and what reaction has there been to the consents?
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. We are allowed two but not three legs.
Mr SPEAKERA number of supplementary questions have a number of parts to them, and I have never ruled them out in the past. The Minister is required to answer only one of those parts of the question.
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
The decision required specific consultation with key affected parties. Specific conditions on the consents from Environment Canterbury and the Christchurch City Council cover issues of dust, vehicle movements, noise, and stormwater management, and ensure that only clean rubble is used. The decision has been broadly welcomed, although I was disappointed that Opposition parties wanted the consent to go through—