2. CHARLES CHAUVEL (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises
Has he received any reports on the protection of Crown-owned land?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Leader of the House) Link to this
Yes. The Labour-led Government recently announced a new process for the sale of all Crown-owned land to ensure national interests such as heritage, cultural, local, and recreational values are protected. The Minister for State Owned Enterprises also announced that the State-owned Landcorp will be retaining ownership of nine properties, including Whenuakite Station and Rangiputa Station, that Landcorp had been planning to sell.
Has the Minister seen any reports on alternative approaches to managing Crown-owned land, such as that owned by Landcorp?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
Yes, I have seen a very confused policy announcement, stating that New Zealanders should be asked to buy shares in assets they already own—specifically mentioning Landcorp. I have also seen a report stating that this is essentially a restatement of policy we have had for some time, so there is nothing new. Both of those reports came from Bill English.
Hone HarawiraTēnā koe, Madam Speaker. Kia ora tātou i te Whare. Does the Minister agree with the views reported by the Northern Advocate in which the chief Ngāti Kahu Treaty claims negotiator, Professor Margaret Mutu, states that the Crown had no other choice other than to protect Rangiputa Station, because “It would have caused huge political embarrassment if they had tried to sell it. I think they had the elections next year in mind.”; if not, why not?
Has the Minister seen any reports highlighting problems with the sell-off of Landcorp and other landowning State-owned enterprises?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
Yes, I have seen a report essentially saying that the biggest problem is the opinion of the great majority of New Zealanders. As Mr Key said, “Now, we’re listening to the public … we know they don’t want to … sell assets and we understand that” . At the same time, of course, he described a policy to sell down part of Landcorp and Solid Energy as “very timid”. It appears that the war in the National Party is not over.
Hon Bill EnglishIf the Government is not selling any land assets, why does it need a process to protect the sale of sensitive land assets?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
It may come as a shock to the member to know that the Crown has been selling and buying land since approximately 1840. In order to do that, which, of course, includes surplus education land, land that is put into development for housing, and so on—
Madam SPEAKERPlease be seated. We will hear the answer in silence. I cannot hear a word. I assume the question was asked because an answer was required.
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I think that is an unwise assumption on your part, Madam Speaker, if I may say so. Land has often been sold, for example, for development for housing—surplus education land, for example. That is quite different from flogging off the family silver of Landcorp and the State-owned enterprises, which is what that member clearly wants to do, and his colleague is clearly too timid to do. The war in the National Party is not over.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Tēnā koe, Madam Speaker. Kia ora tātou. Does the Minister agree with Dr Rāwiri Taonui, who suggests that the real reason New Zealand did not sign up to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is that in relation to the restoration of Māori land: “The real issue is that New Zealand has forced Maori to accept very much less, usually one to two percent of losses. The Crown does not want to admit that New Zealand’s restitutive processes and standards are sometimes lacking.”; if not, why not?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I think the votes on that issue in the UN largely came down to three categories: those countries that did not have what we might call indigenous people—that is, people separate from the main population—and that did not care; those countries that did but said they would not enforce the declaration even though they voted for it; and those countries that thought if they voted for it they would be bound to enforce it, so voted against it.
Nandor TanczosWhy does Landcorp, which is New Zealand’s largest farmer, running nearly a million animals on 370,000 hectares, not have any farms using organic production methods nor have any intention to do so; and what is the Government doing to ensure that State-owned enterprises share its commitment to sustainability—or is that an operational matter?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
There is a difference between sustainability and organic farming. Organic farming uses a range of unnatural inputs that happen to be 19th century in their technology and that are not necessarily sustainable.
How much greenhouse gas has been emitted in the last 5 years due to Landcorp’s conversion of forest to dairying, which is a climate change double whammy due to the loss of carbon stored in the trees, followed by an increase in methane emissions from cows; and what is the Government doing to ensure that State-owned enterprises share the Government’s commitment to carbon neutrality—or is that an operational matter?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
No. I cannot give the numbers on the first item. Much of that has occurred, of course, under management contracts by Landcorp for other landowners. But the emissions trading system, and the introduction of agriculture into that system, will cover Landcorp as well as any other landowner in the country. We would expect, as a matter of course, that Landcorp as a State-owned enterprise would pay particular regard to sustainability issues in the longer term.