2. METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) Link to this
to the Minister of Tourism
Does he stand by his statement in the House that “I certainly agree that part of New Zealand’s important brand is the ‘clean, green’ image”?
Hon JOHN KEYWhat advice has the Minister received as to whether the income from tourism will go up or down, as a result of mining in schedule 4 protected lands?
I have not received any specific advice but I can probably speak my own advice, which is that when New Zealand’s land mass is just under 27 million hectares, and maybe at the most 7,000 might be taken out of schedule 4, that is unlikely to turn back the Boeing 747s heading to New Zealand.
Is the Minister of Tourism telling this House and the New Zealand public that he has not bothered to seek any advice at all on the impact of mining in high-value conservation land on the tourism industry, which is worth more than $20 billion a year to this economy?
Yes; and the second point I would make is that if this would have such a disastrous impact on the tourism industry in New Zealand, then I ask someone to explain why we had a record number of tourists arriving last year when there were already 82 mines operating on the conservation estate.
Kelvin DavisIs the Minister aware that the proposed mine site on Great Barrier Island is adjacent to the airport, and that it will be the first impression that tourists to the island will get and the last impression they see as they leave; if so, how does he believe that that will add value to the tourism industry?
I am not precisely sure what speed a Boeing 747 goes over Great Barrier Island at, but tourists will have to have tremendous eyesight if they are going to see a mine that will be underground.
What position does he believe guided tours of mines in the conservation estate will take up in the Automobile Association’s list of 101 places in New Zealand to visit?
I am not sure, but I recently opened the visitors centre at the Waihī goldmine in the Coromandel. I was interested to note the large building that had been moved and officially opened by the then Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Helen Clark, who celebrated that particular site and the tourists it had brought to the Coromandel.
Hon David ParkerIs the Minister unaware that underground mining is already allowed in respect of schedule 4 lands, and therefore the removal of Great Barrier Island cannot be about underground mining?
Further to the Minister’s answer to my previous question, does he agree with Tim Cossar, chief executive of the Tourism Industry Association, that, taking a long-term view, it may be that tourism is a more valuable and sustainable industry to New Zealand’s economy than mining?
Yes, in this regard: tourists will come to New Zealand for ever; we can mine only a certain amount of minerals.
Would it not be better to act smarter and think ahead of Australia, rather than blindly chasing dirty, destructive economic ideas like mining our most treasured conservation places?
If it is all so bad, is the member proposing that we close the 82 mines currently on conservation land; is the member proposing that Labour got it wrong when it approved 74 mines; and is the member herself admitting that she got it wrong when she said “This case clearly shows that it is possible to balance the economic concerns of miners and the conservation concerns of protecting endangered species”? It was all a bit different when the member was arguing the case.