Chris Mole, Associate Editor

• New Environmental Protection Agency.
• Reform Environment Ministry.
• No baseline budget increase.

The National Party intends to create a new Environmental Protection Agency by expanding the powers of the existing Environmental Risk Management Authority and drawing in staff from a “bloated” Environment Ministry. This is one of the cornerstones of its Environment Policy released at the weekend. National’s Environment Spokesman Nick Smith says the aim is to rectify a “lack of national direction” around environment policy under the current Govt. The EPA’s new responsibilities will include the national regulatory functions of the Resource Management Act, including development of National Policy Statements and National Environmental Standards. The EPA will also have responsibility for fast-tracking major projects under National’s proposed “priority consenting” regime.

National says it will expand Erma into an EPA by “reprioritising some of the resource currently allocated to the Ministry for the Environment.” Smith believes the Environment Ministry has become “bloated” under Labour, with its staff numbers increasing from 100 to 300, and its cost to taxpayers increasing from $100m to $300m a year. National will refocus the Ministry into a smaller, politically neutral and highly-skilled policy adviser. The overall size of the three current environment agencies - the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, the Ministry for the Environment and Erma - will not increase. Releasing the policy at the weekend, National Leader John Key promised “a new approach” to environmental governance, aimed at reducing disputes, complex processes and long delays. Key believes environmental management has been compromised by the “poor performance” of the Environment Ministry and a lack of independent monitoring of NZ’s progress towards environmental goals.

So, National will invite stakeholders to work with the Govt on up to 20 national environment goals to be achieved by specific dates, at the latest by 2030. To reinforce these goals, it will introduce a new Environmental Reporting Act. This will require the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment to conduct independent five-yearly State of the Environment Reports. Key says National supports the Department of Conservation as the lead agency for conserving native plants and animals. But it will encourage DoC to take a “more constructive role” when dealing with rural communities over conservation on private land. Key says too often, DoC reverts to regulation when it could achieve more through consultation and engagement.

National will also advance two new National Parks, in Northland’s Waipoua and surrounding Kauri forests and the Waitakere Ranges. Key says if National leads the next Govt “we won’t always please every environmental group all the time.” This is because National will seek to balance environmental goals with its other goals of increasing NZ’s economic prosperity. The policy also reiterates National’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 50% of 1990 levels by 2050, but it is light on details.

 Copyright © Media Information Ltd
NZ Energy & Environment Business Week