Foreword: Minister for the Environment

One of the Government’s priorities is to build a more competitive and productive economy. We are focused on opportunities to use New Zealand’s natural resources productively and responsibly, while maintaining standards that preserve and enhance the quality of our environment.

This requires a long-term and balanced approach. We are supporting that approach with an ambitious programme of reform that will see the most significant improvement in our environmental regulation framework since the introduction of the RMA in 1991. The Ministry for the Environment – working in partnership with other Natural Resources Sector agencies and local government – is playing a key role in delivering on that agenda.

Mandatory environmental reporting

It has been difficult to have an honest debate about the interactions between the environment and the economy because we have lacked reliable environmental data on a national level. That will change with the introduction of regular mandatory and independent environmental reporting.

New Zealanders will soon be better informed about the state of our environment and will have confidence and certainty about the scope, timing and quality of national environmental information. That means we can shift the debate from frustrating arguments about data quality to discussions on environmental issues and long-term trends, and the public will be in a better position to engage in and prioritise decisions on issues that affect the environment.

Improving environmental outcomes

The point of all this change is that the Government is committed to action, not just words, to improve environmental outcomes.

One example that demonstrates our balanced approach is around offshore oil and gas exploration. We support exploration but we have balanced that with higher environmental standards, lifting them to a level not seen here before. We will also give New Zealanders, for the first time, the chance to have their say on the environmental safeguards that are put in place around the development of any resources that are discovered.

Another area of change is improvement of the management, use and quality of our fresh water. Demand for access to clean water is growing from all sectors and there is increasing concern about water trends in some areas, yet we don’t have a minimum national standard to guide decision-making. That too is going to change.

Our National Policy Statement on Fresh Water already requires overall water quality be maintained or improved. The next development is a national objectives framework for water quality national ‘bottom lines’ to set a basic standard for water quality across the country.

But we also recognise that water is vital for productive farming, which is the source of our national wealth. So we are supporting water management schemes that encourage production but don’t compromise on water quality.

Hazardous substances help protect our environment from pests but they can significantly harm human health and the environment if poorly managed. The Ministry will continue to work alongside other key government departments to develop new workplace health and safety legislation to significantly decrease workplace harm due to hazardous substances. This includes supporting the Environmental Protection Authority to improve rules that ensure hazardous substances are correctly labelled and packaged.

There is also a need to manage the contamination resulting from unwise use and disposal of hazardous substances and other harmful waste. As a result I have agreed that, for the first time, the Waste Minimisation Fund should put a focus on projects dealing with waste streams that pose the greatest risk of harm. There are also environmental and economic opportunities from the reuse of waste if we get the incentives right. The Government is working closely with a range of industries on opportunities, as there is the potential to do more in this area.

Supporting Canterbury and Auckland

The Canterbury rebuild is a national priority. Uncertainty about how district and regional plans would address recovery issues has impaired recovery and the Ministry has worked with other agencies in Canterbury to change some of their processes to support the recovery.

The Ministry continues to provide technical support to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, and the affected local authorities on RMA-related matters, primarily resource consenting. This ensures the region’s planning processes are able to quickly progress essential new housing and infrastructure as the construction phase reaches the predicted rebuild peaks from late 2014.

The Government is also addressing planning issues to better tap the economic potential of Auckland. Previous improvements have streamlined and simplified the RMA. It had been estimated to take between six and 10 years for the first Auckland Unitary Plan to become operative under the old rules. That was too long – Auckland’s economy is too important to New Zealand. It is estimated that under the new process most, if not all, of the unitary plan provisions will be operative in three years. The result will still be rigorous with significant levels of community engagement in the design of the plan.

Along with our other proposed RMA changes, these reforms aim to create a system that’s more certain, less costly and enables growth, while protecting core environmental standards. One benefit for Auckland will be simpler consenting processes that will support the development of new housing areas, reducing pressure on house prices.

International action on climate change

Our environmental responsibilities go further than our borders. Dealing with global climate change is the greatest environmental issue of our age and New Zealand is doing its fair share, making an unconditional commitment to reduce greenhouse gases by 5 per cent by 2020. The next important milestone is a binding global agreement for reductions after 2020. The Ministry will be working with other government agencies to support the negotiations of an agreement that is ambitious, global in its scope, and flexible, catering for countries’ individual circumstances and allowing them to play to their strengths. The Emissions Trading Scheme will also be reviewed in 2015 to ensure it operates effectively in both the local and global drive for emissions reductions.

New Zealand has a rich endowment of natural resources that can provide the platform for continuing economic development. Those resources include clean air, clean water, unpolluted farmland, minerals and petroleum, combined with the creativity of our entrepreneurs. Good information, sound scientific analysis, and long-term thinking will allow us to carefully weigh up the environmental risks and opportunities in those resources so that today’s decisions not only support us achieving our immediate goals but don’t compromise the environmental and economic aspirations of future generations.

I am satisfied that the information on strategic intentions provided by my department in this Statement of Intent is consistent with the policies and performance expectations of the Government.

Hon Amy Adams
Minister for the Environment
Responsible Minister

12 May 2014