Conservation

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Not set out on their website.

• Introduce the Wildelife (Threatened Species Protection) Amendment Bill to give greater power to the Minister for Conservation and to DOC to restore our threatened species along with stiffer penalties for those caught killing native species.
• One percent of the Government's budget will be allocated to DOC to protect our native species and ecosystems. An increase in funding, after years of cuts and chronic underfunding, is necessary so that DOC can meet its obligations under the new legislation and prevent further extinctions. This means an extra $429.5 million in new money.
• Expand the pest control programme. In 2010, the Greens launched a $4 million trial of self-resetting possum traps. Investing in the future of pest control will help give our native speicies a chance in the wild. (more here)

• Labour will review the success or otherwise of the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy in its first ten years and action the results of the review.
• Labour will change the name of the NZBS to the New Zealand Nature Protection Strategy so that its purpose is more immediately clear.
• Labour will begin a systematic classification of stewardship land, or its removal from DOC administration where appropriate.
• Labour will continue to upgrade the outdoors infrastructure of huts, tracks and other visitor facilities, including those in the back country.
• Labour will promote the development of new outdoor recreational opportunities, for example, walking and cycling trails on former railways land.
• Labour will implement a phase-out of destructive and unsustainable fishing methods (such as bottom trawling, dredging and set netting).
• Labour will make automatic the closure of areas coming within the generic protected categories listed in Schedule 4 (e.g. national parks and marine reserves).
• Labour will not amend the CMA to provide for joint Ministerial approval (rather than only the Minister of Conservation, or other land-holding Minister) for mining access to Crown land. (more here)

• Ban the use of 1080 poison and invest in alternative methods (and employment opportunities) to control the spread of tuberculosis by pests and rodents.
• Amend the Crown Minerals Act and all environmental policy statements, such as those relating to biodiversity, bioprospecting, and coastal areas, to ensure iwi are decision-makers alongside local authorities and government.
• Ban fracking.
• Ban deep sea oil exploration and drilling.
• Encourage and fund the regeneration of native forests.
• There are many opportunities for job creation within the area of nurturing and restoring our physical environment and beginning to transition to a world where climate change and resource depletion will have an ever increasing impact on our people and on our physical environment. (more here)

Not set out on their website.

• Create a Biodiversity Forum to work towards the aspirational goal of a pest-free New Zealand.
• Complete testing for self-resetting traps and fund research for 1080 alternatives, using the latest technology to protect native species.
• Progress the creation of a new Kauri National Park in the Waipoua Forest.
• Provide up to 200 places for 10-14 year olds to attend ‘conservation camp’.
• Support DOC’s new business unit to establish more public-private business conservation partnerships. (more here)

• Seek greater use of multi-stakeholder decision-making processes and voluntary agreements over all aspects of environmental management (including on the Conservation estate).
• Support the ‘Friends of the Court’ system for Environment Court hearings. A ‘friend of the court’ provides independent and objective advice to assist the court in making a decision. This makes it easier for community groups and NGOs, relieving them of the cost of court proceedings and having to employ expert consultants.
• Continue to push for the establishment of National Environmental Standards on key environmental factors such as water quality that will protect the environment as well as giving local councils, businesses and individuals certainty as to what is required on a consistent nationwide basis. (more here)