Labour tries to hide critical environment report

Hon Nick Smith MP
National Party Environment Spokesman

5 April 2007

Labour tries to hide critical environment report

The Easter release of a critical report into the Government's environmental track record shows Labour is more interested in protecting itself than the environment, says National Party Environment spokesman Dr Nick Smith.

The OECD Environmental Performance Review for New Zealand was released today.

"This report is loaded with criticism of this Government's poor performance on environment issues," says Dr Smith.

"It highlights the policy mess over climate change, the notable decline of water quality in our lakes and rivers , the perverse incentives over forestry, the broken promises over biodiversity, the sluggish progress on oceans policy, and the failure to provide clear measures on environmental performance on key issues like water and waste.

"Dumping this report on the eve of Easter and a three-week parliamentary recess is deliberately designed to minimise the report's coverage and scrutiny.

"This report is a torpedo into Labour's and Helen Clark's grandiose claims around sustainability and carbon neutrality.

"It shows huge failings in Government policy in all the major environmental areas of water, oceans, climate change, and biodiversity.

"National welcomes this report as an endorsement of its Bluegreen Vision for New Zealand.

"The strong parallel between the OECD's recommendations and National's proposals shows a growing consensus around the sort of policies New Zealand needs to pursue to lift its environmental performance."

ENDS