Hon Dr Nick Smith
Minister for the Environment

3 March 2012
Media Release

Building a Bluegreen Future launched at Forum

National today launched Building a Bluegreen Future, an environment policy paper reporting on the progress of the National-led Government over the past three years and setting out the next steps to be taken in this term.

“This plan is about bringing together policies that support a strong growing economy with sound stewardship of our natural environment. It has been put together by National’s 18-strong Bluegreens Caucus and covers our work on climate change, energy, transport, biosecurity, freshwater, biodiversity, oceans, recycling, contaminated sites, air quality, and outdoor recreation,” Minister for the Environment Nick Smith said at the launch of the paper at the Bluegreens’ 13th Annual Forum at Lake Pupuke on the North Shore.

”We are proud of our record in Government. New Zealand is planting more trees, building more renewable power stations, insulating more houses, cleaning up more lakes and rivers, converting more homes to clean heating and recycling more waste.”

“We have an ambitious legislative plan for improving the environment: We will pass by 1 July 2012 new laws to protect New Zealand’s huge ocean area known as the Exclusive Economic Zone. We will be making improvements to the Emissions Trading Scheme by 1 January 2013 to ensure New Zealand continues to do its fair share on the global problem of climate change. We will also pass new laws on environmental reporting and marine reserves.”

“We also have an exciting programme of initiatives to advance this term covering the clean-up and better management of lakes and rivers, electrification of rail, extending incentives for electric cars, improving biosecurity and biodiversity, recycling TVs as part of the digital switchover, managing contaminated sites, and implementing tighter rules to improve air quality.”

“The policy paper updates a similar document A Bluegreen Vision for New Zealand produced by National in opposition in 2006, which formed the blueprint for our environment programme during our first term in Government.”

“These practical environment policies are right for the times. New Zealanders want balanced policies that will create jobs and improve living standards while ensuring we protect our clean green brand and great Kiwi lifestyle,” says Dr Smith.

National’s environmental policy paper, Building a Bluegreen Future, is available online here:
http://www.national.org.nz/bluegreens/Bluegreen_Future.pdf

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