Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Commissioner releases mixed report card on environment

Commissioner releases mixed report card on environment

29 June 2016

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has released a mixed report card in her assessment of the state of New Zealand’s environment.

“We are lucky to live in an exceptionally beautiful country, but we have some big issues to face up to” said Dr Jan Wright.

In her official commentary on the state of New Zealand’s environment, released today, the Commissioner found that climate change is by far the most serious environmental issue.
“Already temperatures are increasing, the ocean is acidifying, and the sea is rising.” said Dr Wright.

The Commissioner has also found that water quality, pests, and erosion are high priorities for action.

“While water quality is good in forested areas, it is poor in many lowland places. Our native plants and animals are losing the war against pests. And we still have huge areas of eroding hill country.”

On the back of her findings, the Commissioner has recommended a formal response from the Secretary for the Environment, detailing how the Ministry will deal with the issues raised in her commentary.

“While the Government has made efforts to tackle some of these challenging issues, there is still much more we need to do,” said Dr Wright, “For example, reforesting our eroding hills will keep soil on the land and out of rivers, and help fight climate change.”

Under the Environmental Reporting Act, the Commissioner provides commentary on reports prepared by the Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand. Dr Wright commended the Ministry and Statistics New Zealand on what they have achieved in a limited amount of time, but identified eight areas for improvement.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“There will never be a perfect state of the environment report – the challenge is one of incremental improvement.”

The Commissioner also found that our oceans are under pressure from run-off and fishing, although the greatest pressure in the long-term is the acidification and warming from climate change. In contrast, the outlook for air quality is good – it looks set to continue improving.

The report can be found here

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.