MIKE WARD to the Minister for the Environment:
Has she made any representation to the General Manager of the Parliamentary Service to implement the New Zealand waste strategy within Parliament; if so, what was the response?
Hon MARIAN HOBBS (Minister for the Environment): Yes, I wrote to the Parliamentary Service on 27 July inviting it to join the Ministry for the Environment Govt3 programme, which aims to help Government agencies improve the sustainability of their actions. Ministry officials are assisting parliamentary management with ideas to minimise the environmental impact of Parliament's operations.
Mike Ward: Does she believe that it is important for the Government, as the most visible face of central government, to lead by example in terms of its resource use and waste production?
Hon MARIAN HOBBS: I would not want to focus on just one Government agency, because I believe that a school, for example, is the most evident Government agency as regards our students. But I am looking forward to the Parliamentary Service joining the Govt3 agency.
Dave Hereora: What practical steps is the Government taking to reduce waste?
Hon MARIAN HOBBS: I can give two examples. On Tuesday I will sign a new packaging accord with industry, recyclers, and central and local government to reduce the amount of packaging that gets dumped, and the following week I will be highlighting activities of Government agencies that have signed up to the Govt3 programme to improve environmental sustainability.
Mike Ward: Does she believe that Parliament is acting in accordance with the intention of the New Zealand waste strategy, and is it leading by example when it refuses to purchase recycled paper for use in its printers and photocopiers?
Hon MARIAN HOBBS: Under the Govt3 programme special topic groups have been set up. They cover such topics as office waste and office paper.
Mike Ward: Does the Minister believe that Parliament is acting in accordance with the intention of the New Zealand waste strategy, and is it leading by example when it replaces glasses in select committee rooms with plastic cups, and when plastic containers in food outlets replace paper bags?
Hon MARIAN HOBBS: The Minister is encouraging the Parliamentary Service to work closely in the Govt3 programme with the Ministry for the Environment.
Mike Ward: What advice will the Minister provide on ongoing employer education and encouragement programmes to decrease resource use and waste production, and what will the Minister do now to see that the performance of Parliament in respect of resource use and waste generation is improved?
Hon MARIAN HOBBS: As I have said, I am very interested in the Parliamentary Service joining with the Govt3 programme, in which Government departments work through a number of issues to do with the management of waste.
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