The result of one of the most complex island mouse eradication projects ever undertaken will be known in a few short weeks. Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage is accompanying a Department of Conservation-led Million Dollar Mouse monitoring team heading to Antipodes Island group in the New Zealand subantarctic. The monitoring team will begin the month-long assessment to determine whether the project was a success. Ms Sage said it was an exciting, albeit nerve-wrecking time, for everyone involved. “The Million Dollar Mouse...

Department of Conservation staff will be able to issue infringement notices and reduce the number of costly prosecutions under a bill that passed its first reading last night. “The Conservation (Infringement System) Amendment Bill updates eight separate Acts to allow the Department of Conservation to issue infringement notices instead of prosecuting for minor offences.” Ms Sage says. The bill was introduced under the previous Government. Currently all conservation offences under the Acts and regulations have to be dealt with either...

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are vital to protect important habitats and feeding areas for marine mammals, birds, fish and invertebrates and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage wants to see more developed. Ms Sage has just returned from Antarctica where she was able to visit the Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area which came into effect on 1 December 2017. “The huge area protects a complex ecosystem with iconic species such as killer whales, Weddell seals, Emperor penguins, and krill which sustains...

New Zealand’s major surf breaks and the impacts of vehicles on beaches are receiving more attention from local authorities because of the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010 (NZCPS), new analysis released by Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage today shows. “Surfers can be grateful that protecting surf breaks is now something that councils consider in preparing plans and when resource consents are sought for development work such as dredging,” Ms Sage said. Under the Resource Management Act, the NZCPS guides local...

A new report shows New Zealand is continuing to lose its precious wetlands and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage says it will take years to turn the trend around. The Minister released the eighth national report under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance to mark World Wetlands Day today. “It will take a concerted and serious effort and years to change this trend. Our wetlands are the land’s kidneys capturing sediments and nutrients and slowly releasing water in drought...

New Zealand’s position as 10th worst nation for creating urban waste per capita is shameful, says Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage, who will review how the Waste Minimisation Act is being implemented. Recent news reports have highlighted World Bank data which puts New Zealand at number 10 on a list of countries creating the most urban waste. “Significantly reducing waste going to landfill by 2020 is a key goal of the Green Party’s confidence and supply agreement with Labour and...

New research showing that three quarters of fresh water pollution is coming from streams exempt from fencing requirements means that new measures are needed to stop the pollution of our waterways, the Green Party said today. A new study, led by the principal scientist for Ag Research Invermay’s Environment Group, shows that streams currently exempt from fencing regulations contribute 73 percent of total nitrogen and 84 percent of dissolved reactive phosphorus into waterways. “Requiring farmers to fence off larger rivers...

Northland Regional Council and Refining NZ need to release scientific evidence to support claims there has been no environmental damage from the rupture of the pipeline taking aviation fuel to Auckland airport, the Green Party said today The Regional Council and the company need to be open with the public about how and why the rupture occurred, and the damage the fuel spill has done to the peat wetland, wildlife habitat and water quality at Ruakaka and beyond the site....

Using water for commercial gain is a privilege that should be paid for, the Green Party said today. “We recognise that the issue of charging for water is complex and that everyone needs to be heard on the issue,” said Green Party water and primary industries spokesperson Eugenie Sage. “Our policy is to put an interim charge of 10c per litre on all water for bottling and export, and to consult with New Zealanders on how other commercial uses are...

Selling off Landcorp farms is a backward step for New Zealand farming that risks our land falling into overseas ownership, and worsening water quality, the Green Party said today. The comments come on the back of National’s announcement it will sell Landcorp farms. “As a state-owned enterprise Landcorp is accountable to all New Zealanders, and their farms should stay in the public’s hands” said Green Party environment and primary industries spokesperson Eugenie Sage. “Selling Landcorp farms risks undoing the good...