26 September 2016 Environment Minister Nick Smith deserves a frosty reception when he chairs a major environment meeting of OECD countries, just days after the Government opened up half-a-million square kilometres of ocean to oil and gas exploration, the Green Party said today. Nick Smith heads to Paris today for the OECD Environment Ministerial meeting, where countries will share expertise and outline the steps they’re taking to curb greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the environment. “You can't open up half-a-million...

The Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy must step up and investigate failures in his ministry and fisheries management, which are allowing widespread fish dumping to threaten the sustainability of fish stocks, the Green Party said today. The comments come on the back of an email from a senior Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) official saying that if the current law was enforced, half of all inshore fishers would go out of business. This means that not only is fish...

The Green Party is calling on the Government to back a motion at the World Conservation Congress to preserve 30 percent of oceans as marine reserves. Prime Minister, John Key has said it was “very unlikely” that New Zealand would support a motion to make 30 percent of national waters Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by 2030. Member states are voting on the motion at the World Conservation Congress being held in Hawaii this week. "By not supporting this motion, John...

The National Government's proposed changes to the law governing seabed mining could make it easier for Trans-Tasman Resources to carry out destructive seabed mining off the South Taranaki coast, the Green Party said today. Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) has re-applied to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to mine the seabed off the South Taranaki coast for iron ore, despite its previous application being declined by the EPA. “The Government's Resource Legislation Amendment Bill, currently before Parliament, will allow the Minister, rather...

The Government must do a better job of creating a National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity than it did with its National Policy Statement (NPS) on Freshwater, the Green Party said today. The Minister for the Environment Nick Smith this afternoon announced that the Government is establishing a stakeholder group to design a National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity. “The Government must do a better job on this NPS than it has on the freshwater version, which allows rivers to...

The Green Party congratulates Landcorp for making the responsible and environmentally sound decision to stop using palm kernel extract (PKE) on its farms.

Endangered native sea lions will continue to be killed in commercial fishing nets unless the Government takes stronger action than is proposed in a flimsy Threat Management Plan, the Green Party said today. Submissions close today on the proposed Threat Management Plan for the New Zealand sea lion/rāpoka. The plan suggests several streams of new research, but doesn’t make changes to fishing rules to reduce sea lions being caught and drowning in fishing nets. “We don’t allow hunters to accidently...

The Green Party is calling for stricter controls on the fishing industry after it was revealed thousands of seabirds, hundreds of fur seals, and dozens of dolphins were killed by trawl nets in just one year. A new report has just been released that analyses data from fisheries observers to identify levels of bycatch. In 2013-14, an estimated 81 dolphins were killed in the jack mackerel trawl fishery and an estimated 2,277 seabirds, including threatened species such as Salvin’s mollyhawk and...

Massive coastal inundation in Kapiti and Waitara this weekend is yet another reminder to the Government that it has a responsibility to address the problem of rising sea levels caused by climate change, the Green Party said today. High tides and stormy weather caused significant damage to sea defences and roads around Kapiti this weekend, and threatened exposed coastal properties in the Taranaki town of Waitara. Residents and councils in both areas have struggled to agree on how to address...

The Government must suspend the commercial catch of New Zealand's longfin eel, and accept the conclusion by Parliament's environment watchdog that the eel is on a path to extinction, the Green Party said today. In her submission on the Government's catch limits for South Island eel fisheries, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recommended that the commercial catch of longfin eels should be suspended until it is clear the species is recovering. “The Government can take the simple step of...