Government Ministers Damien O’Connor and Eugenie Sage are visiting the West Coast to see how flood recovery work is going and hear views of the local community. Rural Communities Minister and MP for West Coast-Tasman Damien O’Connor said good progress was being made in a number of areas and he and Eugenie Sage wanted to see what else needed to be done. “I understand services are being returned and work is underway to restore access. This morning I have been...

New Government funding will bring together landholders, iwi and hapū, and others in the wider community to improve stream health in the Waikawa catchment, in the Manawatu-Wanganui region. Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced that a $170,000 grant from Government’s Community Environment Fund would contribute to the Waikawa Stream Community Catchment Project. Others are contributing $90,000 - Horizons Regional Council ($45,000), Landcare Trust New Zealand ($30,000) and landholders ($15,000). The Waikawa catchment stretches from the Tararua Ranges to the coast...

A Colmar Brunton survey released today clearly shows New Zealanders’ growing concerns about climate change, pollution and waste, says Green Party Co-leader James Shaw.

Regulations for mandatory phase out of single-use plastic shopping bags to be in force from 1 July 2019. Associate Minister for the Environment, Eugenie Sage has today confirmed retailers will no longer be able to sell or give away single-use plastic shopping bags from 1 July 2019, after Cabinet agreed to the proposed regulations for a mandatory nationwide phase out of these bags. “Plastic shopping bags are a hazard for nature, particularly marine wildlife. They can also introduce harmful microplastics...

A new report out today shows that the Government is on the right track to tackle our waste problem, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage says. The Sustainable Business Network today released its report - New Zealand’s Plastic Packaging System 2018 An Initial Circular Economy Diagnosis. “SBN’s report is an excellent addition to the public discussion and growing awareness of New Zealand’s waste challenges,” Eugenie Sage said. “Work is already underway on a number of the recommendations the report identifies for...

Six month phase-out period Applies to all plastic shopping bags under 70 microns All retailers to comply Associate Minister for the Environment, Eugenie Sage today confirmed the mandatory phase out of single-use plastic shopping bags in New Zealand, to come into effect around the middle of next year. This announcement follows a five week public consultation process, where 92 per cent of submitters supported the proposed mandatory phase out. “The clear majority of people who responded to the consultation supported...

Conservation and Associate Environment Minister, Eugenie Sage leaves today to attend events in the United Kingdom before travelling to Egypt for a key international biodiversity meeting. Eugenie Sage will spend two days in England during which she will meet Dr Thérèse Coffey, MP and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She will also give a speech on the Commonwealth Blue Charter and ocean acidification to the Royal Academy. For Armistice Day centenary commemorations...

New Zealand has joined an international pledge to cut plastic wastes from our economy and environment, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. “The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment sees the countries involved commit to a ‘circular economy’ approach to plastics, preventing them from becoming waste and ensuring they don’t end up in the environment,” Eugenie Sage said. Led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, the Global Commitment brings together governments, businesses and...

Southland has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming a carbon neutral region which the Government is backing with a $190,000 grant from the Government’s Community Environment Fund. Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced the funding today for the Carbon Neutral Advantage project which will see local business, industry and communities work together to transition Southland to a carbon neutral region. “Venture Southland’s ambitious project to take a regional approach to reducing carbon emissions shows great leadership and is something...

Auckland-based business Asona is getting $185,000 from the Waste Minimisation Fund to help develop a recycling system for acoustic ceiling panels, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. “The Government is committed to reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and to increasing recycling,” Eugenie Sage said. “New Zealand needs to transition towards a sustainable economy taking a circular economy approach. We need products which are designed to be reused indefinitely, made into something new or returned to nature,...