01 november
2006 - The challenges of reducing rubbish, managing
flood risks and the need to take climate change
seriously are being tackled head on by the Ministry
for the Environment at public meetings across
the country starting on Monday.
The Ministry for the Environment
“Talk Environment” meetings run from Monday 30
October until Friday 10 November in 17 communities
from Whangarei to Invercargill.
“On the ground meetings with
the public provide a constructive forum for discussing
the issues on our agenda and getting feedback
direct from local communities,” says Hugh Logan,
Chief Executive, Ministry for the Environment.
“This engagement provides valuable
information to help inform the Ministry’s programme
of work for the next 12 months. It also gives
communities an insight into the most pressing
environment issues.”
Central to this year’s public
meetings will be:
Preparing for the inevitable
impacts of climate change
Managing the risks of flooding
Actively keeping freshwater clean
Reducing rubbish
Environmental standards and reporting.
“Our climate is changing. If we prepare for the
changes we will reduce the risk and costs, and
potentially benefit from the opportunities from
a changing climate,” says Mr Logan. “Adapting
for climate change is commonsense risk-management
practice that will assist our long term sustainability.
“In addition, how communities
manage land use and development, within the constraints
of our land and water resources is vital to our
economic and environmental future.
“Most Kiwis expect a clean healthy
environment - this doesn’t happen by accident.
We’ve all got a role to play,” says Mr Logan.
Anna Hughes, Media Adviser, Ministry for the Environment
