Nick Smith12 April,
2011 - Environment Minister Nick Smith today
welcomed the passing of the Second Reading
of the Environmental Protection Authority
Bill without division saying New Zealand
needs to strengthen and improve its environmental
management.
“This reform is about
providing stronger central Government direction
on environmental regulation, better efficiency
and cost effectiveness and improving the
integrity of systems by delegating administration
of regulatory functions to an independent
Crown entity,” Dr Smith said.
“The Bill brings together
under one Crown authority a range of environmental
regulatory functions that currently reside
with the Ministry for the Environment, the
Environmental Risk Management Authority,
the Ministry of Economic Development and
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.”
These include functions
under the Resource Management Act (1991),
Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act
(1998), Ozone Layer Protection Act (1996)
and the Climate Change Response Act (2002).
“I’m pleased the Local
Government and Environment Committee has
recommended the Bill establishing the EPA
should be passed. The Committee has recommended
only minor changes such as including certain
functions under the Ozone Layer Protection
Act and the Imports and Exports (Restrictions)
Act. These recommendations are helpful and
will strengthen the Bill,” Dr Smith said.
“The Government’s intention
is to pass this legislation to enable the
Environmental Protection Authority to take
up its new role from 1 July 2011.”
+ More
Green growth focus of
Japan and China visit
Nick Smith16 April,
2011 - Environment and Climate Change Minister
Nick Smith will visit Japan and China over
the Easter recess to meet with his respective
counterparts, Minister Rya Matsumoto and
Minister Zhou Shengzien, to enhance environmental
cooperation between New Zealand and our
two major Asian trading partners.
“My visit is particularly
focussed on climate change and being better
informed of the domestic policies being
adopted in Japan and China to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. This is important to New
Zealand in that many technological changes
to reduce our emissions will come from products
from these economies. Any decisions we make
on progressing our emissions trading scheme
will also be dependent on the progress being
made amongst our key trading partners like
Japan and China,” Dr Smith said.
Dr Smith’s visit also
includes meeting with the NZ-Japan Parliamentary
Friendship League, the Nissui, Mitsubishi
and Sumitomo Corporations, visits to universities
on clean energy and building technologies,
and representing New Zealand at the ANZAC
Day commemorations at the Yokohama Commonwealth
War Cemetery.
“I will also be taking
the opportunity to share experiences with
Japan on earthquake emergency responses,
learn from Kobe’s experiences in the rebuilding
and urban design post-earthquake and on
technologies to improve the earthquake resistance
of buildings and infrastructure,” Dr Smith
said.
“I am also undertaking
some private travel at my own expense to
visit an AFS daughter who my family hosted
in New Zealand and to visit Nelson’s sister
city of Miyazu.”
Dr Smith’s visit to
China is focussed on management of water,
contaminated sites, invasive species, emissions
trading and the opportunity for science
innovations to promote green growth.
