Amy Adams16 APRIL, 2014
- New Zealand is on track to phase out bulk
imports of ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons
(HCFCs) by the end of this year, Environment
Minister Amy Adams says.
“HCFCs are the last
controlled ozone-depleting substance for
New Zealand to phase out under the Montreal
Protocol, and New Zealand is well ahead
of the 2030 international deadline to phase
out imports,” Ms Adams says.
“The 2012 Annual Report
on the Operation of the Ozone Layer Protection
Act tabled in Parliament today confirms
New Zealand is meeting its international
obligations.”
Atmospheric concentrations
of ozone-depleting substances have been
declining since the late 11000s, which has
protected human health and the environment.
“The ozone layer is
now on track to full recovery within this
century, thanks to effective global action
to reduce the use of ozone-depleting substances
in everyday products such as air conditioners,
refrigerators, foams and pesticides.”
The Montreal Protocol
is the global agreement to phase out the
production and use of substances that have
been depleting the ozone layer.
“New Zealand is proud
of its role at the forefront of action to
phase out ozone-depleting substances. We
were one of the countries pushing for a
strong agreement on this issue, and we signed
the Montreal Protocol on the first day it
opened for signature on 16 September 1987.”
The use of methyl bromide
in New Zealand to fumigate soil for crops
ended in 2007. Methyl bromide continues
to be used in New Zealand where it is essential
to meet the requirements of export countries
and to protect our borders.
The Government is supporting
research into alternatives to methyl bromide
and ways to minimise its use.
A copy of the report
will soon be available at: http://www.parliament.nz/
+ More
Resource Management
Survey shows need for second phase of RMA
reforms
Amy Adams4 APRIL, 2014
- The 2012/13 Resource Management Survey
shows the Government’s first phase of RMA
reforms aimed at improving consenting processes
are paying off, however further reform of
our planning frameworks is still required.
The survey of how well
councils are implementing the Resource Management
Act shows that 97 per cent of consents were
processed on time for the 2012/2013 period,
compared with 95 per cent in 2010/2011.
“This is a vast improvement
from the 69 per cent of resource consents
processed on time in 2007/08,” Ms Adams
says.
“The overall trend across
the country shows that resource consenting
is becoming more timely and efficient, with
fewer staff processing more resource consents.
I commend councils for this improvement
in performance.”
However the survey finds
that resources and staffing required for
the current planning framework is a challenge,
particularly given extensive consultation
requirements and maintaining community input
and interest in the often lengthy processes.
“It is not surprising
that plan making is identified as an area
where further focus is required, as this
has also been identified by the Government
as a key area for reform, says Ms Adams.
“Councils also highlight
the challenges in the time taken to move
through planning processes and the difficulty
in achieving regional consistency due to
the different stages and nature of District
Plans.”
“The Government’s reforms
are specifically aimed at improving decision-making
at every level and a driving fundamental
shift towards more proactive planning for
what we need, and away from reactive decisions
through consents and court appeals.”
The biennial survey
has been undertaken since 1995 and monitors
council’s performance in implementing the
Resource Management Act.
The RMA survey provides
information on the Council processes, rather
than the social, cultural, economic and
environmental outcomes they contribute to.
This latest survey covers
the period 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 and
all councils provided their data within
the required timeframe and can be found
at: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/rma/annual-survey/index.html.
+ More
Govt reallocates $24
million for Rotorua water clean-up
Amy Adams28 APRIL, 2014
- The Government will reallocate $24 million
to a new project that encourages land owners
in the Lake Rotorua catchment to switch
to low nitrogen land uses or find other
ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen polluting
the lake water, Environment Minister Amy
Adams has announced.
“The Rotorua community
has asked us to shift existing funding commitments
to a land use management and change project,
as part of the Rotorua Te Arawa lakes water
quality improvements programme,” Ms Adams
says.
“The original plan was
to use the money for diverting nutrient-rich
streams flowing into the lake and capping
sediments to stop nutrients flowing up from
the lake bed. Cabinet agreed with the lake
stakeholder advisory group that these short
term initiatives really just shifted the
problem somewhere else.
“We have agreed that
the money may now be used instead to support
the land use management and change efforts
being driven by the Rotorua community.
“This will ultimately
reduce the amount of nitrogen leaching into
the lake by half, which will enable community-agreed
water quality targets for Lake Rotorua to
be met.
“I am particularly pleased
to see this project has the backing of the
primary sector and iwi as part of collaborative
efforts to clean up the water quality in
these iconic and nationally-significant
lakes.
“The water quality in
the Rotorua Te Arawa lakes has improved
in the past year and Lake Rotoiti’s water
quality target has been met for the first
time and is the best since monitoring began
in 1991. At the same time, water quality
in Lake Rotorua and Rotoehu has also improved
significantly.
“While these results
are encouraging, there is still work to
be done and we need to implement the land
use management and change efforts so that
these results can continue into the future.”
The funds are part of
a $72.1 million commitment by the Government
in 2008 towards a variety of initiatives
to clean up four priority Rotorua lakes.
The total project cost is $144.2 million
over 24 years.
“The lake stakeholder
advisory group has devised this scheme to
enable water quality to be improved while
ensuring the pastoral sector remains sustainable
which is a win-win for both the economy
and the environment.”
