National’s environmental discussion document

National has released the first of ten or so policy discussion documents. This is the environmental policy paper.

At the end is 20 proposals they are consulting on. Some are specific, others more general. The more specific ones are:

• developing further robust incentives to encourage New Zealanders to take up renewable transport such as subsidies for electric vehicles, increasing regulations on older, less efficient cars, and encouraging older cars to be scrapped.
• working with water stakeholders to put in place a new and more efficient allocation method for the resource
• setting a quality standard for coastal water and a timetable for regional councils to meet those standards plus implementing beach and quality standards/swimming standards.
• rewriting the Litter Act to make it fit for purpose and strengthen enforcement mechanisms against people and businesses breaching provisions of both the Waste Minimisation Act and the Litter Act
• introducing measures to see either by a container deposit scheme in association with existing kerbside and recycling programmes is introduced, or by the beverage sector itself be responsible for ensuring through initiatives they set up, that 90 per cent of beverage containers are saved from being sent to landfill.
• committing New Zealand to a nationwide zero avoidable waste timetable and target
• looking at establishing a new National Park and will investigate establishing one in The Catlins.
• increasing funding to Department of Conservation Rangers to lead biosecurity incursions where threats are of a conservation matter.
• updating New Zealand’s restrictions on the use of biotechnologies in consultation with New Zealanders to bring them into line with the latest science