Nick Smith18
June, 2010
Environment Minister Nick Smith today signed the Environmental
Accord between the Crown and Waikato-Tainui as part of
the Waikato River Settlement.
"This Accord is setting in place
the mechanics of making the settlement work and to build
the long-term relationships to ensure effective management
of the river for the future," Dr Smith said.
Dr Smith also advised that the Waikato River Independent
Scoping Study, being undertaken by NIWA and due to have
been completed by June, had been delayed and this would
put back the implementation of the Waikato River Authority
by a couple of months.
"I am disappointed by this delay
but I'm confident in working with the Guardians Establishment
Committee and Waikato-Tainui that this will not weaken
the strong Treaty relationship built with Waikato-Tainui.
We've agreed to extend the Guardians role to cover the
delay and will next month be finalising the appointments
to the Waikato River Authority.
"Cleaning up the river in partnership
with Waikato-Tainui is at the core of the settlement.
The river's problems are decades in the making, so it
is important to get the scoping study right - even if
it takes slightly longer than anticipated.
"The Accord and scoping study are
nationally significant because they will guide the most
comprehensive environmental restoration programme in New
Zealand history between the Crown and iwi to restore the
health and wellbeing of an asset important to all New
Zealanders."
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Government backs farm recycling scheme
Nick Smith16 June, 2010
Farmers are being encouraged to recycle and reuse rather
than burn or bury thousands of tonnes plastic waste under
a new scheme launched by the Government today.
"It is neither clean nor green
that over 7,000 tonnes of plastic farm waste, mainly used
bale wrap, is currently burnt, buried or left to litter
the countryside. We want to work with farmers and their
supply industries to develop a nationwide recycling scheme
that will enable this waste to be collected, reused and
recycled", Dr Smith announced at the National Agriculture
Fieldays in Hamilton.
"We have accredited Plasback as
one of the first product stewardship schemes under the
Waste Minimisation Act 2008. We are today announcing a
$130,000 grant from the Government's Waste Minimisation
Fund to support a nationwide campaign to encourage farms
to become part of this nationwide recycling scheme."
"Plasback is an innovative scheme
that enables the collection of bale wrap, agrichemical
containers and other packaging waste from farms and enables
it to be recycled into new products such as piping and
bins at a plant in Christchurch. This funding will help
provide an information campaign to farms so the scheme
can grow rapidly, with the aim of recycling over 2400
tonnes of waste plastic per year by June 2011."
"Many farms are frustrated by the
lack of options for dealing with plastic farm waste and
know that burning or burying waste is not a sustainable
solution. Burning is particularly damaging because of
the toxic chemicals it releases into the atmosphere. This
voluntary scheme is about getting alongside farms and
providing an environmentally friendly alternative."
This grant is the very first made under
the new Act and Waste Minimisation Fund. Further consideration
is being given to the other 163 applications with announcements
due in coming months.
