Opening Remarks
National Environmental Reporting Forum 20 October 2009
From the National Environmental Reporting Forum 20 October 2009.
Dallas Welch
Deputy Government Statistician Macro-Economic and Environment Statistics
Statistics New Zealand
- I join with Todd in welcoming you to this third National Environmental Reporting Forum. I am delighted that Statistics New Zealand is co-sponsoring the Forum.
- Thank you to those who have organised today’s event , to our facilitators and also to all those presenting.
- This is the most well attended forum yet. No doubt this is attributable to both the value of these forums and what looks like a topical agenda today.
- In September the Minister of Finance spoke to IPANZ. His theme was “inside-out Govt” He noted:
- That good decisions are informed decisions.
- That Government holds a wealth of information. Some of it is sensitive and access should be strictly controlled, but often the same data and information available to govt could be made available to those outside of government.
- And that government can tap wider resources in the community to analyse and use government data to help solve problems and produce insights
- I think that these forums very much accord to the spirit of the Minister’s theme - understanding the real value of information, getting it out in the public domain and getting it used for maximum impact
- My interest and role is in official statistics, which are an essential part of New Zealand’s infrastructure. Statistics on the environment, along with social, economic and cultural measures, provide impartial and authoritative information that informs policy development and evaluation and allows New Zealanders to assess our country’s progress.
- We have a well established regime for official statistics – legislation that supports them and principles and protocols to guide producers – all govt departments - in the official statistics system. These principles and protocols are designed to maintain the integrity of the statistics, in their design, production and release, and build the confidence and trust of New Zealanders in the statistics and their producers, to maximise their use.
- Todd has noted that reporting in the environmental sector is not nearly as well developed as in the economic and social sectors . This is certainly true too of official statistics. The challenge for all of us working in the sector is to mould something that really is still fragmented, without certainty of long-term supply of information and with gaps in the current supply , inconsistency in methods etc and with many producers into a coherent, enduring and respected system of useful and used information on the environment. And to do it together.
- I don’t want to see statistics like the lamppost for the drunk – being used more for support than for illumination – shoring up established or vested interest positions or perspectives. Our objective is to have them used to really understand and monitor what matters most to us and future generations of New Zealanders.
- Today’s agenda covers important, urgent and what are at times controversial issues. I know we all bring passion and commitment to tackling these, and that we appreciate the value of good quality reporting to resolving them.
- I am looking forward to a really stimulating and productive day.
Last updated: 21 October 2009
