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1. Overview

The Ministry’s Contribution to the Government's Priorities 2006–2016

The Ministry’s work contributes to the Government’s key priorities of economic transformation, families young and old, and national identity in a number of ways.

Economic transformation focuses on transforming New Zealand to a high income, innovative, creative, knowledge-based market economy which provides a unique quality of life to all New Zealanders. The sub-themes of growing globally competitive firms, world class infrastructure, Auckland as an internationally competitive city and, in particular, environmental sustainability are relevant to the Ministry’s work.

Key elements of the Ministry’s work in 2007/08 that contributed to economic transformation and environmental sustainability include:

  • the Emissions Trading Scheme

  • the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, which is supported by a number of national environmental standards

  • policy for new Exclusive Economic Zone legislation

  • the National Policy Statement on Electricity Transmission and work on national environmental standards around network infrastructure

  • sustainable business initiatives.

The families young and old theme focuses on providing families with the support and choices they need to be secure and to be able to reach their full potential within our knowledge-based economy.

Key elements of the Ministry’s work in 2007/08 that contributed to providing families with support and choices included:

  • the Household Sustainability Programme to provide practical information and advice about sustainable living

  • assisting local government to implement the national environmental standards for air quality and encouraging clean heating

  • encouraging quality urban development and design through the Urban Design Protocol and related urban work.

The national identity theme focuses on enabling New Zealanders to take pride in who and what we are, through our arts, culture, film, sports and music, our appreciation of our natural environment, our understanding of our history, and our stance on international issues.

A high quality natural environment plays a role in the identity of New Zealanders and is something people from other countries associate with New Zealand. Raising awareness of the state of the environment and working to improve aspects of environmental quality at national and local levels will strengthen this identification. It will also improve New Zealand’s global competitiveness in tourism and primary production.

The Ministry’s work in 2007/08 that contributed to New Zealand’s national identity included:

  • publishing the Environment New Zealand 2007 state of the environment report

  • promoting New Zealand’s environmental and sustainable development interests internationally, particularly through negotiating and implementing environment co-operation arrangements signed in the context of international trade agreements

  • hosting the international celebrations for World Environment Day 2008.

Our Ministers’ priorities for 2007/08

The priority environmental, social and economic issues for our Ministers in 2007/08 included a focus on:

  • initiatives to improve New Zealand’s sustainability – in government, business and households

  • climate change policy development and implementation

  • adaption to climate change

  • international reporting on climate change

  • providing national direction under the Resource Management Act, improving the Act’s implementation and call-in of priority projects

  • providing national direction on freshwater and sustainable land use

  • improving legislation and practice on environmental management particularly through the ‘making good decisions’ programme

  • improving our towns and cities through quality urban development

  • waste minimisation and management

  • clean up of contaminated land

  • environmental outcomes development and reporting

  • negotiating and implementing international environmental agreements as part of Free Trade Agreements.

Assisting Ministers with their statutory functions

The Ministry provided advice to the Minister for the Environment in relation to:

  • five requests for ministerial intervention under the Resource Management Act, including management of three call-ins

  • two Environment Court appeals

  • five applications for water conservation orders or amendments to orders

  • six applications to become requiring authorities

  • one application to become a heritage protection authority

  • review of the resource consent processing performance of 11 councils.

 

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