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Chapter Four: Delivering on outcomes

This section identifies the Ministry’s priorities, how it intends to give effect to the priorities, and the links to the Ministry’s outcomes.

Priorities

There is a temptation here to over-promise and over-commit. In fact our priorities are very simple and quite short-term. They are:

  1. To transform ourselves so as to be able to deliver on our new direction
  2. To deliver on those priorities set by our Ministers
  3. To close off the myriad of previous activities which were drowning our hopes of delivery
  4. To use success in mutually recognised functions as a foundation for new relationships
  5. To not drop the ball when we are juggling so many.

Earlier we discussed the broad approach to what we will do. Here, by example, we indicate that we are examining every present and future activity in terms of its relevance, timeliness, efficiency and effectiveness.

The Ministry and the Treaty of Waitangi

Our work is consistent with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi as expressed by the Courts and Waitangi Tribunal [Te Puni Kokiri (2001) He Tirohanga o Kawa ki te Tiriti o Waitangi: A guide to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi as expressed by the Courts and the Waitangi Tribunal.] and is guided by earlier work on ‘Principles for Crown Action on the Treaty of Waitangi’. [Department for Justice (1989) Principles for Crown Action on the Treaty of Waitangi.]

In addition to taking the principles into account in its work, the Ministry has the specific role of assisting iwi to work within the Resource Management Act, by providing advice and other forms of direct assistance.

We will drive consultation with iwi about aquaculture, genetic modification and so on. We are asking, however, if we can go beyond consultation per se, to deliver on values important to iwi and others. Water quality is one potential item of delivery.

The Ministry’s strategic approach

In working to achieve a good environment through good governance, the Ministry will use three key strategies:

Leading – whole of government and interdepartmental initiatives

Partnering – with key sectors and organisations to develop and implement measures to improve environmental governance

Fixing – problems with environmental decision-making.

Contributing to Ministry outcomes

Ministry priorities Contribution to Ministry outcomes Examples of activity include

4.1: Leading whole of government initiatives

  • Oceans policy
  • Climate change
 Applying the Ministry’s expertise to provide leadership to whole of government initiatives, developing partnerships and working with other government organisations will result in a robust governance framework to guide decision-making and influence behaviour towards the environment in the future. Further it will have a direct impact on the nature of partnerships between stakeholders and government, and between New Zealand and other nations. As such it will make a direct contribution to all of the Ministry’s outcomes, but particularly ensuring the continuation of a sustainable good quality environment. Whole of government means being entrusted to lead, and delivering leadership beyond sectoral interest. It means that the preparation for Government’s oceans policy and the implementation of climate change policy goes beyond sectoral environment interests to sustainable development.
National oceans policy

This work will contribute to all three Ministry outcomes through the development of a governance framework for effective management of the oceans in light of future pressure on oceans. It will:

  • provide for sustainable management of oceans environment and ecosystems· protect our oceans
  • enable the economic and social benefits of oceans use and conservation to be optimised
  • meet our international obligations for the global environment.
  • Leading the whole of government team to drive the policy.
  • Setting direction for Oceans Policy.
  • Public consultation on a range of Government proposals for action.
  • Analysis of responses and preparation of recommendations to government of a programme of initiatives to contribute to New Zealand’s national Oceans Policy.
Climate change

This work will help to fulfil New Zealand’s international obligations under the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. In doing this it will also contribute to quality economic growth through:

  • supporting increased efficiency in production and energy use
  • encouraging the increased use of renewable energy sources
  • contributing to carbon sequestration.

Climate change work will also contribute to quality of life and a quality environment by:

  • contributing to international action that will ultimately benefit the global and national environment
  • encouraging forest sinks, particularly indigenous and other conservation forests with biodiversity benefits.
  • Leading the whole of government team to implement government policy.
  • Developing and implementing price-based measures including:
    • negotiated Greenhouse Agreements
    • a projects mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Establishing and managing a range of programmes for working with the agriculture and forestry sectors, local government and small to medium sized enterprises.
  • Providing climate change information programmes.
  • Working on initiatives with major stakeholders to increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable fuels.
  • Aligning climate change and energy work programmes with the work of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.
4.2: Leading inter-departmental work The primary purpose of the Ministry leading inter-departmental work on environmental issues is to ensure the Government receives coherent advice on environmental issues from government departments, that is constructed from the interest and expertise of each Ministry or department and the experience of their stakeholders. This will directly contribute to rigorous and efficient decision-making and the development of an integrated and, therefore, robust environmental governance framework. This will be capable of addressing new issues as they emerge and will support the achievement of the key outcomes sought by the Government.  
Ensuring and providing integrated advice to Ministers and the Government As the Government’s lead advisor on environmental issues, the Ministry has a responsibility to ensure the Government receives integrated advice on all issues that involve or affect the environment. This recognises the interdependencies between the environment, the economy and our quality of life, and, as such, contributes to all three Ministry outcomes.
  • Providing a link that works to develop whole of government positions on environmental issues, eg, leading and co?ordinating interdepartmental working groups, and developing advice and recommendations to the Government on issues such as genetic modification.
Sustainable development Joint leadership of the work on sustainable development (with Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on freshwater and Ministry of Economic Development on sustainable cities) contributes to all three Ministry outcomes through recognition that quality (sustainable) growth of the New Zealand economy, being dominated by primary production, depends on the effective management and allocation of freshwater. Equally, our quality of urban and rural life, as well as maintaining the quality of the environment, depends on the effective management of freshwater as an increasingly scarce and valuable resource.
  • Joint leadership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the development of initiatives to enhance water quality, allocation and protection of water bodies of national significance, under the Sustainable Development Programme of Action.
The work on developing initiatives toward sustainable cities seeks to ensure cities are centres of innovation and economic growth, are liveable, and support social wellbeing, quality of life and cultural identities. This contributes directly to the Ministry’s outcomes for quality economic growth and quality of life.
  • Joint leadership, with the Ministry of Economic Development, of the development of initiatives on sustainable cities / urban issues under the Sustainable Development for New Zealand – Programme of Action.
All aspects of modern society depend on energy, which is therefore a central issue for sustainable development. The outcome of the work that the Ministry will contribute to (led by the Ministry of Economic Development) is intended “to ensure the delivery of energy services to all classes of consumer in an efficient, fair, reliable and sustainable manner”. [Sustainable Development for New Zealand – Programme of Action, 2003; p16.] Given the central importance of energy to the continued growth of the economy and the quality of life for New Zealanders, and the impact that generation, distribution and use has on the economy, this will contribute directly to all three Ministry outcomes.
  • Working on the development of energy policy under the Sustainable Development for New Zealand – Programme of Action, that is being led by Ministry of Economic Development.
Genetic modification This work will develop a quality governance framework for the effective implementation of government policy. Implementing the Government’s response to the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification, including:· supporting the work of the Bioethics Council· supporting the proposed amendments to the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act· contributing to the Development of a Biotechnology Strategy for New Zealand.
4.3: Partnering Everyone is affected by and affects the environment. Good governance to achieve a good environment for all, therefore, requires all sectors of the community and parts of government to work together. The Ministry will lead by example through working closely with local government and other key sectors and organisations in designing and implementing initiatives that enable participation in, or give effect to, governance frameworks. This will strengthen the quality of the governance frameworks and enable all stakeholders to directly participate in the governance of the environment in practical ways. This recognises that achieving the Ministry’s outcomes is dependent upon us working in partnership with others.  
Implementing environmental legislation Working with local authorities and regional councils to implement environmental legislation contributes primarily to achieving the Ministry’s outcome of good environmental governance, with the secondary contribution to ensuring a quality environment.
  • Taking accountability for effective operation under the Resource Management Act.
Community awareness and participation Encouraging community awareness and participation directly enables the involvement of the whole community in the governance of the environment through involvement in decision-making about the environment at all levels. This primarily contributes to ensuring a quality environment and quality of life, and indirectly contributes to quality economic growth.
  • Encouraging awareness and action on environmental issues.
  • Providing funding to support practical community initiatives through the Sustainable Management Fund and environment centre grants.
  • Providing legal assistance grants to community groups and iwi taking cases to the Environment Court.
Treaty of Waitangi Māori have a special relationship with the environment and as tangata whenua have a special place in the cultural identity of New Zealand. The Treaty of Waitangi recognises both of these things and, therefore, provides primary guidance for the governance of the environment. The Ministry recognises this and in so doing works closely with iwi, and for the government, to help ensure the interests of all with regard to the environment are managed in accordance with the Treaty of Waitangi. This work contributes primarily to the Ministry’s outcome of good environmental governance, particularly for Māori, but also contributes to quality economic growth and ensuring the continued quality of the environment.
  • Working with iwi to assist them to work with local authorities under the Resource Management Act.
  • Providing technical input on environmental issues to assist with the settlement of claims under the Treaty of Waitangi.
Sustainable industry Sustainable industry is necessary for quality economic growth and quality of life. Collectively industry has a major impact on the environment. The objective of our work on sustainable industry is to enable industry to grow and to minimise its negative effects on the environment. Working with industry to identify opportunities and develop methods that enable both objectives to be achieved will contribute to all three of the Ministry’s outcomes.
  • Building partnerships with industry, including developing sector agreements.
  • Working with industry to get action on priority targets in the Waste Strategy.
  • Removing barriers to sustainability through better governance.
  • Brokering relationships to collectively resolve problems.· Developing sustainability practices.
  • Creating a unified endpoint and vision for sustainable industry in New Zealand.
  • Encouraging resource recovery and reuse.
Making the legislation work Improving the workability of the legislation through improving certainty and access will enable improved governance and decision-making and problem resolution by individuals and organisations. This contributes to all three Ministry outcomes, as it will mean national leadership for balanced decisions that will take into account the requirements to maintain a quality environment, support quality economic growth and ensure the continuation of a good quality life for individuals and communities.
  • Working with local government and stakeholders to develop and introduce National Environmental Standards.
  • Developing a National Policy Statement on Biodiversity.
  • Assisting the Department of Courts to reduce delays in the Environment Court.
  • Making the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act more pragmatic.
Environmental reporting Good governance of the environment is helped by good information. We are working with others to better define where we can be of more use in this area.
  • Working with others to co-ordinate national environmental reporting.
  • Developing and releasing of triple bottom-line reporting templates.
4.4: Fixing problems Problems do not fix themselves nor go away. Intervening to fix problems, or to ensure that the governance frameworks are improved to prevent future problems, is the most direct form of environmental governance. It will enhance the credibility of the Ministry and Government. Action taken to fix things that have gone wrong or that need addressing demonstrates the type of leadership behaviour and environmental governance and stewardship that we expect of others.  
Addressing major environmental problems Working with local government, industry and communities to address or fix major environmental problems will help restore the quality of the environment and contribute to the quality of life of the communities directly affected. It is also likely to have secondary economic benefits.
  • Leading and supporting work to fix contamination at Mapua and Tui Mine.
  • Taking an active position on key environmental issues, such as water quality in Lake Taupo, dairying impacts on waterways, etc.
Improving the legislative framework Improving the legislation that provides the governance framework for decision-making at all levels will contribute to all three Ministry outcomes through providing minimum standards of behaviour and processes, designed to ensure the current quality of the environment is maintained and quality economic growth is not inhibited. It also contributes to the quality of life through ensuring the rights of individuals, iwi and communities to use and enjoy the environment are recognised and respected.
  • Supporting amendments to the Resource Management Act and Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act.
  • Completing the reform of aquaculture management.
  • Working with ERMA to simplify the transfer of hazardous substances.

 

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