Forest & Bird AGM 2007 - Speech by Prime Minister Helen Clark

23 June 2007

This is Forest and Bird's 84th AGM - surely a remarkable achievement, and a tribute to the organisation's enduring mission to conserve our natural heritage, and to its ability to inspire successive generations of New Zealanders to follow the cause.

My first significant contact with Forest & Bird was in 1987 when I became Minister of Conservation for around seventeen giddy months.

Indeed I recall addressing the Forest & Bird annual conference in Haast at Easter 1988.

It's not that easy to recall the events of two decades ago, but for me three decisions I took as Minister stand out.

There was the decision to stop the opening up of the Monowai Mine at Waiomu on the Coromandel.  I recall visiting the quiet valley where the miners wanted to build a road and start mining.  It seemed to me to be utterly incompatible with the tranquillity of the place, its conservation values, and the role the Coromandel was playing in recreation with its many easily accessible tracks.

My decision was actually overturned by the Environment Court, and it fell to my successor, Philip Woollaston, to reconsider.  I'm happy to say that he came to the same decision.  The Waiomu Valley is tranquil to this day.

Then there was the decision to stop the development of a major marina at Nukuhau on Lake Taupo, by the exit of the water to the Waikato River.  That development didn't seem a brilliant idea either.

The third decision which stands out is relevant to this day.

I established the first sanctuary for the Hector's Dolphin at Banks Peninsula in 1988.  I well remember the research done by two young scientists which showed conclusively that fixed nets were devastating the dolphin population.

I loved the conservation portfolio and the mission of the department.  I travelled widely, seeing much of the estate for myself.

I had a latent interest in the issues, having grown up on a farm on the border of what was then Pirongia Forest Park.  That park was infested with goats and pigs, and the whole range of predators.  I remember the park being relatively silent.  For sure, the tui still sang high in the trees, as did the bellbird, and fantails and white eyes fluttered around.

But it was not until I visited Kapiti Island as Minister of Conservation and heard that glorious birdsong that I fully appreciated what our country had lost.

I've retained a strong interest in conservation issues all these years - and I've been lucky as Prime Minister to have two Ministers of Conservation who have been passionate about the job - Sandra Lee and Chris Carter.

When both the Minister and the Prime Minister are passionate, a lot can be achieved.  And a lot has been achieved over the past 7½ years.

I well remember the very first executive decision implemented the day we took office on 10 December 1999.

Michael Cullen and Pete Hodgson called in the board of Timberlands, and directed them to cease logging native forest on Crown land.

That was the final chapter in New Zealand's history of using public forests as industrial sites.  It didn't come a moment too soon.

Many such decisions have been highly controversial.  Inevitably the interests of conservation are pitted against those of development.

In the case of the West Coast forests, people like the former Parliamentary Commissioner of the Environment argued that they could be logged sustainably.  For sure, they could have produced sustainably but the ecological integrity of the forests would have been shattered.  At its most simple, the life cycle of the forest requires old trees to fall and new life to come from that.  There was no compelling reason to be logging those forests in the 21st Century.

And, far from the end of logging spelling economic doom for the West Coast, I would note that its economy is in the best health it's had for a long time. We have been a busy government in conservation, bringing more funding to the Vote (up by around two thirds); a more strategic approach to issues like maintaining biodiversity which need long term management; bringing much more land into the conservation estate - in fact another 380,000 hectares, including the 180,000 in Molesworth Station; and establishing many new parks and reserves.

 In March 2000 we launched the 20 year Biodiversity Strategy, and in the June Budget that year $187 million in new funding over five years was announced for it.  The Strategy gave much needed shape and direction to conservation activity, and according to the independent review in 2005, it has made a significant contribution to 'turning the tide' of biodiversity loss.

Among the achievements has been a significant extension of areas under intensive control including:

A network of pest free island sanctuaries.

Five mainland Kiwi Sanctuaries covering 70,000 hectares, and

Ongoing protection of key species such as Mohua and Kakariki through targeted programmes like Operation Ark. 

A symbol of what has been achieved is the eradication of rats from 11,000 hectare Campbell Island, an investment now being handsomely repaid with the recolonisation of the island by Teal and Campbell Island Snipe. 

Island eradications would have pleased Val Sanderson.  As you know, the formation of Forest and Bird was motivated partly by his concern over the state of Kapiti Island.  What the funding for the Biodiversity Strategy has done is give DOC the resources to take eradications to a new level with large inshore Islands like Secretary and Resolution now well on the way to pest free status, and islands which were previously on the 'too difficult' list - like Little Barrier, now free of kiore.

Another area where the Biodiversity Strategy has made a big difference is in supporting private landowners to protect biodiversity.  Since 2002 over 800 projects have been supported by the Biodiversity Condition and Advice Funds to the value of over $16 million.
 

In 2004/5, our government agreed to retain the final year funding of the Biodiversity Strategy - $55 million - on an ongoing basis.  In this year's budget we added an extra $13.3 million to DOC's core budget, including resourcing to develop a Natural Heritage Management System, which will provide tools to monitor and evaluate the current state and trends in key natural areas and species.  The development of this system was one of the key recommendations of the Biodiversity Strategy.

The Department's work with the community has been a particularly important development over the last few years, and I know it is an area to which the new Director-General Al Morrison is giving particular focus.  This is important, because conservation must be owned by the whole community if we are to both tackle the challenges at a local level, and retain support for government action.

The progress is heartening.  Late last year it was estimated that there are now some 3000 community-led conservation projects in New Zealand, and 6000 private projects underway. 

It's been a particular pleasure for me to see the partnerships between DOC and the community at work in the Hauraki Gulf.  Following on the success of Tiritiri-Matangi, other trusts specific to islands have formed to revegetate and support restoration to a natural state for example, on Motutapu, Motuihe, and the recently acquired Kaikoura Island near Great Barrier Island.

Among the most impressive partnerships with government are those around the fenced sanctuaries to enable the release of rare and endangered species.

Only two weeks ago I announced $6.5 million in new funding for the Karori Sanctuary here in Wellington - a project which was originally launched by the local branch of Forest & Bird.

It's a visionary project - to have close to the heart of our capital city a wild and natural place for locals and visitors to experience and learn more about our natural heritage.

The same can be said of two other projects also backed by our Siginficant Community Based Projects Fund.

Maungatautari Ecological Reserve and the Rotokare Sanctuary have aspirations similar to those of Karori.  Both projects are on land in the DOC estate, and have the support of local landowners and the broader community.

One of the areas I'm most proud of is the acquisition of land in the high country for conservation in perpetuity.  Already five new high country parks have been created, as well as achieving the protection of Molesworth, and another five are projected:  Oteake, Rock & Pillar, Kopuwai, Remarkables, and Pisa.

Tenure review has been a vexed process, given the nature of the competing interests in the pastoral lease land.

Very long term leases like these build up levels of private interest which to the lessees appear close to ownership.  Yet the Crown title makes the land indisputably public property - and significant portions of it are of high conservation and landscape value.

The National Party has recently accused us of grabbing more land for conservation from tenure review than they had envisaged when they began the process.

All I can say is that their aim must have been minimal - as I suspect it was! There have been gains for conservation from tenure review, but there have also been outcomes which have been less that desirable.

Concern about such outcomes was behind the Government decision announced on Thursday by David Parker and Chris Carter.  We have agreed to changes to the tenure review process to protect iconic lakeside landscapes from potential subdivision and inappropriate development.

There are three key points:

From now on, pastoral lease properties will be excluded from tenure review if they have highly significant lakeside, landscape, biodiversity or other values that are unlikely to be protected satisfactorily by tenure review.  If such properties are already in tenure review, the Crown will withdraw from the process.

There will be a default assumption that lakeside properties should be excluded from tenure review unless it would be demonstrably in the public interest. 

In the review process, priority will be given to establishing or extending the network of high country parks that is being developed.

There is a further point, arising from concern that significant changes to high country land use, such as the conversion of tussock land to pasture or exotic forest, is damaging natural values.

Therefore we have agreed that the Crown will review the management of existing leases, and especially the granting of discretionary consents for non-pastoral activities, to ensure that the inherent values of the land and natural ecosystems are being protected and not undermined.

There have also been important gains for conservation in other parts of government.

In fisheries the funding for compliance has risen by 70 per cent since we took office.  That means increased emphasis on reducing illegal fishing activity, including preventing poaching and black marketing of iconic stocks like paua.

We've also made substantial investments in surveillance and monitoring of fishing activity.  Over the next year the Navy will put into service a multi-role vessel, two long-range patrol vessels, and four patrol vessels that will give us, much more ability to regularly patrol our exclusive economic zone and beyond.

With regard to marine issues, I know that Forest & Bird has raised particular concerns about the future of Maui's Dolphin.  We share those concerns, and as Conservation Minister Chris Carter has said, we are sympathetic to the idea of a marine mammal sanctuary.  Proposals to manage the threat to the Dolphin will soon be out for consultation, and we look forward to your input.

Since 2000, seventeen marine reserves have been announced, including seven in Fiordland, bringing another half million hectares into reserves.

In a species specific move, the white shark now has legal protection too.  Our objective is to have ten per cent of our coastal waters in some form of protection by 2010, and to have a comprehensive and representative marine protected areas network by 2020.

This century more than ever before, world attention is focused on issues of sustainability, and of climate and biodiversity in particular.

New Zealand cannot ignore these issues - and nor should we want to.  I believe we must embrace the sustainability challenge,
and aim to be part of the solution to global problems.   We can give leadership on these issues as we have given leadership as a nuclear-free nation for the past two decades.

Our biodiversity is a priceless asset, which once gone can never be recovered.  Recognition of that lies behind the passion our people have shown by rallying behind campaigns to save threatened species, campaigning to stop logging of native forest, and revegetating offshore islands and other sites stripped of their natural cover.

Indeed an identification with these issues goes to the very heart of our unique natural identity.

To me, being a New Zealander is about having access to wild, unspoilt places where we leave only our footprints, and where, if we are careful, future generations will be able to retrace our steps and experience what we have been privileged to experience.

In today's speech, I've only been able to touch briefly on some of the issues in this fascinating area.

But I hope I've been able to communicate to you the passion and interest which I have as Prime Minister for conservation and for supporting the work of the Minister and the Department.

Forest & Bird has acted as a critic and conscience of society on conservation issues for 84 years.  You are a critical stakeholder.

A lot has been achieved, but it's important that we keep lifting the bar and keep a high level of ambition on safeguarding our biodiversity into the future.  I know Forest & Bird will advocate for that.