Nelson/Marlborough Farming

• Water Reform Needed to Lift New Zealand’s Game

  01/03/2010

  New Zealand is blessed with an abundance of fresh water. At nearly 80,000 m3 per person, we are to water what Saudi-Arabia is to oil. We Kiwis regard freshwater to drink, swim in, kayak on or fish in as our birthright. It is also New Zealand’s most strategically important natural resource. Fresh water is at...Read more

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• New Regulations to Improve Water Management

  Last month the Government approved regulations requiring all significant water takes to be metered as part of a wider programme to improve fresh water management. I made the announcement as Minister for the Environment at the annual Jenny Shipley Lecture in Christchurch on 30 April. At that lecture I made the point that we can’t...Read more

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• Budget 2010: Building Our Economy

    Budget 2010 focuses squarely on getting the economy growing faster. It helps Kiwi families get ahead. And it sets New Zealand on a path to turn back debt and return to surplus.   It delivers the biggest reform of our tax system for nearly 25 years.   National's first budget in 2009 was about protecting New Zealanders from...Read more

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• Experience Rating to Improve Workplace Safety

    Since becoming ACC Minister 21 months ago, my focus has been on cost containment and preserving the future of our 24/7 no-fault insurance scheme. There are strong signs ACC’s financial performance has turned a corner with the corporation forecasting a much improved result after losses of $2.4 billion in 2008 and $4.8 billion in 2009. Improvements...Read more

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• Fixing the RMA

  04/02/2010

  For the last two years I have bored you to tears in this column about how the Resource Management Act needs fixing. As Minister for the Environment I can tell you that I have finally done something about it. On 19 February I introduced an RMA reform bill into Parliament that will simplify and streamline...Read more

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• Doing our Fair Share on Climate Change

    Late last month as Minister for Climate Change Issues I enjoyed meeting with Blenheim farmers to chat about the emissions trading scheme.   It was one of 27 meetings, including Nelson, where I explained the ETS, answered a wide range of questions and outlined the opportunities to make energy efficiencies and savings.   The National Government believes our moderate...Read more

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• Government’s Six-point Plan for Growth & Jobs

    In 2008 National was elected with New Zealand in recession and facing a decade of deficits. As a new Government we immediately took steps to cushion New Zealanders from the sharpest edges of the global downturn and prepare the economy for future growth. The economy is now recovering. But this recovery will be different from those...Read more

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• 2009 Tough year

  2009 is set to be the toughest year in decades All the advice the new Government has had since the election is that New Zealand is entering some of the most challenging times in decades. Treasury is telling us that unemployment is likely to double, business confidence surveys show that it is at its lowest...Read more

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• National Rolling Up It's Sleeves

  Last month I outlined National’s action plan detailing what it would do in its first 100 days of government. The comprehensive plan, released by John Key before the election, was a pledge to New Zealanders that immediate action would be taken by a National Government on the economy, law and order, education, and health. And it...Read more

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• Welfare That Works

  01/04/2010

  Welfare is a safety net for New Zealand families. It should support people when they are most in need, encourage them to get back to work, and act when they can’t take responsibility for themselves and the people who depend on them.   But long-term welfare dependency imprisons beneficiaries in a life of limited income and limited...Read more

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• First Step in New Direction For Freshwater

    Last month as Environment Minister I, along with Agriculture Minister David Carter, received the comprehensive report, A Fresh Start for Freshwater, by the Land and Water Forum.   After 15 months of work, the Forum achieved a first in New Zealand – consensus on a way forward for managing freshwater. It was an extraordinary achievement with...Read more

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