SPEECH NOTES
Minister for the Environment
HON MARIAN HOBBS
to
New Zealand Wind Energy Association
Air New Zealand Suite
Wellington Convention Centre
Wellington
25 May 2000, 11.10 a.m.
Ladies and gentlemen. I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak to you today.
Wind energy and renewable energy in general, have a vital role to play in New Zealand's energy future for a number of
reasons:
It is clearly recognised that New Zealand has excellent conditions for renewable energy.
Renewable energy generally has lower environmental impacts than conventional electricity generation
technologies.
And the cost of many renewable energy technologies is dropping.
I look forward to the day when I can turn my light on and know that the electricity comes from environmentally-friendly,
renewable energy generation technology like wind.
I would like to cover two issues in this speech:
The role of wind energy in helping New Zealand to achieve its climate change commitments
The relationship between the Resource Management Act and wind energy generation.
Climate change
As I said to the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group 1 meeting in February, the issue of climate
change is one that no government can ignore. More recently, the Prime Minister commented, and I quote,
“Industrialisation has taken its toll on the very conditions which support all human life. The potential consequences of
this process for future generations, if left unchecked, are bleak indeed. New Zealand needs to play its part on the
climate change issue by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol”.
Climate change could have major impacts on our whole economy and ecology. New Zealand, being a country substantially
dependent upon primary production, is particularly vulnerable to weather events, with the 1997/1998 El Niño drought
estimated to have resulted in an economic impact of the order of one billion dollars. Information on expected changes in
the frequency and severity of such climate extremes is of great interest to many New Zealanders.
It was remarked in the Speech from the Throne at the opening of Parliament that New Zealand needs to improve its record
in greenhouse gas control and its knowledge of the impact of climate change. In response to the climate change issue
there is a lot of work underway. We have already shown political leadership in this area. For example, the Prime
Minister announced earlier this month the Government's intention to ratify the Kyoto Protocol by June 2002, when the Rio
Plus Ten Earth Summit meets.
As you are no doubt aware, The Kyoto Protocol, formulated in December 1997, commits developed countries to reduce their
collective emissions of the six main greenhouse gases by at least five per cent, based on the 1990 level of emissions.
The Protocol will become binding only when at least 55 countries, including developed countries accounting for at least
55 per cent of developed countries' carbon dioxide emissions, have ratified it.
Ratification in New Zealand will need to be preceded by passage of legislation and policy changes supporting a programme
of emissions reduction in accordance with the targets specified at Kyoto.
New Zealand's target under the Kyoto Protocol is to hold emissions, on average, at 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012.
The protocol does allow some flexibility in how we do this. You have asked what changes will assist wind energy to
contribute to New Zealand meeting its targets under the Kyoto protocol: A carbon charge? Policy of no more fossil fuel
generation? Specific targets for wind energy generation? Grid payments for embedded generation? They will all be
considered as the government develops its climate change policy. In all probability a mix of price and non-price
measures will be required.
The Prime Minister's press release on 8 May, mentioned that the legislative and policy timetable the government has set
leading to ratification of the Protocol by New Zealand is a tight one.
A ministerial group has been established to oversee the development of a climate change action programme. The group will
be convened by the Minister of Energy, Forestry, Research, Science and Technology, Pete Hodgson. Its membership will
also include me as the Minister for the Environment, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Ministers of Finance, Foreign
Affairs and Trade, Agriculture, Associate Environment and Transport.
I anticipate that by the end of this year the Cabinet will have considered papers setting out policy direction and
policy measures for immediate implementation.
New Zealand's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is not large, but we are committed to doing our share to
reduce emissions. We depend on the emissions reductions of other countries to protect our climate – indeed we all depend
on each other. We recognise that the Kyoto Protocol is only a partial response. Eventually all major emitting nations
must be involved and the international process will need to find a way to develop a fully global response.
New Zealand is a good international citizen. The government recognises that in order to minimise the impact of climate
change on New Zealand and our region, we must encourage other countries to participate actively in the international
effort on climate change. The way we are addressing our emissions domestically not only establishes our credibility in
this effort, but also can be a positive model for others.
Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol will position New Zealand to be up with the leaders on climate change and play a
small but worthy role in bequeathing future generations a more sustainable world.
Achieving our Kyoto targets will require effort from every sector - particularly those that show the strongest growth in
emissions, such as transport. Increasing the use of renewable energy such as wind is part of the answer. I have already
said that to achieve this, a variety of price and non-price measures will be needed. Information and education, along
with partnerships, will be crucial in addressing the major risks to New Zealand of climate change.
Measures that will be taken include work on the impact of climate change, increased public education programmes, greater
investment in public transport, and stronger measures on energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Finally, I would like to say a word about public awareness. It is vital that there is greater awareness of the threat of
climate change and the impact, here and abroad. Such awareness is necessary if we, as a community, are to summon the
will to do something about it, and – where necessary – find sensible ways to adapt to what we cannot mitigate.
The Resource Management Act 1991 and wind energy
I would like to turn now to the implications of the Resource Management Act on wind energy generation in New Zealand. I
will first give an overview of the Resource Management Act, before turning to its interface with wind energy.
The Government is very supportive of the greater use of renewable energy in New Zealand. However, it is important that
the opportunities for the establishment of wind energy production in the wider environmental context and its legislative
framework are considered and understood.
The Resource Management Act is an important piece of legislation that influences our lives every day. It establishes an
enabling, environmentally conscious framework for the sustainable management of New Zealand's natural and physical
resources. In practice, this is a framework within which the environmental effects of our activities can be identified,
assessed and properly dealt with at a local level.
The Resource Management Act does not intend to prevent progress, innovation or economic growth, nor is it about making
decisions about the merits of a particular land use over those of a potential competitor use.
Rather, the underlying assumption is that any use, development or subdivision should proceed if there are no adverse
environmental effects, or if those effects can be avoided, remedied or mitigated.
The Resource Management Act requires that use and development of our natural and physical resources must be managed in a
way that enables people and their communities to provide for their social, economic, and cultural well being, and for
their health and safety, while avoiding, remedying or mitigating any adverse effects of the activities on the
environment.
To help decision makers and others to achieve this, the Act sets out a number of explicit principles, which must be
recognised and provided for. Some of these include the preservation of the natural character of the coastal environment,
the protection of outstanding natural features and landscapes from inappropriate development, and the relationship of
Maori to their culture and traditions with their ancestral lands, water, sites, waahi tapu and other taonga. Decision
makers must also take into account the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
One of the Resource Management Act's underlying principles is that decision making is best left to those who are
directly affected by the results of those decisions, and the RMA devolves the decision making to local and regional
authorities. These authorities are responsible for implementing the bulk of the RMA and managing their natural and
physical resources through the preparation and implementation of district and regional plans.
District and regional plans are prepared on behalf of the community, and in consultation with the community. These plans
set out how the adverse effects of activities are to be managed, and the environmental outcomes the community desires.
They also set out other non-regulatory approaches that Councils will take to deal with environmental issues.
It is through these plans that Councils identify the district's significant resource management issues, and set out
objectives, policies and methods to address these issues. These plans indicate activities that are permitted, and the
conditions that such activities have to comply with. These plans also identify which activities require a resource
consent before they can be established.
The point is that the Resource Management Act sets out the broad framework for sustainable management of our natural and
physical resources. The discretion as to how this is implemented lies at the local and regional levels of government. It
is almost entirely over to the local and regional authorities as to how they manage the effects of activities within
their districts.
Turning to the specific opportunities for wind energy production in New Zealand, as I previously mentioned, there can be
no doubt that this government is very supportive of greater use of renewable energy in New Zealand's energy mix.
However, regardless of this, you cannot escape the fact that the establishment of wind energy production methods can be
a significant exercise, and can have adverse effects on the natural and physical environment. Broadly speaking, these
adverse effects are predominantly visual effects on the surrounding landscape, effects arising from noise from the
operation of wind turbines, or effects associated with their construction and maintenance, such as traffic movements or
earthworks.
Like the effects of any other activity, these effects must be managed, and are done so through the framework set up by
the Resource Management Act, and the objectives, policies, methods and rules contained primarily in district and
regional plans.
It cannot have escaped your notice that no two district plans are alike. Each is a recognition of the resource
management issues in their own district and a record of the way communities seek to manage the effects of activities.
And that is good, because communities differ and decisions taken closest to the community should be more durable, given
stronger access by the community to the decision makers.
However, for all their differences, many district plans across New Zealand do provide opportunity for the establishment
of wind energy production in their district plans.
Wind generation activities are often classified as discretionary activities in many rural zones. This means that while
they require a resource consent application, (which is not to be unexpected where projects are often large scale), the
effects of the proposal can be adequately assessed against the policies and objectives in the district plan, and the
purpose and principles in the Resource Management Act.
For example, in the Wellington region alone, the South Wairarapa District Plan, the Porirua City District Plan, the
Proposed District Plans for Lower Hutt and Wellington City all indirectly make provision for wind generation activities
in this manner. While it is likely that such an application will be publicly notified, this is not always the case and
depends upon the nature and location of the proposal. For example, the South Wairarapa District Council approved the Hau
Nui wind farm on a non-notified basis.
I have heard some criticism that the Resource Management Act contains impediments to the development of wind energy
production in New Zealand. I consider this to be a far cry from the reality where the Resource Management Act sets up
the environmental framework for local and regional authorities to assess and manage the effects of activities within
their districts, in a sustainable manner. As with any new activity requiring a resource consent, attention must be given
to the manner in which the application is made, the location and surrounding environment, the components of the
proposal, identification of the effects upon the environment and the consultation with affected parties. And if I can
offer one piece of advice, it would be that you cannot underestimate the importance of building public support for wind
generation. People do not like landfills, but they realise the necessity. As the need for renewable energy sources grows
and is understood by communities, then the weighing up of alternatives becomes easier.
In summary, the Government is very supportive of the greater use of renewable energy in New Zealand. However, the
establishment of wind energy projects can have adverse effects on the natural and physical environment. I am comfortable
that the Resource Management Act provides a sound framework and opportunity for local communities to provide for such
activities, while considering and mitigating the adverse effects on the natural and physical environment.
May wind energy in New Zealand have a productive and successful future. Thank you.
ENDS