Details of the government's new economic and regional development strategies will be announced tomorrow. These
strategies will be based on the concept of sustainable development.
Economic Development Ministers Jim Anderton and Phillida Bunkle today released a cabinet paper on sustainable
development.
"Sustainable development means meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs," Minister of Economic Development Jim Anderton said
"This is the first time the government has taken environmental and social factors into account alongside purely economic
ones. This approach will integrate social environmental and economic issues," Associate Minister of Economic Development
Phillida Bunkle said.
"This means that development which ignores the essential needs of the poorest people or erodes the quality of our
environment is not sustainable development.
"Sustainable development is about increasing New Zealand's wealth in ways that do not harm the environment. Wealth
producing industries that enhance the environment such as the possum industry are exactly the kind of sustainable
environmental and economic developments we are looking at," Phillida Bunkle said
Sustainable development involves:
Thinking broadly about costs and benefits, not merely separating issues into economic, environmental and social
compartments
Considering long term effects as well as short term ones
Assessing indirect as well as direct effects
Taking extra care when developments might be irreversible.
"Sustainable development means a major shift in government policy. Previous governments have only worried about short
term economic gain which has often been at the expense of the environment or jobs.
"This approach realises that growth does not always trickle down, sustainable development must address human needs
directly," Jim Anderton said.