Rt Hon Helen Clark
Prime Minister
ADDRESS TO
REDESIGNING RESOURCES CONFERENCE
"Building A Sustainable Future
for New Zealand"
Christchurch Convention Centre
11am
26 June 2000
I welcome the holding of this conference and the opportunity to hear in New Zealand leading American thinkers and
advisors to President Clinton on sustainable development.
The written work on the natural capitalism concept which is central to this conference provides many insights into how
companies have increased the productivity of natural resources and eliminated the concept of waste.
Within our country there are corporates, government agencies, and local government councils committed to a sustainable
future – and you will be hearing from some of them today: from companies like The Warehouse, committed to a goal of zero
waste to landfill; from Christchurch City which has committed to the same goal by 2020; and from Landcare Research,
which has incorporated the concepts of natural capitalism into not only its own operations, but into its science as
well.
I believe there is a lot of good will within our private and public sectors to embrace sustainable development.
I particularly applaud the leadership given by the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development, formed last
year, which has committed itself to the triple bottom line of economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
The Council is working for:
a healthy and diverse economy which adapts to change, provides long term security and recognises social and ecological
limits;
a healthy and diverse ecological system which continually performs life-sustaining functions and provides other
resources; and
a social foundation which provides health, fosters participation, respects cultural diversity, is equitable, and
considers the needs of future generations.
I have set out the Council’s goals in detail because they are goals which are entirely consistent with the goals our
government has for the future of our country.
I cannot overstate how excited I was to find in the corporate sector a group willing to stand up for a vision for our
future which combines the economic, the environmental, and the social.
My challenge today is to groups across these three often compartmentalised sectors to buy into that integrated vision.
Unfortunately business is all too often perceived to look at the future of the country only through a narrow prism of
what constitutes profit and loss, and of what is good or bad for business. That often leads to demands for weaker
environmental law and constraints, as seen in the assault on the Resource Management Act; weaker labour law, as seen in
the attack on the Employment Relations Bill; and calls for lower social spending, which would undermine social cohesion.
On the other hand community, social, and labour organisations don’t always give enough regard to the state’s or
business’ ability to pay on a sustainable basis.
Environmental groups too need to factor economic and social considerations into their vision for a green future which
maintains first world living standards.
Presiding over all these sectors is the government itself which does have the capacity and a responsibility to spell out
a vision and a set of principles for a sustainable future.
Many times in the run up to the last election, I spoke about my vision for New Zealand which saw:
the economy growing sustainably;
the economy being diversified beyond its primary commodity base into a producer of goods of ever greater
sophistication, commanding higher prices in world markets; and
economic transformation being driven by higher levels of education and skill; by greater investment in science,
research and development; and by a national commitment to productivity and innovation.
I said that as a result of sustainable growth and the development of a higher value economy, I hoped to see:
more people gainfully employed;
higher standards of living across the board;
the development of better quality public services;
more resources for our beleaguered biodiversity; and
the development of a strong sense of national identity backed by confidence in ourselves as a nation of achievers and
talented people in every field of endeavour.
That vision is within our grasp if as a nation we determine to buy into it. But a lot of things have to change. And they
won’t change quickly. Our unsustainable way of life has developed over a long period of time, we need to commit now to a
long term programme of change to deliver to us the healthy, green, responsible, and prosperous society we all long to
live in.
Today I want to outline to you how the new government has begun this work. But I want to emphasise that we can’t do it
all on our own. We need and we are actively looking for partnerships; partnerships with:
business
local government
community based organisations
Maori
environmental groups.
In this regard, we have had very useful contact with the Business Council for Sustainable Development and with countless
individual companies. I am frankly disappointed with the politicised attacks on this mainstream social democratic
government by some business elements, but that will not stop us engaging with the vast majority of New Zealand business,
large and small, which does not want to spend its precious time and energy fighting the government for no good reason.
We have set up a joint central government–local government forum to take forward our shared vision for local economic
development, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability - that triple bottom line again.
We have appointed a facilitator to work on a protocol for mutual respect and engagement between non-governmental
agencies and central government. We have a deep commitment to civil society and to participation by it in addressing the
challenges the country faces.
We have embarked on an ambitious programme to close the gaps between Maori and Pacific peoples and other New Zealanders.
With Maori we are seeking to develop strong relationships to build Maori capacity to determine its own destiny and
provide its own solutions.
On the environmental front, we have greatly valued the input of organisations like Forest and Bird which have
consistently advocated a vision for protecting and restoring our biodiversity. And we wish to engage with industry,
scientists, engineers, and environmentalists in meeting our commitments on climate change.
In this year’s Budget, and in a series of announcements leading up to it, we announced the steps we were taking to build
a more sustainable economy and society and to sustain our environment. Let me focus briefly on each of these areas.
1. The Economy
Through investing significantly more in education, science and research, we are working to speed our transition away
from a low value, commodity based economy to higher value enterprise driven by knowledge, skill, and technology.
That’s why we are lowering the costs of tertiary education.
That’s why we have increased funding for science, research and technology by ten per cent – or $43 million dollars. Half
of that extra funding will go out to the private sector in grants to back smart ideas for new products and services.
There is also greatly increased funding for basic research which has the potential long term to create new areas of
potential for business.
And surely one of the growth areas of business in New Zealand today and for New Zealand to export is in the area of
applying smart solutions to business, like those outlined in Natural Capitalism, and like those being trialed in our
progressive companies, cities, and research institutes today.
We have established a Ministry of Economic Development. It is required to promote sustainable development which meets
the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The Ministry and an associated agency, Industry New Zealand, have $330 million over four years for their programmes.
They will be able to back new innovative companies with early stage financing.
They will support the development and promotion of sustainable economic strategies in the regions.
They will have industry specialists and grants to work with and support New Zealand companies with growth potential as
yet untapped.
They will work with Trade New Zealand to attract smart investment to New Zealand which can contribute to our development
of an enhanced skills and technology base for the economy.
2. Addressing the Environmental Challenges
These challenges are huge – and the biggest of them is meeting our international commitments under the Kyoto Protocol on
climate change.
We want to have New Zealand ratify the Protocol by the time of the Rio Plus Ten Conference in mid 2002.
That means that we must stabilise our greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels, on average, over the period 2008-2012.
Unfortunately that is easier said than done. The latest information we have suggests that New Zealand’s gross carbon
dioxide emissions have risen 19.2 per cent since 1990.
That is up from the fourteen percent growth between 1990 and 1998, and represented an average annual growth in the past
decade of two per cent.
We have set up a ministerial committee led by Hon Pete Hodgson to develop the strategy for meeting our Kyoto Protocol
targets. The committee will need to work with industry, NGOs, scientists, and technologists, and environmentalists.
Energy efficiency in New Zealand is poor; and so improving it must be one of the first steps in containing the growth in
greenhouse gas emissions.
In May the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2000 was passed through Parliament with strong support from the
government.
The Act establishes the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, EECA, as a stand-alone Crown entity with an
enduring role to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy across all sectors of the economy. It also empowers
regulations to implement product energy efficiency standards and labelling, as well as the disclosure of energy
efficiency statistics.
The new EECA has been given a $3 million boost in funding for energy efficiency in the Budget. This is a substantial
improvement on what was planned by the previous government, which had been arranging a $2.5 million cut.
Importantly, the Act also mandates development of a National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy. The draft
Strategy will be prepared by 1 April 2001 through a transparent process and consultation. It will focus on meeting
government energy efficiency policies through practical objectives and targets. I urge you all to seize the chance to
shape the energy future of New Zealand by having your say on the Strategy.
The government has set a clear goal for the environmental research it funds through its vote for Research, Science and
Technology. It is to: “increase knowledge of the environment and of the biological, physical, social, economic, and
cultural factors that affect it in order to establish and maintain a healthy environment which sustains nature and
people.”
$84 million is going towards that goal in 2000/01. Over time the research should contribute to achieving:
increased knowledge and awareness of the state of New Zealand’s ecosystems;
increased understanding of the global biophysical environment;
improved quality of human environments by enhancing the capacity to use and manage ecosystems efficiently and
effectively;
sustainable management of the productive sector’s environment.
Much of New Zealand’s climate change research is funded through this environmental research. The Foundation for
Research, Science and Technology has been asked to ensure that climate change research is contributing to fulfilling New
Zealand’s international environmental obligations, and meeting our unique national needs.
Another environmental issue to which we have given top priority is waste management. An extra one million dollars per
annum is going into work in this area.
The aim is to have all waste management working on a full cost recovery basis and all landfills meeting high standards
by 2010. We also need to work in partnership with local government to achieve a reduction in the solid waste stream.
Water issues are important too. Some water-short regions are under pressure to identify and allocate water resources,
and that problem could be accentuated in the future by climate change.
The Ministry for the Environment is working to help local councils deal effectively with water issues in their plans,
and to develop a draft framework for water allocation.
Initiatives to improve water quality are needed too. By the end of this year the Ministry, along with the Ministries of
Health and Agriculture, expects to complete a research programme into the levels of disease-causing organisms in our
waterways. Understanding the extent of contamination in our water will help in developing health and environmental
guidelines for water.
Again, effective partnerships will be needed to improve water quality, with central and local government, and
agricultural, horticultural, and forestry land users all needing to be involved.
We all know that the continuing loss of New Zealand’s unique biodiversity is one of our most pressing environmental
problems.
That’s why we are providing significant extra funding for protecting and restoring our threatened biodiversity. We are
acting to “Turn the Tide” on the loss of our indigenous biodiversity.
There will be another $187 million spent over the next five years to protect and restore that threatened biodiversity.
Fifty-seven million dollars are for pest and weed control, and $2.6 million for the development of a comprehensive
biosecurity strategy. There will be a further $37 million to boost protection of biodiversity on private land. We want
to build on existing successful partnerships between government, local bodies, tangata whenua, and land owners and
users.
We will provide $2.35 million to begin addressing the loss of Matauranga Maori – customary knowledge about nature. There
will also be $10 million for the kiwi recovery programme, and just over $40 million for researching and managing
biodiversity and marine biosecurity.
All New Zealanders know of the steps the new government has taken to stop the extraction of native timber from Crown
owned forests. The decision embroiled us in an unpleasant debate with some West Coast interests. But the outcome, we
believe, is a win for New Zealand and for the Coast. Those great forests are preserved for posterity, for future
recreational use, and for their intrinsic values, and the West Coast gets a fresh start for truly sustainable
development with a large regional development fund.
3. Closing the Gaps is Fundamental to Achieving Social Sustainability.
New Zealand has had faster growth in inequality in the past fifteen years than any other country in the developed world.
That is shameful. In our country, that inequality has had a unique and unfortunate dimension. There has been a growing
disparity between the life chances of Maori and other New Zealanders, and Pacific peoples and other New Zealanders.
It is simply not tolerable to our government to see tangata whenua consigned permanently to the status of disadvantaged
citizens in their own land. That’s why earlier this year we set up a special cabinet committee to work on closing the
gaps.
The gaps have increased over time and it will take time to decrease them. But what is important is that we take the
right steps now to start the process. There has been a strong voice from Maoridom urging that it be able to take control
of its own destiny, determine its own strategies, and devise its own solutions.
That means the government going back into the mainstream budgets and ensuring that funding meant for Maori actually
delivers for Maori. The evidence is that it has not been.
It means strengthening the capacity of Maori organisations to strategise, to plan, and to deliver services. That is why
$140 million over four years is going into plain, ordinary, provider development for Maori and Pacific peoples’
organisations.
Those communities too will benefit enormously from the many policies of this government which are of greatest help to
low income people: the rise in superannuation, the income related rents, and the extra funding for health, education,
and economic development. These measures are all aimed at reducing the gaps between rich and poor; and increasing social
cohesion and thereby social sustainability. Our future is not sustainable if a significant minority of our population is
systematically excluded from opportunities to develop their potential and from leading secure lives.
Conclusion
Today I have set out the government’s broad vision for a sustainable future, and the steps we are taking to build that
future.
What we are doing complements the work of business, local government, the social and community sector, and
environmentalists to the same end.
I am excited by the case studies at home and as outlined in Natural Capitalism to redesign resource use. And I am
inspired by the efforts of that growing number of New Zealand businesses who recognise that a healthy society and
environment are good for business – not bad.
Across the sectors and in government we need to be forming strong partnerships for sustainability. We want win:win
results which deliver a stronger economy, a fairer society, and a high quality environment. As a nation we can commit to
that triple bottom line – and be the better for it.
ENDS