Conservation Funding:
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Increase baseline Department of Conservation
funding by $200 million over three years, with priority given to threatened
species, habitat protection and restoration, pastoral lease property purchases,
pest control and conservation advocacy.
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Increase funding for protection of ecological
values on private land and acquisition of conservation land including:
a) A baseline annual allocation
of $20 million, indexed to inflation, to enable the protection of areas
of important indigenous forest and non-forest natural habitats on private
land including coastal areas, wetlands and tussock grasslands through purchase,
lease or covenant.
b) Increase funding to the Nga Whenua
Rahui Fund for Maori Land protection to $5 million to better achieve the
objectives of the fund.
Environment
Ministry, and other funding:
3. Strengthen the Ministry
for the Environment's role by increasing its annual vote to a level sufficient
to carry out its functions. An increase of 50% by 2001 should be provided.
Priority for additional spending should be given to:
a) establishing and implementing
National Environmental Standards and National Policy Statements on -
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Biodiversity;
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Sustainable Land and Water Management;
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Energy and Climate Change;
b) providing training to
local government;
c) energy and marine management
(including fisheries), and waste minimisation.
4. Increase funding to the
Ombudsman’s Office by $0.8m to improve its capacity to carry out its functions
under official information legislation.
Reduce
funding or increase revenue sources
5. Remove the $55 million
government funding from the Tourism Board.
6. Disestablish inappropriate
functions of the Ministry of Commerce including its minerals advocacy and
mining promotion activities.
7. Refocus the Public Good Science
Fund (PGSF) and other public research funding to genuine public good science
and remove private good science funding from the PGSF. Increase funding
for biodiversity and environmental protection and safeguarding the environment.
9. Eliminate unnecessary military
expenditure including the purchase of a new frigate.
10. Reinstate resource rentals for
commercial fishing while exempting Maori quota (20%) under the Waitangi
Fisheries Settlement Act from royalties.
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