Debate on Crown Entities, Public Organisations, and State Enterprises — New Zealand Tourism Board

I rise to speak on the New Zealand Tourism Board because I wish to discuss some of the challenges and headwinds that Tourism New Zealand and the New Zealand tourism industry face as a result of this Government.

As we know, the tourism industry is built on the “100% Pure New Zealand” brand. The founding asset of the New Zealand tourism industry—and, of course, Tourism New Zealand is an attempt to support that industry—is the natural environment of New Zealand. In particular, it is the clean rivers of New Zealand. That natural environment is under attack by this Government. Time after time, this Government has attacked the founding asset of the New Zealand tourism industry—an industry built on “100% Pure New Zealand”. For example, we now have the problem where more than two-thirds of our rivers are so polluted that they are unsafe for swimming. This is a major challenge to the New Zealand tourism industry—an industry worth at least $6 billion in exports every year. The current Government has proposed new rules that would allow our rivers to be even more polluted—so polluted they would not be safe to swim in; they would be safe only to wade in.

What the Government is saying to the tourism industry is that it intends to pollute New Zealand rivers to the level where you would be able to walk in them and put your feet in them, but if you put your head under the water, then you would get sick and ill. That is the standard that is being proposed by this Government, and that is one of the problems that the tourism industry has to face. On top of that, the Government is proposing to subsidise irrigation schemes to the tune of $400 million a year. We all know that the major driver of the decline in water quality in New Zealand is the intensive dairy sector. The Government is proposing to subsidise more intensive agriculture, which will result in more polluted rivers. This is a challenge that the tourism sector has to face. On the one hand, we know that our natural environment is the founding asset of this sector. On the other hand, we have a Government that is out to destroy that asset. It is out to destroy the goose that lays the golden egg, which is, of course, the natural environment.

Let us talk about the Environment Canterbury region. The elected councillors of Environment Canterbury were removed from there by this Government because they tried to protect rivers and lakes. For that reason, they had to be removed by the Government. We know that the water is so polluted now in Canterbury the medical officer of health has issued warnings that if you drink the water from your home bore, then it could kill your babies—a thing called blue baby syndrome. The water now in the ground water of Canterbury is so polluted that the medical officer of health has issued warnings that people should not give that water to their children in baby bottles. We now have the situation where water is so polluted. This is a major threat to one of New Zealand’s most important export sectors.

The most dangerous threat facing Tourism New Zealand right now is the National Party. The National Party’s constant attacks on the natural environment will destroy the long-term future of our tourism industry. A recent Environment Canterbury report has identified that people with their own wells are at increased risk of campylobacter, salmonella, cryptosporidium, and gastroenteritis in areas of dairy and major irrigation schemes. So the Government is subsidising the very schemes that are destroying water quality and rivers and lakes across our country and, in the process, fundamentally undermining and destroying the natural asset on which the entire tourism export sector relies. One of New Zealand’s most important export industries, international tourism, is under attack by this Government as it consistently and constantly attacks rivers and lakes across the country and subsidises their pollution.

If we do not change direction, we will not just have two-thirds of our rivers so polluted that they are unsafe for swimming, we will have all of them. The Government has proposed a new water quality standard that would mean that our rivers could be more polluted than the Yangtze River in China, in terms of its nitrate pollution. That is the standard that the Government has recently issued in terms of water quality. If you ever look at any of Tourism New Zealand’s documents, you will find that they are full of pictures of our rivers and lakes as key attractions—key attractions for international visitors. Yet this Government is doing everything it possibly can to pollute those rivers and lakes. Right across the country, our rivers and lakes are highly polluted. Some of them are so dangerous that if you swim in them you will get sick. They had to close Lake Horowhenua because if you fell into the lake you could get liver damage. Time after time after time our rivers and lakes are under attack from this Government.

Report noted.

Reserve Bank of New Zealand