Latest news with #AmendmentBill
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Game council wants role in national parks
The Game Animal Council says existing conservation law is outdated, needs to recognise the contributions of hunters to the environment and it wants to take over the operating of game animals in national parks. The council yesterday released its submission to the select committee on the Game Animal Council (herds of special interest) Amendment Bill which closed last Thursday. The Bill, if passed, would allow the minister for hunting and fishing to establish herds of special interest (Hosi) in a national park and therefore exempt the herd from extermination or eradication requirements under conservation legislation. The council was fully supportive of the Bill. It said in its submission to achieve effective and inclusive conservation, hunting needs to be integrated into "our conservation narratives". "By engaging hunters as partners in conservation, we not only harness their expertise but also embody a more comprehensive approach to environmental stewardship. "Hunters play a crucial role in controlling game animal populations, harvesting more than 350,000 big game animals annually (including deer), which exceeds government pest control efforts." The council said hunters and conservationists were often seen as opposites, but they shared common aspirations for protecting nature — driven by different motivations, but united in purpose. Current conservation law and policy did not recognise these different motivations or values that people held for conservation land. The Hosi mechanism enabled game animal management while protecting biodiversity on public conservation lands. It aimed to support hunting while preserving conservation values, the council said. Hosi were designed to focus on herds highly valued by hunters. So far two applications had been made — for sika deer in the Kaimanawa and Kaweka Forest Parks and wapiti deer in Fiordland National Park. Game animals were only currently referenced in terms of extermination. Having a Hosi in a national park was a new way of thinking about conservation. The council said recreational hunting supported about 2500 jobs and the guided hunting sector directly employed more than 530 people and generated more than $100 million in annual foreign sales. "There is a growing interest in sustainable, wild-harvested meat. Using taxpayer money to remove a reliable source of high-quality protein undermines public benefit," it said. "The management of the quality and quantity of game animals harvested by hunters has the potential to offer more effective control than an expansion of government control efforts." The council in its submission said hunters were only permitted to reduce or exterminate the very animals hunters sought to access. The submission also said game animals did not stay within mapped boundaries. Without physical barriers, game animals would cross between land ownership boundaries. Limiting Hosi management to one land ownership would lead to inconsistent and inefficient management. The council wanted to adopt a more unified approach that spanned all land ownership types and it needed more power to assist the minister in establishing and managing a Hosi. A Parliament spokesman said it was unable to say how many submissions were made to the Bill. The number would be released by the Environment Committee which would hear submissions. — APL
Scoop
23-07-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Have Your Say On The Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill
Have your say on the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill The Health Committee is calling for submissions on the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill. The closing date for written submissions is 1.00pm on Monday, 18 August 2025. The bill seeks to improve the effectiveness of health services delivery to patients by: Amending the purpose, objectives, and functions of Health New Zealand. The bill would amend the objectives of Health New Zealand (Health NZ) to add the delivery of effective and timely services. It also seeks to add a new purpose to the Act, ensuring that patients get timely access to quality health services. The bill would repeal the health sector principles and the New Zealand Health Charter. Increasing Health New Zealand's focus on infrastructure. Health NZ's functions would be expanded to provide and plan for quality, cost-effective and financially sustainable infrastructure, and the bill would require the board of Health NZ to have a permanent infrastructure committee. Changing the roles and responsibilities of iwi-Māori in relation to delivery of health services. The bill would give the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee (HMAC) a statutory purpose of providing advice to Health NZ and the Minister of Health, on health services for Māori. It would amend the role of iwi-Māori partnership boards (IMPBs) to engage with Māori communities about health needs in their area, and to provide advice to HMAC. The bill would require Health NZ to take into account any advice from HMAC, and would remove the requirement for Health NZ to engage with IMPBs when determining priorities for kaupapa Māori investment. Strengthening governance, strategic direction setting, planning, and monitoring arrangements. The bill proposes a series of amendments, including a new requirement for the board of Health NZ to have a delegations policy, and changes to the requirements for board members' knowledge and experience. Additionally, the New Zealand Health Plan would need to include information about how services and activities will be funded, and would no longer need to be reviewed by the Auditor-General. Tell the Health Committee what you think Make a submission on the bill by 1.00pm on Monday, 18 August 2025. For more details about the bill:
Scoop
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Last Chance For Hunters To Have Their Say On Big Game Bill
The Game Animal Council (GAC) is calling on hunters to speak up for the future of big game hunting in New Zealand, with submissions on the Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill closing Thursday 24 July. 'This is a crucial moment for New Zealand,' says GAC CEO Corina Jordan. 'The Bill is a major step forward in recognising the value of New Zealand's big game herds and giving them the legal protection they deserve, particularly in areas like national parks where their future is currently under threat and where some of the best hunter-led management is currently occurring. The Bill will allow the Minister for Hunting and Fishing to exempt a Herd of Special Interest from section 4(2)(b) of the National Parks Act, which currently calls for the extermination of all introduced species 'as far as possible'. 'This change would enable management of high-value big game herds, like deer, tahr, and chamois. It would mean that instead of elimination, a proactive and practical approach can be taken, where they are managed for conservation, recreation and economic outcomes. 'It's about taking a balanced and sustainable approach,' Jordan says. 'Hunters have a real chance to shape how New Zealand manages valued introduced species. 'This isn't just a technical legal change. It's about the role of big game animals in our national identity, our recreation and the rural economy. 'Hunters care deeply about these herds, and the environment. It's time to show that by making a submission,' Jordan says. The GAC has published a fact sheet to help hunters understand the Bill and submit before the deadline. Submissions close at 11.59pm on Thursday 24 July. Visit for more information and a step-by-step guide to making a submission. Submissions can be lodged via the Parliament website or by emailing The NZ Game Animal Council is a statutory organisation working to improve the sustainable management of game animals and hunting for recreation, communities, commerce and conservation.
Scoop
22-07-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Putting Patient Need Ahead Of Treaty Ideology
Welcoming the first-reading passage of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Amendment Bill, ACT Health spokesperson Todd Stephenson says: "We fund the health system to deliver services, not ideology. But Labour saddled Health New Zealand with Treaty provisions that effectively divided patients by race and distracted from quality, timely care. "ACT says services should be delivered on the basis of patient need and value-for-money – not race. We scrapped the Māori Health Authority, and now we're patching up the rest of Labour's Treaty-obsessed health reforms. "We're stripping out requirements for health entities to be focused on Māori health outcomes, mātauranga Māori, and 'cultural safety'. These settings have led to compliance nightmares where even Chinese acupuncturists are required to demonstrate expertise in tikanga. "Perhaps most importantly – and incredibly, forgotten by Labour – we're introducing an objective for services to be effective and timely. And we're restoring accountability to taxpayers with a requirement for specific targets in the Government Policy Statement on Health. "Kiwis waiting for a hip operation or stuck in the emergency department don't care whether their practitioner has a tikanga-centric worldview. They just want quality healthcare, quickly. That's what we're delivering."
Scoop
18-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
ASB Declines Settlement Proposal, Class Action Case To Continue
ASB has declined a proposal by plaintiffs to settle the current class action case against the bank. The proposal was announced to media the day before the Select Committee hearings on the CCCFA Amendment Bill. In ASB's view this is an obvious attempt to influence and distract from this process by attempting to reassure Government about the potential risk to New Zealand banks under this piece of law. ASB does not understand the basis for the figures presented in the proposal or consider that they operate as an effective cap on the size of the plaintiffs' claim in the proceeding, including as the proposal is said to expire on 8 August 2025. The settlement offer received provides no certainty to ASB or other banks which may become subject to similar class actions, or to the sector as a whole. ASB Bank Helping you get one step ahead. In 1847, ASB opened as the Auckland Savings Bank with the pledge: 'to serve the community; to grow and to help Kiwis grow'. And that is very much what ASB is about today. ASB is a leading provider of integrated financial services in New Zealand including retail, business and rural banking, funds management and insurance. ASB strives to consistently provide its customers with outstanding service and innovative financial solutions. They're dedicated to providing simple financial products that allow their customers to bank with them how and when they want. We all have our own ways to measure progress, and our own stories about the things that matter to us. Whatever way you choose to measure progress, and whatever your goals, ASB is there to help you get one step ahead.
