Latest news with #McClay
Scoop
2 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
McClay To Champion NZ's Trade Interests At OECD And In Brussels
Press Release – New Zealand Government Minister for Trade and Investment Todd McClay will travel to Europe to advance New Zealands trade interests. McClay will attend meetings in Switzerland, Paris, and Brussels with various trade ministers and commissioners. Minister for Trade and Investment Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Europe this weekend to advance New Zealand's trade and investment interests Minister McClay will visit Switzerland, Paris and Brussels for high level ministerial and business meetings. In Switzerland he will attend the first in person meeting of a new pro-trade group with ministers from UAE, Singapore and Switzerland where he will focus on removing trade barriers and the promotion of paperless trade. In Paris he will attend the annual OECD Trade Ministers, a CPTPP ministers discussion, ACCTs Ministers meeting, and a WTO Mini Ministerial meeting. He will also hold discussions with ministers from Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, USA. He will also undertake a bilateral French programme and meet the French Minister responsible for Trade. In Brussels Mr McClay will hold talks with EU Commissioner for Trade, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, and EU Vice President responsible for sustainability. He will also speak at an event to mark the first year of the NZ EU FTA. 'One in four Kiwi jobs depend on Trade, and strong trade relationships mean more opportunities for New Zealander. The Government's is committed to the ambitious goal of doubling exports by value in the next ten years to deliver higher paying jobs for all New Zealanders,' Mr McClay says.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
McClay To Champion NZ's Trade Interests At OECD And In Brussels
Minister for Trade and Investment Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Europe this weekend to advance New Zealand's trade and investment interests Minister McClay will visit Switzerland, Paris and Brussels for high level ministerial and business meetings. In Switzerland he will attend the first in person meeting of a new pro-trade group with ministers from UAE, Singapore and Switzerland where he will focus on removing trade barriers and the promotion of paperless trade. In Paris he will attend the annual OECD Trade Ministers, a CPTPP ministers discussion, ACCTs Ministers meeting, and a WTO Mini Ministerial meeting. He will also hold discussions with ministers from Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, USA. He will also undertake a bilateral French programme and meet the French Minister responsible for Trade. In Brussels Mr McClay will hold talks with EU Commissioner for Trade, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, and EU Vice President responsible for sustainability. He will also speak at an event to mark the first year of the NZ EU FTA. 'One in four Kiwi jobs depend on Trade, and strong trade relationships mean more opportunities for New Zealander. The Government's is committed to the ambitious goal of doubling exports by value in the next ten years to deliver higher paying jobs for all New Zealanders,' Mr McClay says.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Councillors split over Te Mana o te Wai
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) has welcomed consultation on national freshwater policies, but some councillors pushed back against Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, who said previous provisions had been weaponised "to push ideology over common sense". Mr McClay and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard yesterday declared consultation open on the review and replacement of national freshwater policies. A key aspect of the changes proposed is "rebalancing" Te Mana o te Wai provisions, which in the present national policy statement for freshwater management include a "hierarchy of obligations" in which the health of a waterway is prioritised over the value water has for potential use. Mr McClay said proposed changes to the national freshwater direction were a key step toward "restoring balance" in how freshwater was managed across the country and "ensuring the interests of all water users, including farmers, growers, and rural communities" were properly reflected. "Farmers aren't asking for a free pass — they're asking for a fair go. "We won't stand by while councils weaponise Te Mana o te Wai, to push ideology over common sense. "It must reflect the importance of freshwater to all New Zealanders." The ministers' statement noted the government's "decisive intervention" last year when it blocked the Otago Regional Council from pushing ahead with its land and water plan ahead of the reforms now under way. Council chairwoman Cr Gretchen Robertson said having clarity around national freshwater policies was "crucial for Otago" and at present the council was stuck with an outdated plan. "On the suggestion that the council has 'weaponised' Te Mana o te Wai, I firmly reject the claim. "Te Mana o te Wai is embedded in current government regulation — we didn't invent it. "We simply do our job under the law and direction of the government of the day." Cr Tim Mepham said the government's "aversion to the influence of Māori culture within legislation" was evident in Mr McClay's statement. "If Te Mana O Te Wai had been referred to in English as 'the authority of water' and the principles were identified as maintaining healthy waterways and ensuring water was drinkable, then would he refer to it as an ideology?" Cr Elliot Weir said if the ministers truly believed the ORC was pushing ideology over common sense, it did not "bode well for where reforms to environmental policy [would] land." It was the delay in implementing the council's land and water plan that had "brought confusion", Cr Alan Somerville said. It was good to see progress on the reform of the Resource Management Act and freshwater management, Cr Lloyd McCall said. "A simplified targeted approach that avoids red tape, if done well, will enable landowners and the environment to work together for their mutual benefit." Cr Andrew Noone said the council had developed its land and water plan using Te Mana o Te Wai as a fundamental concept. "In a nutshell, the concept requires adherence to a hierarchy of obligations that prioritises the health and wellbeing of freshwater over human or commercial activities such as using or modifying a water body. "It's a very high bar to meet, in my view creating a wetland would be one of the few activities that would be consistent with the number one obligation or priority in [Te Mana o Te Wai]." Cr Michael Laws said the minister's criticism was "valid". "A number of councillors warned the ORC of the unnecessary cost and duplication of planning, but we were not heeded." Cr Gary Kelliher also "completely agreed" with the criticism. "ORC wants two things under the [shelved] draft plan, minimise resource use to the utmost, which of course then totally stymies any improvement to our economy, and secondly, for the minimal resources ORC was prepared to make available, primary sectors needed to reconsent almost continually, under very short consent durations and always at risk of losing the consent. "It's utterly ridiculous and I am very hopeful these new actions from government will result in clear messages to regional councils to back off and become more realistic in resource management." Council chief executive Richard Saunders said council staff welcomed the consultation. "We look forward to working with our councillors to participate in the consultation process as well as considering what the next steps will be in the development of Otago's long overdue land and water plan."
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Government Launches Consultation On Freshwater National Direction
Press Release – New Zealand Government This is a key step toward restoring balance in how freshwater is managed across the country and ensuring the interests of all water users, including farmers, growers, and rural communities, are properly reflected, Mr McClay says. Minister of Agriculture Hon Andrew Hoggard Associate Minister for the Environment The Government has today opened public consultation on options to reform New Zealand's freshwater national direction Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard announced today. National direction refers to rules and policies sitting under the Resource Management Act (RMA) that inform how councils develop and implement local plans and rules. The Government is today releasing three discussion documents proposing amendments to 12 different instruments and the introduction of four new instruments, centred on three packages: infrastructure and development, the primary sector and freshwater. 'This is a key step toward restoring balance in how freshwater is managed across the country and ensuring the interests of all water users, including farmers, growers, and rural communities, are properly reflected,' Mr McClay says. This move follows the Government's decisive intervention in 2024 to stop the Otago Regional Council from pushing ahead with a freshwater plan that would have imposed unnecessary costs and uncertainty on rural landowners. 'Regional councils must work within national direction that is fit for purpose, not pursue agendas that undermine local economies or the people who rely on the land,' Mr McClay says. 'We're committed to a freshwater system that protects the environment while also supporting the people who feed and grow New Zealand,' Mr Hoggard says. 'The current rules are too complex, too expensive, and too often ignore the practical realities of landowners. We're fixing that.' The consultation proposes replacing the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 and related regulations with a more practical, efficient, and regionally adaptable system. 'The current system's Te Mana o te Wai has caused frustration across rural New Zealand, with some councils applying it in a way that sidelines the very people working to improve water outcomes,' Mr Hoggard says. 'Farmers aren't asking for a free pass – they're asking for a fair go,' Mr McClay says. 'We won't stand by while councils weaponise Te Mana o te Wai, to push ideology over common sense. It must reflect the importance of freshwater to all New Zealanders.' The proposed changes would: Replace the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 and the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater; Give councils greater flexibility to balance environmental goals with economic impacts and allow longer timeframes to reach targets where needed; Remove unnecessary consents for practices like crop rotation and enable commercial domestic vegetable growing; Support long-term water security by enabling water storage; Improve the protection of drinking water sources; and Review and simplify data requirements under synthetic nitrogen fertiliser regulations. These are practical, farmer-focused reforms will restore confidence and reduce red tape, while still delivering environmental gains. 'We've heard from farmers across the country that nationally determined bottom lines are not always appropriate and can be unachievable even in some catchments dominated by native bush. They also take away flexibility from local communities to achieve the environmental outcomes they want,' Mr Hoggard says. 'We're putting outcomes ahead of process and backing rural New Zealand to be part of the solution,' Mr McClay says. Public consultation is now open on the Ministry for the Environment's 'Have Your Say' website and will run until 27 July 2025. Submissions from all New Zealanders are encouraged. This is the first of a two-stage process. Feedback will inform final decisions on what to amend in national direction, with a draft set of proposals to follow later in the year. Notes: Fact sheet attached here: Freshwater consultation package National direction includes national policy statements, environmental standards, and other RMA instruments that guide how regional and local councils manage resources. Updated direction is critical to ensure consistent, practical, and efficient freshwater management across New Zealand.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Government Backs Commercial Forestry With Practical Rule Changes
Press Release – New Zealand Government Public consultation opens this week on proposed amendments to the National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF), aimed at restoring national consistency and protecting the sectors right to operate. Minister of Forestry The Government is taking firm action to ensure commercial forestry – one of New Zealand's most productive and sustainable export sectors – is not stifled by red tape and inconsistent council rules Minister of Forestry Todd McClay announced today. Public consultation opens this week on proposed amendments to the National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF), aimed at restoring national consistency and protecting the sector's right to operate. 'Our fibre sector – from forestry to wood processors – plays a crucial role in New Zealand's economy, particularly in regional communities,' Mr McClay says. 'These changes are about getting foresters and wood processors back in the driver's seat and stopping councils from using their plans to rewrite the rules on forestry through the back door.' The current NES-CF was designed to provide a nationally consistent framework for managing the environmental effects of plantation forestry. However, recent changes have allowed councils to bypass that intent by imposing more stringent rules without justification – a trend that is now undermining investment and confidence in the sector. Key proposed changes include: Clarifying regulation 6(1)(a) to tighten the conditions under which a council can impose rules that are more stringent than national direction. Repealing regulation 6(4A), which currently gives councils broad discretion to override the NES-CF for afforestation without justification. Strengthening slash management by requiring a Slash Mobilisation Risk Assessment as part of all harvest management plans, and considering refining requirements to remove all slash above a certain size from forest cutovers. Tidying up the NES-CF with minor amendments to remove duplication and improve clarity for foresters and councils alike. 'We are hearing loud and clear from the forestry sector – and from regional New Zealand – that the current rules aren't working,' Mr McClay says. 'Too many councils are starting to use vague discretion to block or delay forestry operations that meet national environmental standards. That's not what the system was designed for, so we're fixing it.' The forestry sector has been vocal about the need for a consistent regulatory environment that enables long-term planning and sustainable growth. These proposed changes are intended to support that vision while still managing environmental risks, including from storm events and slash. 'This Government backs the fibre sector – and that means making sure regulation is clear, practical, and nationally consistent,' Mr McClay says. 'Whether you're planting trees, harvesting them, or processing them into world-leading products, you shouldn't be subject to a different set of rules just because of which council you happen to fall under.' Consultation on the proposed changes to the NES-CF is now open via the Ministry for the Environment's website and will run until 27 July 2025. Note: The National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF) set consistent baseline environmental rules for plantation forestry across New Zealand. The Government is proposing targeted amendments to restore national consistency, support forestry productivity, and improve slash management.
