Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
Aotearoa New Zealand likes to sell itself as clean and green. We have the NZ Forest Ac-
cord to protect native forests. National parks and reserves now cover a third of the
country. Marine reserves continue to pop up around the coast. Our antinuclear legis-
lation seems unassailable. A closer look, however, reveals a dirtier picture.
NZ is one of the highest per-capita emitters of greenhouse gases. We are one of the
most inefficient users of energy in the developed world. Public transport is negligible
in most places. Add the ongoing battle in many communities to stop the pumping of
sewage and toxic waste into waterways, a conflict often spearheaded bytangata
whenua(Maori), and the 'clean and green' label looks a bit tarnished.
One of our challenges is that our biggest polluting sector is also our biggest export
earner. Pastoral farming causes half of our greenhouse-gas emissions. Clearing
forests to grow cows and sheep has left many hillsides scoured by erosion. Grazing
animals damage stream edges and lake margins, and farm run-off has left many wa-
terways unsafe for swimming or drinking. The worse culprit is dairy farming, and while
regional councils and farming groups are fencing and planting stream banks to pro-
tect water quality, their efforts are outstripped by the sheer growth in dairying. Mean-
while, governments are reluctant to take on the powerful farming lobby.
Our other major challenge is around mining and drilling. The state-owned company
Solid Energy plans to expand coalmining on the West Coast and convert lignite (the
dirtiest form of coal) into fertiliser and diesel. The government is also encouraging
overseas companies to prospect for offshore oil in what would be some of the deepest
and most difficult waters for drilling in the world. Once again localiwi(tribes) such as
Te Whanau a Apanui are in the front lines alongside environmental groups like Green-
peace, fighting to prevent the marine ecosystems of the East Coast being put at risk.
Despite these things, NZ has some good things going on. A high proportion of our
energy is from renewable sources. Farm animals, except for pigs and chickens, are
mostly grass fed and free range. We are getting better with waste minimisation and re-
source recovery. Like most countries, though, we need to make a stronger effort to
develop not just sustainable, but regenerative economic systems.
Our biggest saving grace is our small population. As a result, Aotearoa is a place
well worth visiting. This is a beautiful land with enormous geographical and ecological
diversity. Our forests are unique and magnificent, and the bird species that evolved in
response to an almost total lack of mammalian life are spectacular, although now re-
duced in numbers from introduced predators such as rats, stoats and hedgehogs.
Visitors who want to help protect our ecological integrity can make the biggest im-
pact by asking questions of their hosts: every time you ask where the recycling centre
is; every time you question wasteful energy use, car use and water use, and every time
you ask for organic or free-range food at a cafe or restaurant, you affect the person
you talk to.
