BayBuzz offers the following information — provided by the candidates — to help inform your candidate vote in this year’s election.
First are responses to five questions BayBuzz put to Labour’s Anna Lorck and National’s Lawrence Yule regarding environment and resource issues. These are followed by links to two-minute campaign videos they have provided.
Tukituki Candidate Environment Responses
- BayBuzz: Do you support enactment of vehicle efficiency standards as a means of mitigating air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions?
Lorck: Yes, we are the only OECD country not to have such standards and I expect the next Labour Government to re-propose them.
Yule: Yes. - BB: Do you support bringing agriculture — NZ’s greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions, specifically methane — into the emissions reduction scheme, with on-farm mitigation required?
Lorck: Farmers have been reducing their emissions, and a combination of regenerative farming practices and technology will enable them to do more. Industry voices like Beef + Lamb say as much. So, yes, agriculture should contribute to the emissions reduction scheme like every other sector – for example, Labour is phasing out industrial coal use.
Yule: Yes but over a realistic timeframe that allows farmers to adapt, including a reassessment of on-farm offset ability. I am also strongly opposed to the offsetting of industrial emissions by forestry which is resulting in many sheep and beef farms being converted to forestry. We are the only country in the world to allow offsetting of this nature. - BB: Do you favour consolidation of Hawke’s Bay’s ‘3 Waters’ management into one regional authority?Lorck: We’ve already announced $50 million in the first tranche for HB, and as the first region, in 3 Waters, demonstrating our commitment to supporting a partnership with the region. Nothing is more important than ensuring water that is safe for drinking and for our environment. But the spending required is enormous and needs to better planned, with costs fairly shared by the entire Hawke’s Bay community.
Yule: Yes I think it appears to make sense but will require agreement from all Councils. - BB: Some would like to resurrect the Ruataniwha Dam. Do you favour that?
Lorck: I support improving water security throughout Hawke’s Bay, including above ground storage, that also improves the environment, with better water conservation by all sectors and farming practices that better retain and use water. The responsibility to deliver a viable plan sits with the regional council and when it does I will be a positive advocate. We must all learn from the failure of Ruataniwha, and I understand that the CHB community is working towards putting forward a far better proposal and I will look at this with an open mind when it is presented.
Yule: I favour water storage and a complete relook of our water storage potential. There are other sites which also need to be considered and National has just announced a $600 million fund to support Water Storage projects. - BB: Do you believe the versatile soils of the Heretaunga Plains have been adequately protected from development over the past decade?
Lorck: No, they have not been, but I expect significant community pressure to come onto HDC to ensure there is no more encroachment onto our fertile plains land. The public will expect change and I will advocate strongly for greater protection. The Labour Government has issued rules aimed at better urban land use planning to help address the issue.
Yule: On balance yes. HPUDS gives the development footprint for the next 30 years. Future urban development should be focused on the hills around the Heretaunga Plains, but the will require a ‘public good’ input from ratepayers to offset the extra infrastructure costs for these areas.
Campaign Videos
Anna Lorck: https://youtu.be/19uxAc9dbAI
Lawrence Yule: https://youtu.be/6JURAIwKIsk