Environment Ministry details likely soon

Press, 13 November 1985, Page 7

Environment Ministry details likely soon

Details of the new environment administration are likely to be announced next month, according to the Minister for the Environment, Mr Marshall. It was intended to have the administration “up and running” by April 1 next year, Mr Marshall said during a visit to the Environment Centre in Christchurch yesterday. “These details will be about the new Ministry of Environment and Conservation Department, the new corporation and the Commission for the Environment,” he said. “I am hopeful that the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, will announce the new Minister of Conservation by the end of this year.” Mr Marshall said he expected that the new Department of Conservation would have about 120 staff, mainly drawn from present staff in the Lands and Survey Department, Wildlife Service, and the Commission for the Environment.

“People from any background can apply for the

jobs. We do not want the appointments to be an exercise in feeling sorry for people who might be displaced in other Government jobs.”

The Ministry of the Environment and Department of Conservation should be dispersed throughout the regions, he said. This could include the appointment of an environment officer to main centres such as Christchurch.

Mr Marshall said he wanted public participation in decision-making by the Environment Ministry. He also wanted to be sure that the social impact of economic developments was assessed, and not just the impact on the physical resources.

“I am cautiously optimistic that we will have legislation to make it mandatory for other departments to check some things with the Ministry before making final development decisions.”

Parliament had only nine days left before the end of March to debate such legis-

lation. The Government intended to have the Ministry and Department of Conservation up and running by April 1 next year, Mr Marshall said. “I don’t expect the Treasury to have an undue influence on funding for the new environment administration. Cabinet members make these funding decisions,” he said.

The co-ordinator for the Environment Centre in Christchurch, Ms Lee Cookson, told Mr Marshall that without more funds the centre would survive but not be able to improve its work with new projects. “Our grant from the Environment Council this year of $2500 is down on last year’s $3OOO grant, and we really need about $lO,OOO to supplement our other sources of income,” she said.

Mr Marshall said that he was considering establishing an annual funds allocation to environment centres from the general budget for the new Ministry of the Environment.