Environmental needs in report for Ministers

Press, 15 December 1987, Page 6

Environmental needs in report for Ministers

Environmental needs and the best ways to meet these are addressed in the report for the Ministers of the Environment by the Environmental Council. The council released its report yesterday after its discussion paper, “A citizen’s voice for the environment: is there a need for an environmental quango?” which was released in August. Greater respect for the environment, strengthening of the Maori-Pakeha partnership for the environment, and constitutional needs were the three most important

needs identified by the council, said the chairman, Dr John Hayward. That included the right of citizens to be involved in policy development and mechanisms to ensure that power was not abused, he said. Mr Hayward said the present council “with user pays and a small budget” was not appropriate for the future. The council was formed in 1970 to provide the Minister for the Environment with independent policy advice on general environmental issues.

The council had for some time been concerned about the lack of resources available to it, and its performance had been very dependent on the voluntary work of its members, said Dr Hayward. Two options have been put forward by the council — an advanced environmental quango with adequate funding, or very substantial direct funding of the environmental movement. Dr Hayward said that 89 per cent of the submissions favoured an environmental quango.