ministry for the environment

Federated Farmers says it's concerned about the Ministry for the Environment handing out money to encourage participation in reform of the Resource Management Act.

The advocacy group claims it's been offered $600,000 over three years to fund submissions and appearances at hearings.

Spokesperson Mark Hooper says it's a high price tag and the timing doesn't make sense.

"Why try and push this through in the six-week leadup to a general election, when we know that there's opposition parties that are talking about repealing some of these reforms?"

The Ministry has been approached for comment.

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Federated Farmers says it's concerned about the Ministry for the Environment handing out money to encourage participation in reform of the Resource Management Act.

The advocacy group claims it's been offered $600,000 over three years to fund submissions and appearances at hearings.

Spokesperson Mark Hooper says it's a high price tag and the timing doesn't make sense.

"Why try and push this through in the six-week leadup to a general election, when we know that there's opposition parties that are talking about repealing some of these reforms?"

The Ministry has been approached for comment.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A freshwater scientist says it's impossible for New Zealand to maintain its dairying practices and clean up rivers.

The latest report by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ reveals 45 percent of the nation's rivers are too polluted to swim in.

Two thirds of native birds living near rivers are at risk of extinction and 45 percent of lakes are now more polluted than a decade ago.

Victoria University's Mike Joy says freshwater just cannot handle the pressure it's under.

"Dairy farming in most of the country is that pollution event that we allowed to happen full-time."

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The Environment Ministry has been criticised for spending $913,000 on flights over an 11 month period.

They also spent a further $97,225 on taxis, shuttles and Ubers, with only $251 being spent on public transport.

ACT have labelled this spending as outrageous and hypocritical and MP Simon Court said the Ministry should be leading Kiwis by example.

Barry Soper, ZB's senior political correspondent says the Environment Ministry should be directing their staff to follow their website's own advice and travel sustainably. 

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