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Greens: Double funding to DOC

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Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:19a.m.

The Greens want to introduce more pest controls measures, including self-setting possum traps

The Greens want to introduce more pest controls measures, including self-setting possum traps

By Dan Satherley and Lloyd Burr

The Greens have released their conservation policy, which includes massive funding boosts for The Department of Conservation and pest control.

"The Green Party loves New Zealand's unique animals, plants and ecosystems and will protect them," says conservation spokesperson Kevin Hague.

"Not because we can make a profit from them, but because they are part of what defines New Zealand."

The party has proposed increasing DOC funding to 1 percent of the total budget, which at the moment would be $820 million. It currently gets $391 million.

This extra funding would be phased in at $79 million a year over six years, after which annual increases would be pegged back to around $30 million.

Also, they would introduce legislation that will give greater power to the Conservation Minister and to DOC to restore threatened species and enforce stiffer penalties for those found killing native species.
Thirdly, the Greens want to introduce more pest controls measures, including self-setting possum traps to protect endangered species. 

They expect around 1400 new jobs would be created from their initiatives. It would be funded through a capital gains tax, raising minimum wage (bringing in more income tax) and a levy on commercial water use.

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Comments

05 Nov 2011 08:40a.m.

atrout wrote:

The photo accompanying the article likes remarkably like Gareth Hughes, complete with the staring contact lenses. Good disguise eh?

04 Nov 2011 01:46p.m.

M1 wrote:

Wait a second. The Greens say that one of the ways they will pay for the new jobs is by raising the minimum wage, and that this will bring in more income tax revenue. But they have also announced that they would introduce a $10,000 income tax free threshold. And that's not even considering the other promises they are making to this group. So how exactly are they going to be bringing in more tax from people on minimum wage than what they are promising in cuts and other incentives? That just doesn't add up.

04 Nov 2011 12:58p.m.

Dodger wrote:

a cannabis pipe dream

04 Nov 2011 12:31p.m.

Hamish wrote:

These jobs could change peoples lives, good policies, we must look to the future and get out of this rut. The disfunctional over-expensive and corrupt corporate model has failed, lets try a change.

04 Nov 2011 12:29p.m.

ninteynine wrote:

@cyril do you realize the benefit creating all those jobs would bring? and what does it matter where the money really comes from. inflation is all around us anyway. every cent is owed to the banks and interest means there is more money owed to the bank than simply can exist. the world is screwed lets try and save what we can.

04 Nov 2011 11:33a.m.

cyril wrote:

Has anyone told these head in the clouds greens that the country is broke. There are a lot more important things requiring funding than the DOC machine and spending money on lost causes.
DOC should have a name change to DOP "department of preservation" as like most enviromental organisations they want to keep the country in a time warp, stopped about 1000 years ago.

04 Nov 2011 11:22a.m.

Damien wrote:

absolutely brilliant of green. creating 1400 jobs could really save the economy when its on the brink of disaster.