Lack of any real funding in predator free proposal

new-zealand-labour-party

Mon Jul 25 2016 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Lack of any real funding in predator free proposal

Monday, 25 July 2016, 4:52 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Nanaia Mahuta
MP for Hauraki-Waikato
Conservation Spokesperson
MEDIA STATEMENT

25 July 2016

Lack of any real funding in predator free proposal

Predator Free New Zealand is a laudable idea but the Government has not committed any real money into killing New Zealand’s pests, says Labour’s Conservation spokesperson Nanaia Mahuta.

“The $28 million earmarked for this project is just to set up a PPP, as yet there is not a single dollar to actually kill any possums, stoats or rats.

“The only promise is that the Government will ‘look’ to contribute one dollar for every two dollars from councils and the private sector.

“This lack of long term funding to kill our millions of pests has to be considered alongside years of funding cuts that have blunted the work of the Department of Conservation.

“Predators cause $3.3 billion worth of damage a year and 25 million native birds are killed. So far John Key’s promise just smacks of tokenism,” says Nanaia Mahuta

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