While some might disagree, the highlight was — naturally — the Environment portfolio, a pleasant hour for the minister (Invercargill National MP Penny Simmonds) and her shadow counterpart (Dunedin Labour MP Rachel Brooking) to have a cosy chat about the exercising questions concerning our green and pleasant land.
Ms Brooking began with an appeal to save two endangered species, the Environmental Legal Assistance Fund (a contestable fund for court actions) and the Community Environment Fund, which develops local conservation work hubs. It was not good news.
Unperturbed, Ms Brooking tartly fired back — "I ask the minister if there are any environmental priorities of this government and an example might be something that has an environmental benefit or stops the biodiversity decline" — before asking about two more endangered species, the Jobs for Nature scheme, which is about to reach the end of its five-year life, and the Environmental Protection Authority, which has been told to make $4million worth of savings to get back within budget.
Ms Simmonds quickly disposed of Jobs for Nature — "that won’t be continuing. I will note that the previous government had made no provision for the extension of those projects" — before turning to the EPA and, somewhat predictably, finding the previous government at fault there as well.
"I note that they, under the previous government, had a bid in for updating that modelling, and they note that because they’re having to use the old modelling, it does make it more expensive and less accurate and they have to make more conservative decisions," Ms Simmonds said with the sort of explanation guaranteed to rile the Opposition up.
"So I agree that had the previous government agreed to the upgrades of those models, it would have made the process for the EPA much easier."
Hence, another tart rejoinder from Ms Brooking — "My question is: does she accept that she is now the minister and it is now her job to find that money and make the Budget bids?" — bait which Ms Simmonds refused to rise to.
However, she did have a snap at Green MP Steve Abel’s comments on environmental regulations — "... we are to have workable regulations that can genuinely bring about achievement; not greenwashing, not woke aspirations that are never going to get there ..." — a comment which further outraged Ms Brooking.
"I have to say, I’m surprised that the minister is calling regulations made under the Labour government ‘greenwashing’ and ‘woke’, and, I have to say, disappointed that is how the Minister for the Environment sees environmental protections. It is shameful." she thundered, as Ms Simmonds protested in the background that she had said no such thing.
The whole discussion was starting to get rancorous by this point, and it took the unlikely figure of Taieri New Zealand First list MP Mark Patterson to bring some cheerfulness to the debate.
"I raced down here from my office because I heard the minister referencing the catchment group model," he puffed.
"I believe there’s about 290 of them now ... I heard you touched on it before, but I would like to have learnt more because I would like to hear what your vision for them is, going forward, because I think this is a really important development. "
This was no mere patsy: Mr Patterson is a farmer and has been actively involved in his local catchment group.
"Thank you to the member Mark Patterson for that very insightful question," Ms Simmonds replied, "because I love catchment groups. I think they are a wonderful example of grassroots absolutely grabbing hold of the issue and knowing best what needs to be done."
Whether all this questioning aided the nation’s understanding of environmental policy is a moot point, but it did have one positive outcome: giving Ms Brooking a good workout.
"My knees," she exclaimed as she got to her feet once more ... "it’s sad when it is your entire exercise for the day, but there we go."
Have your seat back
As Question Time loomed on Thursday Ms Brooking had the misfortune to be in someone else’s seat as the Speaker’s Parade entered the Chamber.
That meant that she was right beside the Serjeant-at-Arms as he called out "Mr Speaker", a loud announcement which had the Dunedin MP visibly wincing and blocking her ears.
Lack of diversity
Much dismay this week as the New Zealand Parliament wine range was revealed.
No disrespect intended to the fine wines selected, some of which have been sampled and given the Southern Say seal of approval ... the issue is the lack of geographic representation.
There is one wine apiece from North Canterbury, Martinborough and Marlborough and there are four from Hawke’s Bay, but nothing from the great wine region of Central Otago. Surely that is something for local MPs Todd Stephenson and Joseph Mooney to start lobbying on immediately.
