The Government's Budget has been met with mixed reaction from environmental groups and criticised for its lack of targeted climate change spend.
Budget 2020 set aside $1.1 billion for environmental jobs, expected to create 11,000. Of that, $433 million is for new jobs in regional environmental projects, $315 million for bio-security, including weed and pest control, $200 million for the Department of Conservation's nature fund and $154 million for new jobs enhancing biodiversity on public and private land.
"It will enable people who have been displaced in the tourism industry, for example, to use their skills they've got in working with people and organising logistics in these nature-based jobs," Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said.
"It's not just killing possums and pulling weeds, but also killing wallabies."
"I am confident we can get thousands of New Zealanders working in nature, safeguarding their livelihood and providing major benefits for nature."
But they’re not jobs that everyone is suited for, some experts warn. (Source: Other)
The funding was welcomed by some environmental groups, but was met with scepticism by others.
Chief executive Ed Chignell of Predator Free 2050, which is receiving an extra $76 million, said the "stimulus will help take the national predator free effort to the next level".
Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague said "a big $20b question remains about whether the rest of New Zealand’s Covid response will deliver economic transformation for the people and planet".
Twenty billion dollars has been set aside from the $50 billion Covid-19 fund, yet to be spent.
"One billion dollars on environmental jobs pales in comparison with an as yet unallocated $20b infrastructure fund,” Mr Hague said.
"The unspent Covid recovery funding needs to deliver nature-friendly infrastructure that cuts New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions and delivers a transformation of fishing, farming, and forestry into a genuinely sustainable primary sector."
He said there was "very little detail" in Budget 2020 on specific climate investment.
Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman said of Budget 2020's allocation, "you’d be forgiven for thinking that the climate crisis was no longer with us".
"Unfortunately there’s only loose change from [Finance Minister] Grant Robertson’s pocket to address our most pressing existential challenge - climate change.
"The Finance Minister talked about Covid-19 being a one in a hundred year threat, but climate change is the threat that will decide if we have another hundred years on this planet.
"When he starts allocating that remaining pot of $20b, Mr Robertson and the Government will need to focus on the future and the main threat to our existence - the climate and ecological crises."
Climate Change Minister James Shaw said the funding "will not only help restore our natural landscapes, native bush, waterways and coast, it will give thousands of people access to well-paid work so they can continue to provide for their families".
When asked about the lack of targeted climate change spending in Budget 2020, Mr Shaw said it would benefit through improving forests.
"The $1.1 billion going into restoring out wetlands, restoring our biodiversity will leave healthier forests and will lead to soaking up more carbon dioxide emissions."
Mr Shaw also said improvement to infrastructure could see it built in a way "that reduces our emissions over time and make us more resilient to climate change".
He then said there were more decisions to be made, hinting funding for tackling climate change could be on the way.
"Cabinet hasn't made a decision about that but that is the direction of travel.
"We've kept some money in the kitty... but we simply haven't made a set of decisions yet about how we will do that. You've got to remember this Budget was put together in eight weeks' time."
SHARE ME