Environment Programmes Chopped

So the new government, further endearing itself to the letter-writing Ayn Randians in the audience, has announced major cuts in the Environment Ministry. Initially signalled at being about two dozen jobs gone, but at a meeting of Ministry staff yesterday the message was that up to 86 of the 300 staff would go.
That translates to major cuts to enviro programmes, particularly public recycling bins and a support and advice service for households becoming enviro-friendly. A political point is being made in publicaly repudiating the Labout government initiative to makethe public service move towards carbon neutrality; Nick Smith said “I’ve heard awful stories of senior public servants … spending an hour on how they might reorganise their rubbish.” Well, Nick, those guys must have been morons because I had a desk in the public service when that change came in and the extra demand it placed on workers was about the same as asking people to clean up after themselves when they used the staff kitchen. It was a non-issue in terms of productivity, but it was really important as a proof-of-concept that simple changes in an institution could have big consequences for the enviro footprint. Axing this programme is just petty.
But what scares me the most is this: Prime Minister John Key said yesterday that the Government had its own plans for home insulation and the ministry’s scheme did not fit within that.
Somehow I think this home insulation plan is not going to help NZ improve its shockingly poor housing stock. A huge chunk of NZ’s energy use, and hence its carbon footprint and Kyoto costs, comes from home heating; our housing stock has suffered from decades of poor regulation that means it costs a huge amount to keep an internal temperature at a healthy level. This is a really important issue in terms of health and environment both, and I can’t see any solution springing from the Nat cabinet that will deliver the kind of change we need.
Overall, things do not look promising for us, environment-wise. How unfortunate that our major trading partners finally start getting their acts together in this area just as we start to tear up the work we’ve already done.