Rt. Hon. Helen Clark: Meeting the challenge of a truly sustainable New Zealand
The sustainability challenge will be one of the defining global issues of the twenty–first century, and New Zealand must meet that challenge to protect our nation’s unique way of life and our future prosperity. I believe that New Zealand should embrace sustainability as a value and aspire to be the world’s first truly sustainable nation, to protect what we value most both now and in the future. Our economy relies heavily on the environment and the natural and physical resources it provides. New Zealand sells its products into a domestic and global market which puts an increasing premium on goods and services produced in an environmentally and socially responsible way.
Landcare Research and its fellow Crown Research Institutes are well positioned to help New Zealand find smart, innovative solutions to the sustainability challenge – to develop the technologies, skills and knowledge which will both address environmental and social issues, and create opportunities for business to benefit. New Zealand could become a world leader in developing and exporting this knowledge to help other nations deal with the environmental challenges that face the world today. We can already see some of the challenges and opportunities facing us in the immediate future. One of the most pressing and immediate challenges is to address our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions profile. Landcare Research is already a leading provider of carbon footprinting techniques in New Zealand. The government sees Landcare Research as a key partner in supporting key export sectors to understand and lower their emissions profile, to be well positioned to counter the potential threats posed by our distance from the rest of the world, and to take up the opportunities arising from New Zealand’s ability to produce goods and services with a lower carbon footprint than many of our competitors.
Partnerships and a shared understanding of a common goal and values will be central to advancing sustainability in New Zealand. Landcare Research understands the importance of the partnership approach and the need for all to share in the ups and downs of the journey. To be successful in deepening our understanding of what it means to be sustainable, we must reach out to New Zealand’s households and communities as well as to businesses. The government is seeking committed partners to help it improve New Zealanders understanding of the importance and benefits of sustainability, and programmes like Landcare Research’s Five Tonne Challenge provide models well worth considering.
True sustainability requires more than leveraging off good environmental performance for economic advantage. We must also ensure that our society, our culture, and our national identity are fostered and strengthened into the future. To reach the goal of being the first truly sustainable nation, we must all share responsibility for making New Zealand a stronger, cleaner, and more prosperous country.