2000 State of the Nation's Environment Address - Marian Hobbs

A new system of environmental reporting to ensure that New Zealand not only lives up to its “clean, green” image but moves towards a more sustainable society has been called for by Environment Minister Marian Hobbs in a State of the Nation's Environment speech at Lincoln University.

Such a reporting system would have sustainability as its core and improve decision-making at the local, regional and national level, she said.

It would be a partnership with local government and iwi; meet the information needs of a wide range of audiences; raise awareness and be an educational tool; and be relevant to the country's urban areas.

Ms Hobbs said the whole community needed to take responsibility for ensuring that the country lived up to its "clean, green" reputation and she believed an environmental reporting system was needed, rather than yet "another report" on the state of the environment.