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Level Environmental playing fields
I do strongly believe in ensuring our environmental position is maintained and improved BUT to then allow goods manufactured with lesser controls without penalty into our country is not a level playing field. If we force a manufacturer to implement controls on their plant in NZ then we should apply tariffs to overseas manufacturers who do not have the same constraints on their manufacturing process. Effectively what we currently do is force "dirty industries" to clean up then hit them with a double whammy that ensures they are not competitive with their dirtier overseas competitors. i.e. the overseas supplier has lower costs because they have not had to spend on emision control this will drive the NZ company offshore and promote less effective environmental controls. This is not really NZ being a good global citizen. I wonder if this is the future for the dairy industry with regard CO2 emissions... (Fontera are already investing overseas) Are we going to penalize the dairy industry to a point where its cheaper to import milk probably from countries where by shutting down coal plants they will be able to offset carbon credits...(we are already importing dutch milk powder). Seems NZ will be penalized in the same way for leading the world in renewable energy i.e. we cant close coal plants..
Do you like this suggestion?
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Frances Palmer commented 2016-11-26 12:28:43 +1300I think the piece we are missing at the moment is providing consumers with info they can use to decide what they do buy (imported or homegrown) Eg. qty of energy used to create goods, qty of water used, ie. environmental cost of producing goods (cheaply), in the case of foods – factually represent nutrient values (not energy), how well are the people producing the goods taken care of (worker income and conditions). Put the ‘production trail/facts’ in the public arena alongside the product and then let consumers decide what they will buy and why. If there is a positive story to tell – NZ businesses will sell more goods internally and by exporting. This trend’s already with us and I like it because it will continue to force businesses of all sizes, to walk the talk on sustainability and social responsibility issues.
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Frances Palmer tagged this with important 2016-11-26 12:28:43 +1300
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james reardon tagged this with essential 2016-11-25 19:43:33 +1300
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Alan Barraclough commented 2016-11-25 17:54:49 +1300Absolutely agree. How can we allow import without penalty from countries producing with no thought for the environment, or with no carbon cost. We need to reassess our trade partners, or apply a carbon tax on import to those countries.
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Alan Barraclough tagged this with essential 2016-11-25 17:54:49 +1300
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Stephen Morgan commented 2016-11-25 16:36:26 +1300International trade is essential to the new Zealand economy but it must be considered alongside fairness , environmental impact and a level playing field and availability of raw materials. I can see no sense exporting our raw materials overseas only to buy them back as a processed unit. Labour rates / green house gases must be considered and allowed for when we import products.
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Stephen Morgan tagged this with essential 2016-11-25 16:36:26 +1300
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Tim O’Donnell commented 2016-11-25 15:51:02 +1300I would suggest bring more attention to the differences in your manufacturing. Use it to your advantage. I don’t believe tariffs are the answer
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Tim O’Donnell tagged this with low priority 2016-11-25 15:51:01 +1300
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