Luxon also acknowledged the Government \u201cmade a mistake\u201d with its wording of the Conservation Amendment Bill, after Conservation Minister Tama Potaka announced he had scrapped controversial clauses amid a public outcry.<\/p>\n
He said the removal of the disposal and exchange clauses from the bill followed a \u201cpretty clear message from the public\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ended up with a bill that didn\u2019t reflect the intentions of what we were saying. People thought we were going to sell off national parks and iconic stuff. It\u2019s not like that at all,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But Luxon insisted Potaka was doing \u201ca really good job\u201d and on the whole the bill was a good one.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously what we intended was, DOC ends up inheriting a whole bunch of crap land from time to time\u2026It ends up in the DOC estate [and] of course it\u2019s got no material value whatsoever.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the idea was to dispose of that stuff so you can actually get revenue in and spend it in other parts of the DOC estate.\u201d<\/p>\n
However the Government had gotten the language wrong, meaning that \u201crightly or wrongly\u201d the public didn\u2019t have confidence in the bill.<\/p>\n
Asked if that showed bad governance, Luxon said \u201cwe made a mistake\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s as simple as that and I don\u2019t get too hung up on the fact we admit them and if we make them, we correct them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luxon kicked off the week with his regular media rounds as electioneering ramped up, with Labour and Act kicking off their official campaigns over the weekend.<\/p>\n
It came as the left bloc continued to climb in the polls<\/a>, while Opportunity \u2013 formerly TOP \u2013 was polling above 4%, raising questions around where the party would fit in any negotiations if it made it into Parliament.<\/p>\n National\u2019s newest election promise \u2013 low-interest loans to help property owners install solar \u2013 has been largely welcomed by other parties.<\/p>\n The \u201chome energy fund\u201d<\/a> announced last Thursday would let property owners secure loans against their property to be paid off through their rates over 10 years. Installation of rooftop solar and batteries, heat pumps, insulation and efficient electric appliances would all be covered.<\/p>\n Planning rules would also be removed to make installation simpler, Local Government and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said.<\/p>\n Last week also saw a backdown from National over its Conservation Amendment Bill, with the minister, Tama Potaka, scrapping controversial clauses<\/a> which would have allowed land to be exchanged or disposed of following a public outcry.<\/p>\n Labour held its two-day annual conference in Wellington on the weekend, with members reportedly optimistic about the party\u2019s chances in November following polls showing the left bloc could win.<\/p>\n Core messaging focused on a need for Kiwis to get a \u201cfair go\u201d and rhetoric about New Zealand being broken.<\/p>\n The party also announced it would expand the apprenticeship subsidy for employers to two years and widen eligibility, if reelected.<\/p>\n National\u2019s coalition partner, Act, also kicked off its campaign in Auckland, announcing Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee would replace outgoing MP Brooke van Velden as deputy leader.<\/p>\n A small group of pro-Palestinian protesters<\/a> outside managed to make themselves heard during the 90-minute rally.<\/p>\n Last week also saw revelations of two complaints from women making historic sexual allegations against Police Commissioner Richard Chambers<\/a>.<\/p>\n