Last year, Lindsay Gow retired from his position as Deputy Secretary of the Ministry for the Environment after more than two decades leading environmental policy work in New Zealand. envirohistory NZ asked Lindsay to share his thoughts on how New Zealanders’ attitudes towards the environment and environmental issues have changed over this period:
The first change has been in public and political opinion.
20 years and more ago environmental policy was very much the junior partner in the both government and public eyes. Although the establishment of the Ministry for the Environment and the Department of Conservation came out of a reaction to the rapacious “think big” developments, it was not easy to get policy issues and ideas launched. We found that the onus of proof was against, not in favour of environmental protection. (more…)
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March 31, 2010
Lindsay Gow: two decades of environmental policy – then and now
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: 100% Pure NZ, 1980s, agricutural run off, biodiversity, clean green NZ, Department of Conservation, environmental policy, estuarine ecosystem, government, Lindsay Gow, Ministry for the Environment, Pauatahanui inlet, pollution, siltation, Think Big era |1 Comment
Last year, Lindsay Gow retired from his position as Deputy Secretary of the Ministry for the Environment after more than two decades leading environmental policy work in New Zealand. envirohistory NZ asked Lindsay to share his thoughts on how New Zealanders’ attitudes towards the environment and environmental issues have changed over this period:
The first change has been in public and political opinion.
20 years and more ago environmental policy was very much the junior partner in the both government and public eyes. Although the establishment of the Ministry for the Environment and the Department of Conservation came out of a reaction to the rapacious “think big” developments, it was not easy to get policy issues and ideas launched. We found that the onus of proof was against, not in favour of environmental protection. (more…)
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