I worked for many years as a lawyer and businessman before being elected to parliament in 2002. From 2005 to 2008 I was Minister of Energy and Climate Change. My biggest achievements were the introduction of the emission trading system to incentivise the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (by requiring the emitter to pay), and advances in energy efficiency and renewable energy. The ETS was described by many as the most significant environmental reform in decades and was why the Listener nominated me as top environmentalist of 2008.

More generally, I dislike the huge gap between the wealthy and the poor seen in so many overseas countries and am determined to prevent those extremes in New Zealand.

I believe in policies which give every child the opportunity to maximise their potential, irrespective of the wealth of their parents.

This requires a successful and open trading economy which in turn, via taxes, enables New Zealand to fund quality health and education services for everyone.

Schools and hospital services should be state funded, publicly owned, and not privatised. This has worked well for generations in New Zealand and should not be undermined.

The last Labour government was a very good manager of the economy. We substantially reduced government debt and unemployment. Tax cuts were focused on low and middle income families, so fewer children were living in deprivation. Education and health services were improved for all New Zealanders. Crime rates went down. Individuals, families and communities prospered. For the first time in two decades the gap between the rich and the poor narrowed.

The world has serious environmental problems – climate change, air pollution, over-fishing, desertification, declining fresh-water quality, overpopulation and deforestation. We are blessed with a wonderful natural environment in New Zealand. If New Zealand cannot get it right on these issues, then there is little hope the world will. We can and we must improve our environmental performance. In my view, New Zealand’s two most pressing environmental problems are the sorry state of our rivers – many of which are now too polluted to swim in – and our greenhouse gas emissions. A combination of stricter regulation of polluters and requiring polluters to pay is needed to give those who are polluting the rules and economic incentive to clean up.

There is always more to be done to achieve a fair society and sustainable environment and I for one will continue to strive towards these goals.

Contact details:

Parliamentary office
Phone: 04 817 8280
Fax: 04 439 6482
Email: david.parker@parliament.govt.nz