New Zealand's 'Clean And Green' Image Worth Billions - Report

New Zealand’s clean green image could be worth billions of dollars in export earnings, Environment Minister Marian Hobbs said today.

"New Zealand's on-going export success depends on us living up to our marketing claims and the perceptions that lie behind people's interest in our products," she added, commenting on a report released today by the Ministry for the Environment. "We must all do more to make a clean, green New Zealand a reality if we are to protect and promote our highly valuable image."

The 144 page report, produced by PA Consulting Group and commissioned by the Ministry for the Environment, looks at three key export sectors and puts a dollar value on New Zealand’s clean green image. Sectors included in the study were tourism and the dairy and organics industries.

The report, based on a series of consumer surveys, found 'that our clean green image does have a significant export value and our environmental image is a key driver of the value of goods and services in the international market place.'

Marian Hobbs said a substantial percentage of New Zealand's income and employment depends on agriculture, horticulture and tourism. They in turn depend, to some extent, on people wanting to buy products produced in a clean and healthy environment.

She described the report as a wake-up call to everyone to do more to protect the environment or face the consequences.

"Overall, if New Zealand were to damage its clean green image, it would have a huge effect on our economy," Marian Hobbs said. "Positioning New Zealand to take maximum advantage of its clean green image and underpinning that image with clean green 'reality', will not only benefit New Zealanders' quality of life, but will have clear, long-term economic benefits."

The report and a summary are available on the Ministry for the Environment website: www.mfe.govt.nz

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