EPA scientist not pushed from job
Former Environment Protection Authority (EPA) chief scientist Dr Jacqueline Rowarth insists she was not pushed out of her job.
Rowarth finished at the government agency on March 2 after 17 months into the role. At the time she said she would do research and project work for the EPA for up to two months after her employment ended.
‘‘It came to an amicable decision - pushing was not the case. I’m on the farm at Tirau, continuing to work on reports for the EPA,’’ she said.
National’s environment spokesman Scott Simpson told Parliament on Thursday that in December associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage had a staff member pass on a critical article about Rowarth to EPA chief executive Alan Freeth.
Sage said that in a regular meeting with Freeth, she had let him know her office had received complaints from the public to Rowarth’s comments in October that irrigation was a ‘‘great boon’’ to the environment.
In a clarifying statement, Sage said it was important the public had confidence in the EPA as an independent organisation that used robust science in its decisions.
‘‘At the normal weekly status meeting with the EPA on November 29 I advised the EPA chief executive that my office had received correspondence expressing concerns about media comments by the chief scientist.
‘‘I was told the matter was in hand.
‘‘There was no substantive discussion.’’
‘‘It would not be appropriate for me as Minister to have discussions about an EPA employee. I did not do that,’’ Sage said.
Rowarth said her comments on irrigation had been related to farming and soil quality, not water.
‘‘I talked about positive things associated with irrigation, such as how it helped improve soils and provide extra income.’’
‘‘It was related to a farm I was looking at which had irrigation and had also built a wetland - you can’t do that without an income stream,’’ Rowarth said.
She said her opponents had taken her comments to mean that irrigation was good for water quality.