Federated Farmers is renewing its call for Greenpeace to be stripped of its charitable status immediately, following the extreme activist group’s latest illegal publicity stunt.

"Greenpeace need to be held accountable for their repeated illegal activity and the spread of harmful misinformation," Southland Federated Farmers president Jason Herrick says.

"How can they be recognised as a charity when they’re breaking all kinds of laws trespassing on private property, vandalising public property, and intimidating the community?

"Last night’s vandalism of the world-famous trout statue in Gore reinforces why these activists need to lose their status as a charity. I think it’s a total abuse of charitable status."

Herrick says Greenpeace’s vandalism of the statue and welcome sign is a shameless attempt to divide the small rural community and spread anti-farming propaganda.

"These activists are total cowards who are slinking around in the shadows vandalising property under the cover of darkness," Herrick says.

"There’s a reason they’ve done this at night. They knew it was dodgy behaviour - and that they’d never get away with it in Gore during daylight hours.

"We’re a tight-knit community down here in Southland. Farming plays a huge role in not only our local economy, but in our social fabric too.

"There’s no way we’re going to put up with this nonsense. Greenpeace should hang their heads in shame."

In April, Federated Farmers called for the Government to immediately strip Greenpeace of its charitable status after the group’s illegal occupation of Port Taranaki.

Charitable status in New Zealand is intended to support organisations that advance public benefit through education, relief of poverty, and other recognised charitable purposes.

Under the Charities Act, organisations must operate for the public good and not primarily serve political or advocacy purposes.

Herrick says he sees Greenpeace’s ongoing illegal activity as clear evidence that it no longer meets these criteria for charitable status.

"There are plenty of amazing, honest charities doing fantastic work out there - but Greenpeace is not one of them.

"It’s become little more than an extreme activist group that’s disrupting legitimate businesses and spreading harmful misinformation - repeatedly and deliberately."

Federated Farmers lodged a formal complaint with Charities Services in April, requesting a formal inquiry into Greenpeace’s conduct and eligibility for charitable status.

A copy was also sent to Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Hon Louise Upston and Minister of Internal Affairs Hon Brooke van Velden.

The complaint focuses on Greenpeace’s repeated involvement in premeditated unlawful protest activity.

That includes the 2024 protest at Fonterra’s Te Rapa dairy factory where seven individuals were arrested, and last year’s occupation of Straterra's Wellington office, where five were arrested during a staged lockdown.

"We urge Charities Services to act decisively on our existing complaint and strip Greenpeace of its charitable status quickly," Herrick says.

"I can’t see any way they meet the requirements for registration under the Charities Act 2005.

"Hardworking Kiwi taxpayers should not be forced to subsidise their illegal attacks and extremist political agendas through tax breaks for their donors.

"Law-breaking groups cannot hide behind charitable privileges while threatening livelihoods with misinformation about farming."

Herrick says it’s not just Greenpeace that needs to be held accountable for how it’s operating as a charity.

"I think Charities Services and the Government need to be held accountable too and answer some tough, but fair, questions about how this rort of the rules is being allowed to continue.

"There is absolutely no way Greenpeace should be allowed to constantly break the law and still be recognised as a charity."

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