Forest & Bird says the Government’s Conservation Act Land Management Bill, expected to be introduced to Parliament shortly, is the most damaging step so far against Aotearoa New Zealand’s public conservation land.

“These aren’t just technical law changes. They strike at something deeply held by New Zealanders – that conservation land should belong to everyone and be protected for those who come after us,” says Richard Capie, Group Manager, Conservation Policy and Advocacy.

“Once public conservation land is gone, it’s gone forever. These are decisions future generations can’t undo,” says Mr Capie.

The Bill would allow land exchange or disposals across millions of hectares of public conservation land. It also concentrates decision-making power with Ministers and reduces independent and public oversight, removing critical checks and balances.

“These places are the treasured icons of Aotearoa. It’s our mountain peaks, rainforests, wetlands, and wild rivers that shape our identity. It’s also often your neighbourhood reserve, riverside, or local sand dunes – lands that belong to all of us, where you might swim, fish, or spend time with your whānau,” says Chelsea McGaw, Forest & Bird spokesperson.

“These reforms are about making it easier to sell off, privatise, and destroy public conservation land, bargaining it away behind closed doors without public scrutiny.”

Documents proactively released under the Official Information Act by the Department of Conservation show that the Government would soon be able to sell land such as beech forest in Lewis Pass, podocarp forest on the West Coast, or high-country tussock. Some of this has recently come to DOC through the tenure review process, which assessed conservation values.

“This legislation compounds a worrying pattern of decisions that make it easier to damage or destroy nature,” says Ms McGaw. “It’s death by a thousand cuts for our special wild places."

Recent changes have allowed mines to destroy wetlands, fasttracked developments to bypass environmental laws, and climate and biodiversity safeguards to be rolled back. The recent Crown Land Legislation Amendment Bill, accepted into Parliament in April, will also enable a broader range of activities and make it easier to reclassify and dispose of public land.

Groups, such as Conservation Boards – who represent community voices, local knowledge, and mana whenua perspectives – will only get an opportunity to comment or submit on critical area management plans alongside the public.

“They are there to make sure decisions about public land are not made solely by Ministers of the day," says Ms McGaw.

“Public conservation land is part of our national identity, it belongs to everyone and should be protected and accessible for those who are still to come. Future generations deserve to inherit a country abundant in wild places, clean rivers, and native plants and animals.”

Notes:

• Along with many other organisations, Forest & Bird submitted against the Government’s proposed Modernising Conservation Land Management proposal in February 2025.
• Documents proactively released by DOC under the OIA include advice on a test to use for disposal of public conservation land, with examples of land this would enable disposal of in paragraph 13.

© Scoop Media