Not to sound like a manipulative TV ad or something, but
There’s a bill about to pass in New Zealand that seriously threatens all national parks and nature reserves.
The bill itself states its purpose is to “loosen existing constraints on exchanging and disposing of Crown-owned conservation land.” If the bill passes, it won’t just allow a few extra resorts to be built. Pay attention to the word “disposing;” this means the sale of land to private buyers, for farmland, mining, or basically whatever they want. It would no longer be protected for conservation, or available as a park to visit. The bill puts the power of sale into the hands of only one person, the Minister, who will be allowed to dispose of the conservation land if:
The land is not important for the conservation of threatened species or threatened ecosystems, and
The vegetation or habitat is not the best, or one of the best examples, of its type within that ecological district's legally protected land.
You would think that would protect everything important, but it doesn’t. That leaves up to 60% of all conservation land in the whole country to be developed. Look at this map:
Nothing is green because literally all of it is up for grabs. The orange just means it’s not able to be outright sold. It can still be developed.
There is no benefit for anyone except those officials at the top who sell the land. NZ residents (and tourists) would no longer be able to access these places without paying, or at all.
If it passes, in the areas not available for sale, the Department of Conservation will also be forced to prioritise economic development over anything else. Which is directly against anything a conservation department should be doing.
Please sign the petition.
You don’t have to be from New Zealand to sign. Time for comments (and listening to petitions) closes ridiculously soon, on 2 July.
The PM is trying to open the door to selling off conservation land. If the wild places of NZ were mined, logged or sold off, we can’t get th
(Literally just copy-and-paste it if you want. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t take long and it needs the numbers.)
I oppose the proposed changes that would make it easier to prioritise economic development on public conservation land and expand the ability to exchange or dispose of conservation land.
I am concerned that the Bill represents a significant shift away from the long-standing principle that conservation land should primarily be managed for conservation purposes. While I support sensible access and recreation opportunities, I do not support creating a broad economic development function that could place commercial interests ahead of environmental protection.
I am particularly concerned about the proposed changes to land exchange and disposal provisions. Public conservation land belongs to all New Zealanders and should not be more easily sold or exchanged unless there is an overwhelming conservation benefit. The proposed tests appear weaker than the current framework and could place significant areas of public conservation land at risk.
New Zealand is already facing biodiversity loss and increasing environmental pressures. This is a time to strengthen protections for conservation land, not weaken them. Once conservation land is disposed of or developed, the loss may be permanent and difficult to reverse.
I ask the Committee to:
Remove or substantially limit the proposed economic development function. Retain strong protections against the sale or exchange of conservation land. Ensure conservation remains the primary purpose of public conservation land. Amend the Bill to strengthen, rather than weaken, long-term protection of New Zealand’s natural heritage.
Thank you for considering my submission.
[ Source: @Moonclouds on Reddit, r/NewZealand, link: https://www.reddit.com/r/newzealand/s/0ymULjcDSj. Permission was given to copy. ]
Also please contact your MP if you can. I’m also finding businesses that rely on nature reserves and letting them know the situation because if they knew they’d probably oppose it too.
YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST the stars have aligned. The trees are masting. About once every 4 years our incredible nocturnal and flightless parrots have their breeding season. The population is heavily managed on a few key offshore islands by specialized rangers, but they get so overwhelmed during these events that they run a program where you can go volunteer on the island for 2 weeks and assist with the more mundane tasks or cooking for the team.
You do not have to be an NZ resident, but you do need a high level of fitness! You have to contribute $300NZD to help with expenses, but get transport to and from the island, food, and accommodation during your stay.
The volunteer roles run for an entire year, so there's lots of time to prepare if you do get picked- ALTHOUGH you only have the next few weeks to apply so shoot your shot now.
Good luck and maybe see you there!
Applications for cook and feed-out volunteer roles for the 2025/26 season are now open.
Applications close on 19 August 2025.
