“Kiwis care deeply about our conservation land, and thousands made their voices heard over the last week. It’s hugely encouraging to see the Government listen, and this is a real win for everyone in Aotearoa who stood up for nature,” says WWF-New Zealand spokesperson Caitlin Owers.
"But the biggest issue was never just the debate about which ‘bits and bobs' of conservation land could be up for sale. Our major concern lies with the fact this Bill rewrites the Department of Conservation's core purpose to enable development “to the greatest extent practicable”.
“The Government allowed this significant change to be slipped into the Bill at the 11th hour by New Zealand First, without public consultation. It would fundamentally change DOC’s mandate to prioritise development and extractive activities on conservation land and shift the focus away from its core mission of halting and reversing nature loss.
“Over 4,000 of our native species are at risk of extinction and through the backlash to this Bill, New Zealanders have shown us just how central nature is to our identity.
"Forest & Bird and others have done incredible work to mobilise Kiwis on this issue. The Minister has shown today that he’s willing to listen – and we hope he’ll do so again on the Bill’s broader issues.”