WWF supports reform of the conservation system, but it cannot prioritise commercial use and administrative convenience over environmental protection and Treaty justice.
The biodiversity crisis demands urgent, ambitious, and well-resourced action in order to protect the natural heritage that defines Aotearoa New Zealand.
As currently drafted, the proposal risks enabling weaker protections, diminished public and iwi involvement, and further strain on an already underfunded conservation system.
WWF New Zealand urges the Government to reorient the proposal towards a nature-positive future - one that places biodiversity protection at its core, recognises and honours Māori rights and relationships with conservation land, maintains robust public oversight, and meets our international commitments.