Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has announced the controversial exchange and disposal provisions for conservation land will be dropped from the Conservation Amendment Bill.
The minister said he never intended to dispose of vast swathes of the conservation estate, but acknowledged the public outcry over the bill. He took personal responsibility for giving New Zealanders that impression. “That’s on me – that’s on us,” he said at the Environmental Defence Society conference in Auckland. “We were not clear enough.”
Sale and disposal provisions attracted the most high-profile criticism, but concerns were also raised about provisions to change the purpose of the Department of Conservation to prioritise economic development – an issue the minister remains non-committal about.
The minister’s comments came after a week of intense public scrutiny of the Conservation Amendment Bill, which would have technically opened 60 percent of the conservation estate to sale or exchange – even if Potaka insisted this was never intended to happen.
Potaka asked for trust, but didn’t find it in the public or his opposition, who pointed out this trust would have to extend to future governments or ministers of conservation.
Labour’s conservation spokesperson, speaking after Potaka, said Labour would only ever support the sale or disposal of low- or no-value conservation land.
Potaka has maintained these types of land were always the only target of disposal, but groups like Forest & Bird pointed out the bill would not put such a limit in place.
Potaka’s announcement came after an evening discussion with the Environmental Defence Society, which hosted the conference.
“I want to thank them for engaging in good faith about the kōrero that we had, and I will be taking out the disposal and exchange provisions from that bill,” said Potaka.
Caitlin Owers of the World Wildlife Fund says her biggest concern is not the sale of “bits and bobs” of conservation land, but “the fact this Bill rewrites the Department of Conservation’s core purpose to enable development to the greatest extent practicable”.
Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Gen Toop says this provision means the bill still makes economic development like mining and tourism infrastructure easier, even if the land swap and sale abilities are lost.
“That is as good as selling it off anyway”, says Toop.
The bill is currently before the environment select committee; public submissions close on at midnight on July 2. Potaka encouraged the public to make their voices heard by making a submission.
