Coromandel Deserves Conservation Laws That Put Nature First – Green
Green Party Coromandel candidate Pamela Grealey welcomes the Greens commitment to rewrite New Zealand’s conservation laws, primarily restoring nature and protecting public conservation land from sale and inappropriate commercial development.
Grealey says, “The Coromandel Forest Park is one of New Zealand’s greatest conservation treasures. It protects internationally significant biodiversity, safeguards our water catchments, supports tourism and recreation, and forms an essential part of our identity as a region.
“Our conservation estate was never intended to become a land bank for commercial interests. The purpose of the Conservation Act is to protect these places for future generations.
Conservation land exists for conservation. It should not be continually reinterpreted as an economic development opportunity whenever a Government decides there may be commercial value beneath or upon it.
“Here on the Coromandel, we know exactly what that means. It means ongoing pressure to mine in and around some of our most treasured landscapes.”
Grealey said discussions at last weeks Environmental Defence Society Conference reinforced that the debate is far from settled.
“While Conservation Minister Tama Potaka appeared to back away from proposals that would have opened up the disposal of conservation land, Resources Minister Shane Jones made it equally clear that New Zealand First will continue pressing for the sale and commercial use of what he described as ‘low value’ conservation land.”
Those conflicting positions show that the underlying pressure to commercialise our conservation estate remains. If the Government is genuinely listening to New Zealanders, it needs to do more than abandon proposals to sell conservation land. It also needs to stop treating conservation land as available for inappropriate commercial development.
“The Coromandel has already spent years defending our conservation estate from mining proposals. For our communities, this isn’t a theoretical debate about legislation. It is about protecting the forests, rivers, wildlife and landscapes that define who we are.”
The Green Party’s conservation policy would:
– Stop the Government’s Conservation Amendment Bill.
– Restore conservation as the primary purpose of the Conservation Act.
– Reinstate strong protections against the sale or disposal of conservation land.
– Make halting and reversing nature loss the central purpose of New Zealand’s conservation system.
– End requirements for the Department of Conservation to facilitate commercial development on conservation land.
– Give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi through stronger indigenous-led stewardship.
– Strengthen the role of Conservation Boards, the New Zealand Conservation Authority and local communities in decision-making.
“Nearly 50,000 New Zealanders have already called for stronger protection of our conservation estate.
“The Coromandel has always stood up for its natural environment. This Green Party policy ensures our conservation land remains protected, not just from being sold, but from being gradually eroded by commercial interests that are fundamentally at odds with its purpose. We must Party Vote Green this election to protect our nature. For all of us.”
