Our Opinion – What the Conservation Amendment Bill could mean for the Coast

The Government’s Conservation Amendment Bill is the biggest overhaul of conservation law in nearly 40 years, and maps recently released by conservation group Forest & Bird shows the impact it may have on the Coast and Hauraki Gulf Islands.

The Bill has two proposals for public conservation land (PCL), which covers about 33 percent of New Zealand’s total land area. Land shaded orange would be opened to “economic opportunities”, which are the planning and concession changes that would make commercial activity easier. Land shaded red would be opened to that and also to exchange or sale.

However, as we go to print, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has announced that the land sale clause would be removed from the bill, saying that the country’s understanding of the bill differed from his intention. What will replace it is yet to be determined.

For the Hibiscus Coast, the standout conservation land is Tiritiri Matangi. As a scientific reserve, Tiritiri is on the Bill’s protected list and cannot be sold or swapped, but it would still fall under the economic opportunities provisions, meaning the planning, concession and visitor-levy changes could apply to how it’s managed and accessed.

In fairness, parts of the Bill tackle real problems. The concessions system, the permits that let operators run guided trips, ferries and tourism services on conservation land, has been slow and frustrating for years, and the Bill brings in clearer timeframes. A new levy on international visitors, with the detail set later by regulation, could help fund track and facility upkeep, and the Bill proposes that money from any land sales is reinvested in conservation, buying new land or funding works on existing land. 

The harder questions are about control and access. The Bill removes the public’s right to be heard at hearings on concessions, land sales and new visitor-development areas, leaving written submissions only. Independent conservation boards lose their approval and recommendation powers and become advisory. Forest and Bird has a detailed explainer and the full text of the Bill can be found at legislation.govt.nz

You don’t have to oppose the whole Bill to want those safeguards examined. It’s currently before Parliament’s Environment Select Committee, which is taking public submissions until 11.59pm on Thursday July 2. To make a submission, visit www.parliament.nz

Adrienne Kohler, editor