Greens pledge to overturn government’s profit-driven conservation reforms if they win

During the March for Nature protest in Auckland, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson declared that, if elected, the Greens will reverse the government’s proposed Conservation Amendment Bill. The bill would obligate the Department of Conservation to pursue economic opportunities on public conservation land, a move Davidson described as prioritising corporate profit over nature. The Greens’ pledge includes eliminating the economic imperative, imposing science-based limits to protect ecosystems, and affirming Te Tiriti and the role of tangata whenua in resource management.

The amendment, which seeks to amend the 1987 Conservation Act, is still under select-committee review and requires two further readings. Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has already withdrawn the most controversial clauses after widespread criticism, while Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and New Zealand First continue to support economic outcomes from conservation land. The legislation’s fate will be decided before the parliamentary term ends and the election campaign begins.