Protecting our environment

The Green Party will protect Te Taiao for all of us.

A healthy and safe environment is essential to our health and wellbeing. Without a healthy natural world, there would be no clean air to breathe, safe water to drink or nutritious food to eat.

Healthy ecosystems also regulate the climate and filter air and water, which helps keep us healthy and limits the impact of extreme weather.

For decades, resource management laws have prioritised profit over people and nature. More than 4,000 native species are now at risk. Losing them will have irreversible consequences for the environment, our wellbeing, and the economy. The climate crisis is adding further pressure.

There is only a small window in which we can act before it’s too late. The Green Party has always recognised that the wellbeing of humans depends on the wellbeing of Papatūānuku.

Our plan will establish in law the right to a healthy environment. We will improve our reporting, regulatory and compliance systems so that nature comes first.

The natural world is around us and includes us all. It is a treasure, a vital resource to heal and protect. The time is now to put nature, its protection and restoration first.

Our Plan

• Legislate for a right to a healthy environment (for its own sake and for the benefit of present and future generations), which recognises Te Oranga o te Taiao.
• Ensure there are strong evidence-based limits to protect the natural environment and human health under the reformed planning and environmental management system.
• Ensure that any further changes to the resource management or local government systems uphold tino rangatiratanga, including in governance structures.
• Repeal and replace the Environmental Reporting Act to provide a more comprehensive, consistent, and rigorous approach to environmental data and information. Provide adequate resourcing to ensure robust data collection and transparent reporting under the revised framework.
• Increase funding for the Environmental Protection Authority so it can better identify and remediate risks to the environment and human health, including through assessment and reassessment of hazardous substances.
• Improve monitoring, compliance and enforcement of environmental harms, for genuine accountability of polluters, and mandatory remediation of environmental harm.

You can find our full manifesto here