Greens welcome Supreme Court decision on Ruahine

The Green Party is celebrating a big win for nature today with the Supreme Court ruling that removing protected status from conservation land is permitted only when the conservation values there no longer warrant continued special protection.

“This is a big win for nature, despite the National Government’s best efforts to flood and destroy an important piece of the Ruahine Forest Park,” said Green Party conservation spokesperson Mojo Mathers.

“It was a sad day for the environment when the Minister for Conservation, Maggie Barry, decided to go all the way to the Supreme Court to try to win the right to destroy specially protected conservation land.

“Her role is to protect conservation land, not facilitate its destruction for big irrigation or private development.

“Had the Conservation Minister been successful in her bid, this could have opened the floodgates to private development on conservation land throughout New Zealand.

“Forest & Bird are to be congratulated for standing up for nature and securing this outcome.

“New Zealanders love their parks and wild places and want to see them protected.

“National must not now use this decision as an excuse to change the law,” said Ms Mathers.

keyword: Ruataniwha

Action

Tell us your stories about our special places

Share with us your stories about the places threatened by being fast tracked for mining permits.

Action

RENAME, REWRITE, and REJECT the Regulatory Standards Bill

Submit your suggested changes to the Regulatory Standards Bill! Tell us how you'd change the bill and we could take it to the House!

Action

Anniversary of the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill Referendum

If we were to legally regulate cannabis in Aotearoa, what kind of rules would you want to see around access, possession, use, regulations on sale, ...

Action

Save our Polytechs: Campaign Packs

Want to see more supports for our Polytechs? Use these resources to support the campaign!

Action

Save Our Polytechs Petition

Sign our petition today and join us in calling on the Minister for Vocational Education, Hon Penny Simmonds, to Save our Polytechs!

Action

Protect our tamariki - Sign the open letter

Every child in Aotearoa deserves to grow up with safety and stability, wrapped in aroha. Sign our open letter today and help make that a reality!

Action

Stop Growing Homelessness

Sign our petition asking Luxon and Bishop to take action to stop homelessness increasing in Aotearoa.

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Environment Announcements

Story

Hauraki Marine Bill a huge step despite Govt backtrack

The passing of the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill has been hailed as a significant step by the Green Party, despite concessions...

Environment Minister abusing role to put freshwater at risk

Documents obtained under the Official Information Act have revealed the Minister for the Environment is pressuring local councils to allow ‘water t...

National direction changes mark dark day for people and planet

Today’s sweeping changes to environmental protections paint a damning picture of a government hellbent on profit at all costs, openly allowing more...

Minister for the Environment missing in action in Budget 2025

Budget 2025 makes it crystal clear that this Government has no interest in protecting nature or securing a liveable future for our tamariki.

Greens question Govt commitment to environmental protection with RMA reform

The Greens are calling on the Government to follow through on their vague promises of environmental protection in their Resource Management Act (RM...

Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects

The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Tra...

Story

Wildlife law change a deep betrayal of public trust

The Green Party is appalled by the Government’s use of urgency to rewrite the Wildlife Act–without consultation, without an impact statement, and i...

Govt funding for biodiversity an embarrassment

The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for c...

Labour must deliver on No New Mines

The Green Party is disappointed tonight that the Government has voted down Eugenie Sage’s members’ bill to stop new mining on conservation land. Th...

Inquiry into forestry slash and land use welcome, but more needed

Today’s news of a Ministerial inquiry into forestry slash and land use in Te Tarāwhiti/Gisborne and Wairoa is welcome, but the forestry sector shou...

Time for Labour to deliver on No New Mines

The Green Party is today welcoming reports of Government progress towards having no new mines on conservation land.

Urgent action needed at home following global deal for nature

The Green Party welcomes an historic new global agreement to protect 30% of the planet for nature by the end of the decade and calls on the Governm...