The Green Party says Luxon must categorically rule out the sale and disposal of public conservation land and any intention to put profits ahead of nature in conservation law, after the National Party quietly released its ‘blue-green’ manifesto this morning.
The ‘Blue-Green’ policy, published online with no fanfare, quietly walks away from previous assurances by Luxon that his party had backed down from its unpopular conservation positions.
“Today a critical line has been drawn for New Zealanders, a vote for the Luxon coalition is a vote to rip up or sell off public conservation land,” says Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson.
“Over 70,000 people submitted on the Conservation Amendment Bill. But National has been caught out sneaking their hugely unpopular positions back into play, and New Zealanders should be very worried,” Davidson says.
National previously indicated it would remove the controversial land-disposal provisions from the Bill, yet its ‘blue-green’ manifesto makes no such commitment, and their Bill in front of the House remains unchanged.
“This election, our conservation land and assets are on the line. National is leaving the door wide open to changes that put our public conservation land at risk,” Davidson says.
“Another coalition government with ACT and NZ First raises serious concerns about the future of conservation protections.
“Seymour is a tireless advocate for selling off our critical public assets, while Jones pushed through the provisions to prioritise economic development on conservation land.
“National cannot claim to have listened to public concerns while refusing to rule out the very provisions that sparked widespread opposition.
“Our conservation estate is not a property portfolio or an economic development opportunity. It belongs to all New Zealanders and must be protected for future generations,” Davidson says.
