The future for New Zealand’s threatened indigenous freshwater fish looks brighter with the passing of the Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill in Parliament today said Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage. “Until now, our freshwater fish legislation has been 20 years out of date. We have lacked effective tools to look after fish spawning areas, ensure that culverts and drains don’t block fish passage in rivers and streams, and manage fishing on conservation lands. “Indigenous freshwater fish have been treated...

The Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage has launched a new comprehensive trapping guide for community trappers to help them protect our native birds, plants and other wildlife, at Zealandia in Wellington today. ‘A practical guide to trapping’, has been developed by the Department of Conservation (DOC), and was launched during a two-day predator trapping course run by the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) at the urban ecosanctuary. “Since the Predator Free 2050 goal was announced in 2016 there has...

Takahē may be flightless but their population is flying high with the official count reaching 418 after a record breeding season that produced an estimated 65 juveniles, the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. “The population reaching a high of 418 is great news for takahē which were considered extinct until rediscovered in 1948. It demonstrates what can be achieved when we give nature a helping hand,” said Eugenie Sage. The Department of Conservation’s annual takahē count at the end...

The membership of the group to guide the areas for investment from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) has been confirmed, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The IVL is expected to raise over $450 million over the first five years and its goal is to help enrich New Zealand through sustainable tourism growth, by making significant investments that improve the tourism system. “The Advisory Group plays a critical role in implementing our...

Work has begun to develop a beverage container return scheme for New Zealand announced Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage made at the WasteMINZ Conference in Hamilton today. “Citizens, councils and stakeholders have been calling for a well-designed container return scheme to recover the millions of beverage containers used each year so they can be re-used and recycled. Today I’m pleased to announce that work is underway to design a fit-for-purpose scheme for New Zealand,” said Eugenie Sage. “A...

The Government is planning to strengthen New Zealand’s measures to prevent international trade in endangered species the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. “In New Zealand we value and seek to protect endangered species, both our indigenous species, and those from elsewhere in the world.  By reviewing the Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989 we aim to strengthen their protection,” said Eugenie Sage. “There is growing concern worldwide about the role that trade in elephant ivory plays in the...

The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage is celebrating 50 years of Conservation Week or Te Wiki Tiaki Ao Turoa and encouraging people to get involved in conservation. “We’ve come a long way since the first Conservation Week in 1969. Some of the biggest conservation triumphs include remarkable turnarounds in the populations of species that were on the verge of extinction,” Eugenie Sage said. “Fifty years ago, the Chatham Islands’ black robin, tieke/saddleback and kākāpō were in dire straits, with dangerously...

Māori place names have been restored to the small central North Island town of Benneydale, and a nearby stretch of the North Island Main Trunk railway announced Minister for Land Information Eugenie Sage. Benneydale has been changed to a dual name ‘Maniaiti / Benneydale’ and the main trunk railway between Te Awamutu and Taumarunui, is now named ‘Te Ara-o-Tūrongo’ following a request from Ngāti Maniapoto. “I am pleased to restore official place names which bring to light our history for...

A project with a zero waste vision for marae is getting extra support to expand into new regions as part of the Government’s plan to tackle New Zealand’s long term waste problem announced Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage in Raglan today. A grant of $528,000 from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) will help the marae-based Para Kore programme to expand to four new regions: Te Tai Tokerau (Northland), Wairoa, Maniapoto (Waikato/Waitomo) and Wairarapa. “It’s great to...

Aucklanders will soon have a new community recycling centre as part of the Government’s plan to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills announced Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage alongside Auckland Mayor Phil Goff in Auckland today. A major new community recycling centre will be developed by Auckland Council in Onehunga supported by $2.2 million of funding from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund. The Waste Minimisation Fund recycles the landfill levy into projects...