New Zealand is joining its voice and influence with others in the international community to better protect biodiversity by joining the Sharm El-Sheikh Declaration adopted in Egypt on 15 November. Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage joined other political leaders at the event to discuss global biodiversity at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) High Level Segment in Sharm El-Sheikh. “This declaration comes at a pivotal point for nature,” Eugenie Sage said. “Despite significant efforts, global biodiversity continues to decline. As the...

Conservation and Associate Environment Minister, Eugenie Sage leaves today to attend events in the United Kingdom before travelling to Egypt for a key international biodiversity meeting. Eugenie Sage will spend two days in England during which she will meet Dr Thérèse Coffey, MP and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She will also give a speech on the Commonwealth Blue Charter and ocean acidification to the Royal Academy. For Armistice Day centenary commemorations...

Department of Conservation Biodiversity Ranger Scott Theobald, who was one of three men killed in a tragic helicopter crash on October 18, has been honoured at the Public Service Day Awards. Mr Theobald was awarded the State Services Commissioner’s Commendation for Frontline Excellence this evening. Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage paid tribute to Scott Theobald and his pioneering work in developing the conservation dog programme which plays a pivotal role today in New Zealand’s predator control work. “Scotty, as he was...

Two projects aiming to plant 247,000 native trees and develop skills and employment, as part of the One Billion Trees programme, were announced today by Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage. The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will provide just over $2.2 million to plant 247,000 native trees in two areas - Punakaiki on the West Coast and Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere in Canterbury. “Planting these native trees has multiple benefits. It’s good for the economy and...

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage today launched a milestone agreement towards a pest free Banks Peninsula/Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū in Canterbury. More than a dozen participating groups and agencies including the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust, Department of Conservation (DOC), Christchurch City Council, Environment Canterbury and Ngāi Tahu rūnanga today signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to remove pest animals from the 115,000 hectare peninsula by 2050. “This is a significant step towards the vision of a pest free Banks...

Visitors to Ōtamahua/Quail Island in Te Whakaraupõ­/Lyttelton Harbour will now be able to stay overnight after Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage today opened the new Ōtamahua Hut. The hut has been transformed from an historic caretaker’s cottage into a comfortable 12-bunk tramping hut on the 81 hectare pest-free island, which is managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). “Ōtamahua Hut is a fantastic new asset that will for the first time enable people to stay overnight on the island, just a...

A large predator free area featuring some of the South Island’s most majestic landscapes is the long-term vision of a multi-million-dollar predator control project announced by the Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage today. “Encompassing 310,000 hectares between the snowy mountain lands of Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, glacier fed lakes and the iconic drylands of the upper Mackenzie Basin, the Te Manahuna Aoraki ‘mainland island’ is inspirational,” Eugenie Sage said. “I am pleased to launch this fantastic project. Te Manahuna Aoraki...

New Zealand has joined an international pledge to cut plastic wastes from our economy and environment, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. “The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment sees the countries involved commit to a ‘circular economy’ approach to plastics, preventing them from becoming waste and ensuring they don’t end up in the environment,” Eugenie Sage said. Led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, the Global Commitment brings together governments, businesses and...

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage is inviting everyone with an interest in whitebait to share their views on whitebait management in an online survey and/or at drop-in sessions around the country. “Whitebait are a key part of Kiwi culture. They’re taonga to iwi and fishing for whitebait is an important tradition for many New Zealanders,” Eugenie Sage said. “We also know that whitebait are in decline. Four of the six species that make up the whitebait fishery are threatened or at...

Southland has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming a carbon neutral region which the Government is backing with a $190,000 grant from the Government’s Community Environment Fund. Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced the funding today for the Carbon Neutral Advantage project which will see local business, industry and communities work together to transition Southland to a carbon neutral region. “Venture Southland’s ambitious project to take a regional approach to reducing carbon emissions shows great leadership and is something...