Nominations for Conservation Boards have been reopened to ensure they reflect the diverse communities they serve, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The Department of Conservation re-opened the nomination process for recruiting a broader cross-section of members from the different communities each board represents on the Minister’s recommendation. The nomination process for the 2018 appointments was undertaken late last year and may have been affected by the Christmas holidays. The Department received 143 nominations for a total of 45 positions...

The May round of the Waste Minimisation Fund will target projects that build in reducing waste from the outset, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said today.  “We need to stop thinking that recycling is the answer to our waste problems when actually producing less waste in the first place is better for the environment and our country,” Ms Sage said.  “I hope to see projects come through that encourage a circular economy where we make, use and return products and...

New Zealand has joined the United Nations-led CleanSeas campaign to rid our oceans of plastic, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. Ms Sage signed a pledge showing New Zealand’s commitment to the global CleanSeas campaign at the Volvo Ocean Race Village in Auckland. More than 40 other countries have already signed up. “Turtles and other wildlife are being killed by litter in our oceans. Also the issue of microplastic in our oceans and its effect on the food chain...

One of New Zealand’s rare bats is on its way to recovery after successful large-scale predator control in Fiordland, according to a new science report released by Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage today. The New Zealand Threat Classification System report on the conservation status of New Zealand bats updates the last review in 2012. The most significant change is the move of southern short-tailed bat from ‘threatened’ to ‘recovering’, largely due to DOC’s sustained control of rats, possums and stoats in...

Hon Stuart Nash Minister of Fisheries Hon Eugenie Sage Minister of Conservation Two options to protect areas of ocean off the east coast of the South Island will be considered by Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage. The Ministers today released the final report of the South East Marine Protection Forum. The Forum is an independent body established by the previous government in 2014. It includes representatives of Kāi Tahu as manawhenua, commercial and recreational fishers, tourism,...

Two options to protect areas of ocean off the east coast of the South Island will be considered by Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage. The Ministers today released the final report of the South East Marine Protection Forum. The Forum is an independent body established by the previous government in 2014. It includes representatives of Kāi Tahu as manawhenua, commercial and recreational fishers, tourism, science, the environmental sector, and the broader community. The report provides two...

Seaweek celebrations, beginning on 3 March, provide an opportunity to highlight the plight of our precious marine species, Conservation Minister, Eugenie Sage says. “We’re incredibly lucky in New Zealand; we have an ocean area over 15 times our land mass and more than 17,000 marine species are found in New Zealand waters. “But around 90% of our seabirds are in trouble including all our endemic albatross, mollymawk and penguin species, and a number of very rare petrels and terns. More...

Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage today pledged to take action on plastic bags when she accepted a petition signed by over 65,000 people along with a letter from Greenpeace. “Since I took on this portfolio I have been struck by how much New Zealanders really care about the harmful impacts of single use plastic bags. The message I’ve got is that it’s time for change,” Ms Sage said. “The previous National Government ignored this problem when a similar petition by...

The critically endangered Antipodes Island wandering albatross will be functionally extinct within the next 20 years unless the devastating decline in their population is halted, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage says. The population of this rare wandering albatross, which breeds almost exclusively on the remote Antipodes Island in the New Zealand subantarctic, has experienced an alarming decline in the past 13 years, with very high mortality of females and reduced breeding success. Ms Sage, who has just visited Antipodes Island, says...

Punakaiki suffered from a lack of planning under National, and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage is pleased this will now change with today’s Provincial Growth Fund announcements. The fund will provide $100,000 to help Punakaiki develop a master plan to future-proof the township. “The famous Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Punakaiki are major drawcards for visitors, as are the dramatic karst landscapes in the Punakaiki and Pororari Valleys,” Ms Sage said. “Of course people want to come see these special places...