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Conservation (2005)

LABOUR’S VISION

New Zealand’s natural heritage, with our unique plants and animals, makes our country one of the most special places on earth. This is enhanced by our historic heritage, a result of one thousand years of human occupation of these islands.

This heritage and access to it are important to our sense of national identity. Conservation also makes a crucial contribution to the sustainable development of our country, to the economy, and to our way of life. Tourism, farming, clean water, and the health and welfare of New Zealanders all depend on it.

In its next term of government, Labour’s key conservation and public access priorities will be:

Continuing the upgrade of the hut and track infrastructure throughout the conservation estate.
Maintaining indigenous biodiversity on land and saving threatened species from extinction.
Protecting marine biodiversity in a network of marine reserves and other marine protected areas, under the umbrella of Oceans Policy.
Establishing a network of high country parks.
Promoting conservation on private land as a key part of the biodiversity strategy.

LABOUR’S ACHIEVEMENTS

The Labour led government has put conservation and public access centre stage. Achievements since 1999 include:

Protecting 130,000 hectares of publicly-owned lowland rainforests on the West Coast of the South Island as public conservation land.
Creating Rakiura National Park on Stewart Island, and five new high country tussockland parks, including the 180,000 hectare Molesworth park.
Making other important additions to public conservation land, including Kaikoura Island in the Hauraki Gulf.
Increasing funding for conservation by over 40%.
Launching the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy, together with the most substantial funding commitment ever made by a New Zealand government to the conservation of our native species and ecosystems.
Providing the largest-ever funding increase for outdoor recreation on public conservation land, effectively doubling the Department of Conservation (DOC) budget for upgrading huts, tracks and other outdoor facilities over a 10 year period.
Improving outdoor recreational opportunities for New Zealanders and supporting our tourism industry.
Streamlining the concessions regime to reduce processing times and to increase the focus on monitoring and minimising of environmental impacts.
Developing a regional consultative approach to marine protection under the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Policy.
Creating 12 new marine reserves (a 75% increase in the number of marine reserves and a 67% increase in the total area).
Developing a national plan of action to ensure sustained reductions in bycatch of seabirds, including species of albatross and petrels at risk.
Protecting the critically endangered Maui’s dolphin by banning set net fishing off the upper North Island’s west coast.
Protecting 19 seamounts – marine ecosystems of special importance – an area the size of the North Island.
Increasing the opportunities for Maori to become involved in conservation, including increased funding for the Nga Whenua Rahui for the protection of natural areas on Maori land and establishing the Matauranga Kura Taiao fund.
Eradicating rats from Hauturu (Little Barrier Island) and rats and feral cats from Raoul Island.
Rolling out Operation Ark – the biggest predator control programme ever in New Zealand.
Establishing five kiwi sanctuaries, almost certainly preventing the extinction of the North Island Brown Kiwi, Okarito Kiwi and Haast Tokoeka.
Working to create two of New Zealand’s biggest wildlife sanctuaries – Secretary Island in Doubtful Sound and Resolution Island in Dusky Sound.
Developing comprehensive General Policy for Conservation that will guide the direction of conservation management for the next decade.
Giving the New Zealand Historic Places Trust a major funding boost through the Cultural Recovery Package, to maintain Crown-owned properties managed by the Trust and to build the Trust’s capacity.
Upgrading the protection of historic heritage to a matter of national importance in the Resource Management Act 1991.
Introducing additional safeguards on foreign buyers purchasing sites of special heritage or environmental value.
Making New Zealand a respected environmental advocate on the world stage.

LABOUR’S PRIORITIES

BIODIVERSITY

Most of New Zealand’s native plants, animals and birds are found only on these islands. But people and introduced animals have eliminated over 30 percent of New Zealand’s endemic land and freshwater bird species, nearly 20 percent of our endemic seabird species, and greatly diminished our inheritance of native plants and wildlife. About a thousand of our indigenous species are threatened with extinction.

The retention of our remaining indigenous biodiversity is crucial to the health of New Zealand’s environment, and our nation’s future.

Labour will:

Ensure ongoing funding of the Biodiversity Strategy, with its goal of halting and reversing the decline of New Zealand’s indigenous biodiversity.
Ensure that information on biodiversity and best conservation practice is freely available in the public domain so that sound ecological judgments can be made by land managers, local authorities, other decision-makers and environmental groups.
Continue to upgrade biosecurity measures, in order to keep new pests out of New Zealand and deal effectively with those already here.
Extend protection under the Wildlife Act 1953 to vulnerable indigenous species, e.g. the great white shark, currently unprotected or partially protected, and address any issues around species currently included in the Act’s schedules (except those species subject to the Wild Animals Control Act 1977), e.g. Canada goose.
Progressively eradicate pests from offshore islands in public ownership, where feasible, in order to protect threatened species; for example, eradicating cats and pigs from the main Auckland Islands.

MARINE CONSERVATION

In relation to its land area, New Zealand has a very lengthy coastline. Our rich marine and coastal ecosystems provide food and recreation. However, these ecosystems have a history of being impacted by over-fishing, soil erosion and urban and pastoral run-off, careless waste disposal and sewage pollution.

Labour is committed to ecosystem-based management of the marine environment.

Labour will:

Develop an integrated and comprehensive framework for managing the marine environment, including the interface between land and sea, by completing and implementing the Oceans Policy.
Identify, through regional consultative processes under the MPA Policy, priority areas for biodiversity protection in marine reserves and other marine protected areas, with the aim of having 10 percent of New Zealand’s marine environment (including the Exclusive Economic Zone) with some form of protection by 2010.
Recognise the value of marine reserves for public use and enjoyment, research and education, as well as for protecting marine biodiversity of a representative, rare or unusual nature.
Facilitate the development of taiapure and mataitai reserves to enhance the sustainability of kai moana and to complement marine reserves.
Promote marine reserves and other marine protected areas for the high seas, through appropriate international forums and arrangements.
Encourage public involvement in marine management, including promoting individual and community initiatives to care for our marine biodiversity.
Achieve sustained reductions in fisheries bycatch of marine mammals and seabirds (e.g. New Zealand sea lion, Maui’s Dolphin and South Island Hector’s Dolphin, and various species of albatross and petrel), including by mandatory targets and mitigation measures.
Support the further development of marine mammal sanctuaries to protect threatened marine mammals.
Work through international organisations to achieve stronger protection for whales, in particular to end ‘scientific’ whaling and to advance the South Pacific Whale Sanctuary proposal.

See also Labour’s Environment and Fisheries Policies.

CONSERVATION ON PUBLIC LAND

Nearly 30 percent of New Zealand land area is protected in the conservation estate, with much of that in steep and mountainous terrain. The Labour led government has set out to redress this imbalance by actively protecting lowland forests, wetlands, coastal areas and tussock grasslands.

Labour will:

Continue to make additions to the public conservation estate (e.g. through the Nature Heritage Fund), and upgrade the protective status of existing areas as appropriate.
Work to increase the proportion of coastal land in the conservation estate.
Ensure sufficient funding for weed and integrated pest control on the public conservation estate to maintain and improve the ecosystem health of the estate, and to adequately protect threatened species from the impact of plant and animal pests.
Work in partnership with regional councils in the protection and management of key natural areas near major centres, especially where regional parks and conservation areas are contiguous.
Support in principle the local bill promoted by the Waitakere City Council giving greater protection to the natural environment of the Waitakare Ranges and foothills through the creation of a heritage area.
Amend the Crown Minerals Act 1991 and the Conservation Act 1987 to establish an appropriate public process for consideration of prospecting, exploration and mining applications on conservation land not covered by the mineral activity ban, as occurs with other commercial activities such as tourism and recreational concessions.

OUTDOOR RECREATION on the Conservation estate

New Zealand’s unique natural heritage offers a wide range of exciting recreational opportunities from the mountains to the sea, for New Zealanders of all ages and lifestyles. Access to this heritage is of great cultural and social importance to New Zealanders, with the concept of the Queen’s Chain being deeply embedded. Time spent in the outdoors can enhance physical and mental health, awareness of the environment and pride in our nation.

Labour will:

Continue the upgrade of the hut and track infrastructure throughout the conservation estate.
Encourage the completion of Te Araroa, ‘the long pathway’ from North Cape to Bluff, and encourage public and community consultation on proposed routes.
Protect the quality of outdoor recreational experiences for all New Zealanders, including walkers, trampers, skiers, climbers, anglers, swimmers, rafters, boaters, recreational hunters, and mountain bikers.
Ensure that recreational hunting of wild animals remains available without fee on public conservation land.

SOUTH ISLAND HIGH COUNTRY

The public owns over two million hectares of tussock grassland in the South Island high country. This land is leased out to pastoral farmers and is administered by Land Information New Zealand. The future of the land is changing as it is split (mainly through the voluntary tenure review process) between public conservation land, and land being freeholded or continuing as leasehold.

The Labour led government has adopted a set of high country objectives, including:

Promoting the management of high country land in a way that is ecologically sustainable.
Protecting significant conservation values by the restoration of land with such values to full Crown ownership and control.
Securing public access to and enjoyment of high country land.
Progressively establishing a network of high country parks and reserves.
Obtaining a fair financial return to the Crown on land leased out.

The Labour led government has made over 100,000 hectares of former pastoral lease land into public conservation land to protect its biodiversity values and allow people access to enjoy it, while freeholding over 100,000 hectares for farming and other economic activities (such as tourism, recreation, and viticulture).

Labour will:

Progress the high country parks and reserve network by combining existing conservation land with pastoral lease land restored to full Crown ownership and control through tenure review or Crown purchase of leases.
Clearly identify public rights of access through existing and future marginal strips alongside waterways running through both leasehold and freehold high country land.
Retain leaseholding as a long-term option for high country farmers where doing so is consistent with all of the high country objectives.
Provide recreational hunters with reasonable access opportunities through the tenure review process.
Review the level of high country lease rentals and the valuation methodology when land is split between freeholding and conservation.
Ensure that the wilding pine infestation at Mid Dome in western Southland is contained and eventually eradicated, this being one of the country’s worst weed problems.

CONSERVATION ON PRIVATE LAND

Promoting conservation on private land is a key part of Labour’s biodiversity strategy. Many New Zealanders have fenced and cared for patches of forest or wetlands on the private land that they manage.

Labour will:

Encourage private landowners to protect conservation values on their land, support them through the Nature Heritage Fund, Ngä Whenua Rähui, Landcare, Queen Elizabeth II National Trust and other conservation trusts, and promote to local authorities the exemption from rating of areas legally protected through such organisations.
Work with stakeholders (private landowners, the public, tangata whenua, and local government) to identify and protect indigenous ecosystems and habitats on private land.
Encourage the replanting of native vegetation alongside streams, rivers and lakes, and in areas that are not in use for production, with the intent of creating corridors between existing areas of indigenous vegetation.
Provide tax deductions for environmental expenditure such as for creating wetlands and riparian plantings to reduce waterway contamination.
Investigate whether heritage landscape can be better protected from inappropriate development by, for example, enhancing the ability of the Nature Heritage Fund to purchase or covenant such landscape.

FRESHWATER CONSERVATION

Freshwater ecosystems in New Zealand have been undervalued. Over 85 percent of our wetlands have been drained. Some rivers are polluted or have had too much water taken from them for irrigation. Yet these areas are often havens for wildlife.

Labour will:

Protect water quality and the natural character of rivers, lakes and wetlands, by, for example, developing national standards.
Provide guidance and assistance to decision makers and management agencies on the protection of freshwater biodiversity, including freshwater fish, plant and other aquatic life.
Improve the conservation of freshwater ecosystems by, for example, implementing recovery plans for threatened freshwater species and habitats.
Protect priority representative freshwater habitats, using a range of protective mechanisms.
Complete reviewing the administration of Crown-owned riverbeds, including whether eastern South Island braided riverbeds with significant conservation value should be brought under DOC management.

ANTARCTICA AND THE SUB-ANTARCTIC ISLANDS

The beautiful and unique continent of Antarctica has one of the world’s harshest climates, yet the surrounding oceans and sub-Antarctic islands are rich in bird and marine life, including krill vital to the ocean food chain. Marine and bird species are under attack by uncontrolled or illegal fishing. Whales are threatened by so-called ‘scientific’ whaling being undertaken by Japan.

The Antarctic Environmental Protocol has designated Antarctica and the area south of 60 degrees south as a nature reserve dedicated to science.

Labour will:

Ensure that New Zealand is an active member of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty.
Protect Antarctic species through the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and the Environmental Protocol.
Advocate the protection of Antarctica as a world park, free from mining and other threats to its near pristine environment and important intrinsic and wilderness values.
Advocate the development of a network of marine reserves and other marine protected areas around Antarctica, especially in the Ross Sea, and the restriction of fishing activity to levels appropriate for the sensitive nature of the Antarctic environment and its important intrinsic and wilderness values.
Support scientific research initiatives so that New Zealand can learn from the unique scientific opportunities available in Antarctica.
Establish more marine reserves around the sub-Antarctic islands.

MÄORI AND CONSERVATION

Our first National Park, Tongariro, was made possible by a gift from Ngati Tuwharetoa to the Crown of the three peaks Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu.

Mäori are concerned about the loss of species of particular value to Mäori because of their conservation and cultural significance. Effective consultation with Mäori is important both directly and through representation on statutory boards such as Conservation Boards and the Conservation Authority.

Some areas of conservation land are of particular interest to Mäori because they are subject to Treaty of Waitangi claims.

Labour will:

Continue to build and support co-operation between management agencies, iwi and hapü in the conservation management of habitats and native species within rohe or tribal areas.
Promote the conservation and restoration of valued species of significance to Mäori such as kereru, tuna [eel], harakeke, pingao and totara.
Promote conservation on Mäori land through Nga Whenua Rähui and Matauranga Kura Taiao.
Continue the implementation of Maori customary fishing regulations.
Facilitate the development of taiapure and mataitai reserves to enhance the sustainability of kai moana and to complement marine reserves.
Promote protection of SILNA indigenous forest through conservation settlements, and encouraging other owners to manage their forests sustainably.

HISTORIC HERITAGE

New Zealand has a rich heritage of archaeological sites, wähi tapu, and historic structures and buildings. They are an important link with our human past and a legacy that we hold in trust for future generations.

Like our threatened indigenous plant and animal species, many historic heritage places are endangered and irreplaceable. Central government has a responsibility wherever practicable to lead by example in the retention and maintenance of Crown-owned nationally significant heritage buildings and sites.

Historic heritage is also an important economic resource. Adaptive re-use and heritage-based tourism make an important contribution to the economy and have significant potential to grow in importance.

Protecting and restoring historic heritage requires partnerships between central government, local government, iwi and private property owners.

Labour will:

Continue to recognise the national importance of heritage buildings, places, objects and wähi tapu, and encourage local communities, local government and central government agencies to retain, protect, restore and enhance their historic heritage.
Continue to fund the New Zealand Historic Places Trust so that it can promote the protection of New Zealand’s historic places and fulfil its other statutory functions.
Support the development of protocols between Mäori groups and local authorities aimed at better protecting Mäori taonga.

NATURE-BASED TOURISM

Tourism is a vital part of the New Zealand economy, providing jobs and economic growth for communities throughout the country. Tourism is largely based on our natural environment and beautiful scenery. Sustainable development of tourism is essential to protect the attractions that bring two million visitors to New Zealand each year.

Labour will:

Work to ensure that New Zealand’s tourism strategy is ecologically sustainable.
Encourage a broadening of tourism activities beyond their current emphasis on public conservation lands, including promoting nature-based tourism on private land, and historic heritage and cultural tourism.
Mitigate any negative impacts of tourism activities on the natural quiet and the quality of the visitor experience at key tourist sites.

MANAGING CONSERVATION

Labour led the world by establishing the Department of Conservation in 1987 as an agency integrating protection of our natural heritage and people’s enjoyment of it.

Labour will:

Ensure that DOC continues to be adequately funded to perform these core functions, including playing a leading role in maintaining New Zealand’s biodiversity, and advocating for the conservation of natural and historic resources.
Welcome local government, community and corporate support for conservation projects, including, for example, community education, and involvement in practical conservation projects such as the development of ‘mainland island’ sanctuaries.
Ensure that DOC conservation management and policy continues to be founded on the best ecological science and practical conservation management experience.

OTHER REGIONS +NORTHERN