Two-thirds of New Zealanders don't want to sell public conservation land

About two-thirds of New Zealand voters oppose selling off public conservation land, according to a poll commissioned by Forest & Bird and published on 21 June 2026. RNZ reported the findings.

The poll asked voters two things: what they thought about conservation land sales, and which party they backed. That method matters. It meant Forest & Bird could show whether opposition came from voters across the political spectrum, not just supporters of one party or side of politics.

A 66 percent opposition figure is significant because it sits above any single party's voter base. That means people who vote for the coalition government parties are included in that two-thirds. No party owns this issue alone.

How conservation land actually works

Public conservation land — national parks, reserves, forests — is managed under the Conservation Act 1987 by the Department of Conservation. To sell or change who owns that land requires either a new law passed by Parliament or a formal government order. A minister cannot just announce it. That legal requirement matters: it means any government wanting to sell conservation land has to fight through Parliament first, not just announce it.

Why the timing of this poll matters

Forest & Bird is a well-known conservation group that regularly commissions polls timed to fit with budget cycles or law-making decisions. Releasing this poll in mid-year, before the second half of Parliament's calendar, is a predictable move: it builds a public record before any government might try to push the idea forward.

The Curia polling firm that ran the poll is familiar to political reporters. It does work for a range of clients across the political spectrum. Like any poll paid for by an advocate group, it comes with the usual questions about whether the firm's methods are solid. The RNZ report didn't detail the sample size, margin of error, or when exactly the survey was done, so those technical details remain unconfirmed from public sources.

The political pressure underneath

History suggests this issue could be genuinely difficult for any government that tries it. Back in 2011, when the National government tried to sell shares in state-owned companies, the debate quickly shifted from economics to something deeper: who actually owns and controls New Zealand's assets? That reframing proved costly at the ballot box.

Conservation land carries even more weight than ordinary state-owned assets, particularly where it overlaps with land important to Māori. Any government wanting to sell conservation land would have to navigate both the Treaty settlement framework and public opinion — and right now both seem arrayed against it.

The more useful data will come if Forest & Bird or RNZ publish the party-by-party breakdown of the poll — who among Labour voters, Greens voters, National voters, and others backs selling land. That breakdown will show which coalition partner's voters are most opposed, and that is where real political pressure sits. Until that detail surfaces, the 66 percent figure gives submitters, advocates and opposition MPs a usable headline to work with as Parliament moves into its busier second half.