Conservation Amendment Bill: economic clause survives, land sale provisions dropped
The Environment Select Committee has released a redrafted version of the Conservation Amendment Bill that keeps clause 6(ea), a provision requiring the Department of Conservation (DOC) to recognise and enable "economic opportunities" on conservation land "to the greatest extent practicable" (RNZ).
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka stepped back from earlier proposals that would have allowed the sale of an extra 2.8 million hectares of conservation land. The revised bill removed those land exchange and disposal provisions. Potaka said the redrafted version was a procedural step to remove those elements, and that submissions were ongoing with further amendments expected before the final report due in November (RNZ).
A select committee is a small group of MPs who examine a bill in detail, hear public submissions, and suggest changes before it goes back to the full Parliament for a vote. The bill as introduced amends the Conservation Act 1987 to streamline the management of land and better enable appropriate use of conservation land, according to the Parliament's bills site (bills.parliament.nz). A Statement to Parliament hosted on the bills site says the Government is making changes to enable access to conservation land, providing a win for operators, visitors, and the environment (bills.parliament.nz). The bill also proposed setting up visitor amenity areas on conservation land including toilets, visitor centres, accommodation, car parks, restaurants and cafes (RNZ).
The retention of clause 6(ea) has drawn sharp criticism from environmental groups. Greenpeace spokesperson Gen Toop said the clause attacks the fundamental principle that public conservation land is protected and preserved for nature and for the public and future generations, not set aside for economic exploitation. She said the bill was still "rotten to its core" and that if passed it would likely lead to more open cast mines on public conservation land. Toop also raised concerns about the visitor amenity area proposal, saying it had very few safeguards from development and could see conservation land locked away for private luxury resorts. She expected thousands of people to march against the bill later in the month (RNZ).
Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March opposed clause 6(ea), saying it would put economic development over environmental protection (RNZ). Forest & Bird stated that the proposed bill introduces a new function for DOC and puts nature under serious threat, and is running a campaign called "Save Conservation Land" opposing the bill (Forest & Bird).
The New Zealand Conservation Authority's annual report states that managing public conservation lands for their economic values, the same as any other land, would be at the expense of the values and purposes for which the lands are held (bills.parliament.nz). An Environment Committee press release states the intent of the provision is first and foremost to signal that opportunities, whether environmental, social, cultural, or economic, are to be enabled (parliament.nz).
The broader context here is the tension between the Government's economic growth agenda and the statutory framework that has governed conservation land since the Conservation Act 1987 was enacted. The removal of the land disposal provisions is a significant walk-back, but the retention of clause 6(ea) means the core question, whether DOC's primary function includes enabling economic activity, remains squarely in play. Potaka's signal that further amendments are expected before the November final report leaves room for the clause to be modified, but the Government has not indicated it will be removed.
For those working in the conservation and resource management space, the bill's trajectory is worth watching closely. The visitor amenity provisions, if enacted, would create a new commercial framework on conservation land with few established guardrails. The select committee process remains the primary avenue for shaping the final form of the legislation.
