By Conservation Amendment Bill 2026: VUWTC sub-committee , 02 July 2026
Submission on the Conservation Amendment Bill 2026
To: Environment Committee
Position: Strongly oppose the Conservation Amendment Bill
The Victoria University of Wellington Tramping Club (VUWTC) strongly opposes the Conservation Amendment Bill. The fundamental change proposed to the Conservation Act 1987 shifts the emphasis on conservation as an end to itself, to the recognition and enabling of economic opportunities. This will result in poorer conservation outcomes. Focusing upon the advancement of economic opportunities that arise from the use and development of public conservation land “to the greatest extent practicable” under the law will negatively impact the pristine state of many of Aotearoa’s landscapes, and threaten the habitats of much of Aotearoa’s fauna including roughly 4000 indigenous species. This in turn will negatively affect the recreational benefits that the numerous forest parks and other types of conservation land bring to the residents and users of this whenua.
VUWTC was formed in 1921, and currently represents 517 paying members. VUWTC has spent the last 105 years organising tramps all over the country - particularly in the Tararua Forest Park, the club’s home mountain range, and other areas like the Ruahine and Kaweka Forest Parks. VUWTC thus has a strong interest in ensuring conservation land is protected from degradation and is accessible to the public. Therefore VUWTC calls for the withdrawal of the Conservation Amendment Bill, as it threatens effective conservation, recreation and tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Conservation Act currently only allows for the sale of conservation land if it is classed as a ‘stewardship area,’ of which only land with “no or very low conservation value” can be sold. The total amount of such land is approximately 2.4 million hectares. However, the Conservation Amendment Bill had initially proposed to allow an additional 2.8 million hectares of conservation land to be sold, exchanged or disposed, increasing the percentage of the conservation estate available for sale to roughly 60%. Types of public conservation land that would have been opened up included Conservation Parks, Forest Parks, Scenic Reserves, Historic Reserves, and Recreation Reserves.
The Bill would have thus created a legal framework for the sale of conservation land that could allow future administrations to sell off significant swathes of land. Whilst we acknowledge it would have been unrealistic to expect much of the barren and harsh terrain of the Tararuas to be quickly sold off, the potential for this outcome would have been a major issue. We applaud the Government for removing the problematic provision, but we are concerned by the precedent it sets. Public conservation land - including the Tararua Forest Park - is important to New Zealanders as a place of recreation and connection to our natural world. Public conservation land should be protected for nature and for future generations. We oppose it being sold off or opened up to greater private commercial exploitation. As Erika Toleman, the Acting Chief Executive of Forest & Bird puts it:
Unless this law is fundamentally changed, there is still risk to our special places. If a new economic development function of the Bill remains, then the risk of sale, data centres, mining, luxury resorts, and loss of access remains, despite the announcement today.
Even though the Government has removed the land sale clause, the fact that such a provision was proposed sets a worrying precedent for the future of the conservation estate. Future governments may be emboldened to sell off public conservation land in the pursuit of economic enrichment of private landowners, rather than the public interest. One crack won't break the wall, but it is a start. If we leave this crack in the wall, then over time when more cracks appear, this wall we have built between conservation land and the threat of private enterprise will crumble.
As a tramping club we regularly benefit from the Department of Conservation (DOC) through its network of backcountry tracks, huts and campsites. VUWTC recognises that an important function of DOC is to provide recreational access - which holds an economic element. Tongariro National Park, for example, is a huge economic asset for New Zealand, bringing huge numbers of international tourists. To this extent, the role of DOC is to bring economic benefit, through strong accessibility and the provision of facilities in the park. This means that we support the Conservation Amendment Bill’s proposal to permit international visitor access levies for conservation areas, national parks, and reserves. However, economic benefit should never be made to compete with the role of conservation in the purest sense - protection of nature and of our public conservation land.
If the bill is not withdrawn as it rightfully should be, VUWTC recommends that the following changes are made to the Conservation Amendment Bill:
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Remove Section 6(ea) entirely: Conservation must remain the fundamental purpose of DOC. If enabling economic opportunities from the use and development of public conservation land “to the greatest extent practicable” becomes one of DOC’s functions, then that is a betrayal of all the work already done. Economic development must not be the primary goal of the Conservation Act.
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Remove Part 2, Section 2 (a,b,c): The amendment to the National Parks Act 1980 allows for further economic activity, which jeopardises the natural spaces where this activity could take place.
VUWTC calls for the withdrawal of the Conservation Amendment Bill in its entirety. Whilst we recognise that conservation legislation is in need of an update, the fundamental economy-driven underpinning of this bill poses too much of a threat. We ask that the Committee listen to the voices of the people of Aotearoa in regards to conservation land, and take the time to produce a Bill that is truly reflective of the population's desires. This Bill is not that, and it needs to go.
This submisson was written by a sub-committee of the VUWTC, and submitted to the Enviroment Committee on the 2/07/2026