So-called ‘improvements’ to the Wildlife Act are further misguided efforts by the Coalition Government to turbocharge growth at the expense of nature - the bedrock of our economy, collective wellbeing, culture and national identity - warns WWF-New Zealand.
The Wildlife Authorisations Amendment Bill has been introduced to Parliament today, with no accompanying Regulatory Impact Statement, and diluting the purpose of the Act to allow the killing of New Zealand’s protected wildlife if it occurs while other ‘lawful activity’ is carried out.
The changes are on the back of a recent court ruling which found it was unlawful for the Department of Conservation to permit the killing of protected species during the construction of a highway in Taranaki.
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka’s changes to the Wildlife Act will dilute its fundamental purpose, which is to protect our threatened native wildlife, says WWF-New Zealand’s CEO Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb.
“These changes are the antithesis of good lawmaking. It’s abundantly clear that the Conservation Minister has no genuine interest in conservation or New Zealand’s unique and threatened biodiversity - despite it being the bedrock of our economy, wellbeing, national identity, and way of life,” she says.
“We understand the desire to address legal uncertainty - but what is actually needed is new legislation that provides for the species and habitat protection that we need to halt and reverse the loss of nature in Aotearoa, including in the face of climate change.”
Dr Kingdon-Bebb says New Zealand needs a new Act for Nature.
“It is already acknowledged in our national biodiversity strategy, Te Mana o te Taiao – Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy, that we need new legislation in order to address our biodiversity crisis.
"New Zealand has the highest species extinction rate in the world, with more than 4000 of our native species at risk or threatened with extinction. The Department of Conservation is not just woefully underfunded but also lacks the legislative tools it needs to do its work effectively."
If targeted amendments are to be progressed, WWF says the Government should include ‘nature positive’ changes which require that any activities for which section 53 permissions are issued need to have an overall positive impact on New Zealand’s indigenous biodiversity.
“If we are to progress with targeted amendments to the Wildlife Act then they need to support our efforts to halt and reverse the loss of nature in New Zealand - not expedite species extinction,” says Kingdon-Bebb.
“Again and again, this Government has shown us that they are committed to waging a war on nature - whether that’s through repeals and deferrals of regulation protecting freshwater and native species, their proposed repeal of the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration, and setting climate targets so low they violate our commitments under the Paris Agreement.”
New Zealand’s greatest asset is nature. In fact, WWF-New Zealand’s recent report A Nature Positive Aotearoa shows that investing in the protection and restoration of nature could save New Zealand more than $270 billion over the next 50 years.
“The Coalition Government is a cabal of bad ancestors. Future generations of Kiwis will ultimately pay the price for their shonky law-making and selfish, short-term thinking," says Kingdon-Bebb.