The Government’s Conservation Amendment Bill, which passed its first reading in Parliement last month, would enable to sale of up to 60% of current conservation land and also allow more economic activity on land unavailable for sale.

In Hawke’s Bay, the areas jeopardised include the Kawekas, Ruahines, Ahuriri Estuary, Maraetotara Falls, Otatara Pa, Boundary Stream. The only Hawke’s Bay DOC land not being flogged seems to be the Cape Kidnappers gannet sanctuary.

Under current legislation it is only possible to sell some categories of conservation land if it has no, or very low, conservation value. Forest & Bird argues the Bill would widen that and make the test much weaker, essentially only requiring Ministers keep land that is important to threatened species or ecosystems, or if the habitat is one of the best examples of its type in that ecological region. 

Forest & Bird has issued a series of maps indicating the areas that could be on the auction block.

“These maps show the scale of what’s at stake,” says Richard Capie, Forest & Bird’s Group Manager for Conservation Advocacy and Policy. “We wanted to be very clear, because it seems almost unbelievable. Your local reserve, your favourite holiday spot, beaches, forests, and iconic landscapes – they could be at risk of being sold.”

In case anyone is wondering why Green Party support has shot up in most recent polling, here’s one possible reason. Perhaps MPs Wedd and Nimon can explain why this is good news for Hawke’s Bay.

Submissions on the bill close 2 July. More explanation from Forest & Bird here. You can make a submission here.