How will your party go about ensuring the ongoing protection of the natural flora and fauna of Aotearoa given the effects of climate change?

National

We introduced Predator Free 2050, a long term vision for the continuing protection of New Zealand’s biodiversity, and survival of our native species, well into the future.

National will take a balanced, long term and pragmatic approach to conservation TO ENSURE THAT ALL New Zealanders – both here today and future generations – will have the opportunity to experience and enjoy our incredible natural environment.

Labour

Labour will support initiatives to protect, preserve, and restore our natural heritage and biodiversity, and to reverse years of decline. This will provide a range of benefits to not only essential and valuable ecosystems, but for all New Zealanders. Our work will include implementing the Predator Free 2050 Strategy and promoting mainland islands.

We’ve launched Te Mana o te Taiao – Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy, providing a framework for the protection, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity in New Zealand, and setting specific goals for 2025, 2030, and 2050. We’ve also substantially boosted DOC funding.

We’re also supporting councils to restore biodiversity, including through a National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity, which we expect to gazette in 2021.

Labour will commit to sustained funding for a kauri dieback National Pest Management Plan, to protect this taonga from extinction. This funding will provide a co-ordinated, long-term approach to the management of kauri dieback disease.

Greens

Everyone should be able to enjoy the dawn chorus in Aotearoa’s forests and have rivers safe for fishing, swimming, and gathering kai. In Government, the Green Party has secured the largest investment in conservation ever. This funding will better protect kiwi, kākāpō, takahē, and other wildlife from the predator crisis. We’ve added 64,000 hectares to Kahurangi National Park – the largest ever addition to a national park in Aotearoa. We are responding to the job losses COVID-19 has created by investing $1.3 billion to create thousands of jobs for nature over the next four years, including 6,000 jobs in conservation. But there is still much to do to protect and enhance nature, especially as the climate changes. The Green Party will:

• Create sustainable employment through the Government’s Jobs for Nature programme, and support conservation volunteer groups nationwide which focus on improving efforts to address the effects of climate change such as riparian planting and wetland restoration.
• Enhance Predator Free 2050 by increasing funding for research, innovation, and landscape predator control; and by establishing more protected and pest-free islands and sanctuaries, including in our towns and cities.
• Invest in restoring wetlands, riverbanks, and estuaries to protect communities against rising seas and floods.
• Increase funding support for iwi and hapū, landholders, and community organisations to restore the health of forests and waterways, through programmes including the Community Conservation and Partnership Fund, Mātauranga Kura Taio, Ngā Whenua Rahui, Nature Heritage and QEII Trust Funds.
• We will announce further policies to protect nature in the coming weeks.