10/07/2026
Kia ora koutou
1) Te Wānanga o Te Rangi Āniwaniwa opposes changing the purpose of the Conservation Act from protecting our natural heritage to sacrificing conservation for commercial development. Conservation land should be managed first and foremost for the protection of indigenous biodiversity, taonga species, and the cultural values that mana whenua have a responsibility to safeguard through kaitiakitanga.
2) Te Wānanga o Te Rangi Āniwaniwa recommends keeping public conservation land in public ownership or return to mana whenua. In the case of Te Hāpua , conservation lands should be returned to Ngāti Kuri. Any new provisions that make it easier to sell, exchange, or dispose of conservation land are hostile to the intent of conservation. Once public conservation land is lost, it is unlikely to be recovered. These lands hold ecological, cultural, and historical significance, including wāhi tapu and customary landscapes, and should be protected for future generations rather than treated as commercial assets.
3) Te Wānanga o Te Rangi Āniwaniwa supports carefully managed commercial activities on conservation land only where they are necessary to achieve the long-term self-sustainability , kaitiakitanga and protection of conservation values.
We oppose expanding opportunities for commercial activities on conservation land where they could compromise conservation values. Existing legislation already provides for appropriate activities such as tourism. Any further commercial development, including mining or other extractive industries, should NOT occur where biodiversity, cultural heritage, or the exercise of kaitiakitanga by Īwi and hapū will be undermined.
Te Wānanga o Te Rangi Āniwaniwa respectfully recommends that the Select Committee:
1) Retain conservation as the primary purpose of the Conservation Act, ensuring that the protection and restoration of indigenous biodiversity, taonga species, ecosystems, and cultural heritage remain the Act's overriding objective.
2) Reject any amendments that prioritise or require commercial development to be balanced against conservation outcomes, as this would fundamentally weaken the purpose of the Conservation Act.
3) Retain public conservation land in public ownership, except where land is returned to mana whenua through Treaty settlements, negotiated agreements, or other appropriate mechanisms that recognise whakapapa, customary interests, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations.
4) Reject provisions that make it easier to sell, exchange, or dispose of conservation land, recognising that conservation land is an irreplaceable public and cultural asset whose ecological, historical, and spiritual values should be protected for present and future generations.
5) Recognise the aspirations of mana whenua for the return of conservation lands where appropriate, including the return of conservation lands at Te Hāpua to Ngāti Kuri.
6) Limit commercial activities on conservation land to those that demonstrably support the long-term self-sustainability, restoration, and protection of conservation values and are consistent with the exercise of kaitiakitanga.
7) Prohibit mining and other extractive industries on public conservation land unless it can be clearly demonstrated that such activities will not compromise biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, wāhi tapu, cultural heritage, or the exercise of kaitiakitanga by iwi and hapū.
8) Require meaningful partnership with mana whenua in all significant decisions affecting conservation land, ensuring that Īwi and hapū are involved early in decision-making in a manner consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the principles of kaitiakitanga.
9) Require robust environmental, cultural, and intergenerational impact assessments before any new commercial activity is approved on conservation land, with the burden of proof resting on the applicant to demonstrate there will be no significant adverse effects.
10) Ensure that the interests of future generations (mokopuna) remain central to all decisions relating to conservation land, recognising that these lands are held in trust for the enduring benefit of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Nā H Halkyard-Harawira
