Environment and Conservation Organisations of NZ (ECO)

09/06/2026

Kia ora e hoa mā, Urgent Plea – No LNG import facility at Port Taranaki At our public meeting last Tuesday (26/05/2026), jointly organised with Taranaki Energy Watch (TEW) and Community Energy Tara…

09/06/2026

The Govt needs to think again, there are alternatives to investing in expensive LNG. The need to transition to a low carbon economy combined with cost mean LNG should be a no-go in NZ. Climate change and reducing costs of solar, wind and batteries means there are clear alternatives. The last thing NZ needs is a LNG terminal.

Electricity generators will face penalties of up to $10m if they don't shore up supply ahead of dry years.

27/05/2026

After 40 years the Government has just passed legislation to axe the Ministry for the Environment. This is another step backwards in environmental policies and forgets the lessons of the 1970s and early 1980s which led to the creation of the Ministry for the Environment. Thanks to all the staff that worked at MFE over the last 40 years. ECO will urge future governments to revisit this short-sighted decision.

Its demise makes way for the creation of the new Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport

27/05/2026

The opposition to the Govts LNG import proposal was the focus of a packed meeting in New Plymouth. Thanks Climate Justice Taranaki and others organising the meeting. This LNG proposal is bad news for climate, the environment and electricity consumers. The Government needs to get the message that there are lot cheaper alternatives.

Extra seats were needed at the "Why importing LNG is a bad idea" event, hosted by Climate Justice Taranaki, Taranaki Energy Watch and Community Energy Taranaki.

25/05/2026

Good to see the Government partly restoring funding for wilding pine control after cutting funding over the last 2 years. Past funding of $100 million, which was announced in 2020, was to run out next month. The Government needs a long term strategy on biosecurity pest control which includes increase funding for the Department of Conservation. Further departmental cuts will only make things worse for ongoing strategies to protect and restore threatened species and habitats. Things to look for in this weeks budget.

The announcement would lift annual spending on the control efforts to around $36 million a year on average.

24/05/2026

Government quietly drops the energy strategy after consulting on it. New Zealand really needs an energy strategy which is is a transition to a carbon zero renewable energy system, includes energy conservation and efficiency of use, and accelerates the reduction in imported fuel. There are lots of options with low environmental footprint which are much cheaper than imported LNG.

Last week, Christopher Luxon backed an energy strategy, to the delight of the sector pleading for one. Now, he says it's all 'waffle'. Marc Daalder reports.

24/05/2026

ECO joins with others in opposing the Government's proposal to introduce legislation to block legal action in favour of climate change action.

The letter stated the decision to "limit the ability of the courts to make findings of liability under tort law for climate change damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions" was "contrary to New Zealand's climate objectives, blocks the development of the common law in New Zealand, and risks undermining the rule of law and the separation of powers".

New Zealand Government should instead be working hard to implement a transition to a zero carbon economy rather than sequentially removing the pillars of climate action.

An open letter signed by more than 100 lawyers, climate scientists and legal academics attacks the government's moves to amend climate laws to prevent companies from being sued over damage.

22/05/2026

Happy International Day for Biological Diversity! ❄️

Antarctica may appear frozen and empty, but beneath the ice exists one of the most extraordinary and interconnected ecosystems on Earth.

Beyond its iconic penguins and whales, Antarctica is home to remarkable species many people never see: drifting salps that help fuel the marine food web, icefish with natural antifreeze in their blood, glass sponges that may be over 10,000 years old, and brilliantly colored sea stars that help maintain balance on the Southern Ocean seafloor. 🐟🐙🪼🪸🐧🐋

This biodiversity may often be out of sight, but it should never be out of mind. Because what happens in Antarctica does not stay in Antarctica. Antarctic ecosystems help regulate the global climate through carbon storage, drive ocean circulation that connects the world’s seas, support marine food webs far beyond the polar regions, and influence sea ice systems critical to planetary balance. 🌎

As climate change, pollution, and growing human pressures threaten this fragile region, protecting Antarctic biodiversity means safeguarding one of Earth’s last great intact ecosystems, and the life-support systems it provides for the planet.

For more information, check out our blog on 5 lesser known Antarctic species worth protecting.
https://www.asoc.org/ice-archive/lesser-known-antarctic-species-worth-protecting/

Images: iNaturalist CC-BY-NC by Gail Ashton PhD, isaimadriz, Pat Webster, David Cothran, umihoshijima, Justin Hofman.

22/05/2026

Again the Antarctic Treaty ATCM failed list the endangered emperor penguin as a Specially Protected Species. China and Russia again blocked adoption. Meanwhile Antarctic sea ice continues to disappear at faster rates, and without urgent action the species faces functional extinction by 2100.

Nations governing Antarctica met in Hiroshima but failed to grant the emperor penguin Specially Protected Species status.