Current work and key issues
High Country - Tenure Review & Parks Creation
Under Tenure review the Crown's pastoral leases are reviewed, with the more productive areas freeholded and the areas of high public access/recreation and biodiversity values added to the public conservation estate. Six new Conservation parks have been established with another six planned over the next 2 years.
Key issue
- The Government has signalled that it wants tenure review to provide increased protection for lowland biodiversity as well as landscape values.
Resource Management Act
The Conservation Act requires that the Department advocates for conservation of natural and historic resources generally. The Department submits on plans and resource consent applications where significant natural areas and biodiversity are at risk from development proposals and to support the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement.
Key issues
Whole of Government Submission
The New Zealand Energy Strategy has a target of 90% of energy being generated from renewable sources by 2025. This is a challenging target and energy companies are currently in a development and construction phase. The Department consults with all energy project applicants to resolve issues and set agreed conditions prior to resource consent applications being lodged and is also submitting on applications to ensure adverse effects identified are addressed in council decisions.
Key issue
- Some of these energy projects may be called in or be the subject of whole of government submissions. The conservation issues are regarded by other central government departments as local environmental effects. There can be tension around how those local effects impact on the renewable energy projects.
New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement
Under the Resource Management Act the Minister of Conservation has responsibility for the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (NZCPS). A Board of Inquiry is about to be formed to review the NZCPS.
Key issue
- Ensuring that the Board of Inquiry complete the review of the NZCPS in the agreed
timeframe.
Marine
The Government has set a target of 10% of the Territorial Sea to be protected. There are different forms of protection possible including marine reserves, marine parks and marine mammal sanctuaries. While 7% is now protected, most of this is achieved with large reserves around the Kermadec and Auckland Islands and very little associated with the mainland marine coastal environment. There are no current protection mechanisms in the EEZ.
Key issues
- Aquaculture reforms, in particular the Department is leading the establishment of new Aquaculture Marine Areas in Northland with the Northland Regional Council;
- Marine Reserves Bill; and
- Marine protection areas planning initiatives.
Threat Management
New Zealand has about 14 million hectares or around half of its original native vegetation left, of which about 8.2 million hectares are legally protected. Many native species survive only because of extensive pest control undertaken by the Department through bait stations, trapping and 1080 aerial drops. While the most common pests are possums, stoats and rats New Zealand is at threat from introduced weeds and other exotic species.
Key issues
- 1080 reassessment by ERMA is complete and requires users of 1080 to produce detailed reports for the Authority on each aerial drop carried out after 1 January 2008, including comments on any incidents and public complaints; and
- As part of the confidence and supply agreement with United Future, a Ministerial consultation panel has been set up to establish options to manage the numbers of deer, chamois, thar and pigs and is due to report back in February 2008.
Recreation, Concessions and Access
Public conservation land provides recreation opportunities and supports economic opportunities through tourism, renewable energy projects, mineral resources and carbon credit potential through reforestation projects. These opportunities are managed through concessions and access agreements.
Key issues
- Decisions will need to be made on several major concession applications in the near future;
- Identifying land suitable for reforestation projects to support the Government's carbon neutral public service initiative and for tender; and
- The development of a national recreation strategy by SPARC; a key recommendation from the Outdoor Recreation Summit held last year.
Treaty Settlement Negotiations
The Department works with the Office of Treaty Settlements in settlement negotiations with iwi as cultural redress inevitably involves conservation land. All conservation aspects of redress offers are submitted to the Minister for consideration and approval.
Key issue
back to top