The Conservation Amendment Bill aims to modernise the way conservation land is managed, support economic growth, and deliver stronger conservation outcomes.
About the Conservation Amendment Bill
On 15 November 2024, the Government released two discussion documents that include proposals to:
- explore charging for access to some public conservation land, and
- streamline concessions and planning processes and enable more flexibility around land exchange and disposals.
The discussion documents, summary of submissions, and supporting Cabinet papers and advice can be found here:
On 2 August 2025, the Government announced key policy decisions following public consultation. These policy decisions led to the development of the Conservation Amendment Bill.
On 7 May 2026, the Government introduced the Conservation Amendment Bill to Parliament.
The Bill will provide a more streamlined and flexible conservation system by:
- streamlining the planning framework to improve efficiency and better enable economic activity on conservation land
- allowing for more efficient and effective processing of concession applications, and ongoing management of concessions
- enabling greater flexibility to exchange and dispose of conservation land
- providing clarity on te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi (Treaty) obligations
- increasing revenue to help maintain and enhance the visitor experience on conservation land.
Now that the Conservation Amendment Bill has been introduced to Parliament, it needs to go through the legislative process – this includes select committee and three readings in Parliament before potentially becoming law.
The Select Committee process provides an opportunity for people to provide feedback on the Bill.
More information about the Bill and its progress through Parliament can be found below:
- Landmark Conservation Reform Bill will boost economy and protect nature | Beehive.govt.nz
- Conservation Amendment Bill | New Zealand Legislation
- Conservation Amendment Bill – factsheet (PDF, 190K)
- Conservation Amendment Bill | New Zealand Parliment
Media releases
- Landmark Conservation Reform Bill will boost economy and protect nature 7 May 2026
- Proposals to modernise conservation released 15 November 2024
- Unleashing growth on conservation land 2 August 2025