Introduction
On 2 August 2025, the Government announced it will make changes to conservation legislation. On 7 May 2026, the Minister of Conservation introduced the Conservation Amendment Bill (the Bill) to the House of Representatives. The Bill has been referred to the Environment Select Committee where the public will have the opportunity to submit feedback on the Bill.
The Bill enables the Minister of Conservation to set future national policy direction through the National Conservation Policy Statement (NCPS). We are seeking feedback on the proposals for the first NCPS. The NCPS will support implementation of amended conservation legislation.
This NCPS consultation is separate from the Environment Select Committee's consideration of the Bill.
Note: the process for developing future NCPSs is outlined in the Bill.
Background
The current conservation management system is complicated and dated
The conservation regulatory system uses concessions to regulate activities, such as filming, grazing, and guided tours, that can and cannot occur on public conservation lands.
The current framework to manage concessions is a complex hierarchy of statutory policies, strategies, and plans. These documents are lengthy and overly prescriptive and can be difficult for users to interpret. They sometimes duplicate one another, overlap or provide conflicting guidance, and many have been overdue for review for years.
This complexity makes it difficult for potential applicants to know where activities are suitable on conservation land and contributes to different outcomes across the country.
The National Conservation Policy Statement and 'area plans' will replace the documents guiding the concessions system
The National Conservation Policy Statement (NCPS) is proposed to replace the current general policies that guide national conservation management (the Conservation General Policy and General Policy for National Parks). The NCPS covers these same functions but with solutions to address issues within the conservation management framework.
A single layer of 'area plans' will replace current conservation management strategies and plans, as well as national park management plans, which are long and complex, and overlap in certain areas. Area plans are proposed to be more concise than existing documents and provide more certainty about what activities can occur and where.
How to make a submission
We are seeking your feedback on the proposed content of the first NCPS, including proposed policies, area plan content and pre-approved and exempt activities.
Proposal document:
The Department of Conservation has prepared this document to describe the proposed content of the first NCPS. This will allow the NCPS to be developed while the Bill goes through the parliamentary process.
You can find the draft Bill on the New Zealand Legislation website.
Submissions open on 14 May 2026. This consultation will be open for eight weeks, and will close on 9 July 2026.
Send us your submission
Send your submission by email or post. You'll get a confirmation email or letter when a submission has been received.
Email: landlegislation@doc.govt.nz
Post:
Department of Conservation
PO Box 10420
Wellington 6140
Late submissions may be considered, but contact us in the first instance.
Once submitted, submitters' information is subject to the Official Information Act 1982 and may be released under that Act. If you wish to keep any part of your submission confidential, state this in writing when making your submission.
What happens next
The Conservation Amendment Bill will be subject to select committee process in the coming months. The proposed scope of the first NCPS is subject to change depending on any amendments to the Bill throughout this process.
We will provide a summary of submissions on this web page following the conclusion of consultation.
Contact
If you have a question about the application or the submission process you can contact Land Legislation.
Email: landlegislation@doc.govt.nz.