The Government has announced its next steps to protect our native plants and wildlife from the threat of extinction, releasing a National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPS-IB) exposure draft and a draft implementation plan.

“We all want Aotearoa New Zealand to be a place where ecosystems are healthy and resilient. Right now many of our unique native plants, reptiles, birds and animals are threatened with or at-risk of extinction. Addressing that decline is a priority for this Government,” Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity) James Shaw said.

“Much of native flora and fauna are looked after across conservation land, that on private land must also be protected and currently there is no national standard on how to do that. For 30 years, Councils have been required to also protect our precious remaining biodiversity on private land.

“The National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity will be crucial in clarifying responsibilities and ensuring we are all working together to better protect our native habitats and ecosystems.

“In particular, it will provide clearer direction to councils on their responsibilities for identifying, protecting, managing, and restoring indigenous biodiversity on private, public and Māori land under the Resource Management Act.

“We know many councils are already doing their bit to protect and restore our indigenous biodiversity, but we want to make sure all councils are taking a consistent approach and meeting their obligations.

“The NPS-IB will ensure we strike the right balance between productive land use, and environmental protection,” James Shaw said.

The exposure draft takes into account feedback already received during previous public consultation that took place between November 2019 and March 2020.

“In particular we have made important changes to allow for a more flexible approach to managing Significant Natural Areas on Māori land, recognising the rights and interests of Iwi-Māori to develop their land while at the same time protecting native species.

“We are now entering in to a targeted consultation to ensure the policy can work in practice before coming into effect later in the year. Implementation will then be phased in over 10 years, backed by several support measures, including incentives.

“Those incentives include the launch of a biodiversity innovation fund, the establishment of a regional biodiversity coordinator to better support communities, and the development of a digital platform to connect people with key resources.

“Additional funding has been secured to support councils and iwi-Māori to identify and protect Significant Natural Areas, to support landowners to enhance biodiversity on their land, and to explore additional ways to support positive biodiversity outcomes,” James Shaw said.

The exposure draft of the NPS-IB is available here: https://environment.govt.nz/publications/national-policy-statement-for-indigenous-biodiversity-exposure-draft/

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