Minister of Conservation and NEXT Foundation sign Tomorrow Accord

The Government and NEXT Foundation will today sign a conservation Accord that will secure the ecological gains made by qualifying privately funded conservation projects.

The Tomorrow Accord commits the New Zealand Government to maintain long term results for parts of the conservation estate where philanthropic investment has delivered significant, measurable enhancement of the ecological prospects of those ecosystems.

The NEXT Foundation is a new $100 million philanthropic foundation, established to invest in high impact New Zealand-based environmental and education projects. Its founders have previously invested in conservation projects on Rotoroa Island in the Hauraki Gulf and Project Janszoon’s 30-year ecological restoration of the Abel Tasman National Park, which will be one of the first to benefit from the Accord.

Chairman of Next Foundation Chris Liddell says he welcomes the Government’s commitment to this important initiative which sets a framework for transformational partnerships in the area of environmental conservation.

“This is a tremendous initiative which will secure the conservation achievements of NEXT and other like minded philanthropists for the long term benefit of New Zealand. It is entirely consistent with the thinking that lies behind the recent launch of the Foundation and the very successful partnership we have with the Department of Conservation in Project Janszoon,” he says.

The Accord will secure the long term future for qualifying philanthropic projects which

• achieve ambitious, measurable conservation outcomes which could not be achieved by Government working alone and

• occur primarily on public conservation land of high biodiversity potential and
• involve credible philanthropic interests working in partnership with the
Department of Conservation and

• contribute significantly to the vision of “New Zealand as the greatest living
space on Earth”

The NEXT Foundation has a vision of creating a legacy of environmental and educational excellence for the benefit of future generations of New Zealanders.

It will make commitments of approximately $5 - $15 million each year, over a ten year period.

ENDS

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