The Government is chasing economic growth in all the wrong places with its plans to mine public conservation land, says the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) New Zealand.

WWF-New Zealand’s CEO, Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, says the regressive vision outlined today by Resources Minister Shane Jones in his speech in Waihī is just more misguided extractive economics from the Coalition Government.

“This Government seems to be trapped in the dark ages and holding on to a bizarre nostalgia for sunset industries - but you cannot have growth on a dead planet.

“It seems to me that Shane Jones is chomping at the bit to mine more coal and gold and using his wider list of ‘critical minerals’ as a smokescreen to justify his archaic agenda and pillage conservation land.

“The evidence is clear: we should be investing in restoring Aotearoa’s threatened species and habitats, and in achieving a net-zero transition - not trashing our environment for a quick buck just so Shane Jones can parade around in a hard hat and high viz.”

A recent landmark report from WWF-New Zealand and EY New Zealand shows that protecting nature could save Aotearoa New Zealand more than $270 billion over the next 50 years.

The report shows protecting the country from the impacts associated with biodiversity loss and climate change, and safeguarding our ‘clean and green’ reputation globally, brings huge opportunities for our tourism and primary industry sectors.

“Our economy is underpinned by the health of our environment and nature is central to our national identity. The Government is clearly chasing economic growth in all the wrong places,” says Kingdon-Bebb.

Roughly 30% of New Zealand’s land mass is currently managed as public conservation lands. This is globally significant, as it meets our commitment to protect 30% of our lands and inland freshwater bodies by 2030. Conversely, New Zealand is not living up to our commitment to protect 30% of our ocean territory, with less than one percent currently protected.

“People come to Aotearoa to experience our unique wildlife and precious wild places. The Government’s misguided plan to further enable mining on public conservation lands puts this all at jeopardy,” says Kingdon-Bebb.

“Globally the writing is on the wall and many of New Zealand’s leading businesses are already taking steps towards creating a nature-positive future. But instead, the Government is clinging to sunset industries that are quickly becoming obsolete and ultimately will be leaving New Zealand behind the curve, she says.

“New Zealand has the highest species extinction rate in the world and climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent. When our primary industries and tourism sectors are so acutely reliant on nature, it makes absolutely no sense to be backing destructive extractive industries and ignoring the increasing sustainability demands from consumers and investors globally,” says Kingdon-Bebb.

“Last time the Government proposed mining public conservation land, 40,000 outraged Kiwis marched down Queen Street. Tens of thousands of people again took to the streets last year to protest the destructive Fast-track Approvals Bill. New Zealanders have made it clear time and time again that they won’t sit by while our political leaders execute misguided plans to wreck the home we all share.

“Without a rapid change of tack, this Government’s legacy will be one of obscene environmental destruction and bizarre economic mismanagement. Is the Prime Minister really prepared to shoulder species going extinct on his watch?

“New Zealand’s future doesn’t lie in digging more open-cast mines on our public conservation estate, or in using ‘critical minerals’ as a shield for expanding the extraction of coal or gold in protected areas which are supposed to be set aside for nature. Frankly, Kiwis deserve better.”

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