Watch: Christopher Luxon says National will double QEII trust funding if re-elected

National has promised to double baseline funding for the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust to $8.5 million if re-elected.

National's Agriculture spokesperson Todd McClay and Conservation spokesperson Tama Potaka joined leader Christopher Luxon at a farm near Papakura - right on the border between Auckland and Waikato - to announce the move on Monday afternoon.

The announcement comes two days ahead of the start of Fieldays at Mystery Creek in Waikato.

Luxon said the funding was about recognising that for nearly 50 years, farmers had quietly been protecting "the best of our natural habitat on their own land, at their own cost".

"QEII is a unique conservation model: voluntary, practical, landowner-led, and offers some of the best-value conservation in the country. Every dollar the government puts in, farmers match many times over. It's great bang for buck for both the taxpayer and nature," he said.

National has promised to double baseline funding for the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust to $8.5 million if re-elected.

Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

"More funding will support landowners with costs like fencing, surveying and legal work - costs that can often stop good projects from going ahead. We back farmers to know what is best for their land, they choose to protect important conservation areas, rather than having rules forced on them."

The QEII National Trust is an independent registered charity set up in law that uses "covenant" agreements to protect privately owned land, with the protections continued even if the land is sold.

These covenants protect more than 5000 pockets of land covering 180,000ha in New Zealand, with the aim of increasing protections for high-value land, enhancing their value, and encouraging work to support their protection.

The Trust received a time-limited boost in Budget 2026, lifting funding from $4.2m a year to $5.8m for 2026 and 2027, and the National campaign pledge would see baseline funding permanently increased to $8.5m.

Luxon would not say why the government's increase was not going further and doubling the amount the Trust was receiving this year.

"I can't talk to that, I just know that we're doubling from 4.27 as I knew it to 8.5 as we go forward from here."

Tama Potaka.

Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Luxon said National was "the party for farmers", pointing to removing agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme, banning full farm to forest conversions, investing in wilding pine control, and other measures.

The funding would "restore the Trust's capacity to take on new covenants and give it the certainty to continue delivering quality support to landowners protecting New Zealand's natural heritage", Potaka said.

"Permanent funding certainty means QEII Trust can plan ahead, respond to growing demand, and continue providing practical support for fencing, weed and pest control, revegetation, and covenant enhancement.

"A huge variety of different ecosystems are found on private land. QEII National Trust prioritises wetlands, sand dune systems, and indigenous lowland ecosystems, as these have suffered the biggest loss."

He said many in the conservation community were reflecting on the contribution of the late former Trust chair Alan Livingston, and the best way to honour his legacy was continuing the work he championed.

Todd McClay.

Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

McClay said National wanted the Trust to have security of funding so it could concentrate on protecting land.

"Rural and regional groups have been deeply disappointed that covenant work was scaled back because of a lack of funding, and this commitment will be welcomed by them all," he said.

"The increase will be confirmed in Budget 2027 and will be a permanent, not a time-limited, top up."

The trust would have access to the increased funding from the middle of next year, Luxon's office confirmed.

ACT was quick to take credit for the idea, saying National's policy was a tribute to ACT MP Mark Cameron's campaign for a $10m biodiversity fund which would be made available to government and trusts like QEII.

"It's good to see that thinking now shaping other parties' policy," ACT leader David Seymour said.

"It's fitting that this announcement comes on the same day Mark announced he will retire from Parliament at the next election."

Luxon said it was "awesome that we've got bipartisanship on a critical idea, and that the good farmers of New Zealand can know that between the respective government parties they've got support, isn't that exciting, isn't that what you want to see?"

He said the policy was something the party had been hearing "very strongly from the agricultural community for a number of years" and it had been a real desire to get it done.

'Bang for buck'

Federated Farmers welcomed the policy, saying it would be the "best bang for buck conservation investment the next government could make".

In a media release, the advocacy group's president Wayne Langford said doubling the Trust's funding had been a long-standing priority for them, and would mean more farmers able to voluntarily protect important biodiversity for future generations.

"It's a model that is well-proven," he said. "More and more landowners want to covenant special areas on their properties, but QEII simply hasn't had the resources to keep pace."

He quoted a Waikato University study that found every dollar of QEII money had seen farmers and other landowners invested $6 to $7 for habitat protection.

Langford called on other political parties to match National's commitment.

In the same written statement, QEII Trust chief executive Dan Coup said a lack of funding increases since 2015 meant the Trust was having to "ration what we're doing really tightly" for the first time.

"Some covenant opportunities will be lost forever as people stuck on our waiting list pass away, lose faith or sell their property," he said.

"These farmers and landowners are facing increasing challenges looking after their native bush and wetlands with more extreme weather events, more feral animals and more weeds, including wilding pines. We want to be able to provide a bit more advice and support for those 5400 property owners who are already doing this good work."

Luxon matched those sentiments fairly closely in his opening speech, saying it was the "best value conservation work in the country, every dollar the government puts in farmers match many many times over, and it's great bang for the buck for both the taxpayer and for our nature."

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