Poll: two-thirds of voters oppose public conservation land sales

The majority of New Zealand voters oppose selling public conservation land, a new poll has found, and politicians who support it could lose votes.

The government's Conservation Amendment Bill could make up to 60 percent of public conservation land eligible for sale or exchange.

The Curia Market Research poll was commissioned by Forest & Bird and surveyed 1000 voters from across the political spectrum.

It found two-thirds of voters are opposed to selling public conservation land, while only 25 percent back it.

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has previously said it was not accurate to say the government was preparing to sell large areas of public conservation land.

Instead, he said the bill would make it clearer when considering possible sales or exchanges if doing so would improve conservation outcomes.

Close to half of survey respondents said they would be less likely to vote for a party that supported allowing the sale of public conservation land.

Forest & Bird chief advisor Richard Capie said New Zealanders had sent a clear message to politicians: public conservation land was not for sale.

"If those politicians come out and say that this is something they support, they will lose votes," Capie said.

"Political parties should be paying close attention. The voters that every political party needs to win this election do not want conservation land up for sale."

Opposition was visible across rural and city voters, he said, and above 50 percent of coalition voters.

Capie said the proposed changes would also open up public conservation land to new types of development, and require the Department of Conservation (DOC) to factor in economic development in its decision-making.

"They're some of the headline concerns that exist around this legislation - 100 percent economic development, 60 percent at risk of sale, and changing the very purpose of DOC," he said.

He was not opposed to economic activities, but said they needed to make sure they did not interfere with conserving precious, biodiverse places.

"New Zealanders are telling us loud and clear in an election year that selling conservation land is something they will not support," he said.

"These are the places people tramp, swim, camp, climb, hunt, fish, and take their kids. They are the wild places that we treasure."

Capie said New Zealand has a responsibility to look after the conservation land that remains as it is where native species live, forests grow and freshwater comes from.

The bill is currently open for public submissions.

Forest & Bird called on political parties to oppose the amendments that would make selling conservation land easier.

Potaka had previously told RNZ that DOC was not embarking on a programme to sell and the Bill did not direct or require any land to be sold.

"Economic activity already occurs on public conservation land through concessions, tourism operations, infrastructure, farming arrangements, and other authorised activities," the Conservation Minister said.

"The bill does not change the fundamental requirement that conservation values remain central to decision-making.

"The purpose of the reform is not to maximise economic development. The purpose is to ensure DOC has the tools necessary to manage land effectively and achieve better conservation outcomes.

"Where appropriate, legal protections such as covenants and easements can be applied to protect public access and conservation values even where ownership changes."