Source: Greenpeace
Greenpeace Aotearoa and Forest & Bird have announced a March for Nature to be held in Auckland on 19 September 2026, calling on New Zealanders to unite in defence of nature.
The March comes as opposition to the Government’s Conservation Amendment Bill, and love for our wild places, continues to grow. People from across New Zealand are being invited to join together and send a clear message that nature and the places we all treasure must be protected.
Greenpeace Executive Director Dr Russel Norman says the Conservation Amendment Bill is the latest in a series of attacks on nature that has brought growing public frustration to boiling point.
Greenpeace Executive Director Dr. Russel Norman says: “For the past two and half years this Government has waged a war on nature and this latest attack on conservation land is the last straw.
“This march isn’t just about one Bill. It’s about saying enough is enough to a Government that keeps putting corporate interests ahead of nature. From the Fisheries Amendment Bill to the Fast-track Approvals Act and now the Conservation Amendment Bill, we’ve watched environmental protections be steadily dismantled.
“We will not stand aside while this Government makes it easier to commercially exploit public conservation land. These snow-capped mountains, ancient forests, wild rivers and coastlines belong to all of us. They are part of who we are as a nation and must be protected.”
Forest & Bird Acting Chief Executive Erika Toleman says the Conservation Amendment Bill has become a rallying point for people who care about and want to protect nature in Aotearoa.
“Conservation land is for people and for nature. These are the wild places that belong to all of us and future generations. New Zealanders take pride in protecting our public conservation land, the mountains, wild rivers, and forests that we love to explore.
“Our native wildlife is already under immense pressure, we need stronger protections for habitats and stronger environmental safeguards.”
The March for Nature draws inspiration from previous marches that successfully pushed back against attempts to weaken environmental and conservation protections. In 2010, people marched against plans to mine Schedule 4 conservation land, forcing the Government to backdown.
In 2024, the first March for Nature against the Government’s Fast Track Bill, attended by over 20,000 people, successfully forced changes to some of the most anti-environment proposals within the bill. This has been consequential for decisions that followed such as the expert panel declining the proposed seabed mine in Taranaki.
“People in New Zealand have a long and proud history of standing up for nature. Fifteen years ago, John Key listened to New Zealanders from all walks of life when his government backed down from opening up our most highly protected conservation land to mining. As our current PM, Christopher Luxon has the same opportunity to do the right thing in 2026”, says Toleman.
Norman says, “Whether it’s defending conservation land, the nuclear free movement or ending offshore oil and gas exploration, we are a country full of people who love the environment and want to protect it. The Coalition Government has just signed itself up to a battle that it cannot possibly win.”