Source: Federated Farmers
Doubling funding for the QEII National Trust would be the best bang for buck conservation investment the next Government could make, Federated Farmers says.
“More funding would mean more farmers can voluntarily protect important biodiversity and natural habitats on their land for future generations,” Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says.
“Doubling the trust’s funding has been a long-standing priority for Federated Farmers because it’s a model that is well-proven.”
Demand for new covenants has been growing rapidly but government base funding has remained largely unchanged for more than a decade
“More and more landowners want to covenant special areas on their properties, but QEII simply hasn’t had the resources to keep pace,” Langford says.
The National Party announced this afternoon it will double the trust’s funding if it’s part of the next government.
“We’re now calling on other political parties to get in behind the National Party’s pledge and make this a cross-party priority and commitment,” Langford says.
The QEII Trust provides the covenant legal paperwork and expertise on how best to protect native bush, wetlands and other special habitats.
Farmers voluntarily commit the land, and their hard work putting in fences and tackling pest animals and plants.
A Waikato University study found for every dollar of QEII money, farmers and other landowners put in $6 to $7 in foregone production from the land, and ongoing work to protect the habitat.
More than 5,400 QEII covenants now protect almost 190,000 hectares of privately owned land across New Zealand with the vast majority located on farms.
If all QEII covenants were combined, it would be New Zealand’s fourth-largest national park-sized protected area.
With Government base funding static since 2015, and other one-off funding streams drying up, QEII Trust CEO Dan Coup says this year’s new covenant target is just a quarter of what was achieved in 2024.
“It’s the first time we’ve had to ration what we’re doing really tightly.
“That means some covenant opportunities will be lost forever as people stuck on our waiting list pass away, lose faith or sell their property.”
Coup says the funding shortfall doesn’t just hit new covenant rates.
“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 5,400 property owners who are already doing this good work.”
Coup says the trust is very grateful to the National Party for its leadership and acknowledgement of what the trust does.
“This is not a politically contentious cause so we hope other parties will take a similar view.”
Langford says the success of QEII demonstrates why voluntary, incentive-based conservation approaches are more effective than heavy-handed regulation.
“Farmers have shown time and again that when they’re supported and empowered, they’ll step up.
“QEII is one of the best examples of conservation success in New Zealand, and the next government needs to lock in this funding increase to allow even more landowners to be part of that story.”