Source: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

It holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by three to four metres and, until recently, has been viewed as relatively stable. But a major new study is now calling for urgent research on East Antarctica’s Wilkes Subglacial Basin and its potential to dramatically increase sea-levels as the climate warms.

“The Wilkes Subglacial Basin is incredibly important for predicting future sea-level rise, but it’s also largely unexplored. The limited evidence we do have highlights the risk of rapid change as temperatures rise,” said study co-author Professor Nancy Bertler, a climate scientist at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington and Earth Sciences New Zealand.

Piecing together existing data on the region and using computer modelling to predict future changes, the study found retreat of this vast ice-filled basin could result in a sharp increase in meltwater, adding to sea-level rise and potentially disrupting ocean circulation and marine ecosystems.

Signs of change have already been seen. Since the 1990s, the basin’s main glacier—the Cook Glacier—has been thinning at an increasing rate. It currently discharges about 40 billion tonnes of ice each year.

“There is now broad scientific agreement that the basin has the potential to change under future warming, but we still don’t know how quickly change could occur, what climate thresholds may trigger large-scale retreat, and how much the basin may ultimately contribute to future sea-level rise,” said Professor Bertler.

These gaps in knowledge need to be urgently addressed, said lead author Professor Matt King from the University of Tasmania.

“The Wilkes Subglacial Basin is arguably the last unexplored place in Antarctica. No ship has ever been within 150 kilometres of the front of Cook Glacier. If we can understand this region and project its future better, we’ll be more prepared for future sea-level rise both here in the Pacific and globally,” said Professor King.

Risk of runaway retreat

The landscape hidden beneath the Wilkes Subglacial Basin is of major interest to scientists.

“The basin itself sits on bedrock that gets deeper inland, a feature that can lead to accelerating retreat as warmer seawater comes into contact with the ice and starts melting it from below. When this melting reaches a tipping point, the ice sheet can quickly become unstable,” said Professor Nick Golledge, an ice sheet modelling expert from Victoria University.

This phenomenon has been the focus of attention in parts of West Antarctica, where scientific efforts have largely been concentrated. It’s only recently been recognised that regions of East Antarctica have similar characteristics.

Clues to how the basin may change as the climate warms lie buried in marine sediment records from previous warm periods in Earth’s history.

“Together, these sediment records and modelling studies indicate parts of this basin previously underwent substantial retreat when the Earth was warmer. The evidence points to a clear need to find out more about how this region will change as the climate warms,” said Professor Rob McKay, director of Victoria University’s Antarctic Research Centre.

International response needed

The study, co-authored by researchers from 14 countries, calls for a coordinated international effort to collect data on the Wilkes Subglacial Basin as quickly as possible.

Research priorities include mapping the seafloor and collecting sediment samples from deep beneath the basin to shine more light on changes that occurred in the past when the climate was similar to today’s.

“Existing seafloor maps are unreliable, we have sparse data on ocean temperatures, and sediment records are limited. We need to find out what’s happening beneath the sea ice—is warm ocean water already reaching the basin’s glaciers—as well as what’s happening on land,” said Professor Bertler.

Collecting this information will be no easy task. Thick sea-ice blocks regular ship and plane access for much of the year, hampering access to this remote region.

In response to changes occurring in the Antarctic sea-ice system, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research has established an action group to facilitate international collaboration, align research efforts, and coordinate field deployments. This initiative is led by Professor King, Professor Bertler, and Dr Laura De Santis from Italy’s National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics.

“We’re asking governments, the scientific community, as well as philanthropists to support this research and help us find the answers to the crucial questions about the Wilkes Subglacial Basin and the climate risks it may be hiding,” said Professor Bertler.

The study is published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.

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Source: Greenpeace Aotearoa

Greenpeace Aotearoa has joined a complaint to the EU, lodged by EU-based organisation Both ENDS, over New Zealand’s failure to comply with clauses in the EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement requiring strong climate action.

Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director Dr Russel Norman says, “The New Zealand Government has spent the last three years systematically undermining climate and environment laws and regulations in our country, often with the explicit stated purpose of gaining trade benefits.”

“We are in a climate and biodiversity crisis, and the UN is warning that we are set to breach 1.5℃ of global temperature rise. We need urgent action to cut climate pollution rapidly, but the Government has instead spent the last three years engaged in a race to the bottom on environmental regulation – and that’s why we have co-sponsored this complaint.”

Norman says that this action comes after years of good-faith engagement with the New Zealand Government.

“Over the last three years we have met with the Prime Minister, Ministers and senior officials on many occasions to urge them to change course and to warn them that they were breaching the sustainability chapter of the free trade agreement with the European Union. We have mobilised people to sign petitions, we’ve made submissions against their legislation, we’ve marched in the streets, and more. But this Government has not listened.”

“Hence today we are joining this complaint in the hope that the risk of losing preferential trade access to the EU market will encourage the New Zealand Government to change course. Sadly it seems that money is the only language they understand.”

The EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement, signed in 2023, requires both parties to ‘effectively implement the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, including commitments with regard to nationally determined contributions’, and ‘to refrain from any action or omission that materially defeats the object and purpose of the Paris Agreement.’

Dr Norman says, “We need to act collectively as a global community to achieve our climate and environmental objectives, yet the New Zealand Government has consistently and deliberately undermined global efforts, and undermined the Paris climate agreement in particular.”

“Whatever the outcome of the New Zealand general election in November, we need to insist that the next New Zealand Government rejoins the nations of the world that take their climate and environment responsibilities seriously.”

The Both ENDS complaint identifies several areas of concern as evidence of a breach of the EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement, including:

1. The reversal of the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration
2. The weakening of the biogenic methane target
3. The removal of the ETS backstop for agricultural emissions, and refusal to price agricultural emissions at all.
4. The Climate Change Response (Tort Liability) Amendment Act, which retroactively prevents legal action against climate-polluting companies.
5. A failure to set ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as required under the Paris Agreement

The Both ENDS complaint is co-sponsored by the following New Zealand organisations and individuals: the Environmental Law Initiative, Greenpeace Aotearoa, Ngāti Pūkenga Iwi ki Tauranga Trust, OraTaiao: New Zealand Climate and Health Council, Mike Smith, and Professor Emeritus Jane Kelsey.

MIL OSI

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Error notification for Household Income and Living Survey (HILS) data for year ended June 2025

29 September 2026

Kia ora koutou,

I am writing to our customers and stakeholders to advise you of errors impacting the following releases and subsequent customised data requests:

• Child poverty statistics: Year ended June 2025 and Child poverty statistics: Year ended June 2025 – technical appendix
• Household income and housing-cost statistics: Year ended June 2025
• LGBT+ population of Aotearoa New Zealand: Year ended June 2025.

The errors relate to how information about people’s highest qualifications was collected and processed and there are flow-on effects to household income-based statistics.

We are aware of the importance of robust indicators and apologise for this error.

Since identifying the errors, we have worked through the data to investigate the causes, assess their impact, implement necessary corrections, and quality assure the updated data.

Error notification for Household Income and Living Survey (HILS) data for year ended June 2025 has more detailed information.

Stats NZ recognises the impact of errors 

The data and insights provided by Stats NZ are critical to New Zealand policy and decision-makers so we are letting you know about this at the earliest opportunity.

A review into the error is underway and lessons learned will be incorporated into our quality assurance processes to reduce the risk of similar issues in the future.

Ngā mihi nui,

Abby Johnston

General Manager, Statistical Delivery, Social and Environment

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Source: Morningstar DBRS

DBRS Ratings Limited (Morningstar DBRS) confirmed its credit ratings on Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ or the Group), including the Long-Term Issuer Rating at AA and the Short-Term Issuer Rating at R-1 (high). The trend on all credit ratings is Stable. The Group’s Intrinsic Assessment (IA) is aa (low) and the Support Assessment is SA2, which reflects the generally supportive regulatory framework and Morningstar DBRS’ expectation of timely systemic support given ANZ’s importance to the financial system in Australia. This results in a one-notch uplift to the Issuer Rating from the IA. See a full list of credit ratings at the end of this press release.

KEY CREDIT RATING CONSIDERATIONS

The confirmation of the ratings reflects ANZ’s strong franchise, supported by meaningful market shares in lending and deposits across its core markets of Australia and New Zealand. The credit ratings are underpinned by the Group’s resilient earnings generation, sound asset quality, sound funding and liquidity profile supported by a stable customer deposit base, and its robust capital position.

The Stable trends reflect Morningstar DBRS’ view that the financial impact of the operational risk penalty has been manageable given ANZ’s strong revenue momentum and robust capital position. The effective remediation of nonfinancial risks remains an important credit rating consideration. Accordingly, Morningstar DBRS will continue to closely monitor the Group’s progress in strengthening its risk management framework and risk culture, with particular focus on any adverse effects on the franchise, business growth, or earnings profile.

The Group’s IA of aa (low) is at the midpoint of the IA Range to reflect that ANZ’s credit fundamentals and performance are commensurate with those of similarly rated peers.

CREDIT RATING DRIVERS

Morningstar DBRS would upgrade the credit ratings if the Group strengthened its profitability levels while maintaining robust asset quality and solid capitalisation levels. In addition, ANZ would need to demonstrate a sustained track record of effective nonfinancial risk management and governance.

Morningstar DBRS would downgrade ANZ’s credit ratings if there were a prolonged material deterioration in profitability and asset quality or a material impact to the franchise or capitalisation because of repeated risk management shortcomings. Furthermore, Morningstar DBRS would downgrade the long-term credit ratings if, in its view, the likelihood of timely systemic support declined.

CREDIT RATING RATIONALE

Franchise Combined Building Block Assessment: Very Strong/Strong With total assets of AUD 1,314 billion at the end of March 2026 (end of H1 2026), ANZ is a leading Australian bank with sound market shares in home loans of 13.2% in Australia and 29.8% in New Zealand. Globally, ANZ’s footprint extends to 29 markets, of which 13 are in Asia. The Group is leader in the institutional banking in Australia and New Zealand.

Earnings Combined Building Block Assessment: Good

Morningstar DBRS views ANZ’s earnings generation as sound and resilient, supported by its leading banking franchise, good cost control, and low loan loss provisions. On a statutory basis, the Group reported net profit attributable to shareholders of AUD 3,650 million in H1 2026, broadly stable year over year (YOY) from AUD 3,642 million in H1 2025. This reflected stable net interest income, and lower other operating income offset by lower operating expenses. In H1 2026, profit before credit impairment and income tax increased 2% YOY. ANZ reported a statutory return on average equity of 10.3% in H1 2026 compared with 10.4% in H1 2025, and 9.7% in H1 2024. ANZ is in the process of restructuring; however, its cost-to-income ratio as calculated by Morningstar DBRS decreased to 51% in H1 2026, compared with 52% in H1 2025. On a cash-profit basis (excluding one-off items), the Group’s cash profit was AUD 3,780 million in H1 2026 up 6% YOY from AUD 3,568 million in H1 2025.

Credit impairment charges increased to AUD 274 million in H1 2026, compared with AUD 145 million in H1 2025. The increase was largely driven by higher impairments associated with the Middle East crisis, which triggered a 2.5% increase to severe downside scenario, scenario weights skewed 52.5% to the downside scenarios, and a small increase in overlays to reflect risk associated with the forward looking macro-economic environment. Although the cost of risk (as calculated by Morningstar DBRS) increased to 7 basis points (bps) in H1 2026 from a very low 4 bps in H1 2025, it remains below ANZ’s long-run cost of risk of 11 bps and continues to compare favourably with international peers.

Risk Combined Building Block Assessment: Strong/Good

ANZ has a generally conservative credit risk profile and sound asset quality with low levels of impaired loans despite the higher interest rate environment. However, addressing risk shortcomings remains an important challenge for ANZ, which will remain a key focus for management until the remedial plan is fully implemented and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) is satisfied with the Group’s progress in improving its risk management practices. The Group has sound asset quality with low levels of impaired loans. Stage 3 loans slightly decreased to AUD 7.8 billion at the end of H1 2026, and the Stage 3 loan ratio was 0.98% at the end of H1 2026, compared with 1.00% at YE2025. Stage 2 loans (i.e., loans that are classified as having experienced a significant increase in credit risk but are not impaired) represented 9.4% of gross loans at the end of H1 2026 below 9.8% of total gross loans at the end of H1 2025 but above 8.1% at YE2025.

Funding and Liquidity Combined Building Block Assessment: Strong/Good

ANZ’s funding and liquidity position is sound, largely underpinned by a sound customer deposit base in its home markets of Australia and New Zealand. The Group’s customer deposits (including certificates of deposits) grew 1.7% YOY. ANZ’s wholesale funding is well diversified by investor, maturity, instrument, and currency. At the end of H1 2026, refinancing needs were manageable with around AUD 17 billion in H2 2026 as part of the funding target of AUD 30 billion to AUD 35 billion of wholesale issuance scheduled for F2026. This compares with AUD 16 billion issued in H1 2026.

ANZ’s liquidity position is sound, and the Group’s average high-quality liquid assets were AUD 286.9 billion at the end of H1 2026, broadly unchanged since the end of H1 2025. Total liquid assets were AUD 308.8 billion at the end of H1 2026, up from AUD 306.0 billion at the end of H1 2025, and representing about 24% of total Group’s assets. At the end of H1 2026, the Group’s average liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) was 132%, with the LCR remaining above the regulatory minimum thresholds throughout the period, and its net stable funding ratio was 115%.

Capitalisation Combined Building Block Assessment: Strong

ANZ has a strong capital position underpinned by its strong earnings generation capacity and sound access to capital markets.

ANZ’s APRA CET1 ratio increased to 12.4% at the end of H1 2026 from 12.0% at YE2025, largely reflecting the Group’s earnings generation and comparing well with the APRA minimum requirement of 10.25%. ANZ’s leverage ratio, calculated on an APRA basis as Tier 1 capital as a percentage of total exposure, was 4.5% at the end of H1 2026, slightly up from 4.4% at the end of H1 2025 and amply above the minimum requirement of 3.5%. On an internationally comparable basis, the leverage ratio was 4.9% at H1 2025, while the CET1 ratio was 18.4% at the end of H1 2026, compared with 17.0% at the end of H1 2025.

Further details on the Scorecard Indicators and Building Block Assessments can be found at https://dbrs.morningstar.com/research/489949

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNANCE CONSIDERATIONS

Governance (G) Factors

The Corporate Governance subfactor is relevant to ANZ’s credit ratings but does not affect the overall credit ratings or trends assigned to the Group. This is reflected in the Risk grid building block. While ANZ made progress in addressing the governance and operational risk issues identified by APRA and the Royal Commission in 2018 and 2019, more recent developments have raised further concerns. In July 2024, ANZ disclosed regulatory investigations into potential trading and conduct issues, including data reporting failures, misreporting of 2023 bond transactions, and risk management deficiencies in its Sydney dealing room. In August 2024, APRA imposed an additional AUD 250 million operational risk capital add-on for nonfinancial risk management weaknesses, increasing the total capital add-on to AUD 750 million from AUD 500 million. In April 2025, ANZ entered into a court enforceable undertaking with APRA for matters relating to nonfinancial risk management practices and risk culture across the Group, which included an additional operational risk capital overlay of AUD 250 million (equivalent to 5 bps of CET1 capital), raising total add-on to AUD 1 billion. This followed the emergence of issues in ANZ’s Global Markets business. As such, APRA also required an independent review of ANZ’s Global Markets business’ governance and risk framework and the implementation of remediation measures. The capital add-on will remain in place until APRA is satisfied that the identified deficiencies have been adequately addressed.

There were no Environmental or Social factors that had a significant or relevant effect on the credit analysis.

A description of how Morningstar DBRS considers ESG factors within the Morningstar DBRS analytical framework can be found in the Morningstar DBRS Criteria: Approach to Environmental, Social, and Governance Factors in Credit Ratings (20 July 2026), https://dbrs.morningstar.com/research/485522

Notes:

All figures are in Australian dollars unless otherwise noted.

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Source: Greenpeace Aotearoa

Greenpeace activists are occupying a New Zealand state-owned research vessel in Wellington this morning. The Tangaroa has just finished deep sea mineral exploration work for an American company, Glomar, that is vying to start mining in the Pacific as soon as 2027.

An activist dressed as US President Donald Trump, flew an American flag from the Earth Sciences (formerly NIWA) vessel. Another activist held a banner reading “Don’t Mine the Moana”.

The protest highlights the role New Zealand is playing in Trump’s attempts to bypass international law and expedite deep sea mining in the Pacific, despite international resistance to the practice starting. Activists sent a clear message on the protest: New Zealand must not be complicit in Trump’s minerals grab. Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Juressa Lee says:

“It’s disturbing to see this vessel, which is owned by our government, being used to further American imperialism in the Pacific where resistance to this new form of extraction is strong,” says Lee.

“If deep sea mining is allowed to go ahead it will strip the seafloor, risking irreversible damage to the ocean we all rely on, to supply minerals for Trump’s war machine. Pacific Peoples are at the frontline of this fight, and deep sea mining puts their way of life and cultural heritage at risk. It must not be allowed to start.

“While the rest of the world is still debating if deep sea mining should even be allowed to go ahead, Trump has gone rogue. He’s decided that the US will just start mining regardless of international laws, and the rights and interests of the communities who rely on the ocean. New Zealand must not be complicit in this.”

The Tangaroa has just returned from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the international waters of the Pacific, where it surveyed deep sea minerals. The research was carried out on behalf of UK Seabed Resources Ltd (UKSR), a wholly-owned subsidiary of US corporate entity Glomar Minerals, Inc., that has made clear its intentions to begin commercial exploitation of the seafloor in 2027.

Glomar has said that the mineral nodule sampling done onboard the Tangaroa will feed into securing critical mineral supply chains for the US. In April 2025, Trump issued an Executive Order to fast-track commercial deep sea mining in US and international waters. Earlier this year the US government launched Project Vault, an initiative to secure a global supply chain and stockpile a reserve of minerals for military and industrial purposes.

The expedition comes as the US administration is preparing to issue unilateral commercial permits for seafloor minerals. It’s a move that bypasses the International Seabed Authority (ISA) where UN member states are negotiating the regulations that will guide deep sea mining.

Chris Williams, Glomar CEO, has publicly stated that seabed mining “is likely to proceed regardless” of international negotiations. Now, using data gathered by the Tangaroa, Glomar seems set to apply for a US commercial exploitation permit. The Pacific region overwhelmingly rejects deep sea mining, with 46 countries worldwide including New Zealand supporting an international moratorium.

Says Lee: “The New Zealand Government seems to be aligning with Trump’s imperialist extractive agenda, instead of standing with our Pacific neighbours. From negotiating a minerals deal so Trump can stockpile NZ minerals for weapons, to co-funding a port in the Cook Islands with the US, to sending our state-owned assets to work for a rogue industry working to exploit the last wilderness on the planet, our government is cozying up to this rogue and destructive regime.

“We had to call it out and call it what it is: NZ being a US puppet.”

The Tangaroa is no stranger to protest. In 2015 Greenpeace activists occupied the vessel in protest of its use by the international oil industry to survey the waters of Aotearoa for deep sea oil drilling. “We have a long history of taking action when our government has chosen to back international polluters over our oceans. Fair warning to them, we will not stand by while they make us complicit in US imperialism and this new wave of colonial extraction”, says Lee.

Over 100,000 New Zealanders have signed an open letter to Winston Peters calling for him to support a global ban on deep sea mining, joining millions around the world who oppose it. In 2022 the Government announced support for a conditional global moratorium on deep sea mining.

Photos and video

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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

The portfolio spans 2.65 million sqm of gross floor area. Under China’s green power policy framework and electricity market, Hang Lung procures renewable electricity from wind and solar generation sources, obtaining both the power and their green attributes. Hang Lung’s whole-building procurement approach covers electricity used by both landlord operations and tenants. This approach supports China’s dual carbon goals and helps tenants, including luxury brands, banks and multinational companies, advance their own sustainability commitments. Hang Lung expects to procure approximately 440,655 MWh of renewable electricity across its Mainland portfolio by year-end 2026, avoiding an estimated 227,513 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

The five-year journey to full renewable electricity coverage began at Spring City 66 in Kunming in 2021, with Riverside 66 in Tianjin the latest to make the transition. Along the way, Hang Lung’s properties were the first commercial developments to be 100% powered by renewable electricity in Yunnan, Shandong, Liaoning, and Hubei, setting a market-leading example and helping advance renewable electricity adoption across multiple markets in the Chinese Mainland. Achieving this outcome required navigating a complex and rapidly evolving renewable electricity market under tight timeframes. The milestone marks significant progress toward Hang Lung’s net zero commitment and its goal of achieving 100% renewable electricity across all operations by 2050.

Mr. Adriel Chan, Chair of Hang Lung Properties and Chair of the Sustainability Steering Committee, commented: “Leadership is defined by delivery, not just ambition. By achieving full renewable electricity coverage across our entire Chinese Mainland portfolio, we’re creating value for our business and our tenants, strengthening energy resilience, and doing our part to support China’s dual carbon goals.”

Ms. Hélène Valade, LVMH Group Environment Development Director, said: “Renewable electricity is a priority for our Group and our Maisons, notably through our LIFE 360 environmental program. Thanks to Hang Lung’s commitment, our boutiques and offices now run on 100% green electricity. This milestone highlights the strength of our partnership: when a landlord and a tenant share the same climate ambition, real progress becomes possible. We are very pleased to celebrate this major achievement with Hang Lung.”

Mr. Ma Jun, Director of the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE), said: “China’s electricity markets and policies are evolving quickly. To achieve full renewable electricity coverage for 11 properties in nine cities, Hang Lung has had to overcome a steep learning curve, and its example can now serve as an inspiration to others. We hope more property developers and operators will expand their procurement of renewable energy—an essential step for sector-wide decarbonization—creating sustained market demand and enabling a cleaner and more secure future.”

Appendix:

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Source: Greenpeace Aotearoa

Greenpeace says Fonterra’s reported $3.4 billion in profit should be spent on supporting rural communities in Canterbury to clean up their water from Fonterra’s nitrate pollution.

Greenpeace Aotearoa Programme Director Niamh O’Flynn says, “Today, Fonterra is patting itself on the back for making 3.4 billion dollars in profit – profit made through poisoning rural people’s drinking water.”

“For Fonterra to announce this obscene profit, as nitrate pollution increases, is a kick in the teeth for people on the ground who can’t safely drink the water from their kitchen taps. Many of these same people were told just yesterday by ECAN that they are personally responsible for footing the bill to make their poisoned drinking water safe.”

“The first step is to stop the pollution. Then, Fonterra’s profits should go towards ensuring that Cantabrians have access to clean, safe drinking water, instead of lining the pockets of their shareholders and executives.”

Just yesterday, Environment Canterbury “resolved” the nitrate emergency it declared last year, and voted against investigating options to make dairy industry polluters pay to clean up nitrate contamination in rural drinking water.

“The intensive dairy industry has poisoned rural drinking water with nitrate, putting communities’ health at risk. And those same communities have just been hung out to dry by regional councillors, who have opted to put the burden of dealing with that poisoned water back on the individuals,” says O’Flynn.

Greenpeace says Environment Canterbury’s nitrate emergency declaration was an opportunity for the regional council to hold corporations like Fonterra accountable for their pollution – and that yesterday, it failed to do that.

“Yesterday, nine councillors voted to let agribusiness off the hook for their pollution and push the costs of dealing with nitrate contamination back onto rural families. They should be ashamed that they’ve thrown rural Cantabrians under the tractor and given the intensive dairy industry a free pass to continue polluting.”

“In the last year, ECan has approved the addition of tens of thousands of cows to the Canterbury herd. They’ve voted against the provision of free water testing for people on private bores, and they’ve allowed the Government to prevent them from advocating for their communities’ access to safe drinking water.”

“Environment Canterbury has a bare minimum responsibility to continue advocating for its constituents, and to ensure that nitrate contamination is stopped at the source. Right now, it’s doing neither.”

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Source: Greenpeace

Greenpeace says Environment Canterbury (ECan) has thrown rural households ‘under the tractor’, after the regional council voted to ‘resolve’ the nitrate emergency it declared just one year ago.

Greenpeace Programme Director Niamh O’Flynn says, “Resolving the emergency makes it sound like it’s sorted, but a few discussions from the council has not magically cleaned up the nitrate pollution that is wrecking our rivers and poisoning the water in people’s kitchen taps.”

“Tens of thousands more cows have been consented for Canterbury, which is only going to exacerbate the existing crisis. ECan has essentially written off the problem, let polluters go for gold, and left households to stump up the costs associated with trying to access safe drinking water for their families.”

“In ten years time, when rural people in Canterbury are looking for who was responsible for allowing the dairy industry to poison their water, they should look at the records of this council meeting, and the politicians who have aided and abetted the dairy industry in its pollution.”

Greenpeace says this move to minimise the nitrate emergency, at the behest of industry lobby groups like Federated Farmers and Dairy NZ, is spineless.

O’Flynn says, “ECan has a bare minimum responsibility to keep telling the truth about the situation in Canterbury. There is a nitrate emergency. It hasn’t gone away – if anything, it’s gotten worse. And the only thing that the regional council has put in place to deal with this is a Drinking Water Action Plan which does not address the source of the pollution, and puts the onus back on households.”

ECan’s Drinking Water Action Plan prioritises education and evidence gathering, but does not provide solutions to stopping pollution from getting into groundwater in the first place.

“The evidence of the problem is clear,” says O’Flynn. “Prioritising ‘evidence gathering’ instead of calling time on the issue and addressing the source of the problem, is not only kicking the can down the road, but condemning more Cantabrians to increased risk of bowel cancer, pre-term birth, and the anxiety about their drinking water for years to come.”

“ECan has a responsibility to protect source water and stop it from getting polluted in the first place. But if its not willing to maintain its declaration of a nitrate emergency, then it is safe to assume they will not be taking action to make sure it doesn’t get worse.”

Greenpeace says that while ECan has a responsibility to protect drinking water at the source and advocate for its constituents, central Government is ultimately responsible for the failure to protect rural people’s health.

“The source of the nitrate emergency is the intensive dairy industry – an industry that successive Governments have let off the hook for decades. Fonterra and the other dairy corporations are poisoning rural drinking water and they’ve managed to avoid any kind of accountability for it.”

“Ultimately, the solution is clear. We need fewer cows, a ban on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use, and a transition away from intensive dairying, towards ecological practices that don’t poison our drinking water and pollute our lakes and rivers.”

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Source: Federated Farmers

Federated Farmers says new legislation to replace the Resource Management Act will cut red tape, unlock investment and help grow our export-led economy.

The Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill passed their third reading in Parliament yesterday.

Federated Farmers RMA reform spokesperson Mark Hooper says the new legislation is a huge milestone not just for farmers but for New Zealand more broadly.

“We’ve been pushing hard for RMA reform because the status quo has simply not been good enough.

“The RMA has been around for more than 30 years, increasingly making it harder and more expensive for productive Kiwis to get on with doing things to grow our economy.

“Farmers have spent far too much time and money navigating a system that’s been unnecessarily complex, expensive and uncertain for even the most basic everyday activities, like building a new shed or water storage.

“Meanwhile, councils and communities have also been left dealing with endless layers of bureaucratic planning rules and processes.

“This marks the end of that era and the beginning of an opportunity to do things differently.”

Federated Farmers has repeatedly called for the Government to get RMA reform across the line before the November election.

“We’ve been clear that getting this legislation passed before the election was important, and the Government has delivered on that,” Hooper says.

“Now we have a clean slate and the chance to build a planning system that’s simpler, more predictable and focused on getting good outcomes rather than generating more needless red tape.

“These two new laws mark a fundamental shift in the way New Zealand manages its natural resources.

“Finally, we can restore some commonsense to the whole system and make it easier to farmers – and all New Zealanders – to get things done.”

Hooper says a better resource management system is important for New Zealand’s ability to grow and invest.

“Farmers need to be able to make long-term decisions about their businesses without constantly wondering what the next planning rule, consent requirement or council process is going to mean for them.

“That matters when you’re deciding whether to invest in new infrastructure, improve environmental outcomes, expand production, develop irrigation or make other long-term investments in your farm.

“More broadly, New Zealand needs to build houses, infrastructure and businesses, generate energy and grow our productive economy.

“A planning system that adds unnecessary delays, cost and uncertainty makes all of that so much harder than it needs to be.”

Hooper says passing the legislation is a major step in the right direction, but now the focus should turn to making sure the new system works as intended on the ground.

“We’ll be watching that closely and continuing to advocate for a system that delivers certainty for farmers while achieving the environmental outcomes New Zealand needs.

“There’s a way to go before the system is up and running, but there are things the Government could do to speed up the benefits of these reforms.

“For example, they could pick up Federated Farmers’ request for 10 new national standards to make basic farming activities permitted activities.”

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Source: Greenpeace

Greenpeace says the Coalition Government has committed one of its most destructive acts against nature this term, pushing through legislation replacing the Resource Management Act (RMA) last night, in the final sitting days of Parliament.

For more than three decades, the RMA has been New Zealand’s overarching legal framework governing how land, water, air and other natural resources are used and protected. It has now been replaced by the Natural Environment Act and the Planning Act.

Greenpeace spokesperson Gen Toop says the significance of what the Coalition Government has just done cannot be overstated.

“The RMA was New Zealand’s main environmental law. It was designed to protect our air and water from contamination, and our forests, wildlife and coastlines from degradation. That protection has just been well and truly ripped to shreds.

“These new laws allow companies to cause more pollution, contamination and environmental degradation in Aotearoa. If these laws are not repealed by the next Government, we will be living with the environmental damage they enable long into the future.”

Created in 1991, the RMA brought previously separate laws protecting air, water, soil and the environment into one integrated system. The 1991 reforms began under Labour but the RMA was ultimately passed into law by the incoming National Government.

“Until today, there had been an enduring recognition across political lines that New Zealand needed a strong, overarching environmental law to put boundaries around pollution and degradation. What happened today is a profound departure from that consensus,” says Toop.

“On behalf of polluting industries, after private backroom meetings with corporate lobbyists, the Coalition Government has completed a hostile takeover of our cornerstone environmental law.

“They have replaced it with a system designed to protect corporate profits rather than protect the environment. They have even reversed the well-established polluter-pays principle. The public will now end up paying polluters instead.”

The new laws introduce a new scheme in which ratepayers could be forced to pay companies “compensation” for environmental protection rules. The Government’s own report has estimated this could cost councils up to $2 billion.

Greenpeace says they also render environmental limits legally meaningless, scrap existing iwi agreements, stop councils from introducing stronger local protections like bans on destructive fishing practices, restrict public participation and Māori involvement in environmental decision-making, and weaken protections for native wildlife.

“Aotearoa already has polluted rivers, contaminated drinking water, disappearing wildlife and a worsening climate crisis. We desperately needed stronger environmental protection. Instead, this Government has ripped the country’s cornerstone environmental law apart,” says Toop.

“These new laws will make it easier for data centres, mines, feedlots, fish farms and other commercial activities to get consent, even where environmental impacts would be devastating. They also ban local councils from introducing desperately needed marine protections.”

“After the election, these laws must be repealed as a matter of urgency, before they are enacted on the ground and lead to irreversible environmental damage.”

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Source: New Zealand National Party

Exciting news – we’ve just passed legislation to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA) once and for all!

For 35 years, the RMA has acted as a handbrake on growth, making it harder to produce the food and fibre and build the homes, infrastructure and energy projects New Zealand needs – all while failing to deliver the environmental outcomes New Zealanders expect.

The Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill replace that system with one that is simpler, faster and more consistent – and one based around the centrality of private property rights.

That means fewer plans, less red tape, fewer delays, and fewer battles over the same issues every time a project is proposed.

The economic benefits of our new planning system are significant. Independent analysis shows the new planning system is projected to boost GDP by an additional 0.56 per cent every year by 2050, worth up to $3.1 billion annually. A cost benefit analysis estimates $13.3 billion in savings over 30 years through reduced administrative and compliance costs.

In three years, National has passed Fast Track, we’ve made the biggest changes to National Direction under the RMA in our country’s history – and now we’ve repealed the RMA entirely.

This is what National in government can do. To really lock in this progress we need to keep going – and we need your support at the next election.

Chris Bishop

National Spokesperson for RMA Reform, Housing, Infrastructure and Transport

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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

22 September 2026

PSNA is congratulating the Invercargill City Council which this afternoon voted to end procurement of goods or services from companies profiting from illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

Invercargill is the seventh local body to pass similar motions sanctioning Israel. (Christchurch, Nelson and Palmerston City Councils, Environment Canterbury and Environment Southland are the others, while Wellington has banned investment in Israeli government bonds)

“Thank You Invercargill,” says Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Spokesperson Rinad Tamimi “You represent the best of New Zealand. You have stood up while our government sits on its hands.”

“Palestine will remember your simple but significant stand for Palestinian human rights just as it will remember the complicity of the New Zealand government.”

Today’s motion ends the Council’s purchase of goods or services from companies on a United Nations Human Rights Council list which support illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Mayor Tom Campbell moved a motion to oppose the Palestine Solidarity motion. But seven councilors in a row spoke against his motion and in favour of sanctioning Israel.

Campbell’s motion was decisively lost and the resolution was voted in as council policy.

“The greatest problem in Israel/Palestine is that Israel has never been held to account for its war crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide being live-streamed from Gaza,” Tamimi says.

“By itself, the Invercargill resolution won’t force Israel to give Palestinians equal rights, but it is an important step for this country to apply BDS (Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions) to Israel as requested by Palestinians civil society.

“PSNA expects more councils to have similar votes in the coming weeks.”

The ICC debate can be seen here: Invercargill City Council debate.

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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Invercargill

Today Invercargill City Council voted 7-3 to join five other councils including Environment Southland to exclude companies involved in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank from council contracts, reversing the previous council’s 6–6 decision decided by casting vote.

The motion returned after a petition signed by 1,200 people, and was supported by local businesses, unions, faith groups and community organisations.

The change aligns procurement with UN Security Council Resolution 2334, co-sponsored by New Zealand under a National government in 2016, which states Israeli settlements on Palestinian land are a “flagrant violation under international law” and a “major obstacle” to peace. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled Israel’s occupation unlawful and in breach of international law on apartheid and racial segregation.

Statement from Seren Palliser of PSNA Invercargill: “Since the last council rejected this, 1800+ attacks have been recorded in the West Bank, with 240 Palestinians killed and 1600 displaced. 700,000 settler-colonists now live in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and this winter Israeli ministers announced plans for 3 settlements in Gaza and 400 million to expand settlements.”

“We’re grateful to the councillors who passed this today. This is a small step to stop ratepayer money funding these war crimes, but local councils shouldn’t have to take it – it’s 10 years since UNSC 2334 was passed and parliament, which sanctioned Russia within weeks, still hasn’t put it into action. The relentless double standards have done permanent harm to the international rule’s based order we all rely on.”

The motion was brought by councillor Lisa Tou-McNaughton (supported by Andrea de Vries, Steve Broad, Marcus Lush and Darren Ludlow), and moved by Alex Crackett, seconded by Steve Broad

Votes for: Lisa Tou-McNaughton, Andrea de Vries, Steve Broad, Marcus Lush and Darren Ludlow, Alex Crackett, Ian Pottinger, Ria Bond

Voted against: Tom Campbell, Barry Stewart, Trish Boyle

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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Babilou Cares 2026 brings together families, educators and community partners at 47 centres for coordinated activities spanning elderly welfare, sustainability, food security and kindness.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 September 2026 – Little Footprints Preschool, operated by Babilou Family Singapore, brought together all 47 of its islandwide centres on 17 July 2026 for its fifth annual Babilou Cares community outreach day. The Singapore preschool network offering infant care and childcare programmes drew families, educators and partners including NParks, NEA, TOUCH Community Services and Food from the Heart into a day of hands-on community service. In a shift from previous fundraising-driven editions, the 2026 campaign focused on direct action across four pillars (elderly welfare, food security, environmental sustainability and community kindness) to embed the group’s Sustainable Education framework into practical learning for young children.

Bringing Generations Together
Under intergenerational engagement, 16 Little Footprints centres, including its childcare centres at Punggol and Bedok Reservoir, worked with community sites operated by partners including TOUCH Community Services, NTUC Health and REACH Community Services to spend time with the elderly. Families travelled to these sites, where over 40 parents joined their children to lead stretching exercises, sing-alongs, storytelling and the creation of dementia-friendly cognitive activities designed to support memory, thinking and social engagement among seniors.

Supporting Families Through Food Security
Families across Little Footprints’ Punggol 168 and Punggol 107 centres came together for a donation drive, collecting over 30kg of food and 20kg of textiles. These were redistributed to community shops and beneficiaries through partners including Food from the Heart and Cloop, and directly to lower-income families at rental flats. Alongside the collection, parents and children took part in food sustainability talks that introduced them to the systems behind what ends up on their plates.

Learning to Care for the Environment
For the environmental sustainability pillar, waste became the raw material. Families across 12 Little Footprints centres joined partners NParks, the Public Hygiene Council and NEA in neighbourhood and beach clean-ups, upcycling workshops and recycled art sessions, turning bottles, chopsticks and T-shirts into tote bags, garden tools, artwork and clean-up equipment.

In particular, Little Footprints’ Balestier centre gathered 11 families to jointly upcycle and craft more than a dozen items, including coin boxes, flower vases, play boxes, decorations and shakers.

Practising Kindness in the Community
Lastly, kindness took many forms across 15 Little Footprints centres. At the Depot and Keat Hong 803 centres, over 70 parents gave out thank-you cards to hawkers, clinic staff and helpers around neighbourhood shopping centres. A mental wellness workshop was hosted in partnership with Heartfulness, and in the neighbourhoods surrounding each centre, families hand-delivered care packs to cleaners, security staff, hawkers and bus captains. This included 32 care packs distributed by the Thomson centre to hawkers and cleaners, as well as Milo and biscuit care packs distributed by Bukit Purmei centre to community cleaners.

At Jurong West 976 centre, the team also prepared 100 care packs, including packet drinks, biscuits, fruit, instant cereal and instant coffee. Staff and children gave out the care packs to elderly residents in the neighbourhood as part of the children’s learning experience, helping them understand the importance of caring for and contributing to the community.

A Sustained Commitment to Community Engagement
Held annually across the wider Babilou Family Group network, Babilou Cares reflects a longer-term commitment to weaving community engagement into classroom practice year-round.

The Sustainable Education framework guides how children learn across four dimensions: emotional and physical safety, nature-based learning, inclusion and partnering with parents. Community engagement activities run through each of these, giving children opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom to the world around them.

In 2025, the initiative raised $43,000 for Ground-Up Initiative, an organisation focused on sustainability and reconnecting people with nature. The funds directly supported the development of its new Kampung Kampus in Khatib, a living classroom where children, families, youths and educators engage in hands-on learning rooted in sustainable living and the kampung spirit.

In May 2024, closure day activities across Little Footprints centres raised $69,343 for World Vision, an international children’s charity. The funds provided lunches, medicine, emergency food and vegetable seed packs for children and families in need, while helping children at Little Footprints build empathy for hungry and malnourished children, alongside a deeper sense of gratitude for their food and an early understanding of food sustainability.

The move away from a fundraising figure this year shifts the emphasis to the act of doing, on children, families and educators showing up together, in every neighbourhood, on the same day.
https://littlefootprints.edu.sg/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/babilou-family-singapore/
https://www.facebook.com/littlefootprintspresch
https://www.instagram.com/littlefootprintspreschool/
https://www.tiktok.com/@littlefootprintspresch

Hashtag: #LittleFootprintsPreschool

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Source: Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc.

Monday, 21 Sep 2026

After a closely contested election with more New Zealanders than ever getting behind bird of the year, a little battler from Rēkohu Chatham Islands has won the 2026 Bird of the Year.

“Participation has really soared,” says Rebecca Hatch, Forest & Bird’s Group Manager, Growing Support. “This year has seen record numbers of votes with 105,000 people choosing their favourite manu at birdoftheyear.org.nz.”

“In particular, New Zealanders have really shown up for nature. Roughly 1 in every 50 Kiwis voted in Bird of the Year 2026.”

“It’s no wonder. Our Bird of the Year team, including our incredible volunteer campaign managers, helped to make so much noise for our manu this year.”

After an early lead from kākāpō, karure black robin finished at the top of the pecking order with 26,610 votes.

Final top ten

1. Karure, black robin – Shy Birds – 25,610
2. Kākāpō – Floor Birds – 19,445
3. Kārearea, New Zealand falcon – High Birds – 17,423
4. Kea – High Birds – 16,511
5. Takahē – Floor Birds – 14,511
6. Ruru, morepork – Night Birds – 13,923
7. Tawaki piki toka, eastern rockhopper penguin – Sea Birds – 12,948
8. Pīwakawaka, fantail – Tree Birds – 12,769
9. Toroa ingoingo, northern royal albatross – Sea Birds – 12,658
10. Hoiho, yellow-eyed penguin – Sea Birds – 11,822

Chatham Islands Landscape Restoration Trust was the campaign manager for karure.

Karure are a conservation success story that put Aotearoa on the international conservation map. In 1980 just five birds were left, one of them the only fertile female. The Chathams community and the Wildlife Service (which later became the Department of Conservation) turned that around, working from a single breeding pair, Old Blue (f) and Old Yellow (m). There are now around 350 adult birds living on two pest-free nature reserve islands.

Now 350 adult birds live on two pest-free nature reserve islands managed by the Department of Conservation. The suitable karure habitat on these small islands is nearly at capacity, with all the good black robin territories occupied. For the population to keep growing, a third population needs to be established on another island – which means more safe habitat is needed.

Conservation work led by the Chatham Islands Landscape Restoration Trust alongside work other groups and individuals on the Chathams are doing, makes this a real possibility – especially on Pitt Island which sits right between the two nature reserves.

Work on Pitt Island won’t just help karure black robin. The Chatham Islands are a vital biodiversity hotspot that supports 20% of New Zealand’s threatened bird species.

This year’s competition leaned hard into the election vibes with candidates, parties and even a pest gallery reporting all the latest “beaking news”. Each vote for a bird was also counted as a vote for its party.

Despite the top three birds standing for Shy Birds, Floor Birds and High Bird parties, it was the Tree Birds who took top perch for the party vote. These 16 birds are also winners, including underbirds pōpokotea whitehead, mohua yellowhead, and pīpipi brown creeper.

Final votes by party

1. Tree Birds – 100,793 votes – 22.9%
2. Shore Birds – 88,248 votes – 20.0%
3. Sea Birds – 76,016 votes – 17.3%
4. High Birds – 53,693 votes – 12.2%
5. Floor Birds – 53,274 votes – 12.1%
6. Shy Birds – 53,164 votes – 12.1%
7. Night Birds – 15,396 votes – 3.5%

“The jokes are funny and this year’s meme game certainly didn’t disappoint, but underneath it all there is a serious message – 80% of our manu are in some or serious trouble,” says Rebecca Hatch. “This holds true on the leaderboard as well – eight of the top 10 finishers are in serious trouble.”

“One thing we heard again and again from voters was, ‘I didn’t realise how many of our birds are in trouble.’ New Zealanders love nature but often assume it’s doing okay.

“That’s exactly why Bird of the Year matters. It helps people discover, connect with, and fall in love with the incredible diversity of New Zealand’s wildlife, while shining a light on the real challenges nature is facing.

“Now that the wildest election of the year is decided, we can make sure we’re showing up for nature on November 7. The decisions our leaders make have a huge impact on our native species.

“Karure black robin can’t vote. But we can.”

Record breaking voter turnout

“This year’s growth came from reaching new audiences, especially children and young people. Bird of the Year even went into the wild, with pop-up voting booths, connecting with people who might never have encountered the competition otherwise.

“New Zealanders have embraced the chance to have their say for nature, with 88% of votes coming from within Aotearoa. That’s the reverse of 2023, when the majority of votes came from overseas. So while this may not be the very biggest Bird of the Year on record, it is the very biggest homegrown result in Bird of the Year.”

Find full Bird of the Year 2026 results here.

Karure black robin facts

• About 350 adult birds after the last breeding season, across two restricted, pest-free nature reserves: Maung’Re / Mangere, and Hokorereoro / Rangatira.
• Still in serious trouble. Classified as Nationally Critical.
• Suitable habitat on those islands is near capacity, with all the good territories occupied. A third population on another island is needed for the species to keep growing.
• Good karure habitat is lowland coastal forest: healthy canopy for cover, plenty of invertebrates to eat, no feral cats, rats or possums.
• The Trust’s flagship project is Predator Free Chathams, about to start on Pitt Island (Rangihaute / Rangiuria) removing feral cats, the only predator-free target species there.
• Restoring Pitt Island is an opportunity to save one in five of all of Aotearoa’s native bird species.
• Some of the Trust’s staff and trustees’ families were part of the original recovery effort.
• Pitt Island School made art and poems for this year’s campaign.

Original release: Forest & Bird.

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Source: Greenpeace Aotearoa and Forest & Bird

Thirty Five thousand have gathered in Auckland’s Albert Park this afternoon to march down Queen Street to protest the Government’s controversial Conservation Amendment Bill.

Speaking from the protest, Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director Dr Russel Norman said, “We are part of nature, not separate from it. An attack on nature is an attack on all of us. It needs to stop.”

“If Luxon wants a fight over conservation land, he has one. This huge turnout today shows people are not prepared to stand by while a government tries to rewrite conservation law to make those places easier to exploit.”

“Today’s March for Nature is an unmistakable warning to the Coalition Government. Luxon should look at the thousands of people filling Auckland’s streets today and read the room. Bin the Bill, keep your hands off conservation land, and leave it protected for generations to come.”

Forest & Bird’s Richard Capie, also speaking from the protest, said “Today’s march shows just how deeply people care about our unique creatures and incredible wild places. Nature brings New Zealanders together – there is no more powerful unifying force in Aotearoa than te taiao.

“The message to every political party from the people of New Zealand is clear: if you stand up for nature, we will stand with you. But if you sell off our conservation land, weaken environmental protections, or put short-term profit ahead of our future, we will not stand by and let it happen.”

Other speakers included Augusta Macassey-Piccard of Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki, Gabrielle Brayne of Anti-War Aotearoa, Aigagalefili Fepulea’i-Tapua’i (Fili) of Aotearoa Climate Action Network, and Māori activist Mike Smith.

Norman says, “Conservation land is part of who we are in Aotearoa. But the Conservation Amendment Bill would open the door to more mining, more commercial exploitation and degradation of the wildlife and places we all love.

“Today, thousands of people from all walks of life have come together to say that we will not stand for this. Together, we will fight this rotten Bill every step of the way until it is dead and buried.”

The protest, organised by Greenpeace Aotearoa and Forest & Bird, is backed by over 30 civil society groups, including unions, environmental charities, scientific societies, ratepayer associations and outdoor recreation groups. They include the PSA, NZEI and Unite Union, the NZ Botanical Society, Environmental Law Initiative, Mindful Money, and Athletes for Nature.

Capie says, “Aotearoa New Zealand – our mountains, oceans, rivers, forests, and landscapes – are like nowhere else on earth. They are home to iconic native species that exist only here. New Zealanders are rightly incredibly proud of te taiao and we share a deep sense of aroha for the environment. Conservation land, our wildlife and wild places, are taonga, a treasure. They must be looked after for future generations.

“So, when these places are put at risk, New Zealanders stand up and say no. That is the message I’ve heard over and over again today – protect te taiao – hands off our conservation land.”

The march will leave Albert Park at 1:30pm and travel down Queen Street, before arriving in Te Komitititanga Square. Greenpeace and Forest & Bird are urging participants to enrol to vote, with the election in seven weeks.

Greenpeace – Updated numbers: 35k marched for nature

Source: Greenpeace Aotearoa

More than 35 thousand people joined today’s march for nature, to demand that the Government scrap the Conservation Amendment Bill.

The march was organised by Greenpeace and Forest & Bird, who are particularly concerned that the Bill will allow commercial exploitation of conservation land.

Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director Russel Norman says “If Luxon wants a fight over conservation land, he has one. This huge turnout today shows people are not prepared to stand by while a government tries to rewrite conservation law to make those places easier to exploit.”

Forest & Bird Group Manager Policy & Advocacy Richard Capie says “The message to every political party from the people of New Zealand is clear: if you stand up for nature, we will stand with you. But if you sell off our conservation land, weaken environmental protections, or put short-term profit ahead of our future, we will not stand by and let it happen.”

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