Address to the 2025 QEII National Trust Conference
It is in our human self-interest to protect biodiversity
because the ecological services it delivers
– like pollination – are services we all rely on.
The Commissioner recently spoke QEII National Trust conference.
The Commissioner questions the extent of property rights, especially regarding natural resources and biodiversity. He questions whether landowners have the right to destroy biodiversity and what responsibilities come with land ownership.
“What I do want to do is explore the consequences of what a move to affirming property rights at the heart of environmental legislation might mean for biodiversity protection.”
This will be an important consideration as the Government reforms key legislation, including the RMA,
“The question I’d like to ask today – and I don’t have an answer – is whether a further proposition lies under the surface here: that property owners own the biodiversity on their land and have the right to destroy it. I don’t consider that I have a right to destroy biodiversity. But that’s a personal view. Others clearly think they do have a right to destroy it.”
Without adequate resources, biodiversity protection will be left to chance. The Commissioner calls for practical funding mechanisms to support both regulatory and voluntary conservation efforts, whilst emphasising New Zealand’s responsibility to protect its unique biodiversity for future generations.
The Commissioner urges a collective commitment to safeguarding New Zealand’s unique biodiversity for future generations.
