Forest & Bird says the Government’s lack of investment in New Zealand’s environment in Budget 2025 is deeply concerning given the importance of the environment to our economy and society.

The organisation says Aotearoa needs to invest around $2 billion a year to prevent extinctions and restore te taiao. This work is essential to protect more than $133 billion in natural assets that deliver an estimated $11 billion in environmental services and protect the wild places and wildlife that are so important to Kiwis.

New Zealand’s economy – including primary industries, tourism, or exports that trade on nature’s reputation – is underpinned by a healthy and vibrant environment.

Richard Capie, GM Advocacy says:

"This Budget misses the mark in recognising just how vital the environment is to our economy and our society. Te taiao nature is on life-support. Seventy-five percent of indigenous species are threatened with extinction or are at risk of becoming threatened with extinction. This matters to New Zealanders. We value our beaches and our forests, our kiwi and our kākāpō. Our unique environment is a deep part of our identity.

“This Government is cutting conservation funding to the bone, and at the same time has introduced policies like fast-track, selling off conservation land, removing freshwater protections and weakening marine protections – of all which undermine environment protections further. Now we can add getting rid of the Nature Heritage Fund – which has protected hundreds of thousands of hectares of land – to this list. We can and should be doing better.”

There are targeted investments in the environment that could make a real difference to New Zealand’s long-term prosperity:

• Eradicating the ocean weed caulerpa from northern coastal areas before it smothers vast areas of the seabed.
• Reducing deer, tahr, goats, and pigs to levels that will protect biodiversity, farmland, and forestry.
• Increasing levels of pest control across conservation land and boosting support for Predator Free 2050.
• Fixing forestry settings to incentivise native forestry over exotic monocultures.
• Investing in nature-based solutions that deliver biodiversity and community resilience.

This budget falls short. A healthy environment is non-negotiable.

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