1 November 2011 – Wellington


Forest & Bird media release for immediate use


Forest & Bird knows what voters want – do politicians?

Forest & Bird is not surprised by the results of a poll last night, which found that the natural environment is the top priority for voters in 2011, Conservation Advocate Nicola Vallance said today.

The 3 News poll asked 21,000 voters to rank 21 political issues. The cleanliness and quality of our natural environment came out on top, with a ranking of 8.2.

But when party leaders were asked what their number one priority was this election, none of them identified the environment. They were more focused on cost of living, economic and social issues.

“This election Forest & Bird is running a Vote for Nature campaign. This poll shows that New Zealanders are ready to Vote for Nature – yet politicians continue to fail to recognise and give them this opportunity,” Nicola Vallance said.

“Kiwis understand that New Zealand’s environment and natural heritage are not in good health, that the time to change this is now, that the environment is at the heart of our national identity and our economy, and that it is not all about economic growth at any cost.”

Last year 50,000 people marched down Queen Street in defence of our national parks and conservation land. It was the biggest demonstration for a generation and they voted for nature with their feet.

This year Forest & Bird is asking them to vote for nature again on Election Day.

Kiwis are unhappy about the poor quality of our freshwater. They do not want to see the iconic landscapes of the Mackenzie destroyed by irrigation and intensive dairying, and our wild and braided rivers dammed for hydro power. The Rena oil spill has prompted real concerns about the environmental risks of offshore oil, and New Zealand’s capacity to respond.

This poll shows that, contrary to what the government would have us believe, voters’ passion for our environment is not specific to national parks or mining.

Will politicians listen to their own people turning up the volume on the voice for nature?

• The 3 News’ coverage of their poll is here: http://www.3news.co.nz/Natural-environment-number-one-election-issue-for-voters/tabid/419/articleID/231299/Default.aspx.
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• Forest & Bird’s Vote for Nature posters and responses from parliamentary parties are here: www.votefornature.org.nz.

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