The Conservation Amendment Bill Explained for Paddlers June 16th, 2026 Mo ngā awa te aroha, he waiaroha — For the love of rivers Submissions close 11.59pm, Thursday 2 July 2026. → Make your submission now: Submission portal | WWNZ Submission Guide – Conservation Ammendement Bill Rivers that could lose their protections in the Conservation Amendments Bill What is the Bill? Minister of Conservation Hon Tama Potaka introduced the Conservation Amendment Bill on 7 May 2026. It passed its first reading on 12 May 2026, 68 votes to 54, with the governing coalition (National, ACT, New Zealand First) in favour and opposition parties against. It is now before the Environment Select Committee, which is calling for public submissions before 11.59pm on Thursday 2 July 2026. It is the biggest reform of conservation law in nearly 40 years, amending the Conservation Act 1987, the Reserves Act 1977, and the National Parks Act 1980. What does it do? The Bill makes changes across several areas of the Conservation Act. We’ve focused on the ones that directly affect paddlers and river access: 1. It makes conservation land easier to sell or swap Where we are now. Conservation land can only be sold (disposed of) if it has no or very low conservation value, and only stewardship land qualifies. The bar is high, and the process requires public notification. What the Bill does. New sections 15A to 15Z create an entirely new regime for both exchanges and disposals. For exchanges, the Minister can swap conservation land out of the estate if a “net conservation benefit” results from the incoming land. “Net conservation benefit” means the natural and historic resources of the incoming land are assessed as greater than those of the outgoing land (new section 15C). Remote, hard-to-reach land can be traded for more accessible amenity land, and that assessment can come out in favour of the swap. For disposals (sales), the Minister can sell land if it is not important for threatened species or ecosystems, and is not the best or one of the best examples of its habitat type in its ecological district (new section 15K). That’s a far weaker test than exists today. The Bill also repeals the old stewardship disposal section (clause 25) and removes the existing prohibition on disposing of stewardship-managed land (clause 42). Which land is protected? New Schedule 5 lists the land that cannot be sold or swapped: national parks; wilderness, ecological and sanctuary areas; nature, scientific, national and marine reserves; wildlife sanctuaries; Ramsar wetlands; and two named scenic reserves (Kaikoura and Rakitu Islands). Everything else, including conservation parks, stewardship areas and forest parks, is in the pool. That is around 60% of all public conservation land. What that means for rivers. Most of the country’s best whitewater, and the tracks, valleys and access land that connect paddlers to it, sit on conservation parks, stewardship land and forest parks. None of these are protected by Schedule 5. Losing that land doesn’t always mean losing the river itself. It can mean losing the right to cross it, to put in or take out, to camp beside it, or to reach it at all. Public conservation land is what gives paddlers the freedom to run remote rivers when the weather and flows are right, instead of being dependent on a landowner’s goodwill or a scheduled access day. A few specific examples: West Coast rivers, including the Kakapotahi, Perth, Whataroa, Whitcombe, Hokitika, Toaroha, Kokatahi, Crooked, Taipo, Mungo, Landsborough, Haast and Turnbull all flow through or are accessed across conservation parks or stewardship land. North Island rivers, including the Mōtū (Raukūmara Conservation Park) and Mohaka (Kaweka Forest Park) are in the same position. The Maruia and Upper Grey flow through Victoria Forest Park, also unprotected. This is not an exhaustive list, you can find out if your own favourite remote river runs through conservation land here in this interactive map. A live example of the exchange mechanism in action: Federated Mountain Clubs is currently opposing a proposed land exchange in the Ruahine Forest Park that would see conservation land swapped to enable a dam and reservoir on the Makaroro River. Whilst this river has low relevance to strictly paddlers, it is an example of how conservation land swaps can impact recreation. The Makaroro precedent. In 2012 the courts held that once land crosses the threshold of special protection, it can only lose that status if its intrinsic values have been detrimentally affected. The Bill replaces that high threshold with the weak section 15K test, dismantling the safeguard that has protected rivers like this. Whitewater NZ relied on this threshold in its 2022 West Coast stewardship land reclassification submission. 2. It shifts DOC’s core job toward development The Bill adds a new function to DOC (new section 6(ea)): to recognise the economic opportunities arising from the use and development of conservation land, and to enable that use and development “to the greatest extent practicable.” Conservation law has always operated on a clear hierarchy: conservation first, recreation second, tourism and commercial use last. This new function cuts across that order and applies across all conservation land. This is the biggest change to what conservation land is for in nearly 40 years, and it shouldn’t be rushed through without a proper public conversation. Recreation, including paddling, must keep its place ahead of commercial use. That’s our position, and the position of the recreation coalition we’re part of thats being led by Federated Mountain Clubs. 3. It cuts the public’s say The Bill reduces the role of the New Zealand Conservation Authority (NZCA) from decision-maker to advisory commenter (new section 6B). Conservation Boards are similarly sidelined. On land disposals, there is public notification but no right to be heard (new section 15M). In practice, the public can comment but cannot front up and make a case. A new visitor amenities areas tool (new Part 3D) allows accommodation, cafes, restaurants, car parks and commercial services to be established within conservation parks, stewardship areas and national parks, again with no right for the public to be heard (new section 16D). Paddlers are a small community that has always relied on submissions to be heard. Fast-track legislation has already largely stripped public input from project decisions. This Bill extends the same pattern to conservation-land decisions. What about the NCPS? The Bill also requires the Minister to publish a National Conservation Policy Statement (NCPS), which will set policy for all conservation land management. This is being consulted on separately by DOC. Submissions on the NCPS close on 10 August 2026. See DOC’s website for details. What are we doing about it? Whitewater NZ is working on a recreation-sector submission led by Federated Mountain Clubs, alongside NZ Deerstalkers, NZ Alpine Club, NZ Canyoning Association, NZ Speleological Society, NZ Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Fish & Game, and Aotearoa Climbing Access Trust, and more. The joint submission covers the national legal and policy case for recreation. We’re also aiming to support affiliated clubs, polytechs, and commercial guiding operations to support their own local submissions. What do we want the Bill to do differently? Our position, consistent with our 2022 West Coast reclassification submission: Don’t make conservation parks, stewardship land and forest parks easier to sell or swap. Keep a strong test, and protect river corridors and the land that carries public access. If any conservation land is exchanged or disposed of, guarantee public access to rivers as a condition. Don’t rush the change to DOC’s economic function (new section 6(ea)) without a genuine public conversation. Conservation and recreation must keep their place in the hierarchy. Keep real oversight with the public, the NZCA and Conservation Boards, including the right to be heard. Complete the stewardship land reclassification before any stewardship land can be sold or swapped. What can you do? Make a submission before 11.59pm, Thursday 2 July. Go to our submission guide for the two-step process: WWNZ Submission Guide – Conservation Ammendement Bill Or go straight to Parliament’s form: Submission portal Check if your river is at risk. The DOC public conservation land map shows the classification of every parcel. Conservation parks, stewardship areas and forest parks are the unprotected categories. Share and get others submitting. Pass the guide to your club, your mates, your commercial operator contacts. Become a member so we can keep representing paddlers when it counts: Join us Now is our chance to be heard. In an age where the ability to make a public submission is dwindling, please don’t let it slide past. Mo ngā awa te aroha, he waiaroha — For the love of rivers
