The Government has announced what John Key calls “the most ambitious conservation project attempted anywhere in the world”, with a lofty goal of making New Zealand predator-free by 2050.
The plan would establish a new Crown Entity, Predator Free New Zealand, which will work alongside the private sector. The Government is looking to establish a “two for one” system wherein they would put in one dollar for every two dollars contributed to the scheme by private enterprises and local councils.
The government has set four interim goals which they hope to achieve by 2020:
- One million hectares (slightly larger than Auckland City) where predators are suppressed or removed
- Eliminating one small mammalian predator
- Demonstrating that areas of more than 20,000 hectares can be predator-free without fences
- Complete removal of all introduced predators from offshore island nature reserves
Conservation Minister Maggie Barry says “New Zealanders have rightly taken great pride in our conservation efforts to date. If we harness the strength of everyone who is keen to be involved in this project, I believe we will achieve the vision of a Predator Free New Zealand by 2050”.
Labour and the Greens offered tentative support, but expressed scepticism at the proposal and were eager to hit National for cutting DoC funding. Kevin Hague (Green) said “Auckland University estimate it will cost $9 billion to make New Zealand predator free. To make Stewart Island predator free will cost between $6 million to $25 million alone… Since National became the Government eight years ago, DOC has had its funding reduced by some $56 million a year on the last Labour budget. The Government can’t do that on one hand and commit to eradicating the pests that endanger our native birds on the other.” Labour’s Nanaia Mahuta said the promise “just smacks of tokenism”.
Richard Prosser of NZ First had a harsher response, saying “No human society in history has succeeded in exterminating the rat, and it is highly unlikely that we will be the first. The intention is so unrealistic as to be bordering on the irrational.”
While the World Wildlife Fund, Federated Farmers, and the Rakiura Maori Lands Trust all applauded the initiative, the usually National-friendly Taxpayers Union called it a “policy driven by spin doctors rather than policy wonks. It’s flag referendum 2.0… it puts a politically attractive goal ahead of all the costs and ignores tradeoffs.”