• Sunset over a coastal landscape with rocky cliffs, green vegetation, and ocean waves.

    We use the law to protect the natural taonga of Aotearoa

  • A peaceful landscape featuring a calm river flowing through a lush, green marsh with tall grasses, surrounded by trees with a mountain range in the distance under a clear blue sky.

    Tiakina te mauri o te taiao

We have laws to protect our environment and natural taonga.
Too often these are poorly implemented or ignored altogether.

We're changing that.

We use the law to hold regulators and corporate interests to account, for nature and for future generations.

Cases
The fight for a credible climate plan
The fight for a credible climate plan

With our friends, Lawyers for Climate Action NZ, we are taking legal action against the Minister of Climate Change over ‘glaring holes’ in the Government’s climate plan.

Protecting hoiho from setnet fishing deaths
Protecting hoiho from setnet fishing deaths

We challenged the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries’ decision to only close part of northern hoiho habitat to setnet fishing, when the entire population is at risk of extinction.

Protecting Māui and Hector’s dolphins from extinction
Protecting Māui and Hector’s dolphins from extinction

We are taking the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries to court for failing to adequately protect Māui and Hector’s dolphins.

Latest cases

Cases
Protecting Mount Messenger wildlife
Protecting Mount Messenger wildlife

We challenged DOC’s decisions to grant a permit and a consent authorising the incidental killing of wildlife during the Mt Messenger bypass project, and we won.

Holding Environment Southland accountable on wetland loss
Holding Environment Southland accountable on wetland loss

We challenged Environment Southland in the High Court for its failure to take action on wetland destruction, and we won. 

Crayfish case #2: restoring crayfish numbers in Northland
Crayfish case #2: restoring crayfish numbers in Northland

We challenged the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Total Allowable Catch decision for crayfish in Northland, and we won.

Crayfish case #1: Restoring crayfish numbers in Northland
Crayfish case #1: Restoring crayfish numbers in Northland

With Te Uri o Hikihiki hapū, we challenged the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries catch limit decisions for crayfish, and we won.

Fighting nitrate pollution in Canterbury: ALIL
Fighting nitrate pollution in Canterbury: ALIL

We challenged Environment Canterbury’s decision to grant a problematic nitrogen discharge consent to a major irrigation scheme, and we won.

Protecting orange roughy from bottom trawling and over-fishing
Protecting orange roughy from bottom trawling and over-fishing

We took the Minister to court for the destructive impacts of bottom trawling and the overfishing orange roughy.  We are now awaiting the court’s decision.

Recent wins

Explore all of our cases

Follow our updates

Next week, we are heading to the High Court in Wellington. From 15–18 June, the Environmental Law Initiative is challenging the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries and the Minister of Conservation over critical cuts to the fisheries observer pro
We've given the Fisheries Amendment Bill a no star review. 0 out of 5. Badly written legislation, not worth passing. Lots of better things to do than this. #nzpol #oceans
It's simple really. #nzpol #oceans
Aotearoa NZ's marine mammal sanctuaries should be safe havens for marine mammals. But in the last two fishing years alone, 146 marine mammals were killed inside marine mammal sanctuaries. Join us in writing to the Minister of Conservation to call f