ELI has requested that the Department of Conservation (DOC) immediately cancel a permit it has issued, which authorises NZTA to kill native species during the building of the Mt Messenger Bypass. DOC's permit (91389-FAU) authorises NZTA to kill 46 species, including north island brown kiwi, short-tailed and long-tailed bats and Archey's frog. Read our full letter to DOC here.

New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is home to at least 113 species of shark, more than 70 of which have been recorded in NZ’s fisheries. Sharks play an important role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems, but face a litany of significant threats, most of which are human induced. Read our submission to FNZ and DOC on their Draft National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2022.

Our submission to the Ministry for the Environment on their proposed changes to provisions for wetlands in the coastal marine area (CMA).

The Environmental Protection Authority report into the use of glyphosate is open to criticism for presenting scientific information on a par with the opinions of industry. With growing evidence of its negative environmental effects, a reassessment should get the go-ahead

Our submission to Ministry for Environment on the 2022 Exposure drafts of the NPS-FM and NES-F: “Managing our Wetlands” and Technical Amendments.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) is in the process of making targeted amendments to several pieces of conservation legislation, particularly the Conservation Act 1987, the National Parks Act 1980, and the Reserves Act 1977.

In ELI’s view, however, these reforms misdiagnose problems, and overlook the core issues hampering DOC from effectively doing its job. Read our full submission here.

Read our full submission on the Fisheries Amendment Bill, and why the proposed changes are unlikely to fulfil the Govt’s stated intentions for our Oceans and Fisheries.

Read our analysis in The Conversation on Aotearoa’s biodiversity crisis, and why we must strengthen our plan for addressing it.

ELI is pleased to announce that their recommendations have been heard in the EPA’s reassessment of diazinon, fenamiphos and methamidophos. These chemicals are known as organophosphates (OPs), which are the main component of herbicides, pesticides and incecticides widely used across New Zealand.

Read our submission on MfE’s consultation to improve environmental reporting.

The Environmental Law Initiative (ELI) is looking to recruit two senior researchers to join our team. We are looking for inquisitive people who have a strong a background in law, policy, or science and want to make a difference for Aotearoa's environment and biodiversity. The senior researchers will use their skills to investigate legal and policy issues to improve the ways our natural taonga are regulated and managed.

ELI is concerned at proposals to invoke a special procedure to review the status of public Stewardship Land. As presently set up, the Government’s proposed measures for carrying out this review suffer from a number of shortcomings which could see large swathes of precious public land disposed of to mining interests. Read our full submission to DOC here.