23 May 2016

Conservation funding debate shows little sign of dying out

12:04 pm on 23 May 2016

The Conservation Minister has hit back at suggestions more New Zealand species are facing extinction because of a lack of funding.

Kevin Hague and Maggie Barry

Kevin Hague and Maggie Barry Photo: RNZ

The Green Party says figures it has obtained under the Official Information Act show that in the past eight years, 142 species classified as 'non-threatened' have been reclassified as 'at-risk', and some 'at-risk' species are now rated 'threatened'.

Conservation spokesperson Kevin Hague said the Department of Conservation had less capacity to protect species because of a lack of funding.

He said the government was spending $55 million less each year on conservation than when the National Party took office.

Mr Hague said the increased threat to such unique biodiversity should be prompting more investment, not less.

But Conservation Minister Maggie Barry said the Greens were being disingenuous in their interpretation of the figures, with only 14 species reclassified because of a population decline.

She told Morning Report there had been no reduction in funding and the government was protecting more species.

She said the government was taking the right approach.

"It is working. We needed to take a broader based approach than just species-specific, but with the work we are doing, it has been very successful. And I think that probably there has been some, shall we say, disengenious interpretaion of some of the figures that Kevin Hague obtaine dunder the OIA."

Ms Barry said there had been no reduction in funding and the government was protecting more species.

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