A high level of endemism
In 2019, the Ministry of the Environment published the Environment Aotearoa report drawing up a worrying picture of biodiversity: 4,000 species are thought to be in danger of extinction. Among the culprits, introduced species are wreaking havoc. Rats, cats and possums are formidable predators for a fauna that has never been confronted with them.
However, the land of the Kiwi (also on the brink of extinction) is taking the necessary measures. Faced with the hecatomb, Parliament signed the Wildlife Act in 1953, prohibiting the killing, hunting, eating or possession of most of the island's native vertebrates. Targeted action was also taken to protect the most vulnerable species. On a larger scale, the Predator Free New Zealand 2050 program aims to rid the island of all introduced predators by 2050.
The forest and the lumberjacks
Once 80% forest, the land has gradually been replaced by fields, so that trees now cover just under a third of the country. It is estimated that 70,000 hectares of land have been cleared for grazing to accommodate the country's 30 million sheep!
However, the country is determined to reverse this trend. The national parks policy, which began in 1887, has played a major role in preserving the bush , the local name for native forest. In 1971, the Maruia Declaration, a petition gathering 340,000 signatures to call for an end to the felling of primary forest, saw most of its demands met and helped to halt the deforestation process.
Resources as people
In 1975, the government created the Waitangi Tribunal, with the aim of compensating Maori for land stolen from them by Europeans. Thus, in 2014, a complaint by a Maori tribe, the Tūhoe, led to the Te Urewera forest (a "national park") they considered sacred, and which had been taken from them, being granted legal person status: a world first. The forest's interests can now be defended in court by two representatives. Since then, two other sites have been granted the same status: the Whanganui River and Mount Taranaki.
Water: another New Zealand paradox
With 425,000 km of rivers, 4,000 lakes and 200 underground pockets, New Zealand has vast water resources. What a shame, then, that this sector is in the midst of a crisis! Nitrogen fertilizers, which boost agricultural profitability, often end up in watercourses. In 2017, for example, 7 out of 10 rivers inspected had such high levels that they were unfit for swimming.
In addition to pollution from the agricultural industry, there is also the problem of ageing infrastructure. Cases of contamination of the drinking water network, burst pipes, overflows and leaks are multiplying. Since 2018, chloride has even been added to Christchurch's water to prevent poisoning, while the infrastructure is being modernized.
In 2021, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the Three Waters Reforms Program, aimed at renewing aging infrastructures. By 2024, it plans to transfer infrastructure management from the hands of the 67 counties, which are finding it difficult to finance them, to those of four dedicated public organizations, with allocated funds.
The war on nuclear power
New Zealand is a pioneer: it was the first country in the world to legally declare itself nuclear-free, through the landmark New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987. This legislation, important to Kiwis, is taken literally, as cases of nuclear submarines being refused entry into New Zealand waters are commonplace. Although it was the French nuclear tests in the Pacific that prompted Parliament to adopt the law, it now has an ecological dimension. New Zealand is proud to generate 80% of its electricity from its rich resources: rivers are used for hydroelectricity, volcanoes for geothermal power, and wind for wind power. This makes New Zealand one of the OECD countries with the highest proportion of renewable energies in its energy mix.
Protected biodiversity
Tongariro National Park is as important ecologically as it is spiritually and historically. It was New Zealand's first national park, and one of the first in the world. In 1987, a Maori tribal chief offered three volcanic peaks to the British Crown, on condition that they be protected. It was the only way he could find to prevent the peaks, sacred in Maori spirituality, from being exploited by Europeans. Today, even Unesco recognizes their importance by classifying the park as a World Heritage Site. It is home to a rich biodiversity, including 56 rare bird species, such as the emblematic kiwi.
But it's Fiordland National Park that takes the prize for largest park, with 12,500 km², almost as large as Montenegro, and larger than Qatar. Between its magnificent fjords, it is home to an eccentric: the kakapo(Strigops habroptila), the only parrot unable to fly! This is New Zealand's wildest, largest, most mysterious and most inaccessible park (fifth in the world). The park is all the more essential as the bird is classified as critically endangered, with only 126 specimens recorded in 2012. It is also the subject of a conservation program aimed at eliminating introduced predators from the park's borders: cats, stoats and rats.
In New Zealand, even cities are home to a rich biodiversity. Such is the case of the capital Wellington, where an area of 225 ha (a little less than Central Park) is being restored to its pre-industrial state. Zealandia reclaims its primary forest, gets rid of its introduced species, and thus becomes a project unique in the world. A fine-mesh fence prevents any domestic cat from nibbling on a kiwi, "kākā" or other "tūī", the three endemic birds present.
