Author Archives: Andi Cockroft

Hidden Chemicals in Our Food and Water?

Guest post by Dave Rhodes Why New Zealand Cannot Ignore the Global Warning on Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA)** For years, we have raised alarms about chemical contamination in our rivers, lakes and soils. From pesticides in groundwater to nitrates in drinking … Continue reading

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DoC Design or Ignorance is “Farming Rats and Stoats”

by Tony Orman Currently the Department of Conservation (DOC) is increasingly carrying out aerial 1080 poison drops over large areas of public land, particularly on the West Coast. Some persons, knowledgeable of individual areas, may be puzzled by that in … Continue reading

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BROKEN PIPES, BROKEN PROMISES:

Commentary by Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ Why New Zealand’s Ageing Wastewater System Is Failing Rivers, Estuaries – and Recreational Fishers New Zealand likes to imagine itself as a clean, green country with world-class water. Yet with every passing year, the … Continue reading

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HANGING ON: New Zealand’s Rediscovered Survivors in a Changing Landscape

Commentary by Andi Cockroft, Chairman, CORANZ How native species continue to cling to life despite everything we’ve done to their habitats New Zealand has become famous for extinctions — but less well known for its rediscoveries. In the last decade … Continue reading

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Feral Cats on the Hit List: CORANZ Calls for Science, Not Slogans

Guest Post by Dave Rhodes The government’s latest move in the Predator Free 2050 agenda is a big symbolic step: feral cats are to be formally treated as a pest species targeted for eradication by 2050. Ministers have talked about … Continue reading

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We Won’t Miss Regional Councils – But We Still Need a Referee for the Rivers

Guest Post by Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ 1. The Government’s Announcement In mid‑2025 the New Zealand Government announced a sweeping shake‑up of local government: elected regional councils are to be abolished. In their place will be newly created Combined Territories … Continue reading

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High-Value Visitors, Fragile Rivers: Why Clean Fresh Water Matters to New Zealand’s Angling Visitors

An observation by Andi Cockroft, Chairman, CORANZ Introduction: A Standout Asset Under Pressure New Zealand’s reputation as a world-class destination for freshwater angling is firmly established. From the braided rivers of the South Island to remote alpine lakes, overseas anglers … Continue reading

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Code Red for Nature: What Our Environment 2025 Means for Outdoor Recreation

Chair Andi Cockroft comments here are based on key themes from the Government’s “Our Environment 2025″ reporting and is written for CORANZ members from a recreation-focused perspective. An environment in decline — and why recreationists should care Imagine a dawn … Continue reading

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FROM WINDSCREEN TO SILENCE:

Opinion by Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ Exploring the Decline of Insects in Rural New Zealand (and What We Can Do About It) For anyone who drove on rural roads in New Zealand fifty or sixty years ago, the memory is … Continue reading

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FAST-TRACK AT WHAT COST?

A CAUTIONARY LOOK AT NEW ZEALAND’S NEW DEVELOPMENT REGIME Opinion by Andi Cockroft, Chair, CORANZ Introduction: A New Era of Acceleration The Government’s Fast-track Approvals Act has been sold to the public as a long-overdue tool to “cut through red … Continue reading

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From Vermin to Endangered: The Kea’s Journey and What the Future Holds

A historical and future-facing analysis of New Zealand’s alpine parrot by Andi Cockroft, Chairman, CORANZ Foreword Following my thoughts on 1080 published earlier, it occurred to me that the mischievous Kea is almost a litmus test for what is actually … Continue reading

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Silent Forests: Why 70 Years of 1080 Have Failed NZ

A further comment by Andi Cockroft, chairman, CORANZ For seventy years, New Zealand has run the largest aerial poisoning programme in the world. Helicopters sweep over the backcountry every two to three years, broadcasting 1080 pellets over mountains, valleys, waterways, … Continue reading

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The Slow Disappearance of the Open Gate

An observation by Andi Cockroft. Chairman, CORANZ Part 1 – Where Have All Our Places Gone For generations, New Zealanders have lived with an unspoken understanding: the countryside was open. A knock on the farmhouse door, a wave from the … Continue reading

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The Deer “Problem” We Created: How 1080 Destroyed a Working Solution

Elevated from a Comment by Dave Rhodes A comment on the West Coast Regional Council’s deer dilemma The West Coast Regional Council’s hand-wringing over deer populations would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic. Councillors are now scrambling to find … Continue reading

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Why Trout Farming Would Be a Disaster for New Zealand

The Case for Keeping Our World-Unique Ban Comment by Andi Cockroft, Chairman CORANZ An evidence-based analysis of why New Zealand should resist calls to commercialise trout farming New Zealand stands alone among the world’s nations in maintaining a complete ban … Continue reading

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CORANZ Is Now Re-Registered Under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022

We have now re-registered CORANZ under the new Incorporated Societies Act, something that took a lot of effort, as the new 2022 Act is far more stringent that the much older 1908 Act. Nonetheless, the process is now complete and … Continue reading

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Does New Zealand Need a Constitution.

Opinion by Andi Cockroft, Chairman CORANZ Inheriting the British governmental style, GodZone relies on “Common Law” as a backstop to judicial thinking. Common Law acts as a precedent-setting set of decisions that are passed down over the years. We still … Continue reading

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DoC will get back on track when perverse rules are ditched

From Newsroom.co.nz. By Peter Wilson (Peter Wilson is a former President of Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand, and former Department of Conservation statutory planner) ENVIRONMENT The Department of Conservation needs to talk with the outdoor community who want to … Continue reading

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Bryce Edwards: Chris Hipkins hires a lobbyist to run the Beehive

February 2, 2023 New Zealand is the second least corrupt country on earth according to the latest Corruption Perception Index published yesterday by Transparency International. But how much does this reflect reality? The problem with being continually feted for world-leading … Continue reading

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DOC and Fish and Game NZ – Conspicuous by their Absence at Crisis Time

by Andi Cockroft, Chairman Council of Outdoor  Recreation Assns of NZ (CORANZ)             I  do not currently hold a trout fishing licence but as a keen conservationist and outdoor recreationalist, I take a keen and strong interest in the environment … Continue reading

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